One of the single most challenging aspects of gaming which I have come to enjoy has been the development of terrain which is both usable as a playing piece and aesthetic. It seemed I was in a constant struggle between compromising the visual effect I hoped for at the expense of a practical playing piece and vice-versa. A general axiom I have come to believe in is that the more time and money spent on a project the worse it seemed to come out. Simple solutions usually come out best. One such problem which I have labored long and hard over is the representation of woods and forests on the miniature wargame table.

The solution I have hit upon employs the ever useful hexagon shape in creating what I call the tree hex. They recently debuted to good reviews at Gathering of the Clans IV in an early France World War II 1/72nd scale scenario staged by our club, the Central Mass. Wargamers. The tree hex is versatile, easy to set up, easy to take down and store, impossible to "pump" over and relatively easy to make. It is amenable to any period or scale (15 to 25mm), and last but certainly not least in my humble opinion they look great. Most importantly it seem to have ended the inevitable controversy each and every time we gamed over "cover", "line of sight" lines, and visibility and spotting. But first let me outline how they are made.

The base of the hexagon is cut from a length of balsa wood stock that measures 1/8 x 6" x 36". Each length sells for several dolars. For the price of two 1/72nd scale kits you can purchase three such lengths. From this you should measure and cut pieces exactly 6.25" in length for a total of 15 pieces (see figure 1). It's usually a good idea when cutting pieces to cut them all at once. This usually produces more consistent results. Now that you have the 6.25" x 6" lengths measure and cut 1 1/2 inch in on either side and 3 inches in from either edge as illustrated in the figure. It's important for added strength to measure and cut with the grain.

Another useful tip in working with balsa wood is to change your knife blade frequently. Cutting balsa wood will dull the needed keen edge of a blade remarkably fast. A slightly more expensive material which may also be used is the artists material known as "foam core". Foam core is 1/4 inch thick styrofoam covered with paper. It is light and strong. It can be cut into any shape and takes paint well. [The paint must be water based & paint both sides to avoid warping -- ED.] The only drawback is it costs more than balsa wood and is usually only obtainable in artists supply shops. It is extremely effectively in making larger scale buildings however, and can be textured to look like masonry. (Our club hopes to showcase our buildings at Havoc VI this April when we stage "Arnhem.")

After sanding the rough edges, spray paint the hexes a uniform base color of matte green or rust brown. The large spray cans of primer obtaibable in department stores are perfect for this. Then using a slightly thinned solution of white glue paint and flock the edges up to 1 inch all the way around the outer edge of the hex. This is the playing area upon which infantry stands will move. Once they are on the flocked area they count as being "in the wood". To complete the basic hex paint the border edge a contrasting color. It's tedious but worth it.

The hex as a basic playing piece is now complete. Now you can get creative. The very center area of the hex is where an assortment of trees and rocks can now be arranged. Always lay out your work dry. When you are satisfied with how it looks, then glue it. For rocks I use small roughly broken pieces of ceiling tile. They also provide a good base for imbedding trees. Another inexpensive option for rocks which works well is styrofoam covered over in a material called Durhams Rock Hard Water Putty. Water soluble, it dries quickly, can be applied with a small brush and painted up looks like what it is supposed to be, a rock!

Now you are ready, after deciding upon the rock formation, to attach the trees. An odd mix usually provides the best visual appeal. Try combining a conifer, a deciduous, a dead tree and one or two pieces of lichen and each hex will become an individual woodland setting. Perhaps in a future article I can outline tree making techniques I have discovered.

USING TREE HEXES IN YOUR GAME

The tree hexes as we use them always block line of sight measuring from the base up. As mentioned earlier the very edge of the hex is considered to be the point at which the woods begin. Look to nature for further inspiration. Most heavy woods, with the exception perhaps of a virgin timber stand or a watershed of pines, are thick with undergrowth of scrub and shrub from the edge inwards. We further distinguish light from heavy wood by the proximity of the hexes.

If they are contiguous they are considered heavy with a resultant 50% penalty for movement of infantry stands through them. Wheeled and tracked vehicles cannot pass through heavy/dense woods. Light woods where hexes are several inches apart are passable to wheeled and tracked vehicles at a slight penalty of 25% of their maximum allowable cross country movement allowance. Visibility for stands which are on the hex with other stands also "on" the hex is 2 inches. We allow for the mandhandling of towed anti-tank guns into the woods but this is optional. Of course you can easily apply the idiosyncracies of your own rules.

For visibility and spotting rules the hexes can be numbered to eliminate the need of concealment markers. We have also set a physical limit as to the actual number of infantry stands which may physically occupy a hex consistent with frontages for our rule system. We use Frank Chadwick's "COMMAND DECISION" rules (available from GDW) and no more than one company (one command stand and three infantry stands) may occupy a hex at a given time.

The tree hex is fun to make, looks great on the wargame table and seems to work better than any other alternatives I have used. I sincerely hope that you have as much fun making and using them as I have. They even store well. I warehouse mine in a $2.00 corrugated cardboard box I picked up at a discount department store which fits comfortably under my table. Good gaming!

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