War is hell, but to look at our gaming tables you'd never know it. Most buildings for miniature wargaming are either immaculate recreations of famous landmarks (i.e. the Dunkard Church, or La Haye Sainte) or generic models of idyllic living -- untouched by the ravages of war. But the times, they are a changing!

Wargames Ruins, a new company out of Utah, manufactures a new line of miniature buildings designed to highlight the effects of modern combat on structures. These buildings bring the character and feel of such classic films as "Cross of Iron" and "Saving Private Ryan" to your tabletop gaming. Currently, Wargames Ruins' product line features four items -- a Russian house, the Stalingrad apartment building, a factory, and the French Tavern. Prices for unassembled kits range from $15 to $30. Wargames Ruins advertises these kits as suitable for 15mm and 20mm figures. Based on my unfamiliarity with their product line, I chose the French Tavern for a low-cost introduction to their merchandise, with the goal of expanding my range of 15mm terrain.

Ordering by mail, the kit arrived at my post office within two weeks, which I consider solid service. The kit itself arrived in a clear plastic bag that contained the pieces of the building along with two pages of instructions -- one of text and a great 8.5" x 11" diagram detailing assembly . The French Tavern is a two-story building that consists of 15 resin pieces, including two chimney caps and a staircase. Each piece is nicely detailed on one side (the top of the floors and exterior surfaces of the walls), and in general, cleanly cast. Bubbles and pits were confined to the interior / bottom of the pieces and will clean up easily. I removed a small amount of flash from around the window frames and roof pieces, but nothing major.

Assembly of the building requires a good, five-minute epoxy or gap filling super glue. Following the manufacturer's instructions, I was quickly able to assemble the building into its components. Overall dimensions of the building were 3 1/8" wide, 5 1/8" long and 4" to the top of the roof (5" to the tops of the chimney). For 15mm, these scale out to 28' wide, 46' long and 36' to the top of the roof. In 20mm, this would be 21', 34' and 27' high. In terms of playability, the 15mm scale gives us a structure that is a bit on the large side, but the 20mm dimensions yield a well-scaled structure.

A great feature of the French Tavern is its appearance -- nicely shot up with bullet holes stitching the sides, plaster flaking off the walls and the center of the roof blown off by bombing, shelling or fire. The best feature is the building. It splits apart into two halves and the roof is detachable, allowing easy access to the interiors to position figures. In a pinch, the two sections can double for individual buildings that have had a wall blown off. More bang for my wargaming buck!

In the end, I found that Wargames Ruins make an affordable building that adds a lot of character to your gaming table. 15mm and 20mm gamers -- especially Skirmish Gamers -- should check out these products! See pictures of their products on the web at www.wargameruins.com. Write to them at P.O. Box 336, Grantsville Utah, 84029. Or e-mail: customerservice@wargameruins.com

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