Battle of Gettysburg in Miniature It isn't every day that something completely new and different shows up at your doorstep. When it does it can really get the juices flowing and put a new light on old ideas. When the new video called "THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG IN MINIATURE" showed up recently I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. The ads and mentions of it that I had seen in various wargaming publications were not really too explicit and didn't give much information. Even the short presentation sheet included with the tape didn't really go into detail about what was inside. The making of this tape would be an entire article in itself. Just the fact that it is here at all, and what it may portend for the future is enough to create quite a stir. So what is it really, and more importantly, what will come next. The video is available in either VHS or BETA format and is about 40 minutes long. The movie is a combination of still pictures of Civil War generals, a subtle but effective soundtrack of music and sound effects, some simple and clear maps of the battlefield and many beautiful panoramic views of the Battle of Gettysburg as set up using miniatures. The entire movie is narrated with an information packed script and is well worth watching time and time again. Someone not already familiar with the battle will get the gist of what happened on the first time through, but only after a couple of viewings are they likely to really put the pieces all together. Anyone familiar with the battle already will be able to follow every detail all the way through from the beginning without any trouble at all. From a military history standpoint it would be difficult to explain Gettysburg much better given the time allowed by the film. Hollywood has never been able to do it and the budgets involved in their attempts can't compare with this. As for the film itself, it is awe inspiring. Many of us have seen countless pictures of wargames in progress and we have even come to expect excellence in our pictures of figures and terrain, courtesy of several magazines from England. But even taking all of that into consideration, the movie is breathtaking. Every scene is meticulously arranged to represent history with wargaming figures. The terrain is simply some of the best I've ever seen and would be the envy of any wargamer. The figures vary from massed regiments to individual personalities and form a collection that anyone would be proud of. There is no doubt that each scene took hours to prepare just setting up figures alone. Many scenes are only on the screen briefly and none are repeated as far as I can tell. This is one reason for viewing the film many times. The narration is very well done and the film follows the battle through in chronological order from start to finish. No significant detail is left out. The movie was shot using motion picture film and is very rich in color. But as suggested in the flyer accompanying the tape, it looks even more realistic in black & white. Matthew Brady meets the VCR! All in all the movie is very well done. It is hard to see how it could be much better. Anyone who has an interest in the Civil War should definitely own a copy. Anyone who is an avid miniaturist should also get a copy. It is the perfect vehicle for demonstrating perhaps the ultimate use of our wargaming figures beyond playing games, using them as entertaining history. It is great film to show friends and relatives who are not in the hobby as well. The movie is available from: GETTYSBURG IN MINIATURE P.O. BOX 10541, DEPT. A RALEIGH, NC 27605-0541 I got mine through the ad in the COURIER for $34.95 although the normal price is $39.95 plus $2.00 shipping. There is even a toll free order number of 1-d00-543-6485 for credit card users. Something definitely worth looking into. Not only is GETTYSBURG IN MINIATURE the best video of its kind, it is the only video of its kind. When you stop to think about it that is actually a bit surprising considering how long the medium has been around. Have we really considered using video to all of our advantages or are we too busy painting miniatures. One of the first ideas that comes to mind is for a video catalog for miniatures companies. The cost to produce a simple video showing off complete ranges of figures would have to compare favorable with the rising cost of print. Shops could have VCRs to show customers or mail order purchase (or even rental) would be possible. What better way to show off something like Geo-Hex or the complete variety available in many miniatures ranges. Copying would not be discouraged either. It would also be relatively cheap to update. The soundtrack would also let the manufacturer communicate 10 times as much as a print catalog. It shouldn't be long now before someone sees some of the possibilities and gives it a try. Besides the above there is the possibility of producing similar video battles from any period in history, given the time and figures. But I think that these will be limited to labors of love rather than for-profit ventures. In our fast paced society even we would become unappreciative of a multitude of battle history tapes in miniature. Although it would always be worth having the ones that pertain to your own field of interest. Just as books have gone to cassette tape our wargames may go to video tape. Being able to show history, either as it was or even as it could have been will always be valuable, but it may lose some of its uniqueness over time. What better way than video to record conventions or individual wargames or even campaigns in miniatures. These may not ever be of a professional standard as are some of the ideas above, but they would be no less useful. Thinking of going to LITTLE WARS this year but you want to see what the last one was like, you rent or buy the video and can see for yourself. Better yet, you weren't able to make it this year? You can still see the tape. What about having campaign actions fought by far flung players in separate groups. A great way to see what happened would be to record a short piece after each move and keep a record on tape. All of these are,of course, reuseable and can be taped over when the need arises. O.K. Hal, here's one for you. MWAN goes video. What could be more appropriate than a video newsletter for a hobby that is mostly visual effects? We could even watch Hal while he paints those 2000 Zulus, (although I expect watching ZULU or ZULU DAWN would be a lot more exciting) and maybe get some tips on speed painting. Did I say painting? As in painting seminar. Wouldn't you rather watch someone like Jay Hadley paint a figure than just read about it? That goes double for terrain as well. And what about a video rulebook with examples of play done on the authors wargaming table? I have been present at a game several years ago where the pre-game briefing was a general's eye view of the battlefield as troops were starting to arrive. (and that was Napoleonics!) The players had to make decisions and plans based on what was on the screen. With our VCR's tuned in, why couldn't we all visit with Donald Featherstone at his wargaming table for a chat about skirmish gaming. Who among us wouldn't like to see the Wargames Holiday Centre in England. We might even follow along as Ian Knight tours the battlefields of the Zulu and Boer wars, realistically, that would be the only chance most of us would ever have to see them. Do the possibilities ever exhaust themselves? I doubt it. As a group, wargamers are a pretty creative bunch. It wouldn't take long to come up with a list of ideas 3 times longer, I am sure. Will this take away from our games, or anything that we are doing now? Personally I don't see how it could do anything but add to our enjoyment of the hobby for a minimum cost. So what are we waiting for? There must be some wargamers out there with video equipment who can take the camera off the kids long enough to get going. This isn't the future we're talking about here, this is right now. This is a whole new area that has been unexplored by our hobby and is simply waiting to be discovered. Many people a few years ago said that computer wargaming would supplement or even replace wargaming with miniatures. It hasn't and I don't think it will. The nature of the computer is not conducive to merge with most miniatures games. We wish to play our games ourselves, but with video we can expand our possibilities in any direction we wish without taking anything away from our gaming. Last, but not least, comes the mission of recruiting new people into our hobby. Every hobby publication over the years has been preaching the crusade for bringing in new blood to keep our hobby going into the future. Here we have a worthy goal for any of our so-called hobby organisations from GAMA down to HMGS MIDWEST or anybody else who says they want to accomplish something worthwhile for the hobby. Spend some time, spend some money, get it done. A video that looks and sounds professional and showcases our hobby that could go into video stores across the country (send it to em for free if you have to!), something that shops and libraries could have for the prospective hobbyist to look at. If you want to get someone into miniatures, your best bet is to show and tell. The possibilities of a video version of SWORD & THE FLAME are absolutely frightening. I am sure that the people who have brought us GETTYSBURG IN MINIATURE are not lacking for ideas. They have taken the first step. They have taken a chance and are exploring virgin territory. They also have future plans to do more. I wish them the best and I hope that they are successful. As with many new ideas they have not discovered something totally revolutionary. They have taken the perfectly ordinary and made an extraordinary use of it. It will not be long before we start to see more of the same come about in our hobby. The future looks very bright, I would say, about as bright as my TV set. As for me, I think I'll go out and have my VCR cleaned and tuned up, and Hal, you will let me know when I can expect my VIDEO-MWAN won't you? Back to MWAN # 38 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1989 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com