Since the initial discussion of the club project, the construction of a large scale fortified town, there has been some progress. The blueprints have all been completed and the main fortification sections have been carved. Wow.

Actually, there was a lot of research required to produce a satisfactory concept that could be created for the gaming table. One only has to read the many articles about building terrain, fortifications, towns and other accessories to enhance the gaming experience to appreciate that this is no small task. There is a lot more effort going into the construction of eye-pleasing and well-scaled terrain. The part of the hobby can be as time consuming as the other pre- and post-battle activities such a painting figures, organising armies and learning the rules. There is an expectation that terrain will be as detailed and realistic as the miniatures.

One major undertaking is to identify what is going to be created and how it will be constructed. This is more than going to the local hardware or DIY store to pick out the materials and tools. It requires an understanding of military engineering and town planning. So out come the books and diagrams to gain a satisfactory understanding of what was required to build an historical (and scientifically sound) model. One of the challenges in creating the fortifications was to determine how much was needed to be represented on the gaming table. This went beyond just the simple concept of reproducing a section of a fortification. Since this structure was going to be attacked and defended, it was important to consider the number of figures, guns and other components that would be represented. This meant looking at various rulebooks to determine what ratio would look right.

For example, a single cannon can be used to represent one gun or a whole battery. The scale used in the rules determines this. There has to be sufficient space allotted to position a reasonable number of guns or batteries along a wall section or in a bastion. It may be worth considering the placement of artillery to reflect the often sophisticated arcs of fire inherent in a well-planned and sited part of any fortification. A bastion might require four or more models to represent the directions from artillery could be fired. Their position making it obvious that each section of the wall or arc of fire is covered and can be made obvious to the observer. This is harder than it seems, as we must often disregard what we see in order to understand what is being represented. The single gun representing a battery must be viewed by the brain as a group of cannons, crews and objects instead a single cannon with several figures based around it.

Unfortunately, it may not be possible to represent a reasonable number of guns along the walls because the rules dictate that one model equals all the cannons that could be fitted into the physical space. I hope this reads as confusingly as it is to imagine it. One way to avoid such a dilemma is to balance the length of each section of the fortification so that a good visual representation can be created for the game. This was indeed achieved by the builder of the fortification in this case. He had plenty of short wall sections interspersed with large bastions.

Another challenge that has to be faced is the mixing of models, basically artillery and infantry, such that they can be used in the game and still operate in accordance with the rules. For example, the single cannon is positioned along with infantry figures to “man” the wall. This has a good visual look, but may not allow for effective fire or melee actions. Some rulebooks require units to fire as a single group, while others count individual figures or stands. Obviously the latter is preferable, but may mean that the club’s favourite rules will not be used for any games involving the fortification. Alternatively, the rules can be “modified” in this and other circumstances to avoid learning a new set of rules.

There is still plenty of time in which to determine what rules are satisfactory for club games and scenarios at conventions. The fortifications and town will not be ready until the spring. This also means that there will be plenty of time to debate many other issues, which may be discussed in future newsletters.