Wargaming and decimalisation! Horror, scorn, contempt, derision! Up until the other day I too would have joined in this general rejection of 'continentalising' our hobby. However, when picking up a tape, and then casting it aside for having 'funny' markings. I began to think, Well, why not? We already talk about figures in millimetres". After all, we have changed our currency and the rest will come, eventually we will become standardised with Europe. If ever there is an International Convention (as I hope one day) I would hate to witness any British armies running from the field due only to unfamiliarity with moire distances and ranges. So as well as, "Goodbye Shillings and Pence, hello New Pennies", it is "Goodbye feet and inches, hello centimetres". It would take a very brave man to make a clean sweep right through his model armies, and alas I am no hero, nor can I afford the time at the moment. But, I am beginning a new army: based on Brigadier Peter Young's organisation in "Charge," and using a copious supply of plastic 18th Century figures obtained from the U.S. via an advertisement on the back of an old 'Superman' comic. It is this army that is going decimal. I chose 1 figure to represent 10 men and deduced that: If 1 figure = 10 men = 30mm in height then 1 man = 3mm 6 ft = 1 man, so 2 ft = 1mm 1 ft = 1/2 mm I was reluctant to adopt a new general scale because 100 yds = 6 ins had served me well during many various engagements in all eras. So one can imagine my delight when I did the following calculation. 1 inch = 2.5 cm (discounting the odd 0.04) therefore 6 ins = 15.0 cm if 6 ins = 100 yds = 300 ft then 15 cm = 300 ft 1 cm = 20 ft 1 mm = 2 ft 4 mm = 1 ft The same answer as my almost whimsical previous sum. So I was set. My general scale was to be 15cm = 100 yds or 1/2 mm = 1 ft, conveniently uniting both figure scale and ground scale. I compiled a table to help me with subsequent conversions. 100 yds = 300 ft = 75 cm 75 yds= 22.5 ft = 11.25 cm 50 yds= 150 ft = 7-5 cm 25 yds = 75 ft = 3-75 cm 10 yds = 30 ft = 1-5 cm 5 yds = 15 ft = 0.75 cm 1 yd = 3 ft = 0.15 cm 1/3 yd = 1 ft = 0.05 cm (con't next month) Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 115 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone. 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