Monthly Archives: November 2023

Paper, Plexiglass and PDFs: A low cost wargaming path of less resistance

Colonials, Renaissance, Skirmish, Terrain and Buildings

Over the past couple of years I’ve become intrigued with paper soldiers, terrain and buildings as a low cost, lower time alternative that allows me to tryout intriguing new rule sets as well as an alternative to my ham-fisted DIY efforts.

I initially started out with paper buildings for my Fistful of Lead games.

My first paper soldiers were sourced through Wargame Vault using Batalov’s titles, as well  as those created by “Antohammer”.

Earlier this year I discovered Peter’s Paperboys, featuring both Peter Dennis’ quality work and others.

Combining these low cost figures with (comparatively) low cost PDF rules opened up a number of possibilities, especially skirmish or small unit encounters, with quick set-up, small footprint and big fun.

Two new rule sets  I’ve been working with that combine attributes of both skirmish and small unit (s) games are Osprey’s Pikeman’s Lament and The Men Who Would Be Kings.  These sets have been exhaustively covered, so there’s no need to go into any discussion here.

The paper soldiers provide the ability not only to get into the rules, but create  interesting matchups.  For example:  Portuguese vs. Spanish Conquistadors for “Lament” and Late 19th Century Russians vs. Central Asian Factions in “Kings”.

The overhead for each of these games was no more than $20 each, all-in with rules, figures, terrain and professional printing.

A bonus is that  cutting out 28mm figures and terrain, as well as 15-18mm buildings gives me an excuse to have football on and not feel like I’m wasting time.

It was then just a short jump to WoFun’s 18mm plexiglass figures.  This range also includes 28mm figures, with work by both Batalov, Dennis and others.  Why 18mm?  Because 18mm paper soldiers are just too hard to cut out.

Yes, the plexiglass figures are more expensive and postage from the UK is a drag (although some sets are available from US based Raven Banner Games).

I purchased British and a variety of African Askaris, Arabs and Tribal figures for skirmishes and a campaign using the “Men” rules.

I’m really enjoying this combination of interesting match-ups and quick set-ups.

Fifth Corps

Boardgames, Post World War II, Review

I have each of the four games comprising SPI’s Central Front Series covering a hypothetical Warsaw Pact versus NATO conflict in the 1980s.

The system has a following, and has evolved.  Here’s a link to some downloads.

Finally set this up after some 40 years of procrastination.  And then, procrastinated another two months before I sat down to actually do more than stare.  Plenty of rules reading during the interim – isn’t that a good substitute for action? – but no pushing of cardboard.

I would characterize the game as operational, but a far, far more granular approach then, let’s say, The Third World War.  So, Grand Tactical?

This thread at BGG does a great job of describing the game’s characteristics, warts (with that emphasized) and all.  Each of the perspectives is valid.

The thought that really resonated with me is Jason Cawley’s comments about “Analysis Paralysis”.

On a macro level, my entire involvement with this game reflects this.  I intended to use the updated and comprehensive rules.  Too much of a slog.  My compromise was to use the rules as updated after the publication of BAOR.  Too much of slog, especially given my manic habit of having about three games set up at any one time (yes, any vacant horizontal space is at risk at The Pine Cone Lodge).  Finally decided “Just use the original rules and play the damn game.  It’s a helluva lot easier to flip through five pages of rules than thirty.”

Sage Self Advice.

After getting on it, I discovered  I couldn’t manage all of the map and so focused on one section and its units. This reduced scope allowed me to play out the initial turn and grasp the rules.

Yes, the friction points mechanic is a bitch.  Yes, the Combat Results Table (CRT) is a bitch.  Yes, the stacking limits and pesky NATO “Ants” are a bitch.

The turns do seem endless. There are any number of courses of action for the Soviets.

But that’s all part of the system’s charm.

After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But, it isn’t love and I don’t know if I will finish the game much less play the other ones in the series.  Who knows, maybe I’ll put them up for sale, or consign them to even more time in Box Purgatory.

But, the process has not been a waste of time.