In an effort to upgrade my Impetvs armies to include a two-frame, dice tray at the back of each stand, I pulled all of the 28mm Sumerians from their boxes and set to work. Having made short work of this little project by adding Warbases' dice trays to the 28mm Sumerian collection, I figured why not take a group photo while they are all out of their boxes?
When lined up across the table, I was surprised at how this project has grown even though new units are only added occasionally. For a sense of size, each hex is five inches, so the footprint of this display is about three feet square. Several collections remain to receive this treatment. Maybe Punic Wars will be next? First, I need to place another order with Warbases for a restock.
Why lead off with the Sumerian collection for this upgrade? Well, Nancy is hosting a game day for her social group next Saturday and asked if I was interested in hosting a game. Since there are men with an interest in history joining, she suggested several rounds of Commands & Colors. Now, only one person had played a wargame and that was a game of Commands & Colors years ago. Still, several were interested and willing to give it a try. Well, the size of the potential participant pool grew, and table space was drawing tight. With three tables reserved upstairs, my little game was pushed downstairs into the game room. A game with a small footprint on my large gaming table was not going to work especially with three or four players interested in playing. A change of plan was needed. How about a game to introduce these gamers to tabletop miniatures gaming? My choice? A small four-player, Basic Impetvs game using the Sumerians. With four, like armies on the table, I figured that after a brief overview and coaching throughout, that we could get through a game in about 90 minutes. At least the players will get a taste of miniatures wargaming. Will introducing four non-wargamers to a simple wargame with figures be a bridge too far? We will see. Wish me luck.
Impressive collection Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLooking forward to a major recruitment opportunity. Good choice, plenty of spectacle on the table.
ReplyDeleteMajor requirement operation? I doubt it! Hopefully, we will have some fun.
DeletePositively biblical spectacle Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteAmbitious to teach non-wargamers a set of wargames rules.....
My advice (for what it's worth) is not to give them too much to think about, but lots to do.....
If they know "these can move X hexes but cannot shoot, but a good in hand to hand combat" and "these can shoot from x hexes but don't do well fighting hand to hand" that's enough to keep them moving the game along. Plenty of dice throwing and keep people involved.
People pick up RPGs quicker than wargames as it's all about deciding what to do or being told you can only do certain things.
Neil
Pre-Biblical spectacle, I think!
DeleteGood advice, Neil. My plan is to keep it simple, don't overload players with mechanisms, offer suggestions, let them roll some dice, and with luck, have some fun.
A splendid Summery of your impressive collection of Sumerians. Good luck with the introductory game.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phil! Fingers crossed!
DeleteA marvellous array of the hosts of Sumer! That's an impressive collection Jonathan! Best of luck with the intro-game!
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, David! I have my work cut out for me with this group. But, they are open to giving this a try. That is all I can ask.
DeleteThat is a decent sized collection Jon, it looks very impressive laid out like that! An interesting challenge for you with the upcoming game day, you might even recruit yourself a couple of new FtF opponents!
ReplyDeleteDecent-sized collection, indeed! With other collections needing a similar treatment, you may see some of them out on parade as well. I will not hold my breath on recruitment, but who knows?
DeleteVery impressive Sumerians On Parade Jon!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phil!
DeleteThat is one very impressive collection, Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteI would certainly echo Neil's advice. Keep it simple to let them concentrate on doing stuff and rolling dice. Sounds like it will be a great day.
Thanks! I will try to keep the intro game simple and moving along.
DeleteThat is a fantastic looking collection
ReplyDeleteThank you, Neil!
DeleteThere is a lot there, and all beautifully done. My Monday night gaming friend and I have been trying to learn Midgard, ostensibly a ninety minute game each of which has been taking four or more hours. Getting through a game in ninety minutes with three novice players does seem like a challenge, but if anyone can pull that off it is definitely you Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a sizeable Sumerian army when paraded together. Did you think of One-Hour Wargame rules for an introduction to wargaming?
ReplyDelete