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HomeBlogWar Gaming – Not just another form of modelling

War Gaming – Not just another form of modelling

Posted by Admin Admin

06/20/2018

It’s always a good idea to do your research on something before going ahead and marketing to a specific target group. So I though it would be a good idea to check out Wargaming, as I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Of course we “tag” items for #wargaming, dioramas etc, but I needed to educate myself a little bit more. Let’s face it, Model Builders Supply has a lot of products that suit that hobby perfectly. it’s just that if it isn’t marketed to that group specifically we may never see sales from them.

So, I just attended a wargaming mini-convention this past weekend and I have to admit, it’s pretty cool! Here’s what I learned from my visit: The models are scaled differently from what I am used to in the architectural, model train or dollhouse world, however the whole model should be all the same scale. They use measurements like 20mm and 28mm which represent the size of the figures, there’s many different types – WarHammer 40K being just one of them. Some games have props ie: buildings, landscaping, rocks, ships and much more, others are simply board games with dice. Unlike a static model, these game pieces can be moved around or taken off the board completely, including the landscaping.

There were all ages in attendance, playing together, and guess what? no cell phones. I even discovered some MBS trees and bushes had been purchased, and put to good use on some of the games.

There’s more to war gaming than just modelling, there’s strategy, as any gamer knows they need that to succeed.

I’m not a gamer and probably never will be (not exactly sure if “gamer” is how they like to be referred to), but I see a lot of potential in this market, my mind gears were spinning as soon as I stepped through the door and I’m very excited by the prospect of creating products for this market.

It would appear that it’s not always about the model (as it is in my business) but more about the playing of the game.

I will accept all forms of comments that will educate me on this topic.

Comments

Anh 07/26/2021, 09:37

Amazing many of valuable information!
Bernd - Bern -

Rafaela 07/26/2021, 07:47

Amazing data, Cheers.
Leonida - Leonida,

Dean 03/14/2020, 07:14

Not sure I'm a "gamer", but I'm certainly a substantial collector of small-scale figures and scenery, and have purchased MBS products for previous projects. Because scale matters so much to wargamers, both for figures and for ground , it might be helpful to tag your products with wargame-literate nomenclature. 6mm (or 1/285 or 1/300), 10mm, 15/18mm, 20mm, 25/28mm are all well-known figure scales, which impact the size of buildings, the width of roads and rivers, and the height and nature of foliage, etc. You could also tag railroad scale items with WG/model scale equivalents, or provide an online tab, available on the home screen, that relates these to one another. This is art, not science; some 15mm gamers, e.g., prefer 10mm buildings to represent urban spaces while occupying less table room. Others, especially skirmish gamers, prefer equivalent figure and building scales. Regardless, love your product and site.

Wade Parker 11/16/2019, 14:45

Just wanted to say I'm a huge proponent of supporting Canadian Businesses and being in the hobbies of Model Railroading, Scale Modelling, Roll Playing Games, and, of course, Table Top Gaming I will be glad to patron your business. I will also spread the news of your company to my gaming groups.

Neil 07/07/2018, 08:42

I've recently (6 months) started scale modelling and I came to the hobby by way of tabletop gaming. I found your shop because it's local, but also because a tutorial channel on YouTube advised that I seek out scale train and dollhouse hobbyists as they are complimentary in many ways. I would recommend watching some of "The Terrain Tutor" on YouTube if you desire further information. I specifically recommend the video on comparative scales.
Cheers!

Perry 06/22/2018, 19:51

Finally, further to my third point, some games allow for either a larger base size (such as SAGA) or an “unit” base size (such as Kings of War), which in turn provides the gamer with the opportunity to model more terrain on the bases, such as grass tufts, boulders, rock outcrops, etc. So the supply and marketing of such “raw” terrain building materials might also be a consideration.

Perry 06/22/2018, 19:50

Re my third point, games typically set out the size (e.g., 20mm, 25mm, etc.) and shape (i.e., round or square) of the bases on which the figures are based. Moreover, some games, such as 40K, Dungeons & Dragons, etc., provide the opportunity for the gamer to use pre-textured bases (of the right shape and size), such as cobble stones, bricks, crumbling stone floor, lava, etc.

Perry 06/22/2018, 19:11

My second point for your consideration is that, further to Greg's point about a variety of terrain / model sizes, many games also provide their own guidelines for the types and sizes of the terrain / models. For example, SAGA sets out that "small" terrain should fit within an 8"x8" square and should not be narrower than 4"; while "large" terrain should fit within a 12"x12" square and should not be narrower than 6".

Perry 06/22/2018, 19:01

Excited to read that there could be a local supplier of gaming terrain and models! A couple of points come to my mind that you might find helpful. The first point is that I would very much agree with your conclusion - that it is not always about the terrain / model, but more about the playability of the game. The article in the following link, in particular, talks to this point. While it was written for Kings of War, it is relevant for many other games such as SAGA, etc.

http://daedle.kingsofwarresource.com/index.php/2017/09/26/visuals-vs-gameplay-cutting-that-fine-line-with-terrain/

Greg 06/22/2018, 17:40

Really like this article. Gaming for most people is an evening and weekend hobby which i noticed that you have your store closed and have an early close during the week. Much of my gaming is impulse purchases unless I am looking for something specific. As for table terrain most people like 1-2 larger pieces( buildings) 4-6 medium ( hills or forests) and a various amount of small scatter terrain ( boxes/ barrels/ brush of some sort )
The games will determine whether its a far in the future 40k / star wars / post apocalypse or a medieval setting like lord of the rings or age of sigmar to name a few . Hope this helps and maybe by doing your research you might find it interesting to play a game or two to see how the games interact with the landscape set up

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