Game In A Box Pt1

My first wargame in a box arrived at Christmas  in the early 1960's. It was one of the Marx Miniature Play Sets but, no, there were no rules, just imagination to guide the players. The WWI set came a few years later.

This isn't actually a picture of my set but its the same set.
Thanks to marxwildwest.com for the picture and the delightful site. The figures were 25/30mm-ish hard plastic and came with a printed battle mat. I still have a lot of the pieces and some have even seen action recently.

Prior to Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame, the closest I came was early this century when I assembled two small DBA armies using 1/72nd  figures mounted on 15mm DBA bases (with a little extra depth). Nothing fancy, but they got used a couple of times. With perfect timing, Bob started developing his Portable Wargame not long before I had my heart attack. A game that I could play sitting down at a card or garden table was suddenly of tremendous value to me. The only really portable version I did was a 1/72nd Russian Civil War game that fit into a small plastic tool case, mostly because of the size and thick material of the battle matt. It was last used in 2017 before moving on to a better place. 

1/72nd RCW Portable Wargame. Various plastic 1/72nd figures on a Hotz map.

The carrying case evacuated by the Russians was soon taken over by two 1/72nd plastic fantasy armies for a Dragon Rampant game at Huzzah 2018. Last summer a desire to amuse myself outside came over me, but in the shade while sitting on a chair, so out they came, complete with a smaller, thinner, square gridded cloth that appeared to have materialized out of nowhere. It definitely looks like my handiwork on what is a scrap of my main terrain cloth, I just don't remember when or why I made it!  Fair enough, its a fixture now, though I may paint the other side as well and paint on a river instead of using my painted foam one which tends to slide around.

Hosts gathering for a One Hour game in the sun last summer. (see post).

The grid is composed of 9x9 3" squares which is perfect for laying out One Hour Wargame scenarios at 3/4 scale.  (Thomas's maps represent a 36" x 36" table with one option being 4" wide units.)  Some basic terrain feature are painted on but others can be added and troublesome ones covered over or ignored. It seems like a good fit but of course can be used for any scenario I dream up. It is also a thin material that folds up easily into a small space.

The last thing to decide was: What period? The obvious thing was to use some of my already painted and based 1/72nd ACW troops. 2 infantry or 1 cavalry or artillery stand. Done! .......except........ I don't really need or want another  ACW game. I want something more Kriegspiel/Little Wars-ish with Red vs Blue and no interference from real events and issues. The next obvious thing then, was to put a bunch of the hordes of unpainted ACW troops into some other uniform and let them at it. 

It was at this point that I remembered the unused Battlecry figures which are a bit smaller than Airfix but on big, stable bases. I started thinking about Kriegspiel   and various European armies which led me to think about having to make some terrain that was more European-ish.....and a back story and....suddenly, the choice was made! 

The fictional but existing Origawn Rebellion in 1/72nd was as good a choice as any,  as 'Toy Soldier' as you like. I know the uniforms and there is no mistaking any scenario as history gone wrong. No new terrain to make or background stories to invent. Don't even need to invent new rules when the Square Brigadier has been looking for an "in". No new uniforms for Blue and if the brims of the kepis are trimmed off, the figures easily pass as wearing forage caps.

A sample of Faraway forces in 20mm. In keeping with the original 54mm toy soldier version, I am also painting these as toy soldiers with minimal detail, no shading, and a bit of a shine. 

Recruiting is already in full swing and volunteers are pouring in. 

To Be Continued....