Way back, when I first began to play around with the ideas that evolved into the PORTABLE WARGAME, I used a chessboard as my playing surface. In fact, it was rescuing the chessboard from being thrown away that first gave me the idea for using an 8 x 8 squared grid as the basis of a portable wargame.
Since then I have used all sorts of different grids for my PORTABLE WARGAMES, including vinyl plastic chessboards, squared grids marked on green and beige felt cloths, and hexed grids that used Heroscape and Hexion II hexes. I've enjoyed using all of them ... but I still hanker after the simplicity of my earliest 8 x 8 squared grid. The only problem is that a chessboard large enough to use for a portable edition of my PORTABLE WARGAME really isn't portable!
However, I may have found an answer!
Looking through the online Warbases catalogue for some suitable pieces of laser cut MDF for use as a city baseboard for my recent 'Carry On up the Nile!' project, I came across a four-part MDF board that they manufacture for use with JUGULA, a game of gladiatorial combat.
The actual description on the website is as follows:
With luck, the board they are making will be delivered within the week, and when it is, I'll do all that I can to see if I can stage a quick game on it to assess its potential to be a proper portable board for my PORTABLE WARGAME.
Please note that the photograph featured above is © Warbases, and the game named JUGULA is © Gripping Beast.
Since then I have used all sorts of different grids for my PORTABLE WARGAMES, including vinyl plastic chessboards, squared grids marked on green and beige felt cloths, and hexed grids that used Heroscape and Hexion II hexes. I've enjoyed using all of them ... but I still hanker after the simplicity of my earliest 8 x 8 squared grid. The only problem is that a chessboard large enough to use for a portable edition of my PORTABLE WARGAME really isn't portable!
However, I may have found an answer!
Looking through the online Warbases catalogue for some suitable pieces of laser cut MDF for use as a city baseboard for my recent 'Carry On up the Nile!' project, I came across a four-part MDF board that they manufacture for use with JUGULA, a game of gladiatorial combat.
The actual description on the website is as follows:
This arena measures approximately 380mm square. The individual squares etched on the board are 40mm square. ... The board will break down to four parts each measuring approximately 230mm x 150mm for ease of transportation and storage.I ordered one, and it arrived (along with my potential city baseboards) within a matter of a few days. I was so impressed that I contacted Warbases to see if they could make me something similar but with 50mm squares ... and they say that they can! They have quoted me a very reasonable price for this 'one-off', and are in the process of manufacturing it for me. (The service from Warbases has been second to none, and I thoroughly recommend them.)
With luck, the board they are making will be delivered within the week, and when it is, I'll do all that I can to see if I can stage a quick game on it to assess its potential to be a proper portable board for my PORTABLE WARGAME.
Please note that the photograph featured above is © Warbases, and the game named JUGULA is © Gripping Beast.
Bob, that interlocking board looks an excellent idea for a truly portable wargame. Well done for finding it!
ReplyDeleteI have been toying with the idea of making a gridded surface and gluing it onto old, redundant family boardgame boards, but this looks a better solution.
Best wishes,
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI am waiting for my second board to be delivered, and once it has been, I'll be able to try out a game or two to see if the idea will work. If it does ... then it may well have solved the portability problem.
All the best,
Bob
Oooh, nice!
ReplyDeleteDown, boy!
Whiskers,
DeleteI only hope that the bigger board works as well as I expect it to.
All the best,
Bob
That's pretty cool! The best thing I've found so far is the John Deere Checkers game board.
ReplyDeleteMichael Taylor,
DeleteAny decent chess or checkers board will do ... but I like the idea that this board will break down to an easily portable set of components.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI'm in two minds about this. At 380mm square it just doesn't seem big enough to me that many users would really have difficulty in storing or transporting it without needing to break it down. Now if the pieces were each one foot square and ideally with a hex grid on the other side I'd be much more interested. And if it were offered in matte green rather than "Arena white" ...
Best Wishes,
Mike
Mike Hall (Mike),
DeleteI am expecting that the one I've ordered from Warbases will be somewhat larger as it will have 50mm squares rather than the 40mm ones on the JUGULA board. Assuming that they have scaled it up, it should be 480mm to 500mm square.
I'm sure that Warbases could make a board with a hexed grid on one side and a squared grid on the other. They seem very amenable to fulfilling such special requests.
All the best,
Bob
The board looks good. If I'm doing the math correctly 50mm squares should give a 2 foot by 2 foot board which will break down into 4 1 foot sections including a border making transport and storage very easy. I like this idea.
ReplyDeleteDan Foley,
DeleteI'm expecting it to be closer to 20-inch x 20-inch when it is assembled. The actual size depends upon how much border Warbases have around the playing area.
I understand that the large board is already on its way to me, so it should not be too long before I have the actual dimensions.
All the best,
Bob
Thats a very useful idea Bob, and it struck me that the idea of interlocking boards could also prove useful for conventional non gridded terrain layouts using 300cm squares.
ReplyDelete'Lee,
DeleteI certainly think that this has potential, and once my new, larger board has arrived, I'll be able to see if it is as good as I hope that it will be.
As the back of the board is blank, I can see no reason for not using the 'wrong' side for non-gridded wargames.
All the best,
Bob.