I had an interesting comment about my recent YouTube video that has since been deleted. The writer suggested that Collectible Card Games (CCGs) and dice games were true portable wargames, whereas mine wasn't really portable.
This set me thinking ... and it reminded me why I capitalised the first letters of the name of the concept The Portable Wargame – thus making it a proper noun – rather than leaving it just as the portable wargame. Originally, what I had wanted to develop was a tabletop figure wargame that could be played on a small dining table, a large coffee table, or card table, that used a gridded playing surface, and that had rules that should be as simple as they could be whilst producing reasonably realistic results. It took time to get it right ... but I think that the end result met my design criteria.
I also wanted to develop a set of rules that were portable in the sense that it could be applied to larger games with little or no modification, In other words, the mechanisms should be portable.
So why The Portable Wargame (or PW for short)?
Many years ago, I taught Information Technology, and this included a brief history of computing. One thing that I covered was the introduction of personal computers. The first was designed and introduced into service by IBM in February 1984 and was produced in response to the release of the Compaq Portable. The machine was the IBM Portable Personal Computer (IBM 5155) Model 68 ...
... and it weighed 30 pounds (13.6kg) and cost $4,225 when it was launched. ($4,225 is equivalent to $13,701.36/£10,229.44 in 2026.) It had a 9-inch internal monochrome amber composite monitor, one or two half-height 5¼-inch 360KB floppy disk drives, and a separate 83-key keyboard. In order to identify the machine as theirs, IBM capitalised the name Personal Computer.
I took my lead from IBM, hence the name The Portable Wargame rather than a portable wargame.
I hope that this makes sense.
PS. Weighing in at 30 pounds/13.6kg, the IBM 5155 Model 68 was hardly portable ... and at the time it was often referred to a luggable!
Make perfect sense to me. Your Potable Wargames were exactly what I was looking for and have since provided me with countless hours of fun! I think this post would also make an excellent addition to the next Compendium.
ReplyDeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteCheers … and thanks very much for your kind comments.
All the best,
Bob
Yes, the PWG does what it says on the tin. It is eminently portable. Not the least of its attractions!
ReplyDeleteGary S,
DeleteCheers! Judging by the response I’ve had over the years, it seems to have filled a niche in wargaming … and inspired other wargame designers to follow suit.
All the best,
Bob
The Luggable Wargame? :D
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, there are certainly various ways one could make a portable wargame. Your The Portable Wargame is a good one, and seems to work well for a good number of people.
Fits-Badger,
DeleteI can remember when most UK wargamers carried their armies around in metal toolboxes … and they were truly luggable!
All the best,
Bob
Tiny transportable tactical toy?
ReplyDeleteTo cease from joking PW is eminently transportable. I made a wee set in a small Tupperwareesque box with folded green gridded felt battlefield , felt roads etc to put on top and 10mm figures- Orcs, wargs and hobbits.
Tradgardmastare,
DeleteI know the world of model railways has TT as well as N and 00 … and now wargaming has 4T!
Perhaps this SHOULD be the PW’s new name!
(I also have a small, boxed version of the game for taking on holidays etc.)
All the best,
Bob
Hello there Bob,
ReplyDeleteI have always viewed the Portable Wargame as being a system whereby small scaled tabletop wargames could be fought using modest amounts of terrain and figures and with a table footprint no larger than around four foot by three, typically smaller. The entire set up should be easily carried in a large bag or holdall - in other words being easily Portable, be it to a club night or a friend’s house.
I think the key thing is that, for me anyway, is that the term Portable Wargame goes beyond the scope of the rules and almost minimalist approach in terms of figures etc, but also includes the overall physicality and the ability to be easily transportable.
One could argue that there are, for want of a more suitable description, mainstream style wargames - skirmishes, Dan Mersey style ‘Rampant’ or One Hour Style wargames could also be described Portable Wargames.
The Portable Wargame is a marvellous concept and it is a credit to you Bob for, in the words of the recently departed Sir Patrick Stewart aka Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “Making it so!”
All the best,
DC