The pull of paper soldiers is many units, fast. There is thus no point in going for reduced-scale attempts to mount big battles in a small space or with very many troops. The ideal of my early wargaming could be realised...many troops in 25mm scale.
A scale to carry this out is needed. I plucked a scale of 1mm to a yard out of the air and found it works quite well. With this scale a card unit can be 50mm or 50 yards wide. This allows an British battalion in line to be 4 units wide, a French battalion at 3 bases is an Ok representation. Cavalry squadrons at 50mm wide work well.
The important thing her is that I could divorce any idea of figure-to-men ratios. The only factor to decide is a linear scale for frontages and ranges. After that one just decides on a format for making a base or unit look good. The number of men per base is decided by frontage. It works out at roughly 150. A British battalion coming to 600 and a French one with 3 bases to 450.
I have decided on infantrymen standing shoulder-to-shoulder for close formation or two men looking active for skirmishers. Cavalry are mounted individually at two per base which stands for 100-150 riders. Commanders stand alone as do messengers.
Artillery are a little more difficult but a solution is to use a 25mm frontage for one model. This gives the frontage for 3 real guns. Two model guns are therefore a real battery of 6. Howitzers I decided not to represent- indirect shooting would be allowed at a suitable rate to avoid fielding individual pieces. Of course entire batteries of howitzers could be fielded. With a limber for each gun which must be fielded to add clutter and a crew of 4 figures this gives a nice representation of a real gun battery.
The Waterloo battlefield is doable with a 2m deep table on this scale. A 12pdr is shooting 2 metres at extreme range.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
P.A.P.E.R. FOR GOD'S SAKE ! ?
Mention you are interested in paper soldiers and you will meet incredulity, scepticism or ridicule.
Most wargamers have not considered paper soldiers because they have never seen them or never considered them serious model soldiers for serious wargaming. After all wargaming is much more than playing with toy soldiers.
Actually, in the final analysis it is not. Wargaming is playing with toy soldiers. There, I said it.
Not that playing is to be sneered-at. Play is a serious psycho-social-motor training exercise for Homo Sapiens sapiens to keep his/ the more sensible female kind life skills up to scratch.
But lead figures ? Or plastic(infinitely superior)? A three-dimensional model is better? Well one can only see them from one angle at a time anyway. Also they have to be painted. What about the scale reductions down to 6 or even 2mm. What is there to see there ? If the larger figures are used we see problems of cost cause a shrinking effect where battalions of 8 or 10 models are deployed. And some of these figures have odd proportions. Scale them up to real life and it would create some very odd humans indeed.
If we accept that the model soldier is a token in an abstract game then a paper soldier is actually equally valid as a lead figure. To argue against this is to argue for increasing the detail and realism of figures towards little cyber-men ? Little cyber-men one can buy clothes for ?
However, the issue is always clouded by those who do not realise they are playing dolls' houses in a masculine mode. Having god-like command of a lot of men you have dressed and can send to their doom as you will is the male version of setting up a little family in a house with all relevant clothes and domestic objects. YES IT IS! Wargaming started with blocks of wood. It is the game which mattered most. Subsequently the blocks of wood have got in the way as they have transformed into a myriad highly detailed little men.
What of two armies that meet where both have figures from widley different manufacturers. The figures are different sizes and 'styles'. Then they are based in different styles and to differentiate them further one is painted by an impatient long-sighted player, the other by a gifted micro-artist. Is there nothing to be said for both sides having exactly the same presentation aesthetic?
If one considers that paper soldiers are a step back from the obsession with building better little men, back towards the game, back towards using 'good enough' gaming pieces then one's perspective can alter somewhat.
We are not jumping so far from the doll's house as to return to the flat-earth world of map and board wargaming (nice thoiugh it is on occasion) but paper soldiers allow one to retain the unconfined possibilities of the wargame table and the megalomaniacal delights of seeing one's massed forces take on the enemy hordes in their sunday best whilst at the same time having saved much time, effort and money in fielding the little sods.
Most wargamers have not considered paper soldiers because they have never seen them or never considered them serious model soldiers for serious wargaming. After all wargaming is much more than playing with toy soldiers.
Actually, in the final analysis it is not. Wargaming is playing with toy soldiers. There, I said it.
Not that playing is to be sneered-at. Play is a serious psycho-social-motor training exercise for Homo Sapiens sapiens to keep his/ the more sensible female kind life skills up to scratch.
But lead figures ? Or plastic(infinitely superior)? A three-dimensional model is better? Well one can only see them from one angle at a time anyway. Also they have to be painted. What about the scale reductions down to 6 or even 2mm. What is there to see there ? If the larger figures are used we see problems of cost cause a shrinking effect where battalions of 8 or 10 models are deployed. And some of these figures have odd proportions. Scale them up to real life and it would create some very odd humans indeed.
If we accept that the model soldier is a token in an abstract game then a paper soldier is actually equally valid as a lead figure. To argue against this is to argue for increasing the detail and realism of figures towards little cyber-men ? Little cyber-men one can buy clothes for ?
However, the issue is always clouded by those who do not realise they are playing dolls' houses in a masculine mode. Having god-like command of a lot of men you have dressed and can send to their doom as you will is the male version of setting up a little family in a house with all relevant clothes and domestic objects. YES IT IS! Wargaming started with blocks of wood. It is the game which mattered most. Subsequently the blocks of wood have got in the way as they have transformed into a myriad highly detailed little men.
What of two armies that meet where both have figures from widley different manufacturers. The figures are different sizes and 'styles'. Then they are based in different styles and to differentiate them further one is painted by an impatient long-sighted player, the other by a gifted micro-artist. Is there nothing to be said for both sides having exactly the same presentation aesthetic?
If one considers that paper soldiers are a step back from the obsession with building better little men, back towards the game, back towards using 'good enough' gaming pieces then one's perspective can alter somewhat.
We are not jumping so far from the doll's house as to return to the flat-earth world of map and board wargaming (nice thoiugh it is on occasion) but paper soldiers allow one to retain the unconfined possibilities of the wargame table and the megalomaniacal delights of seeing one's massed forces take on the enemy hordes in their sunday best whilst at the same time having saved much time, effort and money in fielding the little sods.
STICKY PROBLEM
Glue is a major consideration for Paper Generals.
I have found white wood-worker glue is great for sticking folded units together. Smear one side thinly. Clamp the folded unit for a few minutes with a cheap spring clamp or clothes pegs. Wipe oozes away from the edges and let the dry 15 minutes before fixing to the base.
A bigger problem is how to fix the buggers to a base. I did not want plastic clips. I tried slitted paper-backed styrene. Not good. I tried cork with slots sawn in it. Great but a lot of work.
FINAL SOLUTION is an isocyanate one. Superglue is wonderful stuff in some cases. I discovered superglue will allow a folded unit to be securely glued to a base in an upright position that is tough enough to rely on. So now I glue units to ready-painted bases with a thin application of superglue along the bottom edge, hold themk in place a few seconds and Robert's your mother's brother.
WARNING ! Use this devil's brew in a well-ventilated area. Do not use it for more than a few minutes at a time. Keep your face away from the work if possible. This stuff causes eye-burning, headaches and can destroy your sense of smell. I had two days of headache from a long session!
I have found white wood-worker glue is great for sticking folded units together. Smear one side thinly. Clamp the folded unit for a few minutes with a cheap spring clamp or clothes pegs. Wipe oozes away from the edges and let the dry 15 minutes before fixing to the base.
A bigger problem is how to fix the buggers to a base. I did not want plastic clips. I tried slitted paper-backed styrene. Not good. I tried cork with slots sawn in it. Great but a lot of work.
FINAL SOLUTION is an isocyanate one. Superglue is wonderful stuff in some cases. I discovered superglue will allow a folded unit to be securely glued to a base in an upright position that is tough enough to rely on. So now I glue units to ready-painted bases with a thin application of superglue along the bottom edge, hold themk in place a few seconds and Robert's your mother's brother.
WARNING ! Use this devil's brew in a well-ventilated area. Do not use it for more than a few minutes at a time. Keep your face away from the work if possible. This stuff causes eye-burning, headaches and can destroy your sense of smell. I had two days of headache from a long session!
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
As the wargame table disappeared under a reprocessed forest I came up against certain considerations that you must too.
1. To cut-out or not cut-out?
It is possible to print, fold and then cut around the figure to give it a realistic outline. Great for one-offs but I wanted legions, hordes, big battalions. I would use squared-off pieces of card with a coloured background. I soon found that a very pale colour was better than white for this. Cutting round hundreds of small figures is no way to waste one's life.
2. Single or multi-figures ?
The figures are given as individuals for the most part. I wanted multiple bases. I started by replicating figures as if they were model soldiers, four to a base 50mm wide. This looks great until I realised I was missing a trick. If one crowd more into the space it looks better Serried ranks of men. Great!
3. Ooops, Cavalry!
Multi-figure does not work for cavalry. Cavlry are edge-on to the base front so must be folded one by one and set on the base side-by-side. So I made loads and crammed them on bases. Not a good idea. Besides being a lot of work it was not aesthetically pleasing. The figures block any viewer from seeing what is behind them. Any mass effect is spoilt by the excessive screening effect. I started with 4 or three horsemen on a 50mm base. The solution is to use just two horsemen on a 50mm base. In any case mounted troops were more thinly dispersed than infantry so 2 horsemen facing a clump of foot is not so wierd.
4.Top or base-folding?
I found the smooth folded edge much better than a cut edge at the top. If the background is coloured this gives a nice finsih. BUT most on JG are base-folders aaaaaarrrggghhh! So I had to set to work editing them for my own method.
I now had a basic method, though. My units were defined as 50mm wide for infantry with as many men crammed side-by side as possible. They are top-folders with any grass or base edited off. I fold them and glue them to a painted base. The cavalry are top-folders too, with two on a 50mm base. All have very pale tinted backgrounds, blue for French, grey or rosey for Allied troops. Russians can be pale green when I get round to them.
More little problems to be solved later. But nothing serious.
1. To cut-out or not cut-out?
It is possible to print, fold and then cut around the figure to give it a realistic outline. Great for one-offs but I wanted legions, hordes, big battalions. I would use squared-off pieces of card with a coloured background. I soon found that a very pale colour was better than white for this. Cutting round hundreds of small figures is no way to waste one's life.
2. Single or multi-figures ?
The figures are given as individuals for the most part. I wanted multiple bases. I started by replicating figures as if they were model soldiers, four to a base 50mm wide. This looks great until I realised I was missing a trick. If one crowd more into the space it looks better Serried ranks of men. Great!
3. Ooops, Cavalry!Multi-figure does not work for cavalry. Cavlry are edge-on to the base front so must be folded one by one and set on the base side-by-side. So I made loads and crammed them on bases. Not a good idea. Besides being a lot of work it was not aesthetically pleasing. The figures block any viewer from seeing what is behind them. Any mass effect is spoilt by the excessive screening effect. I started with 4 or three horsemen on a 50mm base. The solution is to use just two horsemen on a 50mm base. In any case mounted troops were more thinly dispersed than infantry so 2 horsemen facing a clump of foot is not so wierd.
4.Top or base-folding?
I found the smooth folded edge much better than a cut edge at the top. If the background is coloured this gives a nice finsih. BUT most on JG are base-folders aaaaaarrrggghhh! So I had to set to work editing them for my own method.
I now had a basic method, though. My units were defined as 50mm wide for infantry with as many men crammed side-by side as possible. They are top-folders with any grass or base edited off. I fold them and glue them to a painted base. The cavalry are top-folders too, with two on a 50mm base. All have very pale tinted backgrounds, blue for French, grey or rosey for Allied troops. Russians can be pale green when I get round to them.
More little problems to be solved later. But nothing serious.
STARTING POINT
My starting point for this project is to 'do Napoleonics'. I have tried several times in the last thirty years but have been daunted by time, money, space and those damn uniforms. I read about the period but despite an episode with plastics for the benefit of my son (we painted most just in one colour) I have never yet 'done' Napoleonics.
Subsequently have I found Junior General and after first messing about with science fiction stuff - a cheap way to do Starship Troopers ! - I then experimented with top-down Second World War. I realised the potential here. The speed of 'start-up', the minimal cost and the pleasure of cranking out a lot of units was infectious.
Then the fatal step of editing my own first troops....so simple using MS Paint but so rewarding.
I was firmly hooked. I dived headfirst into Napoleonics. Other people have researched and done the uniforms and made the figures. Hats off to the wonderful people who have made all these files available to the rest of us lazy buggers. Lazy but grateful!
Wallowing in paper and card, printer churning and glue all over the table, WONDERFUL!
Subsequently have I found Junior General and after first messing about with science fiction stuff - a cheap way to do Starship Troopers ! - I then experimented with top-down Second World War. I realised the potential here. The speed of 'start-up', the minimal cost and the pleasure of cranking out a lot of units was infectious.
Then the fatal step of editing my own first troops....so simple using MS Paint but so rewarding.
I was firmly hooked. I dived headfirst into Napoleonics. Other people have researched and done the uniforms and made the figures. Hats off to the wonderful people who have made all these files available to the rest of us lazy buggers. Lazy but grateful!
Wallowing in paper and card, printer churning and glue all over the table, WONDERFUL!
JUNIOR GENERAL
This is Godsville for paper generals! The work that has gone into the resources on this site is incredible.
Here is where to get all the start-up information on paper soldiers.
I will not repeat anything from this site. GO THERE!
The author created it as a resource for primary school teachers but there is more to paper soldiering than letting children play with them!
Using the bitmap editing technique you can even choose to equip your troops with Timberland Boots, Nike Trainers or UG boots !
JUNIOR GENERAL is so good it is a serious threat to the world's forests.
Here is where to get all the start-up information on paper soldiers.
I will not repeat anything from this site. GO THERE!
The author created it as a resource for primary school teachers but there is more to paper soldiering than letting children play with them!
Using the bitmap editing technique you can even choose to equip your troops with Timberland Boots, Nike Trainers or UG boots !
JUNIOR GENERAL is so good it is a serious threat to the world's forests.
PAPER RULES
QUICK QUIZ
1.POISONED BY LEAD FROM YOUR MODEL SOLDIERS?
2.ARMS TIRED FROM LUGGING THEM ABOUT ?
3.NECK AND EYES TIRED FROM PAINTING?
4.TOO MANY UNPAINTED FIGURES IN THE CUPBOARD?
5.WANT TO DO A NEW PERIOD BUT NO CASH, SPACE OR TIME?
6.WANT TO GET BACK TO PLAYING WITH TOY SOLDIERS?
IF THE YESSES OUTNUMBER THE NOs THEN CONSIDER TURNING HEREITC !!!
2.ARMS TIRED FROM LUGGING THEM ABOUT ?
3.NECK AND EYES TIRED FROM PAINTING?
4.TOO MANY UNPAINTED FIGURES IN THE CUPBOARD?
5.WANT TO DO A NEW PERIOD BUT NO CASH, SPACE OR TIME?
6.WANT TO GET BACK TO PLAYING WITH TOY SOLDIERS?
IF THE YESSES OUTNUMBER THE NOs THEN CONSIDER TURNING HEREITC !!!
BECOME A PAPER GENERAL !
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