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SPR AY
THAT AGAIN
When painting your
miniatures you’ll
need to give them an undercoat
spray rst (usually black, grey or
white) as this helps later layers
adhere to the model.
One of the most enduring
myths about wargaming is that
you need specialist, branded
spray paints to do this. is is,
to be blunt, balderdash. So long
as your spray paint isn’t oil-based
(which 99% aren’t), any primer will
do. ose that advertise themselves for
use on cars are great, and you can pick these up
for around £7 at hardware stores, though you
can get them even cheaper at discount pound
stores as well. Paints from Paint Factory and 151
are both excellent and cost tuppence.3
PALETTE
CLEANSER
One way to make your paints (and
therefore money) go further is to
use a wet palette. is is a fantastic
little tool that’s useful even if you’re not on a
budget, and it costs virtually nothing to make.
All you need is some baking paper (aka
baking parchment or parchment paper – it’s all
the same thing), a thin sponge or some kitchen
towel, and a at container of some sort.
First, put your sponge or kitchen towel into
the container and pour a small amount of
water on it, so that it’s damp but not swimming
in it. en put a square of baking paper on top
of it, and then ip it over, ensuring both sides
are wet. Voila! You are now the proud owner
of a wet palette! Rather than drying out on
newspaper, putting your paint onto this helps
it last for hours and hours.4
BRAND-ISH
YOUR MONEY
It’s obvious to point
out, but you’d be
surprised at how
many people fall for this one. To
put it simply: branded stu is
more expensive, and very often
not worth it. (Looking at you,
Games Workshop.)
Clippers, les, hobby knives,
glue, paintbrushes and so forth
can nearly always be brought
online or at any craft store for less
than you’ll nd being retailed
direct by a wargaming company,
especially if it’s got a brand slapped on it.5
MAKE IT (TER)RAIN
Unlike many board games, a
wargame is conducted on a board
without gridded squares, with
units usually being moved across
it by inches with the aid of rulers instead. e
board is also covered with terrain, which units
can hide behind, move around or otherwise
traverse. As you can imagine, this allows for
a great deal of exibility when it comes to
creating your own warzone; it’s all up to you!
e eld on which you play really can be
anything, even if it’s just your kitchen table
with a few books set up for cover. However, it’s
far more immersive if you have a dedicated
game board designed to simulate a proper
battle eld; unless, of course, your epic
science- ction con ict is set on a planet
that looks like a kitchen table with books on
it – in which case, go nuts. But you may have
seen some of those ready-made game boards
available these days, and then had to pick your
jaw o the oor after seeing the eye-watering
prices. Never fear! DIYing a bit of terrain foryourself is both easy and nearly always far, far
cheaper than purchasing it o the shelf; it just
requires a bit of time and e ort.
Playing a game recently at a local club,
I saw that the game boards had been
constructed of nothing more complex than
two two-by-two-foot pieces of one-inch-thick
plywood spray-painted with various di erent
browns and greys. To make a standard four-
by-four-foot gaming board, they’d been held
together with a couple of binder clips and
then laid over a table. at was it. Easy as pie
to make, but with a bit of terrain over them
they managed to create as e ective-looking a
battleground as any.
Making terrain can likewise be incredibly
simple. If you don’t know where to start,
begin by determining what sort of terrain
would be appropriate for the game’s setting.
If you’re playing a historical or f antasy game,
trees and hills are always a solid choice. If
sci- ’s more your thing, then ruined buildings
are a standard go-to, as are factories or
industrial sites. As a general rule of thumb, if
you’re playing on a four-by-four board, then
having enough cover to ll around 25% of it
will ensure a varied and interesting game.
When you know what sort and how much
terrain you want, the internet’s your friend.
Wargaming isn’t just a game, but rather a
community, and there are many forums
dedicated to sharing hobby tips and tutorials
that you can nd online.