For some miniature wargamers, it’s all about the winning. But I’ve noticed that the vast majority of hobbyists I’ve interacted with are in it for different reasons. One of those reasons – something that pops up again and again – is storytelling.
You need a sandbox or setting for your games, after all. And the difference between a tabeltop wargame and a game of Chess is that each piece on the table has the ability to represent a character.
We invest in these characters. We buy and paint them. We throw them into situations on the table and we see what happens to them. Sometimes it’s glorious victory, and sometimes it’s gruesome death. That’s all part of the fun.
Your characters will depend on your setting, of course. You might opt to play in a pre-designed sandbox like the Warhammer Old World. As a kid, this place drew me in from the day I discovered it, and it’ll always be my favourite lore within the hobby.
I’m not a huge fan of GW games or miniatures these days though. They are world-class at what they do, but they’re simply not for me. I’ll still play games in the Old World, and I’m naturally curious to follow what happens with this IP in the next few years. But I’ve started to collect a lot of miniatures that don’t quite fit into this setting (for example, the Oathsworn range).
In fact, I build all of my warbands and armies around miniatures I like the look of, regardless of the company or their intended game. That’s why I’ve gotten so into games that let you use any miniatures.
This has led to me creating my own settings for games and mini-campaigns. The beauty of worldbuilding is that you don’t literally need to build a world. You just need to build a place, and that place can be very small. It could simply be a village or hamlet, or a single farmhouse, or even a well.
Then, you need two opposing forces, a bit of background, and a reason for them to be clashing in this particular place and time.
That’s a lot more fun than lining up two forces on either side of a table and having at it, for no reason other than hoping you win.
Here are a couple of the sandboxes I’ve created recently.
Riversbrook
This one’s a 6mm-scale which is perfect for cinematic rank and file battles.
The village of Riversbrook is situated between two main trade roads. There’s woodlands to the East, and a mysterious ancient ruin to the South.
Here’s a view from the Western bridge, looking into the village of Riversbrook. Broken Tooth Hill is a key vantage point for defending the town against invaders.
Riversbrook priory, and view to the South-West.
There are dark legends surrounding the evil-looking altar in the ruins to the South.
The Eastern bridge, crossing the river into the village.
View to the South-West from the Riversbrook Tavern.
Here’s more on my 6mm terrain endeavours, if you’re interested in finding more about the buildings, trees, etc.
Middensbury
Next up is my 28mm-scale village of Middensbury.
It’s a rustic little settlement with some quirky and interesting inhabitants.
Most of the terrain is by a company called GameMat. Here’s my review of the houses, as well as the castle.
This layout is on a 4×4 mat (again, by GameMat) and I play with the Kings of War ruleset.
The village has seen better days. The castle was once home to a large and proud garrison of soldiers. Now, there are only a handful of jaded veterans remaining, and the building is partially derelict.
So that’s a whirlwind tour of a couple of settings I’ve built for my tabletop (or more accurately, bedroom floor) battles.
What about you? Which settings do you like to host your games in? Do you prefer fully-fledged pre-built worlds, or do you like to create somewhere from scratch? Be sure to let me know in the comments, below!