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Portable Wargame
Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame Rules
Posted 16 July 2011 11:47
Bob Cordery has been developing a game for fast play, along the lines of DBA, but using a chess board for the table. He called it The Portable Wargame. More recently this morphed into a Hex based game although feedback from play testers suggest they prefer the square grid.
Chess Board Table
Bob tried a variety of chess boards but seemed to favour a vinyl version with 50mm x 50mm squares. Bob made some hills - the cork bits - for this table. The road is masking tape.
Original Chess Board
Nick Huband, and others, wanted something that looked for aesthetic. Nick's gridded board is very simple but impressive. It is an MDF board with a light dusting of green spray paint (sprayed from a distance). The patches of colour on the original brown MDF break up the monotone finish and give it a more realistic look.
Nick Huband Battle Board
I really like the look of Nick's table. Particularly with Spanish Civil War troops on top.
Another shot of Nick Huband's board - Spanish Civil War
Hex Table
For some reason Bob got keen on hexes and changed the rules to match between 16-18 May 2011. Apparently makes for a simpler game but feedback from players is that they prefer the square grid. Personally I was also attracted to the rules because of the chess board simplicity so the hexes are a bit of a turn off.
People have tried a variety of hex sizes from 4 cm Heroscape upto 10 cm hexes. I've got a copy of Command & Colors so, if I want to try the hex version, I can use that map.
Heroscape hexes in use in a game by Dr Vesuvius
Some people don't like the out-of-the-box Heroscape hexes so have painted and/or flocked them. Bob has painted his green.
Heroscape - painted by Bob Cordery
Sources
Bob Cordery's site dedicated to the Portable Wargame Rules
Bob Cordery's blog which features the Portable Wargame quite a lot. in particular:
Axis of Naughtiness: I has wargamed. Huzzah!
Battle report for the hex version of the Portable Wargame. Uses Scenario #1 Hill Defence from Programmed Wargames Scenarios by CS Grant. In true Cordeguayan fashion, features a Red force of 19th Century/WWI Russians against a Blue force manned by WWI French with some British Colonial Lancers on loan.
Dispatches from Multan: The Portable Wargame on the Sutlej
Sikh War battle report for the hex version of the Portable Wargame.
Little Johns Lead: Having a go with hexes
Napoleonics Battle report for the hex version of the Portable Wargame.
Little Johns Lead: Portable Wargame Quatre Bras
Napoleonics Battle report for the hex version of the Portable Wargame.
Game of the Month: 6 sides of death
18th Century Battle report for the hex version of the Portable Wargame. Uses Scenario 4 from C. S. Grant's Programmed Scenario book.