Welcome to the Newbies section.
This section is inteded to get would-be wargamers started as quickly and cheaply as possible.
To download the guide, click here.
A. Getting Started
First of all you must have an idea about what period you wish to play. There are
miniatures and rulebooks to be found for virtually every concievable period. More details can be found in TMP. The following table should assist in choosing:
Rulebooks by period
| Period |
Recommended Rulebooks |
| Ancients |
DBA, DBM |
| Mediveal |
DBM |
| WW2 |
Battleground:WW2 |
| Sci-Fi |
Battletech, Full Thrust |
Also, to get started quickly, there are rules on the Net for free. Not that these lack detail but can still be used to get a feel
for the hobby:
Rulebooks by period for free
| Period |
Recommended Rulebooks |
| Ancients |
|
| WW2 |
Maxim to Minimi |
Next, you need to choose the scale and line/s of miniatures suitable.
B. Scales and types of miniatures
You must decide what scale (size) miniatures you want. The most common are:
25mm (1/72)
20mm (1/76)
15mm
We use 20-25mm figures interchangeably but it is cheaper to use smaller scales (20-15mm), and easier to paint, contrary to common belief,
because there isn't as much detail. For more information concerning 20-25mm figures, go to the Product Reviews section.
You'll probably want to paint your armies sometime after you get the miniatures. You don't need to in order to start playing, but we'll discuss that now, because it fits in with this section.
In general, you'll have to buy paints from your local hobby shop, or if you don't have access to one, buy them from an arts and crafts store. I find it
easier and cheaper to use thicker acrylic paints that come in a 2oz. bottle (60ml), such as Americana. You'll also need brushes- size 0 for details and larger brushes for basecoating.
For more details, see the Minis section.
C. Terrain
You'll need a large variety of terrain for wargaming, ranging from trees to mountains and everything else that's in
between and that isn't ;-) Without it, your battles will be uninteresting and bland. Many gamers find that appealing terrain is one of the essentials
to enjoying the game and hobby.
This means that even before you can start gaming seriously, you'll probably want terrain items. There
are two ways to get terrain:
1. Buy it
2. Make it
Now, remember our goal is to to everything cheap- if you have the money for trees at $30 for 20, enjoy- but if you don't, you need to scratch-build, so read on...
This might seem daunting, especially if you're not artistic or have no experience. Well, as for the former- I'm not, and for the latter, I didn't. It really is possible, if you're determined. You might (will) mess
up a few times in the beginning, but you'll get the hang of it and be able to mass produce your own tabletop terrain.
Note that it will take a while in any case (unless you're buying ready-made) but if you have a partner/s it won't be hard. I suggest buying the supplies you'll need beforehand, and organize a few "production line" days where your
group should make a certain terrain item, such as trees and assorted shrubs on one day, and on the next, buildings or something.
For the specific "how-to's", see the Terrain section.
D. Playing the first game
To begin with, you must read the rules you're using and understand them. Then, create a simple scenario, such as- 1 squad against 1 squad, 2 mechs vs 2 mechs, etc...
It doesn't have to be interesting. Just meet with your partner/s and play the scenario with the rulebook, clarifying and understanding as you go on.
When you feel that your ready, start planning your first campaign. You might find it useful to consult the guidelines in the Campaigns section.
Good luck, and enjoy!