Waterloo on the tabletop

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**reds8n**

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_650397_en.html?fbclid=IwAR314KMglaxRwW5X0eUgpCdsqxOhPNYETTPqSBEJqn0zaTLWvMtiDYpX_Eg

UOFG UNVEILS GIGANTIC MAP FOR BIGGEST EVER HISTORICAL TABLE TOP WAR GAME
Issued: Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:00:00 BST

The organisers of the biggest ever historical table top war game have unveiled the gigantic map being used to replay the Battle of Waterloo using 22,000 miniature soldiers.

The Great Game: Waterloo Replayed charity event has commissioned a unique map mat – believed to be the largest battle map ever constructed – which is 192 square metres and made up of 12 sections, each 8 metres by 2 metres.

The giant map will be placed on a series of tables to allow the Battle of Waterloo be replayed. However as a one off, staff and students involved in the Great Game laid out the giant map on the floor in the one of the University’s largest halls – and it barely fit!

The charity event is being held in the University of Glasgow on the weekend of 15 and 16 June and will see 120 players from around the world replaying one of the most epic and decisive battles in history.

In aid of the charity for military veterans, Waterloo Uncovered, the 22,000 28mm figures being fielded on the purpose-built tables and map will recreate the 1815 Belgium battlefield for the one-off event.

The massive map was created from an original based on an 1830s detailed survey of the battlefield of Waterloo by William Siborne. The British officer was commissioned to construct a model of the battle by British army commander in chief, General Rowland Hill. That model can be seen in the National Army Museum in Chelsea. The map was published in 1844.

It has been slightly adapted to meet the shape of the Kelvin Gallery at the University of Glasgow, along with the need to allow over 120 wargamers and veterans to come together for a spectacular re-match of the famous battle – which marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The map shows every building, road and stream on the battlefield as well as a range of topographical features, such as woods and ridges. It was specially made for The Great Game: Waterloo Replayed by Tiny Wargames of London, and the cloth map was made in Italy. On the map will be positioned not only the figures but 14 carefully constructed scale models of farms and villages which were pivotal in the battle.

Every regiment, battalion and battery will be represented in the Great Game with the 22,000 figures fielded in Glasgow painted by wargaming enthusiasts, veterans’ groups, students and members of the public.

The map will be in use from 09.30 to 16.30 on both Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June. Tickets available to view the game, as well as participate in eight other introductory short skirmish wargames are £6 for two hours. Available from Eventbrite.

The Great Game: Waterloo Replayed have also organised an evening entertainment event which will allow those attending to tour the battlefield and meet re-enactors of the period. Tickets £20 from 6.30pm - 21.30pm on Saturday 15 June available via Eventbrite.

The Waterloo Uncovered charity combines world-class archaeology with a support programme for veterans and military community, and all the profits from The Great Game event will be going to the charity to help support its important work.

Uniquely, the Great Game will not merely be played by war gamers, but it will also involve Serving Personnel and Veterans who will be attached to experienced war gamers. This is in line with the philosophy of Waterloo Uncovered.

http://www.waterlooreplayed.com/

a noble effort indeed.

Love to play some HH on a similar sized table

**Overread**

Ok so the historicals have thrown down the gauntlet - now sci-fi/fantasy has to do 2 or 3 times better!!

**Kroem**

Really cool idea, shame it is in Glasgow (might as well be in Timbuktu...) as I would have gone and seen it!

**Tannhauser42**

Overread wrote:
Ok so the historicals have thrown down the gauntlet - now sci-fi/fantasy has to do 2 or 3 times better!!

This demands nothing less than a 1:1 scale reenactment of the Siege of Terra!

**Easy E**

That is a great idea.

Reminds me of the Inter-war images you see of the Naval War College in Annapolis Maryland doing wargames.

**Fenrir Kitsune**

A friend of mine is putting models on the table at that event.

**reds8n**

https://twitter.com/DigWaterloo

up and running now.

"We have 22,300 mini soldiers"

fair play.

https://twitter.com/WaterlooReplay

be fun to play in something of that size.

**Overread**

The only thing I think that is a shame is that looking at the photo there hardly looks like a single person under 30 and no one at all under 20.

Something like this shouldn't just be for the established, it should be a huge interest draw for newblood to get involved with.

**Riquende**

Overread wrote:
The only thing I think that is a shame is that looking at the photo there hardly looks like a single person under 30 and no one at all under 20.

They can do all that stuff on their Playbox Switch 360.

**leopard**

Overread wrote:
The only thing I think that is a shame is that looking at the photo there hardly looks like a single person under 30 and no one at all under 20.

Something like this shouldn't just be for the established, it should be a huge interest draw for newblood to get involved with.

agree, but keep in mind stuff like the battle of Waterloo and indeed the various other battles of the period are basically not covered in schools these days. Short of someone having a parent interested in gaming its just not something people will hear about

such a shame really

**Dynas**

leopard wrote:
Overread wrote:
The only thing I think that is a shame is that looking at the photo there hardly looks like a single person under 30 and no one at all under 20.

Something like this shouldn't just be for the established, it should be a huge interest draw for newblood to get involved with.

agree, but keep in mind stuff like the battle of Waterloo and indeed the various other battles of the period are basically not covered in schools these days. Short of someone having a parent interested in gaming its just not something people will hear about

such a shame really

Yup. I remember that day of class fondly.

In 1789 the French revolution occurred, Robespierre, guillotine, Napoleon was a general who gave everyone a good licken and became emperor. He invaded russia, it was cold, he lost. The british beat him at waterloo, exiled him. The end.

Now lets move on to how that effected america in the war of 1812, more importantly we get the Louisiana purchase.

Im like, wait what, we talk for a week about 1812 and the capital burning and how we got Louisiana for a bargain, but the entire french revolution and Napoleonic wars is 5 mins. AHHHHH

**winnertakesall**

Overread wrote:
The only thing I think that is a shame is that looking at the photo there hardly looks like a single person under 30 and no one at all under 20.

Something like this shouldn't just be for the established, it should be a huge interest draw for newblood to get involved with.

This was me, and I'm 22. It was difficult because of the level required, I personally had to paint up 220 French infantry, get there, and know what was going on.

**bigern314**

Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy podcast episode 12 covered this a year or so ago as they were putting it together, and then new new episode 28 is about it as well. Great podcast for wargaming, though they don't do GW stuff. Mostly historical.

**phillv85**

Bravo to all involved. That’s a great effort.

**gilrak**

Looks like a blast! Cheers to all who were involved.

**orkybenji**

What scale did they use?

**winnertakesall**

orkybenji wrote:
What scale did they use?

28mm

**Elbows**

There is definitely the common joke about hitting 40 and suddenly you're into Napoleonics. It's a thing I've seen happen a ton, and likely with good reason.

Historical wargames can be cheaper, easier to run, simpler, more logical rules. "Most" historical games are not based around the "new edition = new sales' style of modern younger-person gaming. There are people playing Napoleonics using the same rules they used in 1985, because they enjoy them, etc.

There isn't a meta, or a plastic arms race, etc. It's just a bit more civilized. Some companies like Warlord Games and Battlefront are trying to kinda cross that gap.

I also agree a lot of young people now have less exposure to history, particularly military history than they used to. The population isn't growing up under the recovery of WW2 or the specter of the Cold War. The war on international terrorism is just "daily life" to a lot of people whom it doesn't impact.

There are exceptions of course, but they're just that, exceptions. It's noticeable even at normal gaming conventions here in the states. Outside of the inevitable Warhammer or Warmachine tournament occurring the average age of gamers for almost all other genres is either 8-12 (peoples' kids) or 35-65...with very little in between.

One of the gaming groups in my area is Warhammer based and I'm the oldest in my mid-30's. My other gaming group in another city I'm the youngest...and we don't do anything akin to Warhammer (we bust out the occasional game of X-Wing but other than that it's 90% historicals).