My Wargame Room Gets an Update

View as you walk into the game room.

Click on all pictures to enlarge.

Earlier this year I reported on the massive changes that I made to my wargaming room, which entailed repainting the walls and trim, reducing the size of my game table and enhancing my reading area.

Over the past couple of weeks I have added a number of artifacts and display items throughout the room and it is starting to take on a museum quality to it. Now I have the space to display my re-enacting unforms and a few other military trinkets, scattered around the room.

I think that Edward Woodward ("Callan") would feel right at home in my game room. I'm always on the lookout for more military artifacts to display in the wargame room, perhaps changing out reproductions with the real thing (mostly in the ACW era).

Edward Woodward (Callan) wargamed in style.

Virtual Tour of the Wargame Room

So let me take you on a virtual tour of my wargame room. As you walk into the room and look to your left (South Wall), you can see some of the storage drawers for my terrain and building pieces. Hanging from the ceiling are the hot air balloons of the Hesse Seewaldt Air Force. A uniform of the French regiment Bearn from the SYW can be seen hanging on the back wall. To the right of the Bearn uniform are more shelves, which hold most of my Minden Miniatures armies.

South view to your left as you walk into the room

After you have entered the room, if you look behind you towards the East Wall and the entry way, you will see a Confederate officer's uniform from my reenacting days. Both the French and the Confederate uniforms had been stored away for over ten years, so I thought that it would be nice to put them on display in the newly refurbished wargame room.

The wood shelves on the left hold some books and trinkets that I've collected over the years, including a bakelite 1945 RCA radio. I also found an old 1930s Detroit radio that is displayed on the shelves in the reading area. The wicker fishing creel seen below belonged to my late father, who was an avid fly fisherman (for trout and salmon). I never developed much of an interest in fishing though.

One of my favorite items in the room is a two-piece copy of a map of Prussia circa the Seven Years War that Bill Protz kindly printed off for me. The map conveniently includes roads so this makes for a perfect campaign map, should I do one for the SYW.

Looking at the east wall behind you

A view of the game table, looking east.

Next let's look at the South Wall

Close up view of the French Bearn Regiment uniform of the SYW.
You can also see elements of the Hesse Seewald airforce hanging from the ceiling.

A close up view of the French Bearn uniform hangs on the South Wall. The Napoleon poster is one of my favorite pictures, as it was actually a Starbucks coffee advertisement that my wife found for me. The poster has an inspiring quote  (wink) from Napoleon:

Strong coffee, and plenty, awakens me.

It gives me a warmth, an unusual force.

A pain that is not without pleasure.

I have placed two cafeteria style tables (2.5ft by 6ft) together as a place to put my campaign map of South Carolina circa 1779. At the end is the area where I base my figures after they are painted. The television set is meant to show only DVDs, but I have not hooked it up yet.

More tables, folded and leaning against the wall, can be seen. I have 5 or 6 spare tables that I no longer use, having shortened my game table from 15ft to 12ft in length and by getting rid of the 2.5ft by 15ft. of tables that ran parallel to my main table.

Let us now turn our attention to the North wall.

After you have walked over to the South Wall to examine the French uniform more closely, you turn around and take in the view of the North Wall of the room. This is where my reading area is located. Along the walls are some reproduction ACW forage caps and helmet for the British 24th Warwickshire Regiment. We all know the fate of the Warwickshire lads at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. How could I pass up buying this helmet?

A view of the reading area and fireplace (fake) along the north wall.

The fireplace mantel is a piece of furniture that I purchased some 30-40 years ago and I have hauled it around with me for the various house moves that I have made over the years. It could be used as an actual fireplace surround, but there is no fireplace behind it. It does, however, make for a good focal point in the room. 

To the left of the fireplace you can just barely make out a 19th Century antique umbrella stand that now holds yard sticks that I use in my wargames. The book shelves largely hold various sets of wargame rules that I have collected over the years as well as a small part of my 54mm toy soldier collection. The majority of the toy soldiers are stored away for now because they take up too much space.

I keep a lot of my 18th Century uniform books on the shelf that is closest to the comfy chair and ottoman. I imagine that I will spend a lot of time there, listening to music and drawing up plans for the next batch of new figures in the Minden and Fife & Drum miniatures ranges.