On the whole, tabletop gaming is pretty accessible. All it really takes is the game, a few friends and some patience with the rulebook. And…a table, I guess.
But for as long as I’ve been playing tabletop games, one realm of it has given me pause. It’s those sprawling, masses of plastic soldiers spread across the back room of your local hobby shop. It’s the intricately detailed vehicles and terrain painted under a magnifying glass. It’s miniature wargaming.
What even is miniature wargaming? What separates it from something like Dungeons & Dragons? What goes into the customization?
We caught up with a few local experts – Ian Douglass, a.k.a. “The Wizard of Trash,” historical wargamer Richard Attiyeh and The Common Room owner Phil Eskew – to put us through some basic training.
And for more on miniature wargaming, check out this extra clip where Phil Eskew tells us how people have been playing against each other for decades - through the mail.
