Creating my own block wargame. First mock ups.

The Marshmallow armies receive their first units. The coloured spots on the top denotes which force they are from. I should have enough blocks to create a small allied force with a different coloured spots as well as mercenary units with yet another colour.

Not the prettiest playing pieces you are ever going to see, but as this is not a commercial project and just for my own enjoyment, the aesthetics are not too important.
Here we have the red force with an elephant, heavy cavalry, medium cavalry, heavy infantry, medium infantry and heavy chariot.

The blue force also has an elephant, heavy cavalry, light cavalry with missiles (javelins, bows etc.), heavy and medium infantry and finally a light chariot.

I still need to make up light infantry with missile, as well as one or two other pieces to represent battlefield artillery, scorpions through to cannon.
The pieces would conform to an army list for the period being played, so the light cavalry block with missile could be any of, Mongol archers, Persian mounted archers or Arab mounted archers to name just three.

Work will continue...

Creating my own block war game, more thoughts.

Following on from my last post of yesterday, I managed to pick up some coloured adhesive spots and stars today, along with some self adhesive labels to place on the blocks.

As I want the game to be playable from the Greek City State wars right through to the Wars of the Roses, I have decided to make the units very generic. As you see below I have gone with a basic idea. Standard symbols for infantry and cavalry, a circle for chariots and a large capital letter E for, yes you guessed it, elephants.

There are a total of 148 blocks in the case, which equates to 74 per side, or even less if I add allies and mercenary units. The idea of downloading and printing out images of hoplites, legionaries etc. was just not going to work with the small number of blocks I have if I wish to represent all eras.
My current thinking is, each block will have either a red or blue spot on top, to denote which side it is. Then if an infantry symbol is applied, a red dot placed on the symbol will signify that it is heavy infantry, anything from a Phalanx to dismounted knights. A blue dot will be medium infantry, yellow dot will be light infantry. Missile troops be they mounted or infantry, will also have an orange spot, that will signify javelins, slings or bows etc. The same principal will work for heavy, medium and light cavalry. Elite units could also possibly have a star.

Leaders/generals blocks will stand in portrait fashion, again with either a red or blue dot on top, with two stars for the army commander and one star for a sub commander. All the other blocks will stand in landscape fashion.

I should get two symbols from each sticker.

The whole army will stay in the original box it came in, so no other blocks could really be added, even if I had any.




The pink and white colour of the blocks reminds me so much of those soft marshmallow sweets I used to love as a child, so the Marshmallow Army is born.

The next job is to draw the military symbols onto the labels, cut them out and apply them to the blocks. Add the coloured dots and I should be good to go. I am looking down the route of DBA style or L'Art de la Guerre, played on a small board, or possibly even C&C style on a hex board. We shall have to see how it goes.

Creating my own block wargame?

Dug this long forgotten, and very dusty, case of Mah Jong out of a cupboard. I bought it in Hong Kong in 1972, so it is certainly vintage.

All the tiles are there, 148 of them, the space is for some dice and scoring sticks, that also came with the game.

They are made of a very heavy and solid plastic or resin material.

They are almost as thick as they are wide. All the tiles are in this dual colour of pink and white.

A clear pink reverse face, the same on all of the tiles.

My notion is to re use these blocks to make my own C&C Ancients. Early stages of course, I doubt the blocks would readily take primer or paint, and to be honest, I don't really want to destroy the Mah Jong element. I was thinking along the line of those little coloured self adhesive dots, stars etc, to stick on the top to denote nationality, and maybe a generic, downloadable image to print onto stickers to cover the Mah Jong face. Psoli, hoplites, cavalry and such.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.