Sunday 9 October 2011

A short guided tour of my war game room

Several people have commented on my war game room. I think it is time to show you around.

After climbing several flights of stairs (four storeys) to the top of the house we come to the door of the war game room. It opens.....
 As you walk through the door three large cabinets loom on the left - bulk army storage......
 Not all the cabinets are full, as yet, but they can each hold 2000 to 3000 figures. Above, and below, all space is utilised
This really is bulk storage, that top shelf holds 400 infantry....
And the handy middle drawers hold the accouterments of war..............
A small alcove is used for rules, safe campaign map storage and other bits and pieces........
Next to bulk storage is World War Two Corner. This features one of my better auction house buys - the oak glass doored cabinet cost £2 - and a rack of wooden file boxes from Ikea, upgraded with some brass knob handles.
Under the window is my work station. The chest of drawers holds client figures, and I'm sat typing on that laptop at this very moment; now gone........
I love my desk - another bargain from a bankrupt jewelry shop (£10). BTW, one of my most prized possessions is the tiger head motif: This is the original artwork for RAF 230 Squadrons 'badge' painted by my dad; it was made into a stencil that appeared on all their Puma helicopters.......
The centre of the room is taken up by my war game table. It is 12 x 6 and set on two banks of kitchen base units......
The units are full of terrain....................
Main lighting is practical rather than attractive - 9 foot of strip light.....
On the 'long wall' I've mounted 6 tall CD cabinets, all but one of which are use.............
So there it is. It's a big room (18 x 15 at its largest measurements) but it is looking pretty crammed. In six to eight years I'll run out of room - my bookcases are already in the spare room though, so you never know...........

25 comments:

BigRedBat said...

Cor, what a fantastic room. I've not got a dedicated wargame room, and I'd love a space like you've created.

Inkub said...

Well, I'm jelous.:) Really,really jelous:) My own "cave" is at the top of the house tooand is much smaller... Guess I have to buy another house;) Joking aside, grat hobby room. And very clean:)

Sgt Steiner said...

Cracking room and so damn neat and tidy. Love the drawers used for game accouterments.

Its official I now hate you !! :-)

Willie Anderson said...

Thanks for the tour James next some close ups of whats in those cabinets!!!

Best wishes

Willie

Sgt Steiner said...

PS when do ever get time to play darts !? :-)

Caliban said...

That's amazing. I've seen rooms like this in basements and converted garages; yours gives me hope that a floored loft could be used in the same way. Sigh. Eventually...

Shelldrake said...

Sugoi! (Japanese for amazing and wonderful)

What a fantastic set up and collection.

Dalauppror said...

Very impressive gaming room !!!

Best regards Dalauppror

Bluebear Jeff said...

A simple "Wow" doesn't even approach my response to your room . . . but other words fail me.

Wow!


-- Jeff

Hendrid said...

Your just showing off now...very nice layout indeed,. though a bit worrying that you already know you'll run out of room in a few years. My loft conversion still has children in it, still as Caliban says...one day.

pancerni said...

Looks like a great room in which to play a game. Or paint, or just line them up to look at!

Much brighter than my 'Cellar of Doom!'

Der Alte Fritz said...

A wonderful looking room. Your tidiness puts me to shame. All of my table space somehow fills up with wargame junk (boxes of figures, terrain, packing materials, half painted figures).

Rodger said...

Fantastic room! I'm very very green.....

Dux Homunculorum said...

I'm insanely jealous. My current 'cave' is a box I get out every night to work on the kitchen table. Nice one!

Ray Rousell said...

Only two word......lucky sod!!!!

tidders2 said...

super-duper gaiming room

-- Allan

Christopher(aka Axebreaker) said...

Your room is what inspired me to do my own. Absolutely fantastic!!!!
My room is as filled out as yours yet, but I'm working on it.

Christopher

Mike said...

Very cool. I used to have a four bedroom home, earlier this year we knocked down the wall between the two smallest bedrooms. It's still in transition, but I'll get there. I call it my gaming room, my wife calls it her studio; it's a step in the right direction.
Thanks for the tour, James, you have a wonderful gaming space.

Alberto said...

Sorry I'm drooling... I can only with the other comments , neat ,tidy and wonderful place for wargaming !!!

Anonymous said...

Loss for words really as this is amazing. The room and the blog!!! A veritable man cave!

I have recently started my own blog called Bytes and Dice if anyone is interested. Once again congratulations on the gaming room!

http://bytesanddice.wordpress.com/

Field Marshal said...

I am so green with envy....absolutely wonderful games room....thanks for sharing!

Stephen S said...

So very nice. Was working towards the same idea ( but not as nice) in my home when struck by Earthquakes (NZ). This means I can only look at all the cases and envy you for a tectonically stable country as well as your wargames room.
Currently rethinking how to set up again in such a way to minimize damage if something happens.

Just so impressed by your setup though, Fabulous to look at!!

The Extraordinarii said...

yes, wow, great set up and so neat !

Daniel Moreno said...

Excellent looking wargaming room. Those large cabinets! I would love to know where you got those?

JAMES ROACH said...

Thanks Noss C,

The cabinets were by IKEA and branded 'Bjursta'. A lot of people like them and leave comment but, alas, IKEA doesn't stock them at present. I'm sure they'll do something similar again as I know a few people who have contacted them to see if they have any left somewhere. They were a bargain at £199, plus 4 extra shelves a cabinet at £4 each. With the extra shelves, each holds upwards of 2500 28mmm figures. I'm glad I bought three together (bought one, built it, loved it, immediately ordered two more), even though I could barely fill half the space at the time.