Spanish Pirate Buildings from Games of War

A pirate gaming table for the Caribbean is made up of more than jungle and a beach. Interesting games require buildings so I got me some Spanish-style pirate buildings for my Caribbean pirate table.

Captain Blackbeard raids a Caribbean town

Aquarium Decoration Plants for Jungle Terrain

Aquarium decoration is a great source for all sorts of wargaming jungle terrain. I recently showed off some very nice ruins, today I want to share some useful plastic plants.

Plants form the core of any jungle-themed gaming board. The occasional palm tree is nice but what you really want is dense vegetation made up of many many plants. The best source of affordable and nicely sized plants is aquarium decoration supplies. I used a few aquarium plants for the jungle terrain sections that I finished recently. Now I found some very nice products on Amazon: Plant Mats from the "Hobby" range by Dohse Aquaristik. They come in four different versions:

Aquarium Decoration Jungle Ruins

Decor Brick Gate from
Europet Bernina (234-105382)

In preparation of some upcoming pirate gaming on tropical treasure islands I purchased a few aquarium decoration pieces to enhance my jungle gaming board.

I bought the first aquarium deco piece years ago when I first started pirate gaming: the Decor Brick Gate from Europet Bernina (234-105382).  I saw this item and a few others put to great use as 28mm scale terrain on the old website of Alex Bews (aka Witchhunter, which is sadly no longer online). For the base of my jungle board I got myself the beautiful 4x6 Beach wargaming mat from Deep-Cut Studio and now I need terrain to fill it. So aside from some jungle terrain sections I dediced to get some more aquarium terrain. Here it is!

Jungle Terrain Sections Finished

Many years ago, I built some jungle terrain sections which I never finished. Now, as I am focusing on my Caribbean jungle board, I took them out again and finished them.

The first step was to paint the bases and stones. Then, I ordered some aquarium plastic plants from amazon for some simple additional vegetation.

The jungle section after painting without additional vegetation

Aquarium decoration plastic plants

Some aquarium plants and simple grass is obviously not enough so I ordered some more stuff from PK-PRO: A box of Ground Detail Jungle Forest from Reality in Scale and various laser-cut paper plants by MIG.

Jungle scenery from MIG

Laser-cut paper plants from MIG

Finished Terrain Sections

Below are photos of the terrain sections with the various scenery and vegetation applied. I am quite happy with the result and will probably do a few more pieces like these.

Dice Bag with Compartments

Something I wanted to share quickly: My girl-friend made this dice bag with compartments for me. It is especially useful since I use quite a number of markers and counters for my Dogs Ahoy game. I am super happy with it.

My Wargaming Goals for 2018

The beginning of a new year is always a good occasion for recapitulation and contemplation. However, I don't want to look back but ahead: What do I want to do in 2018 in terms of tabletop wargaming hobby activities?

Firstly, I have to say that I am not the type for new year's resolutions. But I must admit that I have been posting less and less on the blog, which is mostly due to the large number of in-progress works and projects. It is easy to get lost and carried away in the many wonderful facets of the hobby (hence the lead mountain syndrome, which is more a "resin mountain" in my case). I think that if I prioritize the little and big projects that I am working on and articulate some goals, that I will find it easier to work on them with a bit of discipline. Granted, this is all still hobby in the end, but I do find it satisfying to complete things - be it the painting of a building, the building of a terrain piece or the definition of the rules for a certain scenario. Throughout the year, the following will hopefully help me remind myself which projects I really need to finish, or at least make some progress, instead of switching to another project that tickles my fancy.

Civilian Figures for Pirate Games

In this post I collect civilians and other miniatures that are great additions for wargames in a 17th/18th century pirate setting.

When I first started pirate gaming in 2008 I compiled a list of manufacturers of pirate miniatures which I still keep updated to this day. In order to properly flesh out your games, however, you will want more than scurvy sea dogs: From all sorts of civilians such as farmers, noble ladies and children, to dock workers to slaves there are lots of miniatures that can enhance your games. The list below contains miniatures from various manufacturers and ranges that are suitable for pirate games during the 17th and 18th century.