Scouting Wide Games in Art, on Postcards and in Role Playing Games
Happy Father’s Day to all!
My late Dad was an (Assistant) Scoutmaster for many years, who enjoyed Wide Games as a wartime child and as a Boy Scout, so I think he would appreciate this post.
Here below are a collection of links to some of my recent posts on interesting scouting paintings and postcard images, along with RPG elements, which have provided me with inspiration for gaming scenarios for my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop Project.
The Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop Project started out in 2019 as a simple page and posts on this Man of TIN blog but has since grown to become an entirely separate blog.
Here for Man Of TIN blog (and Man of TIN Blog Two) readers are these links as a quick update on this ongoing tabletop gaming project.
Postcards
I own so far only a couple of these curious silent film type Davidson Brothers postcards (above) and have found more images online. I hope to acquire some more affordable examples over time:
The Wide Game and Scouts in Paintings
I have also enjoyed finding some fantastic scouting paintings such as ‘The Wide Game‘ by George Hillyard Swinstead from the Scouts Heritage Service online via Art UK:
There is an interesting detail of a wounded Tommy in his Hospital Blues in ‘The Good Turn’ painting by Swinstead, painted in 1916.
Scouting Photographs
These staged photographs and paintings capture a little of the outdoor spirit Wide Games from my original scouting photo snaps collection:
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/17/ww1-boy-scout-photographs-in-my-collection-1/
https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2020/02/20/more-early-scouting-photos-from-ww1/
All good inspiration for my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop Project.
Role Playing Game Characters and Badge Skills
With the help of Alan (Duchy Of Tradgardland) Gruber, I am thinking through how to add a Role Playing Game RPG / NPC elements of character ability (and badge skills) to the simple Wide Games and snowball fight rules.
My D&D / Stranger Things related blog post introduces this topic:
It could be The Shire, the Upside Down or a D&D scenario map? Your local woods transformed with The Cloak of Romance and a suitable Wide Games gaming scenario and imagination …
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Scouting Wide Games – for Girls?
Along with uniform research for figure conversions on early Scout uniform and that of other youth movements such as Camp Fire Girls USA and British Camp Fire Girls, each having their own page on the blog.
Figure conversions from 42mm range of STS Little Britons Spencer Smith Miniatures LBB30 Boy Scouts to African-American Camp Fire Girls USA – work in progress
There – that brings us up to date with the ongoing Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop Project. This also fits my DMZ Demilitarised gaming mood.
Blog posted on 18/ 19 June (Happy Father’s Day!) by Mark Man of TIN, 1970s British Cub Scout (Bronze Arrow, retired).
Man of Tin blog 
Great post. BTW have you seen this:
https://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/proddetail.asp?prod=WF-02
Dave
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Thanks Guru PIG – and thanks also for the Snowman figure link. I think these are 25mm and very tempting although shipping to the UK / outside the US is quite steep. I’m not sure the UK Old Glory stockist has these. It’s a great idea though, which I might handmake out of Fimo polymer clay and matchsticks and wire. Evil snowmen – interesting. I was already thinking about RPG elements such as snow trolls, wompas, etc. My snowballers figures are mostly the Boy / Girl Scouts (scaled from 42m) or Lemax 54-60mm snowballers from the Christmas Village.
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Some interesting stuff there. How were the conversions done? I might like to try a “black girl scout” painting program.
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Thanks Jennifer – I find it helpful for myself to pull post links together from time to time.
I now have potentially segregated, mixed or multiracial patrols, as I have used a variety of skin tones to reflect the diversity of America, enough to cover Native American, Mexican, Asian and African-American Camp Fire Girls; I will do the same with the Girl Scouts Of America (what we call Guides). I have now done this with a variety of skin tones for the early British and Dominion / Empire / World Boy Scouts across Asia and Africa, Australasia and New Zealand etc. These are just awaiting gloss varnish to add that old shiny toy soldier look complete with pink or copper cheek dot.
I have included a few “work in progress” pictures at the tissue paper stage on some posts and shall post further about this “file and PVA and tissue paper conversions”, in the next few days now that the next batch of Girl Scout / Camp Fire Girls conversions are done. They just need varnish, usually done outside with a spray can and its raining today in the UK.
The paperback reprint of “How Girls can help their country”: the first handbook of The Girl Scouts Of America (and the Boy Scouts Of America first handbook) are interesting as a period piece. Fascinating early Americanised Boy Scout thick Handbook and much slimmer Girl Scout handbook, lots of natural history, bears and the worries of Wide Games in bear and wolf country. Mostly the early guidebook pictures are of White or European Americans.
There is a lot of Girl Scout and Boy Scout Of America reference material, handbooks etc. around scanned online, likewise for the pre War Camp Fire (Girls) USA.
I have yet to do a full 8 patrol each of early Boy Scouts Of America or early Girl Scouts Of America conversions, as their American uniform differs somewhat from the British Guide equivalent then. I am keeping my uniform references / patrols to 1908 to late 1940s.
Figures are sometimes hard to come by. Pinterest might even turn up useful paper Girl Scout figures.
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