Scouting Wide Games in art and on postcards and as RPGs – links

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:

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/06/17/scouting-on-postcards-the-davidson-brothers-boy-scout-series/

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:

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/06/05/the-good-turn-by-george-hillyard-swinstead-1916-scout-painting-and-first-aid-scenario-photos/

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/06/05/the-wide-game-painting-by-george-hillyard-swinstead-scout-heritage-service-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:

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/06/13/scouting-wide-games-rpgs-dungeons-and-dragons-and-stranger-things/

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).

Camp Fire Girls USA on the Painting Table

Ready for gloss spray varnish, the finishing touch to my Camp Fire Girls USA figures:

It’s been a busy month both at work and preparing a local history talk in the evenings, so these Camp Fire Girls figures got stuck on the painting table in their tissue paper bloomers for a few weeks! Sorry, Girls!

The original STS Shiny Toy Soldiers 42mm Little Britons Range LBB30 Boy Scout figure (a stout little chap!) can be seen on the left.

Finally after more research into uniforms for African American Camp Fire Girls, out came the paint brushes for some prototype figure painting in gloss shiny toy soldier (pink face dot) style.

I have chosen variations on the patriotic ‘Minute Girls‘ WW1 era red, white and blue Camp Fire / YWCA uniform that lasted through to the 1960s.

You can read and see more about all this at my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blog post:

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/05/30/camp-fire-girls-usa-on-the-painting-table/

Not everything worked, I have learnt a few lessons about history, painting skin tones in gloss toy soldier style (no pink face dot!) and also some further ideas for refining or diversifying my figure conversions for making up the rest of each eight girl team or patrol of African American and a patrol or two of White American / Latin American Mexican patrols.

British Camp Fire Girls (in brown) to follow.

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/05/30/camp-fire-girls-usa-on-the-painting-table/

African American YWCA Girl Reserves (NYPL)

This month I have been reading South Side Girls by Marcia Chatelain and listening to Chicago South Side Girl and former FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s autobiography Becoming. https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/radical-brownies-monarchs-and-black-camp-fire-girls-usa/

Blog crossposted from https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com by Mark Man Of TIN, 1970s British Cub Scout (Bronze Arrow, retired) on 31 May 2022

Shiny New Wide Game Recruits for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Guides and Camp Fire Girls

More Spencer Smith Miniatures 42mm Shiny Toy Soldiers Little Britons range LBB30 Boy Scout figures for conversion – and some unusual uniform research.

Part of my ongoing DMZ Demilitarised Tabletop Gaming project.

Crossposted from my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blog

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/04/30/new-recruits-for-the-boy-scouts-girl-scouts-and-camp-fire-girls/

Blog cross posted by Mark Man Of TIN, May Day 1st May 2022

DMZ Post No. 5 Tintin, Totor the Boy Scout and Scouting Wide Games figures

Two recent new posts over on my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blog

Tintin the Boy Detective and his younger brother / predecessor Totor the Boy Scout … https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/02/19/tintin-totor-and-the-belgian-boy-scout-cartoonist-herge/

Scouting figures back out on the tabletop ready for Wide Games and Snowball fights.

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/dmz-post-no-5-scouting-figures-and-wide-games-return/

The Scouting Wide Games and snowball fight rules pages: 

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com

The original DMZ ‘demilitarised’ post – https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2022/02/24/some-more-peaceful-or-non-lethal-tabletop-strategy-games/

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 5th March 2022

From Broken Limber to Trek Cart

Crossposted from my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blog by Mark Man of TIN

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2020/02/21/from-broken-limber-to-trek-cart/

and a reminder from Alan Gruber my Scouting Wide Games co-creator that today is Thinking Day 22 February each year, amid a glimpse of our new 60mm Girls Scouts in the making:

http://tradgardland.blogspot.com/2020/02/working-towards-woking-on-thinking-day.html

22 February was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell and of Lady Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and World Chief Guide.

Other Scouts celebrate it as B.-P. Day or Founders’ Day. (Wikipedia source)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Thinking_Day

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/what-we-do/events-and-opportunities/regular-girlguiding-events/world-thinking-day/

Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN, 21 / 22 February 2020

#FEMbruary 2020 Girl Scout Patrol Challenge

Four short of a full Daisy  Patrol of eight Girl Scouts  (right)

I can’t believe it’s #FEMbruary again – the annual challenge by Alex @ Lead Balloony blog to paint more female miniatures for your gaming hobby.

https://leadballoony.com/2020/02/03/leadballoonys-3rd-fembruary-challenge/

Marvin reminded me that we are already in FEMbruary with his challenge figures

https://suburbanmilitarism.wordpress.com/2020/02/05/court-appearances-fembruary-2020

My challenge this year is a limited one as I am preparing Scouting and Snowballing figures and rules for the Little Wars Revisited 54mm Games day at Woking with Alan Gruber (still spaces left to join in).

This year my challenge is  four more Girl Scout figures to convert from 42mm Boy Scout figures to make up a full Daisy Patrol of eight figures.

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com

The figures are Little Britons / STS Shiny Toy Soldiers LBB30 Boy Scout sold through Spencer Smith Miniatures.

Previously on Man of TIN blog in #FEMbruary

#FEMBruary 2019 Bad Squiddo 28mm Land Girls and Soviet Women – https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/huzzah-for-boycraft-flower-show-craft-success/

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/07/the-unwomanly-face-of-war-book-review/

#FEMbruary 2018 – More Bad Squiddo land girls and other female figures

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/18/fembruary-2018-progress-so-far/

Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN 6 FEMbruary 2020

Tales of Derring Do: inspiring books for Scouting Wide Games on the Tabletop

New figures, new reading including a great little Shire Library book on The Scouts.

British and Dutch East Indies Sea Scouts encounter hostile Natives …

Christmas Present 2019: Some inspiring reading and some Scout Patrol reinforcements from STS Little Britons 42mm via Spencer Smith Miniatures, over in my Scouting Wide Games blog site:

https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/2019/12/27/tales-of-derring-do-tabletop-scouting-wide-games-christmas-presents-2019/

Hope that you got some good “new shiny” this Christmas, ready for the New Year.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN (1970s Cub Scout, Bronze Arrow, Retired) on 27 December 2019

Man of TIN Blogvent Calendar Day 22: First Corps 28mm Boy Scouts VBCW figures

Some useful Boy Scout figures in 28mm from First Corps https://1stcorps.co.uk/product/boy-scouts-leader/

I am really looking forwards to our 2020 game plans for Scouting Wide Games such as an outing at 54mm scale at the Woking 54mm games day

http://littlewarsrevisited.boards.net/thread/404/lwr-forum-games-day-2020

More about these scouting figures, rules and scenarios (working with Alan ‘Tradgardmastre’ Gruber of the Duchy of Tradgardland blog) can be found at:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/wide-games-scouting-games-page/

A few of my painted STS Little Britons 42mm range LBB30 Boy Scouts figures http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/html/little_britons.html

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN (Cub Scout, Bronze Arrow, Retired) 22 December 2019

First Scouting Wide Game: Snow Forts

Quick making and PVA gluing of polystyrene Snow Forts

Wide Games or Outdoor Games from Baden Powell’s Scouting for Boys 1907/8

The Snow Forts game in progress …

Setting up the game board and Lego based snow fort alternative build.

This was a ‘jolly good fun’ short game, featuring a small force of Gladys and four other Girl Scouts of Daisy Patrol, defending their snow fort with snowballs against an attacking force of eight Boy Scouts of Red scarved ‘Bull’ Patrol.

I will post a full game write up in the next few days, my first playtesting of some simple Scouting Wide Games rules.

It takes three Snowball hits on a defender in the Snow Fort for them to lose their ‘life’ (restored once journeyed back to HQ tent camp), but only one hit to take the ‘life’ of an attacker.

Snowball ammunition is unlimited. One scout equals one figure.

Ranges were set out or measured using lolly sticks, for close range (one lollystick – 4,5,6 is a hit on a d6), medium range (two lollystick distance, 5 or 6 to hit) and long range (three lollysticks – 6 only to hit).

Movement on snow and ice was half normal pace, (so using half a lollystick marker to measure) and no fast Scouts Pace (a strange mix of periods of running and walking) was allowed due to weather and terrain

Alan Gruber, Tradgardmastre of the Duchy of Tradgardland blog is also going to be working on the Scouting Wide Games rules and borrowed RPG elements like individual character cards.

I added some simple RPG style elements like names, age or scout ranking from Tenderfoot to First Class Scout or Patrol Leader, and badge or character achievements.

For example, Gladys the Patrol Leader of Daisy Patrol of the Girl Scouts and young Ernest, Second Class scout of Bull Patrol (Red Scarves) both have Marksman scout badges, adding +1 to their chance of hitting a scout of the other patrol with a range weapon like a snowball.

Jolly Good Fun! The game ended sportingly with three cheers for the winners and three cheers for the losers. Afterwards Agnes and Ginger of the Daisy Patrol of Girl Scouts built a “Snow Scout”.

I will also be developing a separate WordPress blog for the Scouting Wide Games project, for storing pictures, rules, research and play-testing. Watch this space for details: https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/

The 1914 Christmas Truce – was there a Snow ball fight?

I dug out some old Airfix unarmed WW1 figures. The Snowball fight element of this game lends itself to both civilian, Christmas and military scenarios.

The Christmas version using tree ornaments – red versus white and blue.

Posted by Mark, Man of TIN on 5 October 2019

Have Trek Cart, Will Travel …

Bob a Job for the War Office? Phoenix 43 range (S and D models) scout trek cart, scouts and scoutmaster group. Crate – old Tamiya  1:35 stock.

My recent broken figure conversions to Girl Scouts admire the Trek Cart

Beautifully detailed moulded figures with scout badges and all …

I have pretty much finished painting my Trek Cart scout group of Phoenix 43 figures, apart from gloss varnishing them.

1\43 Phoenix 43 S and D Models Scouts and Trek Cart

At first it looked a little fiddly but fitted together well with little flash.

The Trek or Trek Cart is mentioned in very early Scout cigarette cards.

First series Ogden’s  cigarette  cards – Boy Scout Series 1 to 5 Cigarette Card Images, an internet book / reprint by Trading Card Enterprises, LLC

It is also pictured as an iconic bit of scout history in the 1990 Cub Scout Handbook history of Scouting pages:

Baden-Powell’s Mafeking idea of ‘Model Soldiers’

An interesting conversion idea for a Boy Scout patrol with turbans – plenty of world Boy Scout uniforms on cigarette cards on Pinterest. Cub Scout Handbook, 1990.

Close up of the trek cart picture illustration 1990 by Martin Aitchison

Search around and you will find that trek carts were once quite iconic for the scout movement, such as this book cover illustration.

Pinterest is a useful source of images and there are Trek Cart sections on there,  from which I have taken some screen-shots as  reference pictures for painting my trek cart model.

The dark green works well as a scout colour (Pinterest image source)

Bright and colourful Trek Cart paint scheme

Good design  and colour references for vintage trek carts from a Pinterest search.

S and D models Phoenix 43 Trek Cart No. OF154

I chose a dark green Gloss simple paint scheme for my trek cart  with no wording.

The trek cart or baggage waggon train provides a good target or focus for many Wide Games / tabletop gaming scenarios.

Lots more Trek Cart stories and images at http://www.shurdington.org/Scouts/Trekcart.htm

I never made the link between scout trek carts and the Wild West type pioneer trek carts featured in this episode of Mormon and American West history.

Recreating the Mormon pioneer treks of the 1840s

This is a pioneer story as gripping and tragic as that of the Oregon Trail.

“To cut down on expensive wagons and oxen, some 3,000 of the [Mormon] pioneers subsequently used low-cost wooden handcarts that were light enough to be pulled across the Great Plains. One family or five individuals were assigned to a handcart, with 18 to 20 people sharing a tent. A cart hauled no more than 200 pounds — about 17 pounds of baggage per person.  Each highly organized company was led by an experienced guide and was accompanied by at least four oxen-drawn supply wagons.

The first party of handcarts set out from Iowa City, Iowa, on 9 June 1856 with a company of 266 people from England, followed two days later by a second company of just over 200.  These early handcart brigades successfully arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, but the trips were not easy. Pioneer journals recorded harsh weather, the threat of hostile Indians, the death of fellow travelers and the ongoing hardships of hunger and fatigue.”

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/pioneer-trek

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers

The Mormon pioneer treks of American history are often recreated as part of youth camping activities within this church, pictured and described here:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/activities/stake-and-multistake-activities/camps-and-youth-conferences/treks?lang=eng&country=am

There is also a Wikipedia article on the Mormon Handcart Pioneers https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers

As mentioned before, the Man of TIN blog supports no particular faith denomination. All are welcome at the Man of TIN blog.

Trek carts which disassembled were made in the early William Britain’s Boy Scouts Range, seen here featured in James Opie’s Britain’s Toy Soldiers 1893 – 1932: 

Two of my repaired Broken Britain’s 54mm  Scouts beside Britain’s Trek Cart  pictures in James Opie’s book.

Trek Carts can also be found in smaller OOHO  railway scale figures by Modelscene / Peco.

OOHO Modelscene Peco railway series trek cart and Scouts with berets

A historical Huzzah for the humble Trek Cart!

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 15 July 2019.