Wargame Terrain is Art of War Terrain

Space scenarios seems to be the most widely popular gaming experience that many wish to try, but never had the great models to play on. Space crafts are wonderful "terrain": The challenge lies upon the limited space and delicate environment.

The Research & Development of AOWT are working on plans to create the "first" playable spaceship in a very large scale. The design is finalize to a linear science ship with artificial gravity (we are not getting too technical with this).
 
The spaceship will have 5 distinct compartments:
(1) Engine/Generator
(2) Cargo
(3) Habitat Station (living quarters, mess, community centers, etc)
(4) Science Lab
(5) Control Center (Bridge, CPU, communication, etc)

We are currently designing the spaceship, keeping in mind to reduce the cost in materials and weight. The sections will be modular so that the spacecraft can be very versatile. You can convert it from a transport cargo ship to a luxury space cruiser in matter of minutes without re-creating the entire ship.

Keep checking this spot as we keep tracking our progress. More to come!!

How can we create a specialized terrain that severely limits maneuverability due to environment, but keep the excitement level high?  How can war gaming be played “vertically”? Can we make a spaceship terrain to look like a spaceship inside and out? Can we keep costs down?

This and many questions plagued the pre-production of our spaceship design. Although there are certain gaming problems to overcome (we plan to publish a “ship manual” to set some gaming rules), we cannot deny the utter excitement generated by hardcore sci-fi gamers who hunger for a spacecraft playing field.

This project is collaboration between Mike Revier and me. The planning took nearly 6 months to materialize a tangible idea. After several sketches and brain-storming sessions, I had constructed a mock-up of a science spacecraft from cardboard to give us a rough size and scale. After several primary feedbacks and redesigns later, we were able to finalize the possible construction of the spacecraft.

I have decided to make this a scientific vehicle, which has little or no weapons. However,  the primary gaming focus is the objective of each mission inside this craft. I have decided to make the spacecraft linear for the sake of ease of building. This spacecraft has five sections: Engine, cargo, living quarters, laboratory and command module. Our time table is set to complete the cargo, living quarters and laboratory by the end of 2008. The command module and engine will be completed by January 2009.  We will showcase the final completed project at Orcon 2009 in Los Angeles (for more information, please click STRATGICON).

The construction of this spaceship felt more like building bedroom furniture. Most of the material is made with wood. It has taken us several days to construct the “tree” and “trays” for this section of the spaceship. With Mike’s carpentry expertise, we were able to retain most of our original designs without sacrificing the acres of playing field. We had to eliminate some of the “wow” features because of the complexity and construction (like opening up the levels like a mechanical tool box). But we also determined that they were novelties and doesn’t have too much value to the spacecraft playability.

The main backbone of our spaceships is the versatile “I-shaped” main frame.  The frame acts like a tree, which the multiple levels are attached to this frame using slide-lock fasteners. Hence, each level is a “tray” that easily detaches from the frame for intense playing. The bottom of the frame is constructed wider for display stability. The lower corridor is the main transport tube between sections. The mid-section is removable to adjust the height if the gamers wish to expand their play. In other words, you can create a spaceship from 3 levels to 10 levels! This prototype is constructed from ¼” plywood to support multiple levels.

The levels are specially constructed “trays” made from plywood, MDF, and solid wood. These are not constructed for storage. Instead, they are sized correctly and adequately for a tight game play. This section of the space craft has a playable area of 18 inches long by 12 inches wide. The height is roughly 3.5 inches high. Each tray is not permanently populated with corridors, panels, walls, and other items. Instead, you can design your own floor plans, create your own atmosphere, or purchase some of our modular items (more to come). In fact you can dedicate one level to a holo-deck in which you can place time-piece buildings inside (like Star Trek).

We have not tested the game-play value of this terrain yet. We intend to test-run the product at Hobby Day in Anaheim on December 13, 2008 at about 10:00 AM (Address: Knights of Columbus Meeting Hall, 1127 Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA). Please join us for this brief moment to see if this terrain is actually playable or not. We would like your input!