The jolliest indoor games. . .demand a floor.

February 10, 2008 5:47 PM

Floor Games. H.G. Wells and miniature gaming.
posted by EarBucket (11 comments total)

This guy lived in his dreams.

Awesome!
posted by zouhair at 5:54 PM on February 10, 2008

Now we know what he meant when he said "“Fools make researches, and grognards exploit them.”
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:41 PM on February 10, 2008

The full text of the follow-up volume, Little Wars, is available at Project Gutenberg.
posted by vertigo25 at 7:15 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wells was truly the Geekfather.
posted by Kattullus at 7:35 PM on February 10, 2008

"A close view of the temple, whose portals are guarded by grotesque plasticine monsters"

Aiiie! Shoggoth

"A view showing the raid of the Negroid savages upon the white settlers of Pear Tree Island"

Oh dear. That ones a bit Black Hawk Down.
posted by Artw at 7:59 PM on February 10, 2008

Oh, we give our fondest thanks
For the bricks and for the planks
And the soldiers locked in everlasting war —
Some are blue and some are red
And they all come back when dead,
For the jolliest indoor games demand a floor!

There are islands on the boards
There are countless native hoards
There are millions of scenarios to explore
If you'd conquer all my lands
Take them from my cold tin hands
For the jolliest indoor games demand a floor

If you'd rather be domestic, build your cities as a pair
Keep the elephants from voting - no, they don't belong in there
All the lakes are silver paper and the table's lying bare
Since its tablecloth is making up the hills our cities share!

Ohhhhh - past the trees and past the signs,
Past the curving railway lines,
Things the likes of which you've never seen before -
Send the trains up to the table
Build whatever you are able,
For the jolliest indoor games demand a floor!
posted by wanderingmind at 9:06 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

(Oops. Hordes, not hoards.)
posted by wanderingmind at 9:07 PM on February 10, 2008

If there was a War of the Worlds tabletop wargame, I would totally buy it.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:39 PM on February 10, 2008

The point is that you can make your own damn War of the Worlds game, with some chalk, some building blocks and some toys.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:41 PM on February 10, 2008

Someone should tell Cory Doctrow about this bloke, because he's totally steampunk.
posted by Artw at 11:51 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Meh - I already did that, with polystyrene tanks and modded Titans. I'm talking abut something I can get all OCD about, buying and painting figure after figure after figure...
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:10 AM on February 11, 2008