The ULTIMATE Guide to Wargaming & Model Making by Reaction Games 2026

Bring your creativity to life with The Complete Guide to Wargaming & Model Making by Reaction Games 2026 (©)

The essential companion for anyone who wants to turn raw materials into miniature worlds.

Whether you're a total beginner or a seasoned hobbyist, this guide gives you clear step‑by‑step techniques, expert tips that shortcut years of trial and error, and inspiration to build models you’re genuinely proud of.

From tools and textures to painting, weathering, and display, it’s everything you need to elevate your craft and enjoy the process as much as the finished piece.

Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

How to Build Custom Terrain

A great battlefield doesn’t just hold your models — it shapes the entire experience. Whether you’re aiming for a competitive, perfectly balanced table or a dramatic, story‑driven cinematic layout, the way you place terrain determines how armies move, fight, and interact. Good table setup turns a match into a memorable battle.

This guide walks through the principles behind building both balanced and cinematic battlefields that feel fair, fun, and visually striking.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

How to Create Balanced or Cinematic Battlefields in Wargaming

A great battlefield doesn’t just hold your models — it shapes the entire experience. Whether you’re aiming for a competitive, perfectly balanced table or a dramatic, story‑driven cinematic layout, the way you place terrain determines how armies move, fight, and interact. Good table setup turns a match into a memorable battle.

This guide walks through the principles behind building both balanced and cinematic battlefields that feel fair, fun, and visually striking.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Bluffing, Pressure, Tempo Control, and Reading Opponents

Wargaming isn’t just about dice, stats, and unit positioning — it’s a duel of minds. The best players don’t simply out‑manoeuvre their opponents on the table; they out‑think them. Psychological tactics add a whole new layer to your strategy, letting you influence decisions, create pressure, and control the flow of the game without rolling a single die.

This guide explores the core psychological tools every wargamer should master: bluffing, pressure, tempo control, and reading opponents.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Scenario and mission design tips — how to build balanced or thematic missions.

Designing scenarios is one of the most rewarding parts of wargaming. A great mission feels like a story unfolding on the table — full of tension, choices, and memorable moments — while still remaining fair and competitive. Whether you’re creating a narrative campaign or a tournament‑ready objective match, strong scenario design turns a simple battle into an experience players talk about for weeks.

This guide walks through the core principles of building balanced or thematic missions that keep players engaged from turn one to the final roll.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

What Skirmishers, Tanks, Artillery, and More Actually Do in Wargames

Every wargame — whether historical, sci‑fi, or fantasy — relies on a mix of unit roles that shape how battles unfold. Understanding these roles is one of the fastest ways to improve your tactical decision‑making. Instead of treating units as interchangeable stat blocks, you start seeing them as tools with specific battlefield jobs.

This guide breaks down the most common unit roles, what they’re designed to do, and how to use them effectively.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

How Terrain Shapes Movement, Cover, and Tactical Mastery in Wargaming

Terrain isn’t just decoration on a battlefield — it’s one of the most influential mechanics in any wargame. Players who understand how to read the table and exploit terrain gain a massive edge, often winning fights before the first dice are rolled. This guide breaks down how terrain affects movement, cover, and tactical decision‑making so you can turn every hill, ruin, and forest into a strategic asset.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Probability and dice‑math breakdowns — simple math that helps players make smarter decisions.

A practical guide to making smarter in‑game decisions

Wargaming is full of cinematic moments — heroic charges, desperate last‑stand volleys, clutch rolls that flip the entire battle. But beneath all that drama sits something far less glamorous and far more powerful: probability.

Understanding a bit of dice‑math doesn’t turn you into a machine; it simply gives you clearer expectations so your decisions are grounded in reality rather than hope. Think of it as sharpening your tactical instincts.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Welcome to the Battlefield: Beginner Tips for Tabletop Wargaming

Tabletop wargaming is a thrilling hobby that blends strategy, storytelling, and artistry. Whether you're drawn to historical battles, sci-fi skirmishes, or fantasy realms, getting started can feel overwhelming. Here are our top tips to help you dive in with confidence.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

The Big Guns of 2026: New WW1 & WW2 Tabletop Wargames March Onto the Battlefield

2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for historical tabletop wargaming, with publishers rolling out fresh systems, long‑awaited expansions, and innovative reimaginings of classic conflicts. Whether you’re a trench‑warfare tactician or an armour‑obsessed WW2 commander, there’s something incoming for every battlefield.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

GUIDE TO: How to Start Tabletop Wargaming

Your beginner-friendly guide to getting stuck in — models, rules, and finding your local club

Tabletop wargaming is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there. It blends strategy, creativity, storytelling, and social connection — all across a table filled with miniatures, terrain, and dice. But if you’re new to it, knowing where to begin can feel daunting.

This guide breaks it down step by step, with a special focus on local clubs, which are one of the best ways to learn, play, and feel part of the community.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Das Hell Boot - A game of close quarters naval combat

We are happy to announce our next game!

Das H*** Boot is a game of quick and deadly close-quarters combat between various nations' coastal patrol craft of World War II.

This game focuses on the smaller, often forgotten naval elements of the war, the motor torpedo boats, patrol boats, corvettes, and frigates that helped defend or attack the coast of many countries. The game focuses on fast pace and close action resulting from the range of close range machine guns and small cannons they were equipped with.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

Guide to warlord games

What they make, how their games work, and the highs and lows of each system

Warlord Games has become one of the most recognisable names in tabletop wargaming, especially for players who love historical battles, fast‑paced skirmishes, and beautifully sculpted miniatures. Whether you’re brand new to the hobby or looking for your next project, Warlord offers a surprisingly wide range of systems — each with its own flavour, complexity, and community.

This guide breaks down their major games, how they play, and what beginners should know before diving in.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

GUIDE TO Tabletop WARGAMING

What’s out there, how hard they are to learn, and which games are perfect for new players

Tabletop wargaming can look overwhelming from the outside — rulers, dice, terrain, army lists, rulebooks. But the truth is, there’s a huge range of games available, and many are designed specifically to be easy to learn and fast to play.

This guide breaks down the main types of tabletop war games, how approachable they are, and which ones stand out for beginners — including your own game, Travers, which fits beautifully into the “easy‑to‑learn skirmish” category.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

How to Remove a Plastic Model Kit From the Sprues (Beginner‑Friendly Guide)

If you’re new to model building, one of the first skills you’ll learn is removing parts from the sprues—the plastic frame that holds every piece of your kit. Do it right, and your build will look crisp and professional. Do it wrong, and you’ll end up with stress marks, gouges, or warped parts.

Below is a simple, step‑by‑step guide to help you start strong.

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Jacob Shaw Jacob Shaw

🎨 Where to Buy Paints, Brushes, and Airbrushes for Your Hobby

Miniature painting is one of the most rewarding parts of the tabletop hobby, but it relies on having the right tools. Whether you’re looking for paints, brushes, or even airbrushes, there are plenty of trusted websites where you can stock up.

🖌️ Recommended Websites

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OUR GUIDE TO Specialist Airbrushes for Miniature Painting

Airbrushing offers speed, smooth gradients, and advanced effects that are difficult to achieve with traditional brushes. For plastic miniatures, the ideal airbrush must handle fine acrylic pigments, maintain consistent spray control, and support easy cleaning. The following specialist airbrush brands are widely respected across the hobby:

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Our guide to Specialist Brushes for Plastic Miniatures

Precision brushwork is the cornerstone of miniature painting. Brushes for plastic miniatures must balance fine point retention, paint capacity, and durability under repeated acrylic use. The following specialist brands are widely respected across the hobby:

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Removable smoke effects

Here at Reaction Games we’re constantly working on new innovations to enhance your gaming experience.

Our innovative smoke effects, allows you to easily attach and detach battlefield visuals.

Simply remove the turret, snap on the smoke effect, and watch as your miniatures come to life.

Three miniature tanks with smoke effects on top, displayed on black background.