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Articles on using technology with miniatures
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The Inter-Netional War Games Project
Although
there
are
several
internet
providers
that
offer
a
service
for
web
broadcasting
(known
as "web casting"),
the
adage
“you
get
what
you
pay
for”
applies
here 
moreso
than
anywhere
else,
because
if
you
don't
have
a
high
speed
internet
connection,
and
neither
do
your
viewers,
then
the
results
are
going
to
be
less
than
glorious.
Like
the
hobby
of war games
with
historic
miniatures
itself,
the
results
of
broadcasting
game
with
miniatures
are
entirely
affected
by
the
equipment
and
time
one
puts
into
the
venture.
With
that
in
mind,
this
document
attempts
to
illustrate
some
parameters for broadcasting
a
miniatures
game.
Notify Players of Limitations
Insuring the satisfaction of participants is a primary goal, or at least, that notifying players of the potential pitfalls before the broadcast helps to solicit their understanding and patience. Software and computers go down, as well as Internet service providers, and there are other limitations such as broadcast equipment, cables, drivers and even lighting can be a factor. We've found that with these small objects, intense lighting is required as well as high-contrast scenery. If players are made aware of these elements ahead of time, less frustration will be experienced. In fact, there are times when our war gaming group does not broadcast a miniature game and instead, we just exchange Game Mapper maps showing movements and so on, then we use a chat application to resolve combat and for other conversations.
The concept of broadcasting a game of miniatures needs to be prefaced by the fact that what is being broadcast is by nature, a very small, detailed thing. Webcasts were simply not meant to show such detail, but there's no doubt that people are going to want to see detailed images and things up close. But the smaller the figures and models, the harder it is to see the objects. Larger troops will produce a cleaner, more discernable image to the internet viewer, so from the start your audience should realize that the level of detail is going to be less than being at an actual game. The purpose of a broadcast is to bring clubs or individuals from various locations together, and NOT to show off the miniatures in any complimentary manner. The purpose of the broadcast is to show the position of units on the gaming table such that player/viewers can determine written orders to their troops using a chat function. In so far as staffing at the broadcast site goes, a great enhancement is having a dedicated person for the cameras and computer(s).
Chat Window and Available Cameras
Once the opponents can see the location of troops and determine movements and situations on the surface, they can issue orders via a chat window to the person conducting the broadcast and acting as the game judge. It should also be noted that a chat window can be opened for each player, so each player does not know what the other is saying, which provides some realism in communications.
This is one reason that having two cameras is a major benefit, unless a broadcaster wishes to continually move the camera to accommodate player wishes for close-ups and more details of a portion of the table in order to have more information. The judge of course would be conducting computer operations, but still, the broadcast can be done by a single person and small game table.
Another
big
benefit when using RCA jack cameras, that is, analog or digitial 
camcorders with
AV cables, is the use of an a/v
switcher,
available
at
most electronic stores.
Once plugged into this common switcher, different views of the game table are possible with the push of a button and several cameras. The output cable going to the computer (again, either RCA or S-VHS) is connected to the computer’s video card.
Summary of Equipment
Thus, as by now you may have guessed, the requirements aside from the gaming equipment itself are a computer high-speed data, a video card accepting video input/output, and at least one camcorder with a zoom, and cables to connect to the switcher/computer video card, or, several USB web cams or IP cameras.
Game Mapper software can also help with these broadcasts because the software enables players to move icons or symbols around their own computer screen at their location, either following along with the broadcast image, or just for their own visual record and monitoring. Of course, numbering the hexagon grids of a tabletop and exchanging these maps between involved players insures exactness of the table layout, and vastly improves communication and the issuing of orders to regiments and artillery under a commander's control. So you could say Game Mapper and a hexagon grid terrain and tabletop are pretty much a requirement too.
A Hexagon-based Game and Terrain changes
One
of
the
reasons
for
the
use
of
a
hexagon
grid is
so
two
or
more
gaming
groups
in
different
parts
of
the
world
can
have
the
exact
table
layout. This
is
how
people
or
groups
in
different
countries
can
"play"
the
same
miniature
game,
having
set
up
their
respective
tables. 
Game
piece
tracking
and
identical
positioning,
as
well
as
for
monitoring
by
players,
makes
having
a
grid
surface
a
mandatory
requirement.
Of course, having instituted the use of a hexagon grid surface, the terrain must be suitably "modular." What this means is that the forest and hills have to be hexagon shaped, such that their boundaries are not questionable. This is important for line-of-sight issues and concerns between game pieces on the surface. Although it is difficult to imagine being able to achieve true proportion of hill height to forest height, one should expect that the height of the model trees is going to look higher than a model hill and this is a fact of miniature wargames.
Visually and because of physical limitations, gamers have long accepted this nuance. For this reason, a one inch tall hexagon hill, usually covering an area and consisting of several hexagon shaped blocks butted together, looks acceptable with 2-3" tall model trees. When conducting combat where hills and forests hexes are combined along the line of fire, realize that the forest can be seen to "extend" the hill or that it becomes essentially an extension of the hill as the drawing illustrates.
Figure
1.
The
dead-zone
(the
hex
of
small
vertical
lines
is
a
forest
in
hexagon
shape)
Though
most
gamers
realize
that
the
"dead
zone"
(the
hex
in
which
the
unit
on
the
left
is
located)
equals
half
the
distance
(Y)
from
the
hill
to
the
edge
of
the
forest,
it
is
sometimes
easy
to
forget
that
a
forest next to
a
hill
extends,
essentially,
the
edge
of
the
hill.
While we gamers would like to have farm fields and "building" areas that look realistic, the hexagon reality means fields and buildings must be "hexagonal" in order to maintain uniformity and consistency.
Figure
2. Hexagon-following
fence
line
and
"building"
hex. In
this
Hex
Command
game
system,
it
doesn't
matter
where
or
what
the
buildings
are:
the
hex
is
simply
a
"building"
hex.
So, the way that models are used in this concept has to be followed to successfully produce a workable -and reproducible- game by any person or group, in any location.
The next image portrays the layout of a typical hexagon surface with numbers showing how the hexes would be numbered (though with much smaller numbers on the actual game table), though the exact numbers do not have to match what is shown, so long as the scheme is consistent between broadcaster/viewer locations.
Other
than
these
elements
there
is
really
no
other
barrier
to
conducting
the
broadcast
other
than
the
time
at
which
the
broadcast
is
to
take
place,
and
for
that
one
simply
has
to
coordinate
who
can
attend.