Historical accuracy rules in grown-ups' sandbox

MOXHAM, Pa. -- Meryl Rutz gets strange looks when he tells people he still plays with toy soldiers. That doesn't stop Rutz, 42, and eight friends from mustering on the battlefield each week.



The "battlefield" is an 8-foot-square, raised platform filled with sand, in the attic of Douglas Kleman's home.



The friends fight battles of every era using miniatures painted with precise historical detail. Their sand easily shifts to resemble hills, roads, hedge rows or rivers, transforming into terrain from ancient wars or more modern skirmishes.



The gamers say their hobby fuses research, a love of history and a social aspect. In that way, they say, it is like model railroading.



“There’s a camaraderie and a realization that this can become more than a hobby. It’s almost a vocation,” said Kleman, whose interest in three-dimensional battles dates to 1974, when he was a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. “Those were the days when we didn’t have jobs or family obligations, so we had the time to have ongoing battles.”



In their miniature wars, players often simulate a specific battle, using figurines to represent the various units of each opponent's army. Players alternate moves. Each piece may move a maximum distance, in any direction, with limits determined by tape measure.



Combat occurs when a player moves a piece so that it touches an opponent's figurine.



Some players keep battles historically accurate. Others create new strategies to attain different outcomes.



“Some of the battles get pretty intense, and it’s not much different than playing chess when it comes to thinking ahead,” Kleman said. “When we do World War II, some take the German side because they believe they had better equipment than the Allied Forces.”



The Klemans’ attic looks like a museum of vintage board games. Shelves overflow with boxes of various military sets from all eras of combat.



The battle scenery is homemade. Players paint their figurines, which range from three-quarters of an inch to an inch tall.



“Many people just enjoy the challenge of painting miniatures and constructing scenery,” says Rutz. “We have heard of some guys who buy sets, paint each figure in detail but have never played a game.”



Rutz and Kleman described the attraction of miniature war games as they prepared their table for a battle involving row after row of Crusaders and the Byzantine forces in 1130 AD. The freedom of play and tactical element, they say, are not found in traditional board games or computer games.



The friends, who don't have a formal name for their group, meet Friday nights and often play until well after midnight. Members also meet on certain Saturdays for a full day of gaming.



Players flex their creativity in accessorizing their armies. Kleman's German Tiger tanks, for example, are accurate down to the whip antennae attached to the turrets. “The antenna is a whisker from one of our cats,” he said.



One of the group’s favorite conflicts is the Battle of Kasserine Pass, during the Tunisia Campaign in World War II. It was the first large-scale clash between U.S. and German forces. The untested American troops suffered heavy casualties and were pushed back in a rout.



“The battle could be described as a high school team playing the Pittsburgh Steelers because the American forces got their butts kicked,” Kleman said. “But the next time they met, a rear guard defending the American retreat clobbered the advancing German armor by taking out 100 of 200 pieces of armor.”



Tom Lavis writes for The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa. He can be reached at tlavis@tribdem.com.