A Visit to the Wargames Club

For some years the other members of the Marshal Petain Gentlemen's Club have shared their allegiance with an organisation known as Durham Wargames Club.   Now as a predominantly solo wargamer my experience of this sort of thing is limited to say the least.  Nevertheless I took up the invitation of the others to trundle along as a guest, not really knowing what to expect.

At the venue, which I have been to a few times for conventions and the like, I was met with smiles and a brew.  The place was busy.  It was also fun.   

There was some diversity in the games being run.  A group of board gamers, some WW2 and some horse and musket all going on.  Here's the surprising thing, I even got a game in.  It turned out that Captain the Hon Q, had painted up some Picts.  Tasty art work they are too. Borrowing these I had a game against Secretary Quilp’s Romano British (I always feel suspicious at the presence of an 'o' in Romano. Sounds foreign to me!  Why not Roman British?)  

The game was Dux Brit, and although this was obviously not part of the ongoing campaign we settled on a raid.

These particular Roman-Brits are led by a general of less than heroic stature, a Tyrion Lanister-esque dwarf, apparently named Maximus Minimus (although I'm not sure if that was just me throwing out nicknames)  The Picts were lead by Pictish Lord and Pictish Leader One.  Not really good enough.  The only Pictish name I ever remember is pulp 1930s author Robert E Howard's Bran Mac Morn, so I christened the Pictish Lord "Bran Mac Flakes," and his sidekick Picty-Mac-Pict-Face.

Dux Brit is a fairly recent Toofatlardies game.  Not one I've had much to do with actually, but it is a game that has some possibilities for conversion to the Bronze Age project that I'm currently working on.  As such I was after an idea of how it worked.  

The terrain layout and army entry points work well, but the concept of a raid is less sucessful for a pick-up game like this.  I observed a nearby game where the raiders were bottled up by the terrain, only to withdraw.  Great for a campaign, but I wanted some fighting so that I could revisit these rules. Subtlety set aside I charged up the table length as fast as I could, baying for Roman blood.

The Pictish horsemen were something of a distraction, not really useful except as skirmishers.   I used them to bottle up the Roman-Brits in their own deployment zone.  I even managed to get some of my archers into the shed I was raiding (or church if you want to be pedantic)  my warbands had a fair chance against the Roman shield wall, indeed but for the shield wall rule they would have won.  The Pict horse were mincemeat to the Roman cavalry of Minimus.  (Does he have a really high voice I wonder?)

Half the morale dice remaining and no real prospect of staying much longer I threw in my hand, literally since the cards are another part of the game where luck deserted me.  The traditional time to close things down and go for a drink had arrived anyway.

So, after a couple of pints, and a discussion of Sherden helmet forms (of which I still think I was right, but didn't explain myself properly... well drinking Moretti leaves me fuddled...)  It was time to go.

Sitting on the plane, heading home to Cyprus, I am quite convinced that the boys are onto something with this wargames club business.  I'm still a soloist, but really enjoyed it, and I extend my thanks to all who made me so welcome.  It was a lot of fun.  I'm not sure if those guys realise it but their games are punctuated by the sound of laughter and joking.  It's an experience I hope to repeat.

Indeed I feel I must record here that a challenge was issued and accepted at the end of the night.  I have undertaken to ready my Sea Peoples to fight Dr Pea's Bronze Age Achaeans.  That probably means I'll paint up the Karians, to defend the Hittite satellite states around the Aegean, and so I have just had to explain away several kilograms of miniatures in my hand luggage going though security in Newcastle Airport, I'll have to repeat the process in April on my return journey!