Benefits of Club Wargaming - A call to arms

In a departure from my regular post. A call to arms....

Last week saw the 'valiant few' of the Wyvern's Wargaming Club put on a multi-player Stargrave game - excellent fun, with the usual levels of skulduggery and good humour.

With only two games on offer that evening, It got me thinking about the future of club gaming and how as we return to normal, Covid and the past 12 months of locked down appears to have significantly impacted the gaming community, certainly in our local area. Instead of seeing people clamouring for face to face gaming players have gone to ground. the forum is quiet and the early banter and conversations of lockdown 1 & 2 have been replaced by radio silence.

• After long periods of isolation have players turned into modellers, painters and on-line gamers?
• Have we lost some of our newer players returning to the hobby after having young kids brought up on Games Workshop and now trying historical gaming - During the length periods of home working, have they now found new hobbies?
• Have we lost players to Covid given our demographic? Or has the recent loss of several stalwarts of the hobby left a significant gap, as we wait for newer characters to step forward?
• Have people built their own game space and now no longer think they need a club as they can game at home?

This conversation tends to come round every now and again - So why a club...?

Why do I need to keep lugging my terrain, figures around when I can simply play at home? 

In no particular order, my reasoning for club gaming over remote/solo gaming.

• Room - Yes I can at a push roll out a 6x4 but every now and again, I want to go BIG, with more than two players, I want people (Generals) huddled in corners planning their next move, I want to push regiments across a large table, stretching to reach the middle.
• Inspiration, new ideas and new projects - some of the best projects have come from that cross table chat, the whole club painting Zulu's or now everyone digging out Stargrave Gangs - That would simply not happen at home.
• Hints and Tips - How do you get that effect? - Black or White under coat - Google and You Tube are fine but I want to see mini's close up and physically hold them to see how others do things.
• New Friends and simply getting out of the house. - We might not know the names of each others partners, kids, jobs, Birthdays - But we know people's favourite period, scale and tabletop tactics. 
• Mental Health - With a head full of projects, terrain ideas, future gaming plans - who has time to worry about work or real life?

This is our club space...... Based in the village of Bishampton, we attract members from Evesham, Pershore, Worcester and Redditch, with a few even further out.

We have dwindled in numbers of late and are on the lookout for new or returning members, in effort to drive membership we have a new home on Facebook, much to the kids disgust. 

Wyvern Wargamers | Groups | Facebook

If you are in the area check us out, a friendly group playing most historical games and/or popular games on the market on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month. We have a long running Saga Tournament (hopefully back next year) and a number of all dayers.....

If your not local please share with your network, after all I suspect we are not alone in seeing a downturn in members and occasionally we all need reminding to make that extra effort.

Join the group and come and take part or like Woolworths, Debenhams or your local model store we might just be gone.

Stargrave Reinforcements.

In a break from the Ancients a quick dip into a new squad for Stargrave - These are great castings from Denizen Miniatures, one of the few 25mm Sci-fi Miniatures on the market. Stargrave has generated some fun games of late even if I do seem to lose everyone of them.... Perhaps these chaps will do a little better.

I went for a Stormtrooper type feel, but they will do for any generic type landing party, with breathing apparatus and carbines. 

They might get a run out in the weeks ahead when we look to get a club night up an running. Membership is a little light at the moment, lets hope as more people get doubled jabbed we will see club members return.

Next up the first of the Plains Wars finally clear the paint table.

Stargrave - Starship Troopers - #2 Bugs!!!.

Back to that damn rock and another outing for Stargrave.

Hired by an old mining buddy of Gregson Industries to re-start the oxygen plant which had been overrun bugs. Squadron Leader Patricia Leafy of the Missile Ship William E Barber had appoint to prove. Having taken over the crew from her sister killed in the first game she was keen to win this encounter and top up the crew's war chest.

The plant was surrounded by an electric fence which could be turned off by a central control panel, but first the bugs needed to be dealt with. They were contained in the compound but would react to anyone breaking through the fence.

Looking across the valley another crew was also on scene - those flaming skinnies again. They were quick out of the blocks bolstered by their first success and were already making headway through the wire having shot down the Arachnid's on their side of the fence.

The crew of the William E Barber fired several rounds at the Skinnies as they attempted to break through the fence line, but tucked away in the rocks with Scarad a stone cold killer, armed with a sniper rifle he took aim.

Blam......Bloody Hell !!!!

Patricia Leafy took a round straight to the chest, I am running out of Leafy sisters... :-(

One of us was laughing as yet again in the first round my captain is out of the fight. I am beginning to think I might have to paint up a new Captain after all. 

The Skinnies started to unlock the loot tokens barely troubled by Leafy's crew, even poor old Boltz was knocked off his feet running across the compound.

As various loot boxes were opened the local wildlife got involved swooping down on anyone who happened to be near them.

As the fire fight raged both crews attempted to gain the last loot goals, but the day was the Skinnies who scurried away with 3 of the 5 tokens. Still having a Captain gave them that first move advantage which is so critical in these games.

The crew of William E Barber spent their loot on the services of the Medical Core returning the Captain to active duty. 2 Games in, the crew had a total of 35 Credits to their name, whilst the Skinnies continued to expand their armoury and technology. 

Life in the Quarantine Zone can be tough.....

Sherden Guards - Northstar - Infamy Infamy - Kings of Bronze.

The last of the North Star Order is complete. I had a loose blister pack of Sherden Guards hanging around from last year and the latest order brings the unit up to 10 Elite fighters ready to enter the fray.

Notorious pirates who raided the Nile Delta, their warriors wore horned helmets with boar tusks and carried long slashing swords and bucklers covered in bosses. Ramesses II captured some of these raiders and was so impressed by their ferocity recruited them as a royal bodyguard and let them keep their traditional equipment, but with the addition of Egyptian armour.

Great figures and have a far more imposing feel to them than the Warlord or Foundry offerings. Within Infamy Infamy, I will be classing them as Barbarians so the ability to amass fervour, something new for the Hittites to think about.

Next up the Pony Wars 6mm project finally makes it to the paint table. It might need a few sessions to get my eye in so will probably start with something simple rather than some of the Indians with there warpaint and bonnets.