Meeting Sunday August 9

Many thanks to Craig who provided the meeting report and to James for the photos. The games played were:

• Craig played Jim - Horse Foot and Guns,  Napoleon's army of the Orient 1800 vs Austrians 1796.

• Harley & Ceiledh (British & Prussians) played Karl & Rex (French) using the Blackpowder Napoelonic rules. 

• Ross play young James at Hordes of the Things (HoTT) - Ross used the Army of Minas Morgul and James used the Roaring 20s army (John Dillinger, Elliott Ness, etc)

• Ross then played young Peter at HOTT again with the Army of Minas Morgul - Peter had Space Marines (Warhammer 40K).

• Alex was also present - his game fell through so he occupied himself painting Orks for Warhammer 40K.

Harley, Ceilidh, Rex and Carl getting their Napoleonic game underway. Jonathan is watching.

Some of the figures used in the Blackpowder game, with a back drop.

Jim and Craig with their Napoleonic game

Peter and Ross playing Hordes of the Things

Alex painting Orks.

New stuff: tables and Facebook

Did you know: 

• We have four new tables and three pairs of trestles. The tables are 6'x 4' which makes one of them ideal for a largish game, while two together make an 8' x 6' table for those who believe size matters! Seriously, it will make life a lot easier for the biggest games which up until now have had to play on hard to manage 8'x 8' tables.
• We are on Facebook. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/110862205607872/1083189088375174/?notif_t=group_activity_unconfirmed 

July 26 meeting

Yesterday's meeting had another good turn out with three tables being used for quick play fantasy rules Hordes of the Things, another for several Ancient and Medieval games using DBA, a 15mm Napoleonic game using Horse Foot and Guns, and a multiplayer 28mm Napoleonic game using Black Powder.  Many thanks to David who took the photos.

As I was not at the club I have created what I fear is an incomplete list of people who were there.At the club were James, Ed, David, Craig, Ross, Carl, Rex, Harley, Ceilidh, Neil, Peter, James, and Aidan.  I apologise if I have left anyone out.

Rex and Ceilidh at the Black Powder table. Hordes of the Things table in the background.

Aidan playing Hordes of the Things

Neil playing Hordes of the Things

15mm Napoleonic table being set up 

Meeting Sunday July 12

It was great to see such a good turnout at the club this afternoon. We had four people playing a medieval game using the DBA quick play rules for Ancient and Medieval battles, another four playing Napoleonics using Black Powder, and two more played Marlburian using Horse Foot and Guns. Vince helped the new members learning DBA and Ed provided both the Anglo Saxon armies used. The young chaps playing were from Chanel College where Ed teaches. James came along to open up the hall and Jonathan dropped in to see what was happening. Callum brought along some of his 40K science fiction figures, Ross brought one of his Dystopian Wars Victorian science fiction fleets, and Vince brought some of his 25mm Ancients. Meanwhile Warren and Neil were in Palmerston North at Panzerschrek playing Flames of War World War 2 and Warhammer Fantasy, respectively.

Ross, James, Aidan and Peter playing 15mm DBA. Anglo-Saxons vs Anglo Saxons. 

Carl and Ceilidh with the Confederation of the Rhine, 28mm Napoleonic army.

Carl and Ceilidh played Harley and Rex, who used Prussians.

Polish infantry standing in for one of the Rhine battalions.

Prussians,

Jim and Craig playing 28mm Marburian. John Churchill (a.k.a the first Duke of Marlborough) and allies vs Peter the Great's Russians. Jim and Craig are planning a 15mm Napoleonic game for the next meeting, also using the Horse Foot and Guns rules.

Some of Craig's cavalry: Hanoverians, Prussian Lieb Dragoons, and at the back are British Horse and Dragoons.

Ed deep in thought.

Peter checking out Ross's Dystopian Wars fleet.

Meeting Sunday June 14

Great to see another new gamer at the club today. Welcome Jim who has a collection of 15mm Napoleonics. Jim joined in a multiplayer game of 28mm Napolenoics using the Black Powder rules. Meanwhile, David, Ed (joining us for his second club meeting :-) and Vince played 15mm Ancients, using the quick play DBA rules.

Carl, Ceilidh, Harley, Neil, Rex and Jim joined in a Napoleonic game learning the Black Powder rules. None of them had played the rules before, and everyone ended up involved either playing the game or  helping with the rules. Fun was had by all (though more by the French than the British!) and we are likely to see more. The lack of terrain was deliberate to make first the learning game simpler. 

A time machine and a British civil war! David, using Ancient Britons, and Ed, Anglo-
Saxons, playing  DBA v.3. Vince also played using early medieval Polish. Ed started with what Ancient wargamers will know as WRG 3rd edition (last century) and this was his first go with DBA. He enjoyed himself and scored a win and a loss.

Please note in the events column on the right of the screen that the Wellington Warlords' annual Call to Arms is on August 15-16.  Wairarapa wargamers are playing in several competitions over the weekend and James and Vince are planning a club trip on the Sunday for those interested in playing the DBA tournament that day and others who want to come along to see what is happening and maybe join in participation games. More information soon.

Meeting Sunday, May 31

We had a good turn out of Wairarapa gamers on Sunday though only two games were played, one was Medieval and the other Marlburian. Other gamers brought along Ancient, Napoleonic, Dystopian Wars, and 40K figures. 

Craig and Andrew used the Horse Foot and Guns rules and 25mm Russian and British armies from early in the 18th Century. Vince and David played 15mm DBMM (Ancient and Medieval rules) using Nikophorian Byzantines and Post-Mongol Samurai. Rex and Carl brought along the newest additions to their 25mm Napoleonic collections, Jonathan brought along one of his 40K armies and his DBA 15mm Vikings, and Ross brought along one of his Dystopian Wars fleets. James was there of course opening up and having a good yarn about toy soldiers.

A big welcome to Ed who came along after reading about the club in the newspaper and checking out our blog. Ed started playing Ancients with WRG's 3rd edition rules in the early 1970's and is keen to learn the new quick play rules, DBA 3. Vince will organise DBA games at the next club meeting for everyone keen to learn and have a go. All are welcome to join in. The rules are fun and simple.

Rex and Carl are planning to bring some boxes of Napoleonic figures to the next meeting to assemble and paint.
Everyone is welcome at meetings, even if you are not playing. Come and see what and who is there, bring some toy soldiers to show, do some painting, and talk toy soldiers. 

Some pics from the meeting. Unfortunately, Vince left his camera at home so these pics were taken with a phone.

David with his 15mm Post Mongol Samurai. Some rebasing from DBM (that's like last century!) still to be finished!

Welcome Ed on his first visit to the Marauders, seen here checking out Medieval army lists. 

Ross, Craig and Andrew at the Marlburian table.

Some of Craig's figures. They are based for the Horse Foot and Guns rules.

Rex and Carl talking Napoleonics.

Carl's British guns.

Ross's Dystopian Wars fleet. Dystopian Wars are rules for "space punk"- Victorian science fiction. 

Selfie! Vince, Jonathan's glasses, Andrew, Craig, James, Ross, David, Ed, Rex and Carl.

First public pics of massive Gallipoli diorama at The Great War Exhibition

The first public photos have been released of the room-sized diorama of the Battle of Chunuk Bair at The Great War Exhibition in Wellington, populated with five thousand 54mm figures.

The diorama is the brainchild of world-famous movie director and WW1 buff, Sir Peter Jackson. He enlisted the former chief of New Zealand’s defence forces, Lt General (rtd) Rhys Jones, himself a keen wargamer, to lead this official WW100 commemoration project.

Alan and Michael Perry, two of the foremost miniature figure sculptors in the world, were engaged to produce the figures; and leading movie special effects company Weta Workshop to make the massive terrain.

The 5000 miniatures were painted by 140 enthusiastic Kiwi wargamers, including seven from the Wairarapa. So pop on over to the official Mustering The Troops blog for loads of photos of this amazing diorama.