Left. Warhammer 40K is in the left foreground. The two Lord of The Rings games are in the centre of the picture, with DBM at centre left.

The table in the upper left (near the two open doors) is DBA. Behind Lord of the Rings (the blue table) is the Battle of Trafalgar.

Along the right and back walls are the Traders. From front to rear this is Mind Bogglers, Olympian Games (all the way from Canberra), Napoleonic Re-enactors, Hall Of The Ancient Warriors and Battlefield Miniatures.

Out of picture (below) is Scenery Making. Out of picture (left) is Punt-A-Runt. 

LORD OF THE RINGS - voted 2nd BEST DISPLAY

Two displays in one. Jeremy Shannon showed off his stunning terrain as well as his Hobbit feet. An easy to play introductory scenario with Farmer Maggot and his dogs was complemented by a display game The Battle of Bywater on specially built scenery.

With well painted figures from Jeremy and John Shaw, he was helped by Murray, Richard, Travis and Brady in entertaining the visitors.

Above. Sam and Frodo ready their defensive barrier in the Battle of Bywater.

Above. Farmer Maggot's dogs gather around the scarecrow as they await the Ruffians.

Above. The Hobbits gather behind the barricade.

Above. Jeremy shows off his Hobbit costume. It is great when people put so much effort into their displays.

Above. A burnt out Hobbit hole encouraged the Hobbits to finally fight the Ruffians.

Above. The defence begins in front of the burnt out buildings.

Above. Sharkey (really Saruman the Wizard) was the cause of all the trouble in the Shire. 

Originally on the side of good, Saruman was perverted by Sauron and tried to obtain the One Ring himself.

He was defeated by the Ents and banished from his tower, but made his way to the Shire to wreak vengeance on the peaceful Hobbits.

Murray showing visitors about Lord of the Rings.

Counter-attack by the Hobbits (Photo by Richard Bradley).

Big ugly Ruffian, with big ugly chopper (Photo by Richard Bradley).

The Battle of Bywater was the major confrontation between the Hobbits and the Ruffians.

The battle left dead on both sides, but the Hobbits eventually won and drove the Ruffians from the Shire.

The games played did not always have the same end result as in the book.

The fighting involved everyone (Photo by Richard Bradley).

Grima Wormtongue about to stab Sam in the back (Photo by Richard Bradley).

A Hobbit sneaks up on Sharkey (Photo by Richard Bradley).

PUNT-A-RUNT - voted 3rd BEST DISPLAY

With well painted figures and lots of entertainment from Trish Shaw, Punt-A-Runt was a great hit; especially with the younger visitors.

A hilarious and quick game from White Dwarf magazine. Giant Ogres compete against each other to see who can kick their stash of 3 poor Gnoblars the furthest.

But kick too hard and the poor Gnoblar explodes or the Ogre ruptures something!

A player has 5 kicks if they don't injure themselves. They chose to throw two, three or four dice, but bad things happen to their Ogre or their Gnoblars if they throw doubles, triples or even 4 of a kind.

This is a game the Ogres play to relax in between battles in the Warhammer Fantasy world.

Above. The obstacle course that is Punt-A-Runt.

Above. Trish shows how it is done to an enthralled player.

Above. The Ogres are lined up and ready to punt the poor Gnoblars.

Above. Already one Gnoblar is down, and the blue Ogre has to call in a reserve to kick.

Above. The Ogre kicked so hard that he injured himself and can take no further part in this game.

Above. The last Gnoblar is down. The red Ogre wonders whether the others will kick past him. 

Above. Hands go everywhere as the competition heats up (Photo by Neil Hughes).

Above. Murray Shaw took a little time off to help out on Punt-A-Runt.

Above. The Ogre cheer squad looks on.

Ogres are big.

Ogres are ugly.

Ogres are mean.

Especially to the poor little Gnoblars who they treat as slaves.

Ogres are also not very bright and wonder why Gnoblars don't always survive the rigours of a game of Punt-A-Runt.

SCENERY DISPLAY

Above. Some of the scenery on display was from John Shaw's Mines of Moria. Here we see the pool with the Watcher in the Water. This is where the Fellowship of the Ring first entered Moria.

Above. The treacherous staircase from the Mines of Moria. To see how this was made, click to go to the Lord of the Rings section of the NWA website.

Above. More of the staircase. If you look closely you can see that the centre staircase section is movable, for recreating the scene from the Fellowship of the Ring movie (Photo by Neil Hughes).

Above. Aquarium plants can make great jungle terrain. A mix of plants looks more natural than just using one type. These plants are glued on to an MDF base.

Above. It started out as a resin elephant, but soon became one of the Mumakil from Lord of the Rings.

The head was sawn off and refitted at a different angle. The extra tusks were added using polymer clay (such as Fimo or Sculpey) around a wire former.  To see how this was made, click to go to the Lord of the Rings section of the NWA website.

Above. A Mordor siege tower, another view of the elephant and Mumakil. At the right can be seen the tower of Orthanc which is actually a 3D jigsaw puzzle. This was bought really cheap and shows that you can find inexpensive scenery ideas in all sorts of places. (Photo by Neil Hughes)

Above. How to make Hobbit holes (left to right in picture). Start with polystyrene foam. Coat with a filler (powder mixed with water) to protect and provide some texture. When dry, paint several shades of brown. Add model grass, a fence and other details as desired.

Left. At the back is a piece of polystyrene foam which came as packing. It looked like a good Warhammer 40K building already. The yellow bits are filler which has been trowelled on in a thin coat and had lines scraped in before it dried to resemble stonework.

At the front is a few stages of hill construction. Starting with polystyrene foam, adding a base coat of paint and then gluing on some model grass.

WARHAMMER 40K

Stephen and Stuart White introduced visitors to Warhammer 40K, a game of combat between men, women and alien races set far into the future.

Popular science fiction game by Games Workshop set in the year 40,000 (hence the name 40K for short).

Join the battle for survival in the future as the Space Orks, Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Chaos Marines, robotic Necrons, alien Tyranids & other races tough it out in the dark and deadly future.

Above. A visitor is shown by Stephen White (our hard working Secretary) how to play 40K.

Above. The legions of Chaos went up against the Salamanders.

Above. Some heavy firepower supported the Salamanders.

Above. More Chaos emerge to do battle.

Above. But a squad is ready for them.

Above. The might of a Land Raider is to be feared in any battle of Warhammer 40K.

DBM - Ancient & Medieval Combat

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, his empire was divided by his generals, the Diadochi (known as the Successors). One of them was his friend Seleucus, who became king of the eastern provinces - more or less modern Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, with parts of Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan & Tajikistan. The Battle of Magnesia was fought in 190 BC near Magnesia ad Sipylum, between the expansionist Romans with their ally Eumenes of Pergamum against the army of the Seleucid Emperor (Antiochus III the Great of Syria) resulting in a Roman victory. The Seleucid empire ended in 64 BC when the Romans effectively made Syria a Roman province.

Masses of 15mm troops were shown off in this battle for control of Persia between the Romans and the Seleucids.

The demonstration of the popular historical wargames rules for Ancient & Medieval Warfare called DBM was put on by Anthony, Jonathon and Scott.

Above. Scythed chariots and elephants at the ready.

Above. Light cavalry ready to skirmish and harass the enemy.

Above. The shield wall gathers.

Above. The bristling pike phalanx of the Seleucid troops, who learned their craft under Alexander the Great.

Above. Battle is about to be joined.

Above. Defending the river crossing.

Above. Cavalry protect the flank of the foot troops. 

BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR

This year is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar where Admiral Lord Nelson destroyed Napoleon's ambition of controlling the seas and invading Britain.

Neil Gerhard and Sean O'Neill put on another entertaining display.

Above. Some tight maneouvres as the ships attempt to gain the best firing position for their cannons.

Above. Neil showing how to become a mighty ship's captain without getting wet.

DBA - The Simplified Version of DBM

DBA is a simple but fun set of rules for Ancient and Medieval wargaming. It is a cut down version of DBM, but has enough challenges to keep you entertained.

With only 12 bases of figures per side, it is an easy way to start assembling an army.

Thanks to Julian and Neil for the display.

Above. Two of the 25mm club armies for DBA were on display - the Romans and the Gauls. (Photo by John Shaw)

The club usually holds two fun DBA competitions a year.

Our President, Mark Moncrieff, has also been running several campaigns which use DBA to fight the battles. Since each game takes only 15 to 45 minutes, this allows the campaign to move along at a pace which maintains the interest. 

Above. Cavalry eye view of the Roman spear wall. (Photo by Richard Bradley)

Above. Measuring the next move (Photo by Neil Hughes).

Above. Is it in range or not? (Photo by Neil Hughes).

Above. Dylan standing tall after his great performance as a  newly promoted general (Photo by Neil Hughes).

NAPOLEONIC RE-ENACTORS

If you enjoy reliving the past, then take the King's shilling or the Emperor's sous & join the living history re-enactors.

It is always interesting talking to them about bringing the Napoleonic era (1799-1815) to life.

You can contact re-enactment groups such as the French 21e Regiment (on show at Games 2005 thanks to Jim Lawrence) or the Napoleonic Association on the web at http://vicnet.net.au/~anaaust..

Above. Our visitors of the 21eme Ligne represented Napoleon at Games 2005.

Magnificent shako. 

Above. Gourd, sword and knapsack were amongst the replica items on display.

TRADERS IN THE MAIN HALL

Left. Phil (NWA member) once again represented Mind Bogglers. Close by in Croydon, has a basic Games Workshop range in stock (40 Box sets,100 Blisters, full range of paints, Army Books, White Dwarf).

A good range of pre-loved units, some painted well, some painted with paint rollers, all priced accordingly. Stock Mage Knight, Hero Clix, D&D figures & Magic The Gathering cards.

Also a great range of Board Games from family to Strategy including some of the latest like Battle of 5 Armies, Warcraft, Memoir '44, Swords & Skull, Star Wars, Monopoly & Life and LOTS, LOTS MORE.

They are at Shop 9, 3 Hewish Rd in Croydon just near the cinema. An easy walk from Croydon railway station. Chat to Phil today, drop in or phone the shop on (03) 9723 2293.

Left. Dean Bedlington from Olympian Games.

Dean kindly travelled all the way down from Canberra to show his wares.

Olympian Games is a Canberra based mail-order business specialising in historical wargaming miniatures of all scales) as well as gaming accessories including books, rules, boardgames, paints, decals, terrain & dice.

Flat rate postage of only $5 to anywhere in Australia.

Lots of people enjoyed chatting to Dean on the day.

Also see the Olympian Games website at www.olympian-games.com

Left. Brian Hall from Hall of Ancient Warriors.

Brian presented some of his range of locally produced and imported figures, paints, rules and scenery.

Established in 1985 to supply the needs of wargamers, Brian manufactures a large range of figures in 6mm,15mm & 25mm scales. Speciality is the Ancient Period with an emphasis on armies from Asia & Eastern Europe.

Casts a lot of the Donnington Miniature range under licence. Imports Chariot Miniatures & Navigator Miniatures from the UK. Contact him through Email on Brianhallhaw@bigpond.com or phone (03) 9360 0074.

 Brian is also a member of Western Suburbs Wargames Association which meets at the Altona Meadows Community Centre at 28-36 Trafalgar Ave Altona Meadows every 2nd Saturday.

Left. Mike Parker of Battlefield Accessories.

Based in the Mornington Peninsula, produces a growing range of 15-20mm resin scenery. Designed to support WW2 games but many items are useful for many periods, including fantasy & science fiction. Includes roads, rivers, walls, hedges, ruined buildings & entrenchments. Also make "space debris" which is very suitable for Warhammer & War Machine. Items available from a range of wargame suppliers or direct from the manufacturer. Custom pieces are also available. Website: http://members.optusnet.com.au/carolynparker/mmmain.htm Mike is also a member of Peninsula Praetorians, a Band of Brothers who meets weekly in Mornington & engages in a range of period table top games from Ancients through to World War 2. Replaying some of the great periods of military history while having fun is what the group is all about. Email: mikeparker@optusnet.com.au Visit them at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/PeninsulaPraetorians/ 

Above. A range of resin cast scenery is available from Battlefield Accessories.

Above. Roads and ruined buildings to complement the tanks.

Above. Scenic bases for the troops.

Above. More roads and ruined buildings. 

HELPERS

Above. John McCartney volunteered to spend most of the day on door duty. He always has a friendly welcome for any visitor. John was helped in short stints by Glenn Harvey, John Shaw and others.

Above. Nick Pavlovski did a sterling job in the kitchen. Here he is seen pondering what delights to cook up next.

Above. Mark Moncrieff (our President) once again spent hours in the kitchen, feeding the starving hordes.

This space is dedicated to all the other people (such as Andrew Wright, Linda Wyton) and the nameless helpers who  made Games 2005 such a fantastic success and a really fun day.

The setting up and packing up went the smoothest ever, despite needing to transport tables from and back to the Mitcham venue as well.

Well done everyone, a great showcase for our hobby.