| 12-Aug-06 | What Was On Stage | ||
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VIKINGS - voted equal 3rd BEST DISPLAY |
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Once again Greg Blake from Cannon Fodder Miniatures travelled down from Bendigo with a very attractive display. This year it was a Viking raid upon a Saxon farm. Two beautifully crafted longships were beached as the Vikings headed inland to "pillage the village". The rules were straightforward. This gave the game the right flavour that these fast and furious skirmishes were historically. Many of the public had a chance to enjoy their time as either attacker or defender. Even the unfortunately dull lighting on the stage could not detract from this great display being rightly awarded one of the best displays. |
Above. Greg Blake explains the simple mechanics of the game. |
Above. The boats are beached and the fighting men are ashore. |
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Above. Off the ships and onto the beach. |
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Above. Nicely built Viking longships drawn up upon the shore. |
Above. A swirling melee in the Saxon farmland. |
Above. Figureheads built to inspire terror. |
Above. The farmhouse that the Saxons are attempting to defend. |
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The battle grows fierce as everyone joins in. |
Saxon defenders about to join the fray. |
Odin's standard - the eight legged horse. |
No doubt the battle beyond will require more space in this graveyard. |
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NAPOLEONIC - voted 2nd BEST DISPLAY |
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Another great visiting display. This time from our southern neighbours, the Mulgrave Wargames Club. A combined naval and land operation with British and Spanish versus the French. Mulgrave is a wargames club with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere that usually meets in the Dandenong area on the alternate Friday nights to NWA. They are regular displayers at our open days. This game used a system based on the Picquet rules; where a deck of cards is used to add random elements to the game. This simulates the "fog of war" effectively and keeps you on your toes throughout the game. You never know which troops will be able to perform actions each turn and which ones will not. The display used the modular Geo-Hex terrain to good effect. It is a very versatile system of hexagons and part hexagons. Sadly Geo-Hex is no longer in production.
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Above. The observation tower at one end of the island. |
Above. The smoke billows out from the guns. |
Above. An overall view of the island.. |
Above. Firing the cannon from the redoubt. |
Above. The troops formed in line, ready for action. |
Above. The officers urge the men onwards. |
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Above. Defending the earthworks. |
Above. The troops in the town. Typical Spanish / Portuguese architecture from the period.
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Above. The troops pack in. |
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Above. General view of the troops. |
Above. Sails furled while awaiting the outcome of the battle. |
Above. The fog of war.
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View from town to the harbour. |
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DBM - Ancient & Medieval Combat This demonstration was of the popular historical wargames rules for Ancient & Medieval Warfare called DBM. Big brother to DBA, this version allows you to field whole armies and fight full scale battles. Two games were played over the course of the day. Honours were even as the Roman attack on the barricaded defenses was only succesful on one of the occasions. |
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The lines of opposing forces are deployed - let the battle commence. |
Above. The attackers move forward. |
Above. Slingers and a mobile bolt thrower follow behind the main battle line. |
Above. The armoured troops in front with their Celtic allies behind. |
Above. The defending barricades await the onslaught. |
Above. Another view of the Roman attackers. |
Above. The commander urges the troops forward. |
Above. The battle lines clash. |
