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Sunday 31 October 2021

My return to regular monthly wargaming in central London … I hope!

Some years ago a group of wargamers began to meet in central London on a Sunday once every month. It was not a wargame club as such, just an ad hoc group of likeminded wargamers who know each other, and who enjoy playing a wide range of different (and sometimes experimental) types of wargames.

Over the years (and pre-COVID-19) these games have included:

  • Multi-centre wargames where players in London, Sheffield, and other locations across the UK remotely took part in the same wargame
  • Naval battles using Fletcher Pratt’s rules and 1:1200th models
  • Committee games
  • Operational-level World War I battles using Richard Brooks’ OP-14 rules
  • A variety of role-playing games

The whole thing is very civilised and starts with the participants meeting up in a nearby café at about 11.30am before going to the venue to set up the game or games. A break for lunch takes place at about 1.30pm, and everyone contributes to the meal in some way. The gaming usually winds up by about 4.00pm, and is followed by a trip to a nearby pub for a drink and a chat.

I used to be a regular attendee, but for some years before the recent pandemic started I was finding it difficult to get enough free time on a Sunday to take part, and once the COVID-19 restrictions began, the meetings of the group had to be suspended. Things are now beginning to return to something approaching normal, and as I am free today, I will be going up to central London to take part in some wargames. The sessions on offer include:

  • ‘The posse rides out’: A western gunfight
  • ‘Cyber Warfare’: A game that how cyber attacks are mounted, and how they can be thwarted
  • ‘Dallas: The role-playing game’
  • ‘In Warmer Waters’: A speech writing game about an incident in the South China Sea
  • ‘1549’: A skirmish-level game set during the Prayer Book Rebellion
  • ‘Show and Tell: 3D printing for wargamers’

I am taking my copies of MANOEUVRE and MANOEUVRE: DISTANT SHORES with me as one of my fellow attendees has a copy of the game and uses it regularly. I am hoping that he will be able to talk me through how the game works so that I have a better grasp of its mechanisms. We might even manage to fight a battle or two … and I am sure that some of the other attendees will enjoy trying the game out.

6 comments:

  1. Sounds a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nundanket,

      It was ... and later this week I'll be writing more about the session I spent learning how to play MANOEUVRE.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Bob,
    If i could rely more on Sunday trains from this part of the coast I would be interested in coming up. I look forward to yo your game report.

    S&F

    Mike

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike C (Mike),

      Most of the attendees live in the London area, but we do get people coming from Oxford, Bristol, and even Yorkshire!

      Perhaps you’ll be able to join us one day.

      S&F

      Bob

      Delete
  3. Good for the mind and soul .. good stuff .. long keep it up

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geordie an Exiled FoG,

      It certainly boosted my somewhat sagging morale … and I’ll be going again soon!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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