Officers and Gentlemen

Graeme (Chair)

In common with a lot of people I came to gaming at an early age, via Airfix and plastic. This went into remission for a number of years (more than I care to think) and I then found some fellow lunatics who thought the same way.

The way back was paved with contacts with local gamers here in Norwich, coupled with an insatiable interest in history in most of its forms. The thought of painting the number of figures needed for some rule sets was very daunting to say the least, but the chance to have your own “ armies” appeals to megalomania!

I feel lucky in one respect; though our gaming club is small it contains the essential elements for enjoying gaming, members are enthusiastic about the periods they like and play for the enjoyment of the game.

This applies to both games where skirmish rules are used with few figures and larger games were the armies meet.

What am I interested in? The periods I find quite fascinating are most of 19th century, anything not western front in WW1, American Civil War and WW2. To this you can also add a love of science fiction, which can lead to a bloody but very interesting game!

Chris (Secretary)

I have to admit that my interest in wargaming also grew from assorted boxes of Airfix figures played with in childhood. My early influences were C.S. Grant's articles in Military Modelling magazine and, of course, far too much television at an impressionable age. I'm sure my interest in pirates can be traced directly to the immortal black and white version of Robinson Crusoe that seems to have been shown in every school holiday. After a small foray into Colonials using Peter Laing figures I became sidetracked by role-playing games and other pursuits for several years. I returned to serious figure wargaming when Graeme got me involved in the formation of the Rearguard.

As a gamer, the subjects which most interest me mostly seem to involve what is now known as 'expeditionary' warfare; if it involves marines slogging around the back of beyond, I will probably have at least a passing interest in it. In addition I do have a passion for American frontier history which carries over into gaming.

If asked what draws me to wargaming, I would have to say that is perhaps the most potentially varied hobby I know of. There can be few other single pursuits that can feature the same blend of historical research, artistic involvement (in painting and modelling) and problem solving (whether in playing games or developing rules). Railway modelling perhaps offers a similar range of possibilities, but perhaps not to the same degree, and of course wargaming can be fully enjoyed by those of us who can't seem to understand electronics. Naturally no one is equally skilled in all these areas. I am an adequate but painfully slow painter who rather enjoys rule writing.

In addition to holding the post of club secretary, I am also responsible for running this website (so I guess any problems should come to me). In addition to the Rearguard, I am a member of the Naval Wargames Society, U.S. Naval Institute and Pike and Shot Society.

Bryce

I am 38 years old and have worked in the Civil Service, as a teacher and as a major career change was training to become a Mental Health Nurse. Unfortunately in 1996 my working life was taken away from me when I developed multiple sclerosis.

Regarding wargames, I have always had a keen interest in history and good memories of playing with those hideous large plastic soldiers when I was a kid.

One particularly miserable winters day I climbed the wall of the office I worked in and escaped to WHSmith at lunchtime to shelter from the rain and read their magazines. The cover of Wargames Illustrated caught my eye with a castle on the front and massed ranks of medievals. I bought the magazine and picked up a few Essex medievals and attacked them with my Humbrol enamel paints. They ended up a real dog's dinner and I gave up. Over the next year I still bought the odd magazine and learned more about painting with acrylics.

My painting improved and ended up as my saviour when I had to give up my nurse training. I was so ill it was as if I had a major stroke – with huge problems in speech, co-ordination, memory etc. I needed months of peace and quiet and although concentration was extremely difficult I still had a good right hand and could paint!!! Family and friends were great and bought me wargames figures to paint and really ever since I have a strong attachment to the medieval era.

Over the years I have amassed large numbers of 25mm medievals covering the period from Dark Ages through to feudals of C13th to Wars of the Roses C15th. This is my main interest and am aiming to be able to cover any medieval engagement of this period with authentic banners and troop types.

Another big interest is pirates of late C17th and particularly like the Foundry range of figures. I also have an interest in the American West and WW2 western front in 28mm!!

Primarily I am a figure painter and paint also for other people but since I joined Norwich Rearguard a few years ago I have got into the wargaming side of things – even if I do struggle to understand/ remember rules. They are a great crowd with a good sense of humour and make any new member feel at home.

Kevin

I was introduced to wargaming by a school friend in 1970, shortly before my 13th birthday. Our armies of Airfix figures fought across the dining table, using rules discovered in books by Donald Featherstone, Charles Grant, Terence Wise and Brigadier Peter Young that we had found in our local library.

Initially we fought World War 2 battles, but the American Civil War and Ancients soon followed. Once Airfix starting making Napoleonic figures we tried that as well. Until then most of the figures we used were made in an appropriately coloured plastic, so painting had been minimal (or non-existent!). However, as the Napoleonic figures were cream they needed painting, which (partly due to my poor sight) I was not very good at. While my painting has improved over the last 30 years, I still regard it as a necessary evil.

Once we left school and went to University I lost touch with my former opponents. Although there was a club at University I never got around to joining, and eventually my armies were consigned to the loft, or to jumble sales.

In the 1980s I started playing Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games, and it was this that led to my eventual return to wargaming. As fantasy figures are significantly more expensive than historical miniatures, in 1996 I began looking at the ads in Wargames Illustrated to see if I could find any decent historical figures that would meet my needs. I was soon buying WI every month and ordering ancient and medieval figures from Foundry and Gripping Beast, and GZG figures for use with Traveller. In 1998 I joined the Society of Ancients and in 1999 the owner of the local games shop told me that he was going to run an American Civil War Naval campaign at the local club and asked if I was interested. I said yes, and within a month or two I was going along almost every week, not just for the campaign.

My favourite periods are still the American Civil War and Late Republican/Early Imperial Rome. I have also recently got the Darkest Africa bug (thanks to Mark Copplestone’s figures, which I’m also using for Space 1889), and am running a science fiction campaign using GZG’s Stargrunt and Full Thrust rules.

Mike

Where to start, yes those little Airfix chappies. I got heavily into the idea of the musket era figures, in plain plastic. My first real inspiration, to paint figures, was at age eleven. I was inspired by a teacher at my new school, who had brought in some well painted 25 mm English civil war (ECW) figures. Thus I embarked on my first painting forays. Thanks to the constructive criticism, from numerous people, along the way I kept my interest and got better!

A while later the Games Room opened on Elm Hill, this expanded my view of gaming. At the time I was heavily interested in science fiction, and bought my first lead figures Ral-Parthas’ Galactic Grenadiers. This was followed by fantasy figures. However, it was the purchase of the 1st ed. Warhammer rules that got me wargaming, in the true sense. I slowly built up some small armies from a range of early 80’s companies. At the same time I went along to a local wargames club, the Norwich Warriors who had just been in the local paper. There I was slowly tempted by the idea of historical games, first changing to the SELW-Lord of the Rings fantasy rules, which were structured like ancients rules. Later I decided to try 25mm ECW, still remembering the painted figures from age eleven.

The year before I went to university I worked in Norwich and made the acquaintance of Alan (now in the US), who happened to be my line manager. He introduced me to the GRAND SCALE of 15 mm for the Thirty Years War and ECW. I also became more interested in the history behind some of the games. I went up to Sheffield and did some wargaming. Then I returned to Norwich, still a student, which is about when I met Graeme and then later on Chris. I have since worked up in Aberdeen where I did some gaming and SF-related things. I have kept in touch with the Norwich group and managed one visit to the Rearguard (NOT enough, I know). I am now based South of Oxford and game on an irregular basis with the Reading and Newbury Groups.

I am vaguely connected to the Rearguard, and keep in touch with people in Norwich and you may see me around. I hope to contribute to the Rearguard from a distance. Game and miniature wise I am interested in Thirty Years Wars, English civil wars, Spanish civil war and American civil war all in 15mm, as well as various scales of science fiction. I paint reasonably prolifically, to an average standard for most uses. I am also a member of the Pike and Shot Society and read up on various historical things.

Richard

I'm 21 and have been a member of the Rearguard for about four years. I live in Norwich, and am a student in Oxford studying history in my first year.

I play all periods, barring certain exceptions which will be eventually overcome. My personal favourite (not other people's) is World War 2, particularly North West Europe '44-'45. Ask around, you'll get the idea from the others (the word obsessed might come up). But I also play ancients, horse & musket, sci-fi … almost anything.

I used to be a member of the Norwich Warriors back in the mid '90s, which is how I got into the hobby.

Why do I love it? Because it's fun, the guys are nice and it gives me a chance to obsess over something harmless, and research.