MAD gamers, or more properly Maidenhead and District Gaming club. [1999 - current]

Frequent visits to GW Maidenhead, an exchange of cash for plastic/metal and I'm an addict.

The store manager noted a few of us frequent older players popping in and suggested we get together to play, as although it was possible to play in store space was limited and often full. so...

Chris Evans - store Manager
Chris Stillman
Mark Davies
Chris Davidson
Russ
Mike Emery
Mark Foulds

We started meeting and playing games, I actually won one or two! A novelty.

In our enthusiasm we started to plan a 40K campaign. Rules were devised a map drawn and the characters of the various wargamers became apparent.
Some were happy go lucky you have to be to play Imperial Guard. Others had to win at any cost, Dark Angels, Blood Marine players, you know the type. Some were right devious an Ork player. I played my Iron Warriors, I can't recall the other armies.

I'm not sure the campaign got very far, too many of us enjoyed a good argument two in particular enjoyed a good wind up, their favourite victim would be argued through a full circle until the two of them were agreeing with and suggesting to him what he had initially said and couldn't see what his problem was.
I thought the pair of them were just being difficult, it was years later it was pointed out to me by one of them that this was the highlight of the evening for them.

I recall one evening session that collapsed into one of these discussions, eventually enough was enough and we started a game at 01:00 finishing at 05:00. Still chuckling now, it was an improbable game six of us on a 4' x 6' table.

In order to play the campaign we had to create army lists with leader which we could position on the virtual map. I needed a name, with a void for an imagination that day. I decided to randomly hit keys on the keyboard a little tweak and a Chaos Lord gaming legend was born; Dranask.

The idea was that each small army group would march across the map to occupy hexs and receive resources, all bar one organised small 100-400 point armies that would survive an encounter with another player so sent forwards about 3-4 armies. One player made up 10 point armies and sent out 20. The rest of us were not impressed.

Mike wanted to start a club, but considered it impossible as the local authority had informed him he would need a gaming licence. At the time I lived next to the Town Mayor, a quick question or two. No we don't need a licence we are a Wargaming club, not a 'Gaming Club', as ever ask the right question.

Mike had the contacts and we started meeting at the Maidenhead Football club. Friday night £1 a night, a constitution was drawn up and the first members were.

Denis Jackman, Mark Foulds, Mike Emery, Chris Davidson, Mark Davies. Other commitments had pulled the other 'founders' away from the area.

The club went well and at one point we had in excess of 80 members.
Sadly due to a misunderstanding we moved away to 'The Rose' lovely pub lovely welcome, but not ideal and at the same time the local shop opened a 'Games Bunker (room) and many younger players drifted away.  We moved again to a local social club, a Thursday night so I was unable to attend and left the club, but it stayed there for many years.
Three factions developed, but two re-joined and are still Madgamers  men with a passion for historical wargames, rather than points driven games and a GW sponsored club that also plays none GW called Maidenhead Reapers meeting on a Monday so we have two clubs in town.

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MADGamers now meet at the North Maidenhead Cricket Club.

Why Blog?

I have posted to many forums in the past and then can't find the thread when I want to point someone at something I have done, it's too deep, archived or deleted, or maybe I have no idea where it is!
I understand why they archive old crap they want to stay fresh and topical, but I want to see it again, reminisce and show off old skills.

Add Photoshop's recent demands for $400 if you continue to embed your photos in a forum and of course all my old posts will have lost all their picture content.

No I'll start fresh, a record for me that others may see and enjoy or not. Let's be honest at the end of the day this is about me serving my own needs, scratching an itch if you like. :)

My friends have referred to me accurately as a gaming tart and as I add to the Blog I will add to a list (link_below) the games I have reported on in some way and have thus played, thus proving their point.

Games played for which there is a blog.

Who am I?

I've been a game player all my life, but not always been able to indulge the interest and only with the growing interest of my 6 year old was I able to rekindle the embers and now my wargaming interests have covered many rules and scales as well as SciFi, Fantasy and historical gaming as well as RPG. I also play online, though I wonder at the time 'wasted' 4 hours of intense activity leave you with nothing, yes you've had fun, but....  On the other hand 4 hours of serious painting, modelling leave you with items that will give you pleasure for years to come. I wont pretend that you have anything of value, but it is good to look at hold and show off, not so easy with the on-line or PC game.

So  briefly
1960s 20 mm Airfix WW2
Late 1970s early 1908 RPG discover a small shop on Shepherds Bush (now GW) but all my models and books could be bought from many toy shop, my main supplier was in Harrow.
1990s my sons growing interest in games using my old RPG models, Bionicles and Might Max stuff to create games had me creating rules sets. A chance bin bag of someones unwanted Wargaming stuff and we move quickly into 40K, WHFB.
2000s I'm running a club called MadGamers, we go to shows run participation games (MADgames) and I discover  other periods, models and Rules sets including DBA  (15 mm) and  Rapid Fire (20 mm).
2010 and I'm playing Age of Eagles a Napoleonic game and painting 15 mm and 20 mm and 6 mm. Playing SAGA, Lion Rampant, Frostgrave, BKC2, Black Powder, Hail Caesar!, Future War Commander, Warmaster, Battlegroup games and Bolt Action, but of 40K and WHFB, never a game, too expensive and not what I like in a game.

I say too expensive, don't get me wrong they are lovely models, but I can buy equally good models in 28 mm and other scales for much less. My 6 mm Roman army cost me £60-100 plus rules books £40. My Dacian army cost me £60 and by buying other units, I have enabled it to be played as other armies, many for the price of two.

As to what I like in a game, that has changed over the years but now it tends to be historical, the broad sweep of battalion sized units moving and combining with others to take control of the map and act upon smaller units of the enemy, combining the action of artillery, air, foot and tanks, with as much FOG of war as possible to render me speechless as nothing works. Playing against not just the opponent but the vagaries of the dice.
Yes I do like small 10-30 model skirmish games, but as a second choice or 'For a change'.

So there you have it my opinion two types of game Divisional armies with 100's of troops sweeping across the battlefield (6 mm & 10 mm) and skirmish games 28 mm a few models fighting it out.
Games Workshop's 40K and WHFB try to do the sweeping battles in 28 mm.
That surely was what EPIC and Warmaster were for, but maybe not so much of a cash cow. I can buy one 48 man unit of out of production Warmaster models for £14-£20 (£80 if I'm daft), or I can buy a cheaper alternate in the same scale that will make do for about £10, or a modern Age Of Sigmar 10 models for £37.50, come again?

Why do I blog?