Campaign 2008

Every May, for a while now I take part in Campaign. This is a wargames event organised by the Milton Keynes Wargames Society.

Both the format of the event and the location are a little different from the norm.

The event is held in a shopping centre. For anyone not familiar with Milton Keynes shopping centre, it is big - very big. And there is a large open space used for exhibitions and events. Campaign sets up here. So during the weekend the Great British public while they are out shopping get to walk around a wargames tournament and visit the trade stands. I know it sounds odd, but it works extremely well.

You do need to be able to answer the odd question - this year it was 'And what does DBM stand for?' The answer unfortunately is not very illuminating - why, why, why have a title in Latin! If there is one thing that is guaranteed to kill the spark of interest in a potential new gamer it's a dead foreign language.

The competition is a team event with teams of 3. Each of the 3 players is in a separate pool and can only choose from a very limited range of armies. Over the weekend each team in the league plays all the others. The outcome can be glory and a trophy or ignominy and relegation. This is a really tough event. There is nowhere to hide and no easy games!

I hope to go again next year, but the upheaval in the ancients gaming community brought about by the decline of 'DBM' and the lack of appeal so far (for me) of the two would be replacement sets has left a question mark. Next year it is likely to be a Field of Glory tournament - I will have to see how things go as will the other team members.