The Innovation in Wargames Conference, the HMS Belfast, March 2009 by John Curry
I blame Bob, as he said he always thought that WD should run a wargaming show. So with help from our friends, we did.
The venue was HMS Belfast, the cruiser anchored on the Thames in central London. With some staying overnight, some staying locally and others turning out for the public games on the Saturday.
I contacted the ship, explained we were, cited some of our previous venues and events and then the Imperial War Museum was happy to let us come onboard for the weekend.
Prior to the start of the event on the Friday afternoon, I was very glad of Michael Curry’s help finding tables, chairs, kettle, tea, coffee etc. to get everything set up. It was a busy few hours to ensure all was ready for the arrival of the main party.
Friday Evening – was started with a very short tour as the ship staff had turned off lights in many sections of the ship in order to save electricity. After a fish a ship supper supplied by a landing party of Jerry Elsmore, Alex the editor and me, we played three after dinner games. Jim Wallman’s "The Greater Good" role playing game was, well original. Suffice to say, it made the legendary Footfall roleplaying games of Tim Price seem positively tame. Saying that, the players enjoyed the experience, especially the bit bumping each other off.
John Basset "Feet to the Fire", a map game on an attempted coup in Indonesia in 1958 (4 players). It received many positive comments, but I would not want to give any spoilers away for those who have not played it. A new comer said to me, ‘I never realised you could play wargames like that’. Part of the WD ethos is playing such non-traditional wargames.
I ran my Falkland Island’s Task Force Commander game which was about the command decisions during the Falklands War. The players seemed to enjoy themselves and found it an interesting experience. They also made some helpful suggestions. It took them a while to develop a strategy, much like the real war, but they seized victory as winter set in. I will be running the game again at COW in July.
Saturday saw Participation Games for the public 10.00-17.00. It was initially quite, giving the presenters the opportunity to try out a number of each others games. Then 1,200 people arrived.
I ran the Fletcher Pratt Naval Game on a table top with destroyers charging into hit a Japanese Battle Cruiser before it steamed out of harbour and sank them. The Boy Scouts were the most active players that day and I was amused to note that a young lad with behavioural issues managed to concentrate for the 45 minutes to carry out the mission.
The Doctor Who game was run many times, sometimes by me, sometimes by Michael Curry and sometimes by Bob Cordery, who stepped in to give us a break. The key mechanic was a hidden scenario, with the players no idea who (or what) they might be up against. Of course, UNIT supported by their trusty Corgi armoured car, always managed to win.
Daniel Shaw 1st Battle of Narvik was an outstanding naval game, using some very clever scenery of a white cloth, cut out to show the fjord. The game was a serious, but very interesting naval battle. Shame I missed playing it.
Jim Wallmam’s Damage Control based on HMS Belfast was a meticulously prepared game about resource management dealing with ever growing damage, fires and flooding on board the actual ship we were on.
Jerry Elsmore (and others) put on the award wining 'Tis Too Glory We Steer. The game was a smashing success, with what can only be described as non-traditional wargamers throwing themselves whole heartedly into the spirit of the career climbing game.
Richard Brooks and Bob Cordery ran Blockade Runners. An interesting game about the subject of the title. Shame I did not get to play it.
Arthur Harman turned out to run an interesting game about two gladiators. It was successful as it could be played and enjoyed by adults and children. The game also had some hidden depths that became apparent after a few goes.
We also included some lectures as part of the day. These were disadvantaged by being hidden in the ships education centre (at the top of a steep staircase). However, undaunted Professor Phil Sabin lectured on 'Using wargames to understand military history' (based on his theme of his latest book Lost Battles). This book has been an outstanding success and is well worth a read.
Tim Price MBE (who ever he is) gave a fascinating talk on 'The British Army and Wargaming'. It was the inside story of current military wargaming. Interestingly, I was engaged one of the audience in a discussion about a certain mad raid planned by General De La Billiere against Argentina during the Falklands. (It was an Entebbe type raid against an Argentinean airfield. The only problem was the Argentineans were expecting, had their radar, AA guns and a regiment of troops ready for such a raid and the SAS squadron would have been massacred.). The squadron commander voiced his concerns, so De La Billiere sacked him implying cowardice. The nameless person I talked told me the final bit of the story; that De La Billiere has now been banned from attending SAS reunions, partly for the unjustness of this act. I wonder who she was.
After the public had gone, some of us settled down for the pre-dinner entertainment- of Bob Cordery running a battle using hisfast-play version of Janes Naval War Game. It was great fun bashing away at the ship targets.
Saturday Evening Formal Dinner was a marvellous affair in the Admiral’s cabin (as in used in port).
Saturday After Dinner Games
Tim Price ran his game about The Germans Who Never Lost- an operational naval game about the Germans running from the British while sinking merchant ships. The Germans were somewhat lucky after capturing enough coal ships to start their own convoy. This allowed them to steam at impossibly high speeds refuelling every few days. Of course, eventually their luck ran out and John Basset and Alex went down in blaze of glory.
Jim Wallman was running his "Invasion 1921" - an uncanny crisis game, but I have no idea what it was about.
Sunday Morning
Tim Price ran his The Enemy at the Gate: Stalingrad 1942 Matrix Game. With Michael Curry acting as a particularly senior German figure known for his mad turns, the Germans overwhelmed the Russians. The Germans had a strategy and it defeated the Russians ad hoc turn by turn reaction.
Wayne Thomas Battle River Plate was particularly entertaining and was commented on by a member of the Naval Wargames Society as ‘now that was real naval game’.
Post script after the event, I was challenged about a frightened security guard. Apparently, they were on their nightly patrol when they came across a swinging hammock with ghost in it. Some of the hammocks have dummies in them, but the guard was certain that one did not. I mustered all my professional skills and stated it was nothing to do with us, we were all asleep in the crew dormitory. Well almost all…
