COME Judgement Day, powerful armies from around the world are preparing to fight to the death.
But don’t be alarmed: the armies aren’t real and the setting is the highly detailed world of miniature war-games, not the Middle East.
It may look like grown-ups playing with childrens’ toys, but war-gamers are serious people.
Just ask Mark Brocas-Reti, organiser of the Judgement Day 2007 tournament, executive member of the Western Suburbs War-games Association, and in the real world, state manager for a communications company.
Mark has spent the past six months planning Judgement Day, a world-wide tournament that will link the 80-member western suburbs club with like-minded enthusiasts from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and New Zealand in a game of War Hammer 40K.
Players from other countries will battle simultaneously in their own events, using strict rules to see who emerges victorious.
Mark, a Point Cook resident, describes war-gaming as a little like chess, played on a board the size of an average dining room table, with rulers determining movements and the throw of dice influencing tactics.
This tournament is set 40,000 years into the future after mankind has conquered space, hence the 40K.
“Most members start gaming as teenagers, drop it for a while, then pick it up later again,” he said.
The Altona-Meadows-based club ran a similar tournament for the first time last year, and had to turn players away.
Eighty players are expected for this year’s 14 July tournament at the Altona Meadows Community Centre.
A $20 registration fee will allow local organisers to award prizes for the Best General, Best Hobbyist and Best Sportsperson.
There is even a “Widow’s Award” to recognise the “boy’s club” nature of its players, who range in age from a 12-year-old to a contestant of 60.
Many players are interested in the strategy but some, like Mark, got involved because of the creative aspects of gaming.
Players meticulously assemble and paint each of their miniature models.
“I started about five years ago when I saw a friend doing this. The creativity of it really grabbed me,” Mark said.
When not vying to become world champions on Judgement Day, club members meet every second Saturday at the Altona Meadows Community Centre, Trafalgar Ave, for various role-playing games.
Their next meeting is 23 June.
For more information about the tournament or the club, visit www.judgementday.info or www.wswa.com.au.
