Twenty armies to march on Levin next weekend

Greek mercenaries 3D-printed in New Zealand by Wellington producer Potbelly Miniatures, ready for a wargaming event in Levin.

Twenty armies are set to invade the Levin Cosmopolitan Club on Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30. Just as well there is advance warning - but there is no need to worry about an impending invasion, as they will all be toy soldiers, only 25-50 millimetres tall, and they will represent the armies of early and classical Greece, and its enemies, recreating battles fought long ago.

Armies of Greek soldiers and others lined up for battle at a wargaming event in Levin. They were 3D-printed in New Zealand by Wellington producer Potbelly Miniatures.

Local wargamer Vince Cholewa, who has organised the competition, said the event has drawn 20 wargamers and their armies from around the North Island. “Among those coming are Spartans, Persians, Trojans, Macedonians, Scythians, and many others (some historians believe the myth of the centaurs came from the first encounters between Greeks and ancient steppe people, the Scythians).”

Vince and fellow wargamer Ken Hay are keen to form a local, informal group that could meet regularly. They hope this event will encourage people already collecting toy soldiers and those interested to get in touch.

While the theme for this event is ancient Greece, there are wargaming rules covering all periods of history from the very beginnings of civilisation in 3,000BC to the modern day. There are also rules for science fiction gaming and fantasy.

Wargaming is a tactical game played on a tabletop, Cholewa said. “The figures used represent different types of soldiers with different strengths and weaknesses. The aim is to exploit the strengths of your own army against the weaknesses of your opponent.”

Toy soldiers, 3D printed in New Zealand by Wellington producer, Potbelly Miniatures. They are Greek citizen spearmen (peltasts).

“Dice are used to give an element of variability. You expect your better troops to beat your opponent’s inferior troops, most of the time, but you do not know when the unexpected might happen. So, what have you built into your game plan to cope with an unexpected setback?

“That is one of the fun challenges and pleasures of the game.”

People are welcome to drop in the Hudson Room at the Cossie Club between 9am and 4pm while gaming is under way and to contact Vince on 027 344 1073 or at toysoldiers111@gmail.com. The Facebook group for the rules being used for the Levin competition is DBMM New Zealand.