A Sunday visit to Wargames + Miniatures

Dumbarton, West Scotland, 11/09/2016

 A long journey to the Clyde Estuary

Wargames + Miniatures has been operating in the north of the small Scottish town of Dumbarton, a few miles west of Glasgow, for a few years now. A small, homely shop with a pleasantly familiar feel inside.
I made my way over from the Southside of Glasgow early this morning for a midday meetup at Wargames + Miniatures to drum up some interest in Flames of War, Tanks and Team Yankee. Three buses and almost two hours from home I found the shop nestled in a housing estate overlooking the Clyde estuary from high above the town of Dumbarton.

Unit 4, 7C Merkins Avenue
Dumbarton
West Dumbartonshire
Scotland
G82 3EB

Wargames + Miniatures hosts Flames of War, Magic the Gathering and other popular card and wargames.

The owner, Geoff Hulse, has been playing Flames of War for a while now, but has been sadly lacking in opponents, even after setting up the Dumbarton Wargames Club. He took the plunge and invested in a shop which has built up to become a popular little spot in the West of Scotland. Being one of the few model supply stockists in the area that also has space for larger games, as most others only have space to host card and board games. The shop has space for up to four 6'x4' tables despite its relatively small appearance.

Drumming up support for Flames of War

 As mentioned Geoff himself plays Flames of War and as such felt that the game would pick up given a little boost in advertising. So recently Wargames + Miniatures have announced dedicated sessions for Flames of War and GF9's Tanks.

The colourful Store Events board draws the eye

The shop hosts two weekly events for Flames of War, and OP sessions for Tanks:

• A hobby night for casual play, every Thursday between 6pm and 10pm
• A 'Battle Day', for tournaments, campaigns and the like, every Sunday between 12pm and 4pm
• Tanks OP sessions: Tuesday night 5pm - 8pm and Sunday afternoon 1pm to 4pm

With Tanks geared towards players wanting a quicker, more action packed game and Flames of War for the tacticians and long-haul gamers, Wargames + Miniatures plays host to both.

 Demonstration gaming

 For those of you who aren't aware of the primary mission of the Flames of War Ranger Program, our main task is to visit stockists and retailers to promote the games from Battlefront and GF9. I've been running demo games for Flames of War ever since becoming a Ranger over four years ago. I've since taken up running demo games of Team Yankee and Tanks when need be, and I love it. It's great to see new players picking up the dice on a game, teaching them the basics and seeing how they do with it. My favourite part has to be describing the effects of various game mechanics to allow new players to imagine what's happening on the battlefield, an example I use often is the armour penetration rules for Flames of War;

 "You've hit your target, but there's always a chance the shot might bounce off sloped armour or even be stopped dead by the sheer thickness of the steel covering the tank, and that's what the next roll is going to determine..."

The old reliable Open Fire set, not mine this time but Geoff's shop copy ready to roll.

 Anyway, enough of me rambling about demos, I got to meet one of Geoff's regulars by the name of Alan, and took him through a demo game of Tanks, as he is already a seasoned Flames of War player.

Tanks!

 I have to admit, I'm still finding my demonstration groove when it comes to running demo games for Tanks. Compared to the Open Fire set, which I've run so many times in the past, Tanks is a fairly new game and even I am getting used to the differences in play between it and Flames of War. The demo set for the game is great for highlighting the major differences between Tanks and FoW;

• Shermans being able to damage Panthers (low likelihood, but still do-able)
• Unique movement and combat system
• The small scale battles and hence the quick play style.

 As mentioned above, I took Alan through a demo for Tanks and found that most of what I mentioned above was brought up during the game: getting used to Shermans doing damage to Panthers and the interesting movement style.

A rare picture of me in full demo mode, I usually hide behind the camera

 On the whole Alan enjoyed and I believe he'll be along to some of the OP sessions throughout the month with his Germans.

 Wrapping Up

 Wargames + Miniatures gives the West of Scotland a much needed gaming hub outwith the half dozen clubs we have dotted around this side of the country. Despite it's relatively small size, it has potential to be a busy and successful gaming store. I'll definitely be along to help support the growth of Flames of War, Team Yankee (Which seems to be growing greatly in popularity), and Tanks.
 So, if you find yourself out on the West coast of Scotland, be sure to drop in and check them out.

Wargames + Miniatures is well stocks and ready to go for the Tanks OP sessions

Kampfgruppe Müller and Potechnov's Bears will be joined shortly by Charlie's Chieftains!