Want to go?
WHAT: The World at War: Miniature War Gaming Day
WHEN: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3
WHERE: Fort Meigs Visitor Center, 29100 West River Road, Perrysburg
TICKETS: $8 adults, $7 seniors, $4 students and ages 5 and under free
INFO: 419.874.4121 or www.fortmeigs.org
Before you bring down the "politically correct hammer" on us we’re talking about the annual “The World at War: Miniature War Gaming Day” taking place Nov. 3 at the Perrysburg historical site.
Sponsored by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, Great Lakes Chapter, the event features tabletop battles from historical scenarios with some sci-fi and fantasy games as well Funcoast talked to Event Coordinator and Toledo resident Doug Johnson about this fantastical affair.
Funcoast: OK, so what exactly is “The World at War: Miniature War Gaming Day” all about?
Doug Johnson (DJ): It’s a miniature gaming event. What we did was we started this event to try to get kids involved in miniature games, strategy games and board games. These are things that get them involved with other kids rather than computers and stuff. This is the sixth year at Fort Meigs, and it’s kind of an offshoot of our normal military war-gaming convention we do in May. So we started this event as a fundraiser for the fort.
Funcoast: Excuse our ignorance but is it like Risk or Dungeons & Dragons?
DJ: That’s basically what some of them used to be. We don’t do too many of those board games anymore. And Dungeons & Dragons is more of a role playing game. Some of these games do have a role-playing aspect. It depends on the type of game. At this event, we’re open to anything. Now they’re all miniatures, using plastic or metal models. Some of the historical games will be a couple hundred lead figures on a table reenacting a historical battle, others will be ships or aircrafts doing the same thing, or especially at this one for the kids, we do sci-fi and fantasy games. I’ve got one guy doing a bug planet game based on the “Starship Troopers” film. It could be dragons or a multitude of things. This year we’ve got a Pod Race, which is based on a Star Wars movie. We’ve got a zombie thing based on a new game system called “All Things Zombie.” It’s kind of a roll-playing game for kids. One guy is doing a “Looking for Bigfoot” game, and it uses miniatures.
Funcoast: So how many games will be taking place on this day?
DJ: There’s about 25 games. They are all board games and some are miniatures. Most of them can take six players, but some can go up to 18 or 20, depending.
Funcoast: And how many kids come out to such an event?
DJ: Last year we had 117 kids and adults. That’s a great number. It grows every year. Families come out with their kids and they can play these games.
Funcoast: Regarding kids, why is this kind of gaming better than, say, videogames?
DJ: It gets kids thinking again and doing their own thing. There’s no reset on the game table. You can’t start over if you make a mistake. You have to think for yourself and on your feet and it gets kids thinking. We’ve got some simple little games for kids like drag racing that works on a race track and all they do is throw six dice and essentially it gets the little kids thinking and adding.
Funcoast: Do people dress up at these events?
DJ: No, that’s the re-enactors. That’s the difference. We play on tables and they play out in the yard in a tent.
Funcoast: What’s more fun?
DJ: I think we have more fun because in July when they have their “Muster on the Maumee” [event at Fort Meigs] when it’s 90 degrees and the guys are standing out there in their wool suits and it rains the nights before, we’re inside in the air conditioning. What sounds more fun?
