Many years ago me and 3 other friends built a display game for a local wargame competition and on the table next to us was what was Citadel Miniatures entry, later to become Games Workshop, well our display was infinitely better than their’s so we asked them if for free figures we could make a better job and do Citadels display games so was born the Players Guild.
(Turreted sea vessel attacking, volcanic island with Orc spotter ballon)
Receiving the draft copy of Warhammer we set out to teach the world how to play, paint and build displays, and won everything we entered for 3 years until they banned us from competitions because they thought it unfair we were getting too much sponsorship from Citadel. Games Workshop by then were even paying us a thousand pounds a display, but the crowds and attention they were getting was well worth it and powered the game into mainstream better than any television advert.
(a display for the Toy Fair)
We were the 1st to paint orcs green, traditionally orcs at that time were a short of ochre brown, only goblins were green, we invented lots dwarf machines, hand gliders, flying machines, ballista, goblins on wolves and a assortment of other things I can’t remember now.
We carried on doing display games for the realese of 40K, blood bowl, and Judge Dredd all over the country including Hamley’s shop window, 5 day toy fairs and many other venues, articles in White Dwarf, although after a while we became disinterested and by then Games workshop wanted employed full time people to display builders, we all had other good jobs so stopped.
(one of 1st displays based on Citadels castle logo)
Thursday this week Jock one of the Players Guild came over to re-learn the latest rules of Warhammer 40,000 in anticipation of doing a low key display game for Chimera shop.
The rules were digested, armies picked and cups of tea drunk, Jasmine my cat decided 12 sided dice are best, 6 sided don’t role well, and 20 sided role too well and end up lost under the sideboard.
She also decided 40 K figures fall off the table if you pat them and Jocks fingers bleed because he was too slow removing them from the hole in the cardboard box.
(Wizard Castle as used for one the Ascendancy buttons)
So today was full day starting early I played a wargame with Jock, and some other local players, one arrived with his own army, and talked to a assortment of shoppers about Warhammer, painting and terrain building, who knows if we encourage anyone, you never can tell, but at least a few stopped a while to ask good quality question, rather than the old what colour do you paint your orcs, well green, or what do make your rocks out of, well rocks.
(Blood Bowl display at Games Day, London)
A good day was had, I lost my first battle to the visitors, and won my second against Jock, it is a game however that is dependent a lot on luck.
Heather took some pictures perhaps she will display them.
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