A group of locals, brought together by their shared love of tabletop gaming, are looking to recruit more players to their new club, Timmins Wargamers.
The group plays Flames of War, a World War II tabletop miniature wargame that allows players to simulate WWII battles using miniature replicas of soldiers, tanks, buildings, and other historically relevant miniatures.
Mitch Boudreau, the club’s organizer, has been tabletop gaming for over 10 years. He took up the hobby while he was living in Ottawa, where national tournaments for Flames of War are held regularly.
“It’s a big deal there,” says Boudreau. “There’s a whole subculture devoted to it.”
Boudreau says that since moving to Timmins, he hasn’t found a consistent outlet for those interested in tabletop gaming. He’s hoping this new club will change all that.
“Some of our members have previously gamed before and had no idea other people had similar interest,” says Boudreau.
Boudreau established a Facebook group for Timmins Wargamers and has since recruited about half a dozen players.
Currently, they play on a large game board that fits on a four by eight foot table in his garage.
“Battles are recreated in 1:100 scale, where an average soldier would be 15mm tall,” says Boudreau. “If you have ever watched the movie Fury, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers or Enemy at the Gates you will get the idea, just in miniature scale.”
Boudreau emphasizes that while the game does have winners and losers, it is much more about the camaraderie of the game.
“The game highlights sportsmanship and fun before competitiveness,” says Boudreau. “The game is designed to be a social one where you make good friends while discussing history.”
Creativity is an important part of the game, Boudreau says.
“The gaming tables have terrain, buildings and features similar to HO model trains,” says Boudreau. “The miniatures are purchased unassembled and unpainted and half the fun is the painting process.”
Boudreau is hoping to get a larger group of table top gamers together, saying he suspects there are a lot of fans in the community who just don’t know there are others who share their passion.
“There are strong follows of tabletop war gaming in most communities,” says Boudreau. “Sudbury has two hobby stores, Thunder Bay has one, North Bay has one, Petawawa has two and Ottawa has about seven or so.”
Boudreau says the group has a long-term vision for the club is their group grows.
“Our one to two year plan would be to open a hobby store,” says Boudreau. “Our eventual goal is to run a tournament.”
For now though, Boudreau says the group will settle for sharing their love of tabletop gaming to others who share their passion.
“We welcome anyone who wants to give it a try, and hope we’ll also find some people who already know and love the game,” says Boudreau.
Those interested in the club are encouraged to seek out Timmins Wargamers on Facebook.
