Open Monumentendag was a nice day

The open Munumentendag at the Dutch Artillery museum was great.

A nice sunny day (well, most of the day, it ended in heavy rain) resulted in a lot of visitors (a lot more then expected!) at the museum, the various information stands from the museum and other organisations, the displayed guns/trucks/material etc and of course also at the NCO mess were the wargames were located.

Some 6 wargames tables were presented; two WW2 games, two ACW games (28mm and 15mm), one KNIL game (from the year 1905) in the Atjeh war period and of course our 1511 game: Siege of Venlo.

The nicest thing (at least we think so) is, that visitors aren't the "normal" wargamers but whole families who spent their saturday at the Open day and have no clue what wargames are, how they play and what it represent. So we were talking a lot ( really a lot!) to people, explaining what wargaming is and show how rules work etc. You get the picture. 
Some visitors probably thought that wargamers are weird (grown men playing with miniatures) but a lot also liked it very much, admired the tables, talked about the modelling aspect and find the history part interesting. 

So thanks for the Dutch Artillery Museum to invite us and special thanks to Ludwig van Dijk who organised the whole thing for us. Of course, we hope to visit and participate again next year.

And then some pictures (what is a blog without them); starting with our table and then from the other ones.

Our game is situated in the early renaissance period during the Guelders War. We used Pike&Shotte.

Other pictures fromthat day (some from Arthur, hope he doesn't mind that we use them here also as some of ours were not good).

From the 28mm ACW game:

 They used these Osprey rules. And the author was playing them!

15mm ACW

WW2 pictures (both using Bolt Action)

and pictures of the KNIL game using home made rules.

Not a wargames club but the Nederlandse Stichting voor Modelfiguren presented for the first time their stand. 

For more information goto: https://www.modelfiguren.nl/ or their facebook site De Tinnen Tafelronde

Modelling and wargames show Geel

 As said earlier, we participated in the Modelling and wargames show at Geel. Of course the modelling part was a lot (really a lot!) bigger then the part of wargamers but it was a nice day. 

A lot of modellers with their family walked around, being surpised that people really play with miniatures and most of them had started with plastic (Airfix) miniatures but then went into modelling.

We had nice discussions about wargamig, modelling and history so, as said, a nice day.

Pictures of our presented wargame (The Siege of Venlo 1511) are underneath. As it is the same period as the more wellknown Italian Wars but situated in the east part of todays Netherlands, it shows of cousre more or less the same miniatures (except Italians/Spanish etc)!  

We had little time to go around the modelling part of the show, so were sorry to have only a few pictures of the models portrayed. Suffice to say, a lot of them were just great. When you are a modeller and in the neighbourhood, go there next year, it a great show (and it is free!).

1511 Addition to Venlo in preparation (for juni 1st demo)

 Some further progress!

Scaleworld 2025 in Geel Belgium

 

For those with no plans on June 1st and in the neigbourhood, KMK Geel will held their annual Scale World modelling event. It is a great event.
AND, for the second time, also Wargames will be shown.

The Alde Garde will be there with a revamped Siege of Venlo demo in 28mm. Peter is  very (very!) busy to change the layout of the walls (well, partly of course) of Venlo as can be seen on the fotos underneath which show the work in proces.

We hope to see (and speak to) you about out hobby. 

 

Part of our wargames as diorama's in Kasteeltuinen Arcen

On the site of the castle of Arcen (South-East Netherlands near Venlo) years ago there were planted gardens as a tourist attraction which attract thousands of tourists from the Netherlands and abroad. It is called the Kasteeltuinen (Castle Gardens).

Peter was asked to put on some displays at the castle of our wargames terrain and figures with connection to the region in which the castle is situated. As this was done already in 2018 he of course was delighted to do this.

Some impressions of the gardens underneath followed by the two displays: 

 the entrancethe  castle in which the displays are situated.

Firstly our wargames table about the battle at Arcen itself in 1511 between the Habsburg army and the army of the Duc of Gueldress

            

Secondly the Siege of Venlo in 1373 (1st Gueldress Succession War):