Diceni Gaming Show 2023, Norwich.

 Sunday 30th of April saw the 10th Diceni Gaming Show in Norwich UK

This show is organised by the Aftermath Gaming Club in Norwich, held in the atrium of The Forum, home of the city library and BBC East and is free to enter.

As New Buckenham Historical Wargamers is a local Norfolk club we have supported this venture since it's inception and have hosted a demo or participation game each year the show has been held. The show features a mix of miniature games, board games, RPGs and card games as well as a selection of local and national gaming traders.

This year was the largest show so far, extending into the Gallery as well as the usual Atrium space.

Diceni 2023, Forum Atrium

Diceni 2023, Forum Atrium

After chatting last year with one of the regular traders, The Assault Group, the club decided that this year we would put on a participation game based around the Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk in 1549. Having in his range a selection of Tudor miniatures the Assault Group very kindly offered to supply all the figures we would need for this venture, even going so far as to have some new miniatures sculpted and cast to supply characters or troop types needed. All we needed to do as a club was get them all painted, based and come up with terrain and scenarios.

Fortunately within the club and members collections we had all the buildings we needed for inside the city walls that left our basing maestro to scratch build some city wall and a couple of the old city gates, he did volunteer.

As for the figures, various club members took on batches of either rebels or royalists to paint.

Two units of rebellious bill men I painted.

I painted up two units of twelve bill men with command for the rebels as well as some of his newly produced Tudor rabble figures. The flags were homemade and featured an oak tree design, a symbol of the rebellion.

I also 3d printed some random civilian figures to populate the streets as well as a selection of barricades for the rebels to use.

Some of the barricades I provided.

Four scenarios were worked up based on historical events using a very simplified version of the Impetvs rule set and amazingly everything was ready on the day.

Table layout with the scratch built city walls and gates.

From inside the city

Some of the club members brought along period weapons and armour to display, as well as our usual small cabinet with figures from other periods and scales we game. Information on the Kett's Rebellion was also laid out for viewing.

Our whole set up on the day.

Next are a few more pictures of the scenarios we ran.

Ye olde Inn

"What do you mean wrong way!"

We had a very busy table with lots of interest and, apart from the last game of the day, many players from the viewing public. At the end of it all the rebels and royalists shared the honours with two scenarios won each. A great club effort and games we will need to revisit.

Following are a few more pictures from the show. Somehow I didn't photograph the WWII desert tanks game using Bolt Action or the Lord of the Rings battle.

Games and stalls in the Gallery

Games and stalls in the Gallery

Grimdark Future game.

WWI trench skirmish game.

Sci-Fi ish, not totally sure.

Looked like 6mm Kings of War massed battle

Wild West bounty hunter game using Ruthless rules

Shiver RPG

All in all a great and rewarding day. Four fun scenarios played, many people talked to, hopefully some new players for local clubs and a very happy supplier of tudor figures for our game who also seemed to have a good day.

Now what to do for next year?

Tony.