N is for Northern Militaire
Wargaming was a part of my childhood in the 70s/80s. I would willingly be dragged to conventions like Sheffield Triples, FIASCO in Leeds or my favourite Northern Militaire in Manchester.
I have particularly fond memories of one participation game I must have played for hours called "Kamikaze" where you piloted 1/72nd scale WWII Japanese torpedo bombers attacking a US Navy Carrier. It was a lot of fun and very simple.
Each turn you chose the height your plane was flying at and the carrier would fire its guns at you. If you survived long enough you got to launch your torpedos and if you got close enough you could attempt a "Kamikaze" attack and fly directly into the carrier.
The planes had verticle holes cut through the fuselage so they could be threaded onto a metal rod (a scientific stand if I recall) and you adjusted the height of the plane using a small bulldog clip fixed to the rod. Damage markers were white red and yellow coloured rings and of course if you caught fire you would get the obligatory cotton wool smoke trail attached to your plane.
My memory of the carrier was that it was huge and fairly basic in design. To an impressionable 7 year old, detail didn't matter, it was the mutts nuts. I'm fairly sure that the PC brigade would have none of it today but it was accepteable in the 80s.
If anyone reading this has any photos of the Kamikaze game from back in the day please leave a comment in the box below. I would love to talk to you.
Special thanks to the following blogs for sharing their photos and memories.
Wargaming was a part of my childhood in the 70s/80s. I would willingly be dragged to conventions like Sheffield Triples, FIASCO in Leeds or my favourite Northern Militaire in Manchester.
I have particularly fond memories of one participation game I must have played for hours called "Kamikaze" where you piloted 1/72nd scale WWII Japanese torpedo bombers attacking a US Navy Carrier. It was a lot of fun and very simple.
Each turn you chose the height your plane was flying at and the carrier would fire its guns at you. If you survived long enough you got to launch your torpedos and if you got close enough you could attempt a "Kamikaze" attack and fly directly into the carrier.
The planes had verticle holes cut through the fuselage so they could be threaded onto a metal rod (a scientific stand if I recall) and you adjusted the height of the plane using a small bulldog clip fixed to the rod. Damage markers were white red and yellow coloured rings and of course if you caught fire you would get the obligatory cotton wool smoke trail attached to your plane.
My memory of the carrier was that it was huge and fairly basic in design. To an impressionable 7 year old, detail didn't matter, it was the mutts nuts. I'm fairly sure that the PC brigade would have none of it today but it was accepteable in the 80s.
If anyone reading this has any photos of the Kamikaze game from back in the day please leave a comment in the box below. I would love to talk to you.
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| My Family (circled) at Northern Militaire circa 1979 (courtesy of The Wargaming Megalomaniac) |
Special thanks to the following blogs for sharing their photos and memories.
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