Madness In The Midlands as wargaming tournament takes place in Daventry

The retail store and games venue, situated on South March Industrial Estate, Daventry, specialises in miniature models, card and tabletop games.

Every month, a number of events take place in the gaming area of the store.

This time the event, whimsically-named Madness In The Midlands, was centred around Malifaux, a miniature Steampunk skirmish-level wargame.

A total of 34 players battled it out to increase their chances of qualifying for the national Malifaux masters league, which will be held at the venue in January next year.

Some of the competitors had travelled as far as Wales and Manchester to compete in the event; the youngest among them was 25, the oldest being 60.

Luke Smith, 36, came from the not-so-far-away city of Coventry to take part. Vanquishing his opponents, however, was not his main priority.

“Obviously, there are some people who are here to win,” he said, “but the rest of us, like me, we’re just here to play some games and have a laugh.”

Ruth Bedder, 42, from Tamworth, was one of only two women competing in the tournament.

“These sorts of events tend to be male dominated,” she said. “It was initially quite scary coming into it because you expect a certain vibe, but the community could not be more welcoming.”

One of the more serious competitors, Radek Brylowski, 33, from Warrington, has won the Malifaux tournament twice in a row, and is currently the holder of the UK nationals.

After a full day of relentless skirmishes, Jamie Varney, 34, from Hampshire, rose victorious.

The first prize was an appropriately macabre trophy, a kind of shrunken head, in the form of a golden skull, fixed upon a small marble plinth.

Second prize was awarded to Matt Lewin, 33, from Woking. Third prize, Grant Dickenson, 41, London.

The organiser of the event, Oz Goff, 37, from Redditch, said, “I am pleased to say everyone enjoyed themselves and gave positive feedback. Everything ran smoothly; the event was a success.”

Despite reports of board games declining in popularity over the past decade, there has been a new-found interest in the hobby since the pandemic.

According to an online survey conducted by Statista in 2020, 18 per cent of UK respondents altered their spending habits in order to purchase more board games.

The global board game market size reached $13.4bn in 2021, and is estimated to gross $26bn by 2027.

Tabletop games such as the cult phenomenon Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer and Malifaux have become especially popular, holding the highest market share in the industry.

Graham Sargeant, 54, the manager of Battlefield Hobbies, gave his view on the enduring appeal of board games.

“We’re living in a world where there is an immense interaction with screens,” he said, “and people lack the ability or the opportunity to just sit and talk over a table.

“Board gaming is a great leveller. It doesn’t matter what your background is; everything is in front of you; there is one set of rules, they’re the same for you, for me, and for the next person.

“I think it’s the social aspect more so than anything else that draws people to the hobby.”

If you want to find out more about Battlefield Hobbies visit www.battlefieldhobbies.co.uk.