The Making of Viking Dawn Part Three Interview by Dean Emmerson I recently had an opportunity to speak with Chris Penney about Viking Dawn, the club invitational game to be played at Huzzah! 2011.  Chris is one of the Viking Dawn game masters and will be building the terrain for the game. Dean Emmerson:  Last year the Maine Historical Wargamers Association ran the Battle of Sabis project for Huzzah!  The project included 3,000+ figures, painted by 40 or more people from across the country.  Why select Vikings and Saxons for Huzzah! 2011?

Chris Penney:  At the time, sometime after Huzzah 2010, Wargames Factory had a small but flexible line of Saxons and Vikings.  Of course this was before their current misfortunes.  A Viking raid seemed like a great idea for at least 2 reasons. First it was very different from Sabis and second it was very different from what our group typically plays (historical battles from the SYW to WWII).  This was a great opportunity to have a large, freewheeling and chaotic game in which history is more a backdrop for the events of the game and not the reason for the game.

For more information on Viking Dawn, check out Part One, Part Two, Part Four and Part Five here... DE:  Though the game is not based on the battle there, the Scarborough headland is a visually stunning point of land that juts out into the ocean.  Could you describe the major elements that you hope to create for the tabletop?  How do they differ from the actual terrain? CP: Jim Flanagan and Dean brought up Scarborough largely because there is a neighboring town here in Maine with that name and we thought that was enough of a link to run with for our Maine convention. Corny perhaps, but after looking at images from Google Earth the choice has proven to be a good one.  As for the use of Google Earth I would like to credit Nigel P. Marsh (author of the rules Carnage and Glory) who used it to recreate the fields around Quatre Bras in a game. Looking at Scarborough the first thing you are struck by is the dramatic point of land jutting out into the North Sea. This promontory dominates the two large beaches that flank it and the lower ground inland where the town is situated. Clearly this was the place for our raid. It provided dramatic scenery and excellent landing beach for the dreaded longships. DE:  In looking at the photos of Scarborough, the headland appears to have nearly shear walls of rock rising up from the ocean to a plateau that towers over the surrounding beaches.  How will you make the rock face? Right: Scarborough, UK. (Image courtesy of Google Earth.)

CP:  As in Sabis I borrowed ideas from our cousins in the world of model trains.  I considered pink (or blue) rigid insulation but to make the rock face creditable would mean much work spackling and shaping.  In the end I did not think it would be worth the effort.  As in Sabis the base will be insulation but the rock face will be plaster cast of rock outcroppings fitted together and applied over either foam or plywood.  Once painted I think the effect will be worthy of the game.

DE:  The game table will include areas of ocean for the invading Vikings to place their ships.  What will you use to create the water effects?  CP:  The water for the sea and river will be painted on to suggest depth and then a coat of clear artists medium will be applied and textured to resemble waves.  This is considerably easier than the river from the Sabis game which took multiple pours of resin and much preconstruction.

DE:  You were very enthusiastic about the Vatican Enterprises donation of buildings for the game.  What is it that you like about their line of dark ages buildings? CP:  I already own several of the Vatican Dark Age buildings, although I use them for colonials and even WWII eastern front.  The depth of detail and ease of painting are two reasons I use them.  Simple dry brushing and over brushing techniques produce very nice table top buildings. If you take the time to hit the details these buildings can really dress up a table.