From the ancient battlefields of Mortem et Gloriam to the futuristic fights of Warhammer 40k, table-top tacticians waged war with glorious victory or devasting defeat decided by dice rolls.
More than 140 players vied for victory in 11 game systems at the annual Anzac Cup Wargaming Tournament held by the ADF Wargaming Association (ADFWGA) at ADFA on April 12-13.
The association also unveiled the Warhammer 40k ADF Champion Perpetual Trophy, a chainsword awarded to the highest placed ADF member.
This year the award went to Corporal Guy Vincent, of 1 Combat Communications Squadron Williamtown.
"It was a real surprise, to be honest. I've never really gone that well competitively at tournaments, so it's great to get my name on the sword," he said.
"I'm looking forward to HeroCon in November and to try for two in a row."
His Ork Taktikal Brigade played against type for a Greenskin army, which is usually all about "running in and try to chop everything up", according to Corporal Vincent.
"These Orks have figured out the Imperial tactics and play similar to Imperial Guard, giving orders to enhance their shooting and form a gun line; very counter to normal Ork play," he said.
Tabletop wargaming wasn't the only reason Corporal Vincent joined Defence, but it certainly helped tip the scales.
Before enlisting, he met ADFWGA members at a tournament, who told him about the association.
"I thought 'wow, if Defences gives you this sort of support to pursue your hobbies, that's fantastic'. And a year or two later I joined Air Force," he said.
Table-top wargaming wasn't the only reason Corporal Vincent joined Defence, but it certainly helped tip the scales.
Not long after starting IET's at HMAS Cerberus, his application to attend an ADFWGA tournament in Townsville was supported.
"My chain of command said 'yep, that's an approved ADF Sport' and made me do a fitness test to make sure I was fit to go," he said.
The tournament was also one for the history books, with members of the Australian War Memorial photographs, film and sound curatorial team documenting the games.
Senior curator Daniel Eisenberg said gaming was something that had a long history in Defence, for both training and leisure.
"We took this opportunity to come along, mostly to observe and see the role that something like wargaming provides within the Defence community," he said.
"It appears in our stills collections. We see it in donated photos, images of gaming on deployment, but it's not as common as, say, PT [physical training].
"The memorial's mission remains to document and understand the Australian experience of war and this is part of it. It's potentially an area that is not as well known."
While Warhammer 40k was the most popular game at the tournament, some of the smaller systems also attracted interest.
Lieutenant Commander Andrew Watts, who ran the One Page Rules competition, said the short-form rules had been growing in popularity.
"It's a very simple rule set, and you can use miniatures from any system, Star Wars Legion, Warhammer, Kings of War, even Lego, and there is an equivalent army for you," he said.
"We had eight players in the competition and because the rules are so balanced, we had sci-fi and fantasy armies battling each other."
The game gets its name from its single page of rules, and the four-round objective format means players can play a game in a short time.
"It's very much a game you can play in a lunch break; there's even free paper miniatures you can download and print to have a go," Lieutenant Commander Watts said.
