Dave Madigan Is Marooned like a flightless bird on Wargamers Island

Dave Madigan is the Kiwi's Kiwi, and only the toss of a coin set him on the path of a career in IT and playing toy soldiers as opposed to being a front row prop forward in the All Blacks and international cricketer (erm..). Famous for his stories of Rammitupem, and being the only player ever to field a Maori army in a UK DBM competition, Dave is a well known figure on the BHGS and international competition circuit

How did you get into wargaming ? (not "when" as that might scare a few potential Desert Island Wargamers away!!)

I started playing WW11 with Airfix models and figures in a mate�s chicken shed using his brothers home-made rules. We �graduated� to Charles Grant rules at a later date.

What was your first army, and where are they now ?

My 1^st �proper� metal army was Minifigs Late Poles for Gush Renaissance and Minifigs Hoplite Greek. Both were the �strip� figures and I still own them.

What's your favorite army and/or set of figures in your possession, and why?

My Feudal Spanish. Figures are Mirliton, Touller and Essex and painted by Matt Haywood . They are gorgeous, I love the history, El Cid etc. and they are a pretty good army under DBM 3.1

Mr Madigans favorite books are listed below. Lots of WW2 era history, and a real chunky Sci-Fi Classic to round out the set. The links go directly to the UK or US Amazon pages where you can find out more about each one.

	Amazon UK	Amazon US
*The Illiad by Homer .* Simply one of the greatest stories ever told. I must have read this 4 or 5 times while I was in school still wearing short trousers!!.
*Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian* To really understand the evolution of the Panzer Divisions and Blitzkrieg this book is a must. Surprisingly well written and easy to read for a �memoir� type book. Modern revisionists might argue that �Hurrying Heinz� has written his part in the war in a more rosy shade than others might�but still a good read
*Stalingrad/Berlin by Anthony Beevor* The definitive modern histories of these dramatic campaigns. I would say Stalingrad is perhaps better than Berlin , but both are brilliantly written and a gripping read. The bleak fate of the 6^th army and their stand to the point of extinction is accurately portrayed, while in Berlin the dread of the civilian population awaiting the retribution of the Red Army makes a harrowing read. I am lucky enough to have signed copies of both.
*The Lace Wars by Lilliane and Fred Funcken .* Incredibly hard to get, stunning books packed with uniform detail from the 7 Years War. .
The Art of War in Biblical Lands by Yigael Yadin Another scarce book packed with great archeological information on Biblical warfare. .
*Storm from the East by Robert Marshall .* The book of the BBC series. A good �potted� history of the Mongols and their conquests. Mainly focusing on Temujin's (aka Genghis Khan) life and on his successors. I also have the video taped at the time of the TV series. Worth finding out if it�s on DVD
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes . A harrowing account of WW1 and the effect it has on people long after the fighting ends. I challenge anyone not to be moved by this outstanding book
*The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk* A fascinating history of the chess-like maneuvers of the Great Powers in Central Asia . A real �Boy�s own� type adventure in parts with stirring tales of derring-do and heroism and tragedy. The effects of these machinations still affect our world today.
*Ringworld/ Mote in Gods Eye by Larry Niven and also with Jerry Pournelle .* The Ringworld stories are IMHO among the greatest modern SF stories. The Mote in Gods Eye is a brilliant study of what might happen when mankind meets an alien race for the 1^st time
Battle by Charles Grant and Wargames by Donald Featherstone Without these two books most of us would never have got involved in wargaming. I spent many hours writing my own WW2 rules based on Grants book and the ideas of Featherstone are still useful today

Can't find a book (or a price you want to pay!) on your local Amazon? Try searching Abe Books - worldwide

If you wish to submit a book list and answer the Big Three Questions please feel free to submit them to me to be considered for inclusion via this link Maroon Me Now Please Mr Madaxeman! and I will try and publish as many as I can (although I do have a real job to do as well, so it may take some time!).

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