I stumbled across this curious game whilst searching the web for new cheap sources of Pound Store Plastic Warriors for conversion into gaming pieces.
Usually nicknamed Assume Positions!, readers of Harry Pearson’s 2007 gaming memoir Achtung Schweinhund! will know this game as Airfix Charades, played at some gaming conventions (probably without so much of the drinking involved).
Now for some words and phrases in screenshots that do not normally appear on this blog …
So roughly the ‘game’ works like this:
The Stag or hen drinking party leaders, (bride, groom, best man etc.) give out a random toy soldier figure (from a cheap online or Pound Store source) to each person. When someone shouts Assume Positions or blows a whistle, everyone assumes and holds their figure pose. This is potentially a non-drinking game within a drunken night out. However presumably some play with the last one in assumed position pays a penalty or receives a forfeit (probably alcohol).
Warning: Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog endorses responsible drinking.
I mention this having encountered stag and hen parties (even by day) in various towns.
The game vaguely works because of the standardised types of ‘Toy Story’ familiar Green Army Men, the many cheap plastic clones of these Airfix and American old figures and their outlandish and often useless poses. This range of weird poses was a theme explored more by Thor Sheil on his toy soldier site.
http://thortrains.blogspot.com/2015/03/stanbdard-toy-soldier-poses-dead-guy.html
What a quick web search on the Assume Positions topic does provide is a quick cross section or photo reconnaissance flight across the many types of cheap plastic pirated Pound Store figures around over the last few years.
Some stag do sites or quirky eBay suppliers even do business supplying small packets of varied poses.
It could also be a new scenario for the next Toy Story, how these tiny toy soldiers might end up abandoned in various unlikely urban venues. Maybe this is the new modern urban version of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
The ułtimate Assume Positions is to buy the fancy dress Green Army Men Toy Soldier costumes with their inflatable toy guns. You could look like this …
However during a heightened terror threat recently, Cheshire Police had to respond to reports of armed men in a city centre and confiscate their plastic guns.
As the writer on the Bless You Emporium EBay website points out, this is potentially a non-drinking game.
I end with more from the first image on this blog post, the colourful assembled toy soldier variety gift sets on EBay from the grandly named BlessYou Gift Emporium. I took a screenshot of their game and figure descriptions for reference as I found it a quirky outsider view of toy soldiers.
So there you are, a New Year’s Eve round up of plastic toy soldier photos. Who doesn’t like looking at these?
Time to head off and make up this year’s New Gaming Year Irresolutions for my hobby year ahead that as usual I have little intention of keeping.
Happy New Year’s Eve from Mark at the Man of Tin blog and Pound Store Plastic Warriors, 31 December 2018.
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 