The Battleground Hidden Within Chaowai SOHO

This great blue ball hurdling through the cosmos can hardly be regarded as a peaceful paradise as long as wars and skirmishes abound on its soil and in its seas. However, for most of us, watching a documentary about warfare may (fortunately) be the closest we ever get to tasting its cruelty, let alone shouldering the responsibility of commanding a troop and protecting their lives. And yet, for nearly as long as wars have been waged, people have sought to emulate the thrill of a battle and play at being the General – without spilling a drop of blood.

Even abstract games like chess, Chinese chess, and Go have a certain connection to the battlefield. But abstract strategy often doesn't cut it for those who crave immersion in battles propelled by dramatic, epic narratives – perhaps ones that take place beyond this humble planet with spaceships and mysterious creatures. If that, dear reader, is what you seek, then I'm here to serve as your guide into the world of wargames and to introduce one of the best offline venues in Beijing where you can recruit your troop, arm them in customized ways, and most importantly, best enemy commanders in battle.

Although the board gaming community in China is relatively small compared with, say, mobile phone gaming, there's still a plethora of meeple cafes in a metropolis like Beijing. On the other hand, you can count all of the city's war-game-specific stores on one hand. Luckily, even without much competition, Beijing Qiwan Miniature Wargame Club excels at catering to wargame enthusiasts, carrying a huge selection of minis, not to mention the vast gaming knowledge of the ever-so-kind store owner, Lulu.

But before we get there, let's backtrack a bit. In 1983, Games Workshop, a prominent UK-based board game manufacturer and distributor invented a game series called Warhammer, hoping to counter the threat of an emerging video game industry. Soon enough, this game won the hearts of millions of hardcore gamers around the world for its meticulous worldbuilding, diverse spawns of different clans, and the immersive experience that no video game could parallel at the time.

However, China was still in the very beginnings of its reform and opening-up. Most of the population had no chance to try or even hear about the birth of a new game genre and inspired many big video game franchises, such as Starcraft and Warcraft later in history. Lulu too was cut off from wargaming, but his passion for assembling models and figurines was flourishing. In 1999, one of his friends who was studying in the UK brought him a mini-figure and a rule book from the Warhammer series. No doubt, this sophisticated mini-figure had Lulu hooked immediately, and the longer he spent painting and studying the rules, his idea about games reached new heights.

During his first wargame gathering in the early 2000s, the group had only found a few players and struggled to fill a small private room in a restaurant. But all of them were excited to see fellow comrades in the city and people were willing to spend hours on the road just to find a place to have a match, traveling between different cafes, restaurants, and poker clubs to unfold their huge battleground and line up their soldiers. Needless to say, it was not the most convenient arrangement and often depended on developing a relationship with the shop owners. Inspired by their struggles, Lulu decided to open a wargame club of his own. 

Eleven years and several locations later, you will be able to find this legendary shop sitting quietly right on the fifth floor of Chaowai Soho. For me, it was purely by accident that I happened to discover this hidden treasure, as I was on my way back from Lotus Restaurant in the same building and took the escalator downstairs when I caught sight of a wall filled with mini-figures. Dragons, demons, aliens, orcs, goblins, fortresses, everything you have or haven’t dreamed of was there. Before I realized it, I was walking into the store and was welcomed by Lulu who was teaching a customer how to paint his minis. I only planned for a short 15-minute break but ended up spending almost three hours in the store and missed my gym session, however, I was still lucky enough to be able to experience a different category of gaming which, up until that point, I only knew by name.

Wargames like the Warhammer series may give the impression of being “elite geek” for many general gamers due to its required investment of both time and money, thick rule book, and heavy vernacular. Worry not, though, most of these won’t be a problem if you come to Lulu’s place. He regularly hosts beginner tryouts for people who have an interest in the game but aren't sure whether they want to invest in building a squad immediately. In this program, participants can borrow pre-made minis from Lulu and play them in much smaller scale warfare to practice the rules and find their preferred style of play. 

Moreover, even if slaying on the battlefield doesn’t sound attractive to you, wargames may still allure you with a different kind of charm, since designing and painting the figurines is a game in and of itself, leaving your opponent in awe of your great aesthetic taste. You can either follow the color guidance given by the Games Workshop on its package or throw it away and take some artistic liberties. Lulu is known for his great painting techniques among the community, and you can find some of his work on the glass shelves. Feel free to consult him for painting advice or take his painting lessons to learn a few skills. And if you don't have enough space to store all your collection at home, Lulu also offers an in-store storage service for the members, so that you can come and go burden-freely. Some other wargame lovers aren't in it for the brushes and paint, but to indulge in the ongoing Warhammer stories, content to relax on the sofa and slip into an otherworldly adventure that seems so real. I guess that’s why, even today, so many people still love wargames: since they are not just about fighting and are full of possibilities.

As for the price, indeed, each package will cost you a couple of hundred remnminbi at least, not to mention that figure multiplies if you want to build a fully functional troop. Fortunately, many pieces in Lulu’s place are about RMB 200 cheaper than the official price tagged on the Games Workshop website, and all pieces are guaranteed to be authentic. If you have any specific set in mind, you can also contact Lulu beforehand and pick it up later. You can also follow Lulu's bilibili Channel for the newest updates or watch his painting instruction videos.

The club can host around 20 players at the same time, both indoors and out in the corridor, but make sure you call before your visit on Saturday or Sunday, as it is always packed with enthusiastic gamers over the weekend! 

Beijing Qiwan Miniature Wargame Club 北京棋玩俱乐部
Tue-Fri, noon-8pm, Sat-Sun, 11am-10pm. No. 5119, 5th floor Bldg C, Chaowai SOHO, Chaoyang District
朝阳区 朝外SOHO C座5层5119

Read: Shuffle the Deck, Roll the Dice, Turn Boring Stuck-in-the-City CNY Into Fun Board Game Nights

Images: Zeus, Lulu