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Bill Sierich’s toy soldiers

For those unfamiliar with War Games, other than perhaps the 1983 Matthew Broderick thriller, the dice game is a little like Risk or chess, only taken to the next level.

Bill Sierichs, copy editor at The Advocate, didn’t know much about it either until he wrote a story about some avid players. “The next thing I knew, I was collecting and painting my own,” he says.

That was 20 years ago, and now Sierichs has 13 miniature armies he hand-painted with historically accurate detail. The soldier’s shields, regalia and weaponry match those depicted on ancient paintings and pottery. Several large tackle boxes house his collection of more than 3,000 individual soldiers.

Sierichs casually competes against friends at home and in larger tournaments in Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta and in Baton Rouge at Little Wars on Jefferson Highway. His intricate forces from the Bronze Age have won “Best Painted Army” twice. “Most players are either history buffs or just really into games,” Sierichs says. “I’m both. I didn’t paint at all before I started this. But I found I had a knack for it.”