There was mayhem, carnage and bloodletting in Maine over the weekend. But don't be alarmed -- it was all confined to the function rooms at the Portland West Holiday Inn, and nobody was hurt. In fact, hundreds of people, most of them middle-aged men from across New England and beyond, had a great time.

Wargames enthusaists engage in fierce tabletop combat in Portland this weekend.

About 250 wargaming enthusiasts descended on Portland over the weekend to indulge their passion for tabletop combat. In an event billed as 'Huzzah!', papier mache replica battlefields are laid out in two big rooms, where thousands of toy soldiers line up against each other, some on horseback armed with swords, others accompanied by tanks and armored vehicles, depending on which historic battle is being fought.

Dean Emmerson, who organized the event, explains the rules for the Battle of Sabis, a game based on the clash in 57 B.C. between Ceasar's Roman Legions and hordes of Celtic tribesman in northwest Europe.

The games are all based on historical scenarios- from ancient Rome to World War II and beyond. All details are replicated faithfully, but in wargaming the outcome doesn't necessarily go the way it did in the history books -- it all depends on the roll of the dice.

"The object of the game is that we should have a good time playing toy soldiers, that's what it comes down to," says Howard Whitehouse, who originally designed the Battle of Sabis war game.

He traveled from his home near New York City to see it being played in Maine and to play it himself. "We can talk about military history and the tactics, etcetera, but when it comes down to it, we are playing with toy soldiers, and as a 52-year old man I am more than happy to admit that."

Whitehouse has been making wargames for nearly 40 years. Devising a good wargame, he says, requires good math skills to calculate the strengths and weaknesses of each side. In the case of the Battle of Sabis, the Celtic tribes' chance of success is much greater in the early stages of the battle.

"If one of these Celtic war bands slams into a Roman cohort, chances are if the Romans can withstand that first attack they'll be in good shape," Whitehouse says. "But the first onslaught of these wild men, who are likely half-naked, probably painted in wode, that's when these fellows are good."

Early in the game, the Celts have the odds in their favor and need only to roll a five or less. These odds lessen as the game goes on.

"If the Romans hold firm, then the important thing becomes their relative discipline," Whitehouse says. "And there the Romans have it because the Romans are much more disciplined, and they need to roll a five or less to pass, whereas the Celts, who are basically a rugby scrum, operate at a three or less."

"I like it because I've always been a military history buff and it gives me a chance to take part without getting hurt," says Earl Richardson from Massachusetts, who was playing the part of French soldiers fighting the British in a Napoleonic skirmish game set in 19th Century Spain.

Bill Jenkins from Bangor, meanwhile, is fighting in the World War II North African campaign, where his U.S. armored infantry unit has just been ambushed by Italian troops.

"I love the historical aspect of it, the equipment, the color, and it gives you a chance to re-create history and hopefully make less mistakes than they made -- not always, but sometimes," Jenkins says.

Tom Porter: "I'd better let you get back to war before you get ambushed again."

People do wargaming for a number of reasons, says Tony Reidy, who runs the Wargames Factory in Boston, which makes the one-inch high toy soldiers being used at the Huzzah convention.

Some gamers are modelling enthusiasts, some are history buffs, while others enjoy the social aspect the most. But all of them, he adds, find the visual aspect the most compelling.

Tony Reidy: "There are these figures on the table and this spectable in front of them, but they can also play and they can actually put themselves in the shoes of an ancient soldier or somebody from World War II and actually move things around and try to do it like they think it should have happened."

Tom Porter: "It's like leaping into a movie, or a book you're reading."
Tony Reidy: "It is, it is."

For more information on the Maine Historical Wargamers Association, click here.