The Obligatory Salute Post (Part One, the write-up)

That was it, Salute is over for another year. Big show –as usual, well organised-as usual (bit too much SciFi and Fantasy for my liking but that’s just me being an old f*rt), some great games on show –as usual; so it really was simply business as usual so any and all credit to the Warlords.

The down side is that because of some sort of whatever going on at London Bridge station or its railway connections, my train didn’t bl**dy well stop there and went blithely on to Victoria. Consequently, coupled with some inconsiderate idiot ‘trespassing’ on the Underground, meant that my journey of a meagre 30 odd miles took me over 2 ½ so**ing hours. (The way back was almost as problematical –left the show at 1515 and got off the train at 1725.) Luckily, I pass a Weatherspoons on the way home so I met Ma Subs and we drowned our collective sorrows.

Anyhoo, back to the show. An absolute sh*tload of games on show but only a few that really caught my eye. Per Broden’s GNW river crossing was one –that bloke has really put the GNW and 6mm on the wargaming map. It was so good it won the Best Small Scale Game Award. Another was Mark Backhouse’s magnificently visual 2mm Romans v Greeks; the micro-chaps were brightly and beautifully painted while bobble-mat woods and forests are most definitely this year’s 2mm fashion accessory. The city, field systems and all the other little terrain pieces emphasised –to me at least- how persuasive the lure of 2mm can be. As far as I am aware, all or nearly all were from the Antonine range. So tempted was I that I proceeded hotfoot to Warbases to see the naked little blocks. Unfortunately, they hadn’t actually brought any to the show which I thought was a bit of a shame but there it was. Nothing could be done so I will have to peruse them from a distance.  

Moving on, Simon Miller put on a very nice looking 25mm Lace Wars game using his own rules. Thumbing through the display copy I was tempted to use them for my 2mm ECW but eventually decided against it.  

A large 10mm modern desert game –think it might have been the Iran-Iraq War caught my eye as it was very nicely laid out. A town, some fields of various crops, a flyover and lots of desert made it a nicely balanced game. Plus a number of electricity pylons and the odd Hind helicopter added a bit of height to the game.

Nice also to see my mate Bernard Ganley back on the scene after his illness and playtesting the Realtime Wargamers latest offering, a Dark Ages campaign and game ruleset. Shall be looking out for them, hopefully at Broadside later in the year.  

Two large WWII games, one 25mm and the other 10(?)mm, both fighting in and around a ruined cityscape. Visually great, masses of rubble and other impedimenta lying around all added to the look.

If you like your periods obscure, check out the Continental Wars Society. Anyone heard of the Battle of Gurguljat from the Servo-Bulgarian War of 1885? Anyone? Nope, me neither. But it was a nicely put on game with some helpful chaps explaining all about it.

Oh, and I mustn’t forget the large D-Day beachhead landing participation game. Looking both spectacular and busy…but what happened to the pics, I haven’t got a Scooby. I remember taking them but unfortunately, they have gorn orf into the ether.

But that was about it really as far as games went.

And now, the haul. Went in looking for some books on the ECW, had a list and everything and managed to get nearly all of them -3 hardbacks and a couple of the painstakingly researched Partizan Press pamphlets; some large mdf bases for 2mm towns, some 2-dice holding frames and bases to go with them. A few new brushes and a number of 6mm ACW buildings simply because I can’t be ar*ed to make any. So, in true Disney fashion…That’s all folks!

Will post the pics tomorrow. In Part Two.