Salute 2019

Painting glorious'ness - not my cup of tea,
but 'recognise skill when you see it' is my
watchword..

Wow....  just, "wow!"

Day after Salute, and my knees know it, the feet still ache, but what a fantastic and amazing show...  the inherent contradiction however, is that I'm not not sure I could do it every year, though! 

So...  thoughts, comments, purchases, and the inevitable countdown of favourite games bit before I do Farcebook, and the bloggerati have posted in detail elsewhere, and the pictures there are also stunning and recommended ..  always good to get other peoples views...

For the first time this year, DG and I attended by train and despite getting comprehensively lost on the DLR on the way too the Excl (which isn't difficult as despite the shortness of the line there are a surprising number of routes and stations in it -  I can however advise the walk to Tower Gateway station is stupendous - where else could you walk to a station with the Tower to your left?) on the way back we demonstrated that you can teach an old dog new tricks and got on the right one... 

The general view was that this was a far better way to attend the show than by car despite being slightly more expensive.. if (when) we attend again we'll definitely repeat ..  decent beer at Victoria Wetherspoons, and the ability to relax and read a book, beats all the possible convenience of car travel..

Mad, just gloriously mad...

Arrived about half eleven/twelve, and of course no queues (why do people arrive so early???  it's not like the show is going to close early or go anywhere else!) picked up the goody bag - which was absolutely stuffed this year by the by, free D6 dice, free figure, free kickstarter figure of some warlock (grandson will get that) and a dice based game that had a good selection of dice in it that will definitely get "re-purposed" and in to the show...

First thoughts, still as huge as it ever was...  second thought, "yee gods it's warm", third and final thought, "they haven't improved the lighting any I see"..

General thoughts and comments..

• don't let anyone tell you that this isn't primarily a fantasy based show..   the sheer number of bijou traders selling esoteric and different versions of wizards/elfs/ogres/zombies/dwarfs/demons and everything else in between continues to grow..  as I've noticed previously, their marketing is absolutely top of the range, but I've never heard of them, and you wonder how long they can maintain a presence as it does seem to me that the ranges they sell are specifically geared to a game system, and the game systems do seem to come and go with alarming speed
• on the historical side I specifically noted that the Perry's were there, Essex (in a part of the hall so dark I resorted to phone torch to have a look at the figures), Old Glory (Andy was counting purple notes, always a good sign ), Donnington (I liked their TYW range and may look to bolster numbers n the ECW project with them..), Emperess, Baccus, Pendraken and a number of others so the fantasy crowd didn't get it all their own way..  apologies for any I missed or more likely forgot..
• small games were a heavy feature, Osprey skirmish type games, figures individually based and about 50-100 of them a side..
• Warlord were featuring the next game system to follow 'Cruel Seas' which I got mildly excited about enough to take pictures..   I really like the movement markers they use, and will steal the idea for my ACW ironclads but I would make them in clear plastic to make them less obvious...  the models were stunning..

• there seemed to be a lot of open space on the cafe side of the hall? Given the costs of hiring a stand, versus the fact they have already hired the hall it would seem there might have been an opportunity to give the traders a little more free space?? Most of the stands were two and three deep, and given the light, and the fact I need to wear reading glasses it was enough to out me off...  on the plus side seating has been massively improved...

....and that's enough blathering for now...  purchases? I had a good spending day for once...  first stop was Pendraken where Leon has been doing seriously gentlemanly like things over the lash up that was Blitzkrieg Cammander v3, he offered to replace any copies of v3 with a free copy of v4 - I am most impressed with this, told him so, and took delivery of my new book - well done Leon/Pendraken! Next stop was Art of War [clicky] for a tshirt..  I first learned about these from Big Lee Hadley [clicky], and have been buying them ever since...   this is my fourth I think and as I'm off to Greece for holidays this year, this was a must have! Thoroughly recommend these tshirts by the way, good quality, stupid cheap, and a thoroughly nice bloke running the company..

....next was Peter Pig, for the artillery for the ECW project..   four culverins (the medium field piece as we now know ) and two packets of artillery crew will do for this initial stage of the project* - if I need limbers, and I'm not sure I will, I will use those from the Marlburian project as they are sufficiently generic to be re-used.....  and last of all back to Pendraken to complete a paint order, it's nice to be in a position were I have to buy it! Five pots bought - one is an orange as I foresee more Parliamentary sashes,  I also got a splendid purple (looking forward to using that), two more flavours of blue, and  more realistic buff colour..  shopping done it was on the the games...

* I am following the 4-2-2 idea (as in units of infantry-cavalry-guns) that I read about elsewhere on the web, and struck me as eminently sensible, to get me to critical mass on this project - the idea being that this is the minimum required to fight your first decent game. After that the project can be allowed to grow over time..  but the first push is two sides of 4-2-2..  the guns will complete the artillery requirement for the first phase of the project

In reverse order....

Lego Flash Gordon - what is NOT to like!!

Utterly mad..  but the kids absolutely loved it...   and it's here in honour of my grandson!

Next - the Warlords game - lovely, and it would have featured higher but for two things..

..I wasn't keen on the bases/sabot's..  and the strap line for the game was "what would have happened if pilum met pike" like it never happened, but as we know it did happen - at Cynoscephalae - but I'll give them the benefit as those are clearly Imperial Romans rather than Republican..  (oh Lord I'm turning into a geek...  )

Next - Too Fat Lardies "Fall of Singapore" game using "Chain of Command" rules.. I arrived just as the game was ending (Japanese repeated history) but what a lovely table.. the palm trees were the best I've seen..

...and Japanese tanks.. lovely..

Next - "To The Strongest" Rome and Ancient Britons game..  lovely, and going full pelt - there must have been getting on for 12 to 15 people playing it..  had to pick my moments for pictures..

...this would also have scored higher, but I'm not keen on the playing cards..?

Last but one...  the Battle of Lutzen put on by "The Friends of General Haig" using Pike and Shotte rules..

Fantastic, and still came in second despite the extraneous clutter on the table - and they didn't offer me a chocolate finger biscuit for the vote...   I'll forgive them them the clutter given the game was clearly being played...  

...and in top spot - a clear winner - knew it the moment I saw it, before even seeing the other games...  I'm a sucker for a black powder period game but when it is as good as this...   Williamite Wars in Ireland, this is a representation of the Battle of Aughrim put on by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames Club, and is in a word..  exquisite...

...this one is my favourite shot...  superb...

....there you go...  lastly, by way of a last tasty morsel...   not my cup of tea, and not a game, but the modelling and spectacle can't be denied..

....onwards and upwards...  looking forward to a further Salute, but maybe in a few years time!