The title if this post 'does exactly what it says on the tin' - this Saturday I visited Salute 2024, at the Excel centre in London. Arriving at about 10:30am (I like to miss the enormous queue!) this is the prospect one was faced with:
I know I've been before, but cor blimey it's big.. just a huge barn of a hall, with low-ish lighting and quite a high noise level simply from the conversation of several thousand(?) people. The funny thing is that being such a large space, it's quite hard to make out what's going on at first - you can't really take in the 'layout' of the room. But of course, there are umpteen games and traders in there, and you just have to plunge in - having checked the program and noted where some of the most interesting ones are located, so as not to miss them ( I still missed some!). I pretty much started at the entrance and worked my way along the lines of games and traders, gradually moving towards the back of the hall - and I have to admit, I didn't really reach there until late afternoon! But that was partly due to some nice social diversions, so I can't complain. Of course I tried to take some pictures of games that interested me, and I present them here, more or less in the order I saw them. I have to give one caveat - I don't really 'do' Fantasy or Sci-Fi, so I'm afraid you won't see much of that here. Given that these days, probably more than half the show is devoted to such things, I may be accused of missing the point, and I accept that - but then again, I would have needed TWO days to see all of them as well! So here we go:
First up, the Continental Wars Society ( 19th Century Europe ) - always an interesting game. This time Gross Sachsen, 1849, revolutionary Baden vs. reactionary Prussians etc.
A specialtiy of the CWS seems to be to use very brief rules for their show games - good idea! This year's rules fit on one page, as follows:
I had joined the Society a couple of years ago but 'lapsed' - forgot to renew - so I'm glad to say I signed up again on the spot. The magazine The Foreign Correspondent is excellent, and membership is only £10 per year ( even cheaper for a pdf-only subscription ) - recommended.
Simon Big Red Bat Cave Miller can be trusted to put on a big game (and emphasise participation), this year was no exception with his splendid Relief of Norchester fictional ECW game with his For King and Parliament rules - I particularly liked the siege works and city walls.
view from the besieged walls |
and the Parliamentary siege batteries |
beleagured 'Norchester' |
and masses of lovely figures, of course |
In the same period, a demo game (by CCC games) of the new Renatio et Glorium ruleset had rather nice big blocks of troops, which I liked. Friendly guys too, though I am waiting for the reviews before thinking of yet another set of rules(!).
Renatio et Glorium demo |
Best club banner motto goes to Hailsham Wargames Club 'where we all throw low!' , and always good to see appropriate headgear for their WW1 game ( Scouts Out rules )..
Also well-dressed dressed, some players, and the table, of this 6mm ACW game - though I'm afraid I don't remember who they were :
Most spectacular large game by far, Masterstroke Games Force of Virtue, 'a skirmish wargame set in Renaissance Italy' - in the biggest model walled town you'll ever see! This is a reconstruction of the Italian town of Gradara. Amazing stuff.
Also pretty big, the one piece of sci-fi I photographed was from the Titan Owners Club - Full Scale Warhammer Adeptus Titanicus Showcase, it says here... I am none the wiser, but they looked quite something en masse..
Now we step back 40 or more years, as the Warlords' 'Salute Hall of Fame' display this year paid tribute to Gavin Lyall's classic Operation Warboard : they actually showed three games side-by-side, featuring different levels of modelling/painting/terrain, reflecting the different ways these rules were likely to have been played - starting with the young kids with unpainted plastics, i.e me, back in the day ( though with Charles Grant or Terry Wise rules! ) - remember those one-piece Airfix trucks, 25-pdrs and tanks? And progressing ( further from camera ) to 'student' and 'adult' levels, quite a nice idea.
Another contestant for simply the biggest game of the day - 'Yarkshire Gamer' Ken Reilly's Jutland. Just a huge table, and loads of ship models, which looked rather lovely up close.
Back on land, the Milton Hundred club ( hosts of the excellent 'Broadside' show in June ) and Sheppey Models put on WW2 Company Commander, which is apparently 'a tabletop wargaming app using augmented reality' from Victrix - is this the future of wargaming? I didn't get to discuss that, and I am still attached to rolling dice, however poor the results, but it was a nice looking table anyway :
'Peter's Paper Boys' brought us The American Civil War in Paper - using Peter Dennis' paperboys figures and scenery, I think in 15/18mm scale. I really liked the look of this, and it occurred that even if the troops are a bit fiddly to cut out and glue in large numbers, the trees were rather nice and could provide a heavily-forested tabletop for very little effort and only the expense of a few sheets of photocopying..
Caseshot Publishing's Assault on Fort Mulgrave, Toulon 1793 (using Black Powder rules) showed how nice a table can be made with hex terrain, and took us to the perhaps lesser-known end of the Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars period ( perhaps inspired by a certain recent Hollywood Blockbuster, but hopefully omtting the film's historical travesties! )
Cornwall Wargames Association had travelled a long way to bring us another splendid 'big game', this one being Gallants of Fowey: the French take revenge on on the Cornish pirates, 1457, using Never Mind the Boathooks rules. I loved this one, because every year when I was a kid ( 1970s, not 1450s ) we went to Fowey for our holidays - I know that the French did indeed ravage the town, being fought off by Lady Elizabeth Treffry of the manor of Place. The game expanded on that a bit, adding an English royal fleet coming to the aid of the Fowey Gallants. A really nice-looking game, and the terrain layout looked to replicate Fowey harbour and waterfront pretty well!From a little nearer, the ever- reliable Loughton Strike Force gave us Saigon 68, a 28mm Vietnam skirmish game, with typically high-quality modelling
Equally reliable for high-quality scenery are of course TooFat Lardies - they put on a great-looking large participation game with their What a Tanker rules.
All that loose rubble scattered around made me wonder how they pack up at the end of the day, do they hoover it all up with a dustbuster?(!)
My one real regret game-wise, was that I was too slow to reach the back of the hall where 1/72 Wargames (aka John Kersey) were putting on their Boer War participation game of The Defence of Duffer's Drift. I think this is such a great idea - it's based on the book of the same title by Captain E.D. Swinton, which was written as a sort of instruction manual for young British officers at the time, as the author realised how outdated their training had been. If you don't know the book, then I absolutely implore you to seek out a copy and read it - it's just brilliant! I'm afraid I was too late to take part in the game, and could only take a picture that probably doesn't do it justice - 20mm Jacklex figures feature heavily. The game has also featured in a recent article by John Kersey in Miniature Wargames magazine March 2024 issue ( no. 491 ) - well worth finding that, if you are interested.
Finally a couple of great games I have seen and shown before : first Maidstone Wargames Society's The Summer of 77 Battle of Britain game
and of course who could forget the excellent Hold Until Relieved D-Day game using Rapid Fire by Retired Wargamers Reloaded - always a pleasure to see.
That's about all for the games I saw - but I freely admit, looking at the program I must have missed loads of other games! I was a bit slow getting round, but for good reasons - I had a couple of good social catch-ups, with old friend Tony of the aforementioned Retired Wargames Reloaded, and Chris aka Nundanket of Horse and Musket Gaming blog. Chris and I also stopped in at the Bloggers' meet-up organised by Ray, Lee and 'Postie'of the Postie's Rejects group - nice to meet some other bloggers, we chatted to the proprietor of Travels with Khusru, Steve of General Reeve, Tamsin Wargaming Girl. - and Ken Yarkshire Gamer (on a brief break from that monster Jutland game) - nice to meet you all! Sadly I didn't realise that also present was a 'follower' of this blog, Carl Packham of Hitting on a Double One - so sorry not to say hello, Carl. Carl has also posted about the show, with a better balance of Sci-Fi vs historical than me!
Finally a little light shopping was done, of course - most notably, and in keeping with subscribing to the Continental Wars Society, I picked up a lovely book on Armies of the Italian Risorgimento, by Gabriele Esposito, at a good price from Paul Meekins books. It's a long-term potential future project.. in 6mm scale, if at all!
another new period? Well, maybe.. |
And that's about it. I left about 5pm as the show was closing - 'tired but happy' as they say. A good day, if rather exhausting, and great to see all those games and traders, and especially to catch up with friends old and new! Many thanks to all involved in organising and putting on games and tradestands etc. Finally, of course there are going to be loads of other reports of the show, which will have many more and better pictures than I have here - you should certainly see Big Lee's report on his Miniature Adventures blog/youtube (the video version runs 20 minutes and I'm sure he will have captured prety much every game! ) , and Ray's equally massive report on his Don't Throw a One blog - both excellent as ever.
Back to more normal hobby activites next time, after I've rested my aching feet - until then keep well, everyone.
I admire your stamina David! I managed from 11:30-15:00. And that included a break for lunch and coffee with yourself.
ReplyDeleteThat probably accounts for me missing the Jutland and Warlords Hall of Fame games. I’d have had a nostalgia rush at seeing those one-piece Airfix vehicles.
Good to see you and thanks for the books!
Chris
Thanks Chris, great to see you and chat; probably no-one would have seen all the games, I missed loads! Yes, those Airfix models were very nostalgic. Hope you enjoy the books, my pleasure to pass them on.
DeletePS I like those CWS rules. Oldest of old school but also the essence of the Twilight rules (dice for effect on unit morale not hits).
DeleteChris
I think the 'one-page rules' are a great idea, and they match well with the slightly 'toy soldier' look of the period. They did another slightly different set a couple of years ago, I think I included that in my 'Salute' post too.
DeleteGreat post David, you lasted longer than the Rejects, we left just before you, my knees and back are killing me though!
ReplyDeleteIt seems I missed one of the games you posted the ACW Paper figures, I bet I missed more! Great to meet up even though it was only a brief chat.
Thanks Ray, well I may have left before you but I wasn't there at 8am like you guys.. Great to meet and chat, too, thanks for suggesting the meet-up.
DeleteI thought I had covered all the rows of games and therefore every game - but I still seem to have missed quite a few!
David, looks like a very good day out for you! Great to see you touching base with some of the fellas at our game table. I like Esposito’s book. Reminds me that I have not had the Franco-Austrian War collections out for battle in a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon, it was a good day out indeed. Interesting how blogging has allowed me to meet other gamers, first on-line and then 'IRL' - an unexpected benefit! That also gives an extra - and weclome - dimension to visiting shows.
DeleteLooks like I have 'nudged' you about Franco-Austrian War! 300+ years on from Fornovo, essentially the same struggle playing out? I think the book will be quite inspiring.
Thanks for the enjoyable dérive through Salute. I was most taken the CWS game and rules you posted. I too have lapsed and need to rejoin. Always something interesting from them. The three games side by side of Warboard was a splendid idea. All in all an enjoyable read over coffee this morning.
ReplyDeleteThaks 'Anon' ( I am guessing Alan ?). I do like your use of 'derive', quite appropriate to the day! I am glad to have got back to the CWS, I simply forgot to renew, oops. Their 'one page rules' are a great idea, and they always have a plate of biscuits ( often Garibaldi or Bourbon, of course!) by the table, though I never presume to take one! Operation Warboard was indeed a really good idea, and there was an article in the show program describing it. I have never played those rules, but I may look out for the book now..
DeleteThanks for sharing your photos David - The Duffer's Drift game looks very interesting, and I really like the Gavin Lyall tribute.
ReplyDeleteThanks MJT, glad you liked the post. I kicked myself for not going to see Duffers Drift as a priority, I would have liked to try my luck in the game, and John K seems a thoroughly nice chap. The Gavin Lyall table was nice, and players of all ages were getting involved, so it still has something going for it!
DeleteHave not been to Salute since Olympia; I regularly went to the Kensington venue (absolutely heaving!) and even managed Olympia after moving to Nottingham.
ReplyDeleteBig sheds do nothing for me; just the noise levels are enough!
The BRB FK&P looked interesting as did the Operation Warboard games; it was probably my introduction to "proper" wargames. I even made the small arms / MG template!
I'm glad you enjoyed the show; I'm sure my inner curmudgeon wouldn't have let me!
I do think it's interesting that it's the unusual and nostalgic games which compete with the "showcase" tables; that Italian castle looked fantastic but aside from storage problems how many times would you want to play with it? Without distracting from the skill and effort that went into making it, even the most fanatical player interested in Guelphs and Ghibelines can only play so many games can't they?
I think with so many of us "reaching a certain age", not only do we crave "simpler" rules, we also harken back to simpler times and also those things we wanted but couldn't afford back then.....or something completely different for jaded pallettes!
Neil
Thanks Neil, I too remember going to Olympia at least once, and Kensington - yes always v. crowded! The 'big shed' at Salute is rather a hostile environment, and the noise level is quite a big factor - I came away with a slightly sore throat from having to speak more loudly. I thought the Partizan venue was more comfortable all round, I will admit. My 'inner curmudgeon' somewhat resists the shift to Fantasy/SciFi, but have to accept that this is the way the demographic is shifting, and I respect the Warloards for moving with the times.
DeleteSimon Miller always puts on an impressive game and is a great host, very good at talking to 'punters' - I bought a copy of FK&P the other year but have not got round to playing it, as so often happens! Good to see Operation Warboard - and they did have some of the templates on the table, made of perspex I suspect. I remember making Charles Grant's 'MG cones' from the plastic on Airfix kit blister packs!
I essentially agree about the big showcase games, but I quite like to see them - maybe the Italian town model is really destined for the town museum?
Indeed, both simpler times and the things we couldn't afford - sums it up well!
Thanks for sharing your excellent photos David.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard, glad you enjoyed them.
DeleteHi david, thanks for sharing your day. mention of the Gavin Lyall's Operation Warboard grabbed my immediate attention, such an important volume / milestone for many of us.
ReplyDeleteI go to smaller shows and miss things, so I imagine Salute to be almost over-whelming in terms of goodness.
Thanks Norm, glad you liked this. I didn't have Operation Warboard, having found Charles Grant 'Battle' first, but Gavin Lyall's book obviously got a lot of people started, and it was nice to see it celebrated, and in an imaginitive way too.
DeleteSalute is certainly 'overwhelming'! I do think it is shifting away from 'historicals' and towards Fantasy/SciFi - I'm afraid that leaves me feeling a bit of a dinosaur as the latter never really grabbed me, and I tend to walk straight past a lot of the games (perhaps a mistake?) as a result, but I quite understand that this is how the hobby/hobbies are moving, and respect the Warlords for moving with the times. The crowd of visitors is much more diverse at Salute than at say, Partizan, it has to be said.
A nice mix of games there David, with some of more interest to me than others. Frankly the huge games leave me cold, as whilst spectacular to look at, nothing ever seems to happen games wise! I need to check out the CWS as it my sort of period and had simply forgot that they exist. Esposito's book is excellent and, although a bit of a dry read, has plenty of great units and inspiration contained therein:).
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, it is indeed a huge mix of games, and as I've said elsewhere I have not even included the Fantasy and Sci-Fi side of things, which is probably now the majority. I do take your point about the big spectaculars - though Simon Miller's games are certainly about participation and he makes sure eveyone is involved, and the Lardies 'What A Tanker' was absolutely a participation game too, just on amazing scenery, so some are getting it right at least.
DeleteContinental Wars Society are pretty good, I think - the magazine is quite nicely produced and £10 for 4 issues is pretty good value ( even cheaper for PDF only ). I'm sure they deserve your support! Glad to hear your positive view on that book, indeed the appeal is all the interesting-looking units and inspiring illustations of them. Can I really afford to try another period? Hmmm...!
Hi! David. It was nice to meet you in person after reading your blog for some years.
ReplyDeleteThe games on display were something this year. And so many traders doing good business.
I think my next wargames show is Campaign, in my home city (as it now is). Not many games, other than tournament games) and a few traders, but I'll be there both days to support them. And do some selling and buying no doubt.
Thanks Khusru, it was nice to meet you too, glad you have been enjoying this blog! I had a look at yours too, good stuff, I will keep reading. I've not been to 'Campaign' but I have chatted to Graham Evans ( 'Trebian' ) of Northants Battlefields Society, and seen his reports on that show - it's interesting that they run it in the middle of the shopping centre! Good for you supporting them.
DeleteNice report. Some great looking games all around. 😀
ReplyDeleteThanks Stew, indeed some great games. Sorry I missed the sci-fi and fantasy which you might have liked too. Have decided that next time I should at least take a look at some of them - keep up with what the young people are doing etc !
Delete