It was the Claymore show in Edinburgh yesterday, one of two big shows in Scotland each year. It is held in the Edinburgh College, Granton campus, which offers two large halls and some side rooms. Good access with plenty of car parking and OK public transport links.
I was running a participation game for Glasgow and District Wargaming Society, so I only had time for a quick scout around the show and traders. I picked up some scenic items for Strength and Honour, but Warbases didn't bring their Antonine Miniatures range, so my credit card was saved for a few days at least. The other items on my shopping list were unavailable at different stalls, so my spending was minimal.
The participation game was, First to Land!, a Napoleonic harbour game loosely based on the Grado scenario in my, The Frontier Sea book. The book sold well on the day, which was great.
There was a significant increase in participation games at this year's show, which the organisers hope might be a trend. We have shifted to participation games in recent years with mixed success. Yesterday it worked well, with five games being played. It was a quick game, typically played in 30-40 minutes. We used Rebels and Patriots rules, which are quick to pick up even if you haven't played them before. There is only a little time to play games at a one-day show, and they tend to become a trade show. However, there were more folk hanging around till the afternoon, despite the start of the football season! So, hopefully, that was a consequence of more participation games. We were certainly playing until closing time.
For the record, the British won three games, the French two.
I only looked at the other games quickly, which is a shame because there were some good-looking, original tables. Here are a few that caught my eye.
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| Ancient galleys on the Nile. |
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| A big Pacific War game - Ngesbus. |
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| Loved this Game of Thrones castle. I must finish my Lannisters. |
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| A big naval game, the details of which I still need to remember. But looks good. |
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| Battle of Falkirk using the acrylic stands. |
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| Barry Hilton's Dutch attack on the Medway game was beautifully modelled. |
As usual, a big thanks to the Edinburgh club for organising the event.
Lots of eye candy to enjoy! And it sounds like a successful day for you.
ReplyDeleteChris/Nundanket
Great looking game. The downside of taking a game to a show is that you don't get to play any of the other cool games that are on
ReplyDeleteI was running he Test of Resolve Wars of the Roses game.
DeleteSadly, this is true. but I got to most of the big English shows this year as a visitor, so can't really complain.
DeleteI primarily use wargames shows to collect pre-ordered items from traders or to physically check items (to make sure) before placing an order. Browsing various traders is always good - and a “bring & buy” will certainly attract my attention. Taking part in a participation game is nice, but generally needs a fair commitment of time. I do wander round the display games - even if that particular war/campaign/battle doesn’t currently interest me there’s always the possibility I can adapt something (terrain, rules mechanisms etc) for my own use.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Geoff
You are in fairness pretty typical. There were some small signs yesterday that folk were committing to the whole day, in which case there is time for a short game or two.
DeleteNice selection of photos, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWillz.