I was at the Battleground wargames show in Middlesborough yesterday, thankfully mostly dodging Storm Burt. It was held in a new venue, Middlesborough Sports Village, a significantly larger sports hall with good parking and easy to find. The catering struggled with the numbers; otherwise, it is a good venue. There was plenty of room, possibly aided by the weather, which perhaps put some folk off travelling. Entry is also free. And the cupcake stall was superb!
There was enough room for 33 traders, 25 games and five living history groups. Battleground is one of my favourite shows because it adds reenactors and three historical talks to the usual wargames show. I picked up some more sci-fi infantry for Xenos Rampant at an excellent price, bits of scenery and a German memoir of the Gallipoli campaign that I hadn't seen before.
It was nice to be at a show that I wasn't running a game at, which meant I had time to chat with the traders and players. With one eye on the weather, I left a little earlier than planned, but there was plenty to keep anyone engaged for the day.
There were some very good games, several of which I hadn't seen before. Here are a few examples.
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| Andy Callan was running his new Matchlocks game with Covenanters. |
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| A Cold War game in 15mm, with the largest Soviet helicopter I have seen on a tabletop. |
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| Black Seas. I do like the mat. |
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| French Indian wars |
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| A Vietnam skirmish game based on Hue. |
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| This 10mm Malplaquet game attracted much attention on my BlueSky feed. The LED cannon fire was a nice touch. |
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| Rorke's Drift in 28mm. |
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| The Schlieffen Plan 1914 on a big scale. |
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| Blitzkrieg 1940. |
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| The East India Company - Living history. |
A good day out and well worth the journey. Thanks to Pendraken for organising.
Thanks for sharing your trip, very much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSadly a bit far for me to travel but maybe next year.
Willz.
Given the weather I suspect is was too far even for relatively local folk!
DeleteWe put on a Test of Resolve trade stand and ran participation games for both our Wars of the Roses and 100 Years War rules. The weather was rough in the morning and a few tables were empty but enough people turned out to make it a really good day
ReplyDeleteI agree. I saw your stall. Hope you generated some interest.
DeleteTo be honest we did better than expected, particularly given the lower numbers
DeleteIt sounds like a good time was had by all - despite the weather.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Geoff