A Grand Day Out

Finally. I went to the first War Games Show since I retired in 2019.  Legionary, run by Exmouth Imperials club. It was held in the livestock centre in Exeter.

|A small show with about a dozen or so games, and about the same number of traders. 

There were a couple of Wars of the Roses fights, Blore Heath and I think Hexham.  The first to some home made rules that had been massaged to take account of the peculiar circumstances of the battle, and the other to Never MInd the Billhooks.  Both look to have been good games and were moving at a fine pace with obvious enjoymnet by the participants.  Noth Devon had put on a Napoleonic Naval game at fleet scale. They were using the TooFatLardies Kiss Me Hardy! rules. The models were from Warlord Black Seas series, but mounted on clear plastic bases. The painting was super.  At the other end of the scale was a group who had set up a game of Epic Waterloo.  The figures were unpainted and the scenery was basic to say the least. But that was the point of the game.  To show that you can have a great game and huge enjoyment without all of the painting and preparation many of us go in for. It was certainly engaging the familes who had come to the show, and reminded me of the games with unpainted Airfix figures that were so much part of my growing up. 

Anyway - a few pictures;

 I rather liked the two small participation skirmish games. Small tables and the scenery were card buildings. Simple and effective. 

A lot of work had gone into the WW1 Game which depicted 2 French Battalions attacking a German trench. 2 Battalions versus 1.  The game's creator was most enthusiastic and was thinking to publish the rules.  His scale was 1 figure to 3 men, and Battalion or Brigade level games.  I could not help but think that such games would be quite stale after a few games.  WW1 is one of those genres where less is more in terms of decision making. At platoon or company level, or at the highest level where one is effectively dealing with logistical matters and artillery.

I did like the 1940 game with the crashed Dornier.  The Walmington on Sea platoon was very much in evidence.

G