Behind the scenes

What an interesting weekend. Tiring but fun, as I experienced what it's like to be behind the scenes of a wargaming show.  

Carronade 2016

In two weeks time I'll be at another gaming show but this time I'll be on the other side of the counter as its my own gaming club hosting. Its time for Carronade '16!

This is the annual show organised by Falkirk District Wargames Club, a regular fixture on the wargaming calendar. The doors open at 10am on Saturday 7th May at Graeme High School in Falkirk, Scotland.

Salute 2016

What a fantastic weekend of gaming nirvana at Salute 2016! My first visit and wow, it was a huge show. Packed with traders, diverse demo and participation games, wonderful miniatures, models and scenic displays, enthusiastic and friendly gamers - all accompanied by the backdrop buzz of enthusiasm and excitement. 

Prestonpans Wargames show - a wargaming soirée

On Saturday, I headed east for a new wargaming show from the Scottish Battlefields Trust. 

Not only was it based in the historic small East Lothian coastal town of Prestonpans, it was held in the most convivial surroundings of the Prestoungrange Gothenburg, or 'Goth' - a Grade II listed building with over 100 years of history. 

And most importantly, it is a bar, bistro and a micro-brewery!

Targe 2015

I had a nice wee trip today to the lovely town of Kirriemuir for Targe 2015. It's the fourth wargames show I've attended this year and the first time at this event hosted by Kirriemuir Wargames Club. And the best bit was that I got a lift with Sam Pate and his lad, meaning I could ride shotgun and admire the beautiful, snow-covered hills and glens as we headed north.

Claymore 2015, a rusty robot and Deadwood Weekend

On Saturday just gone I made my annual pilgrimage to Claymore 2015 in Edinburgh. As ever, a well organised and attended wargames show organised by South East Scotland Wargames Club. 

With plenty of free parking at the venue - Granton Campus, Edinburgh College - and spread over two large calls with a varied mix of traders and demonstration games it's always a pleasure to visit.

Carronade 2015

Carronade 2015, the annual wargaming show organised by Falkirk & District Wargames club, opened its doors promptly at 10am at the Graeme High school, Falkirk on Saturday. Being relatively local - its only a 30 minutes or so drive - it's become a permanent fixture on my wargaming calendar. Indeed, it was the very first show I ever attended. As always the organisers had done a fantastic job, with no less than 5 halls hosting 43 games and 44 traders.

The Martians are coming!

Doh! Just as I thought my shopping list was all set for Carronade '15 on Saturday - the annual wargaming show from Falkirk and District wargames club - an enticing free, 17 page supplement has been added to the In Her Majesty's Name Bonus material page, The Martian Invasion!

For me, this hits the sweet spot - VSF and aliens! I can see another burst of miniature purchasing coming on.

I've always been a big fan of the original HG Wells book, along with the various film, TV, radio, musical and genre literature produced over the years. Maybe my purchasing of Sarissa SF buildings recently was spookily prescient.  The Martian Invasion, by Craig Cartmell & Charles Murton, (first published in Great Britain in 2015 by Wargames, Soldiers& Strategy Magazine, issue 76), introduces the supplement as...

Vapnartak 2015

Vapnartak! The annual trade show organised by York Wargames Society. For the second year running my brother-in-law, JGL, and I made the trip south of the Scottish Border to the historical city of York. We were keen to repeat the successful gamer's road trip from last year, so once again I found myself in JGLs car, casually flicking through the latest Miniature Wargames magazine and wondering why JGL’s iPod defaulted to Abba’s Dancing Queen…

Like last year, we decided to make it a leisurely trip. An excuse for a long weekend of table top gaming culture and beer. A wonderful combination and highly recommended! There are a number of similarly great shows in Scotland but sometimes you just need an excuse for a ‘boys’ weekend. We travelled down on Saturday 31^st January after the morning’s four-way game of Saga at Livingston Battleground, arriving at the Holgate Bridge B&B in the early evening. The accommodation was perfect for this trip – very reasonably priced and within easy walking distance of York city centre and the racecourse where Vapnartak was being held.