Monday 24 January 2011

Salute 2011 show layout - revision C

Here is revision C of the show layout. I have given you the version without names because games and traders get moved around every time we have a change. However, it gives you an idea of the work that goes into planning the show.

This is closer the version that will end up in the program, once we have had a few more revisions

A few statistics on the setting up of the show: according to the notes PaD has sent me, we will be hiring 963 standard (6'x3') tables, 125 dining tables, 1,460 chairs and 169 acoustic screens, not to mention 112 ropes-and-posts. All to be set up between 9am and 2pm on Friday so that the traders can have somewhere to set up onto in the afternoon.

Hopefully the trader list will follow in a few days.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Games at Salute 2011

Rather than post a hugely long list, I have added a blog page to the menu bar at the top for the games at Salute 2011. There are 85 games listed, together with what I think is the interesting information - who's doing it, what type of game it is, what scale and period it is, and the information they gave us about the game.

Monday 17 January 2011

RULES AND ALL THAT

or
What rules to use for a particular game or period you are playing?.

Some clubs from around the country play one set of rules for a period and all the members of that club play that set of rules that the club has chosen to play. The advantage is that anyone can play anyone in the club with little notice and the game on the night will flow fairly easily and turns will be taken quickly and should get a result within the evening. Any “grey” areas or rule queries are kept down to a minimum due to everyone knowing the rules and “umpires” a plenty. The downside is that any potential new members get railroaded to play that set as played by the club, although he/ she may have all the rules, army lists and supplements, they basically have to start again by Buying, reading and learning a new system and probably adjusting their own army. The advantage is lots of opponents.and umpires around on a club evening.
We at the Warlords are not the above club, why is this?. Well I will start by looking at the background of our members, many who have joined many years ago, through a connection with Games Workshop or like myself and others have come from playing historical games. Some have come from playing board games, D&D, re-enactment, model making, reading (Fiction or Factual) and some none of the above.
Within these areas the strongest “bond” of one rule set to rule them all is obviously Games Workshop, who still adjust and amend rule to “tweek” certain armies to new product, which then brings with it a whole new expense of re-buying all the literature you have already bought but is now out of date. You have admire their marketing!. Then there are middle ground sets where two or more sets are used within a period like Flames of War, BlitzKrig Commander and Panzer Marsch, Rapid Fire for WWII and for Napoleonic we play Shako and General de Brigade, American Civil War rules like Johnny Reb, Brother against Brother . Then we have the rest where there are a plethora of rule sets are used. Last but not least there is the rule set graveyard, purchased, read sometimes tried out and then put at the back of the cupboard to end its life in the recycle box.
With so many rules on the market which ones are the best?. What makes a good set of rules?. Does playability take preference to historical accuracy, i.e. quick to learn, fast play but lacking in subtleties of troop type or vehicle. Fast play rules have their drawbacks but if they are quick to learn are you likely to get more opponents? They allow people to “dip” their toes into a new period, by skimming the surface of the era in question.

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The game is up!

Before Rapid Fire came along I had never played WWII, my periods were covered up to 1900 (when Queen Victoria died, here endeth wargaming!). I had tried Command Decision, but as a freshman new nothing of the period and got no advice from the members I was playing with and got a sound thrashing, I have never played those rules or that player since.
Then Barney came down the club and suggested Rapid Fire, and we have played them (with a few house rules) for possibly ten plus years-ish. As time went on we wanted something more from the game but were not sure what it was that we wanted. So we bought various rule sets skirmish, platoon, Company, Battalion, Divisional and even Army levels. We found a comfortable medium in Panzer Marsch Playability of Rapid Fire (Panzer Marsch were written ten years prior to the release of Rapid Fire by the same wargames club) but with a great anti-tank system, which is a little more believable than Rapid Fire (Stuarts taking out Tigers!!!). Also the morale is an important element, which makes you take woods/buildings as you move across the battlefield. Would you just advance passed a wood without sending in some troops to reconnoitre it? It could be full of the enemy waiting to attack you in the rear (ooh err matron). Unfortunately others in our shallow end don’t like the rules (I can’t see why) and just refuse to play them, but that’s OK. each to their own as they say. So on a club night we play Rapid Fire and when we play against each other we play Panzer Marsch.

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Warlords WWII Ardennes game did the shows last year

Other periods have the same effect as above, I think Napoleonic battles should be at least Divisional size and so do not partically enjoy General de Brigade but prefer to play Shako which covers much larger battles as well. We can play Waterloo in an evening with Shako Large Battle supplement. With American Civil War rules I prefer Johnny Reb II. Fire & Fury came out a few years ago which gained a lot of interest in the competiton circuit, so Johnny Reb II became III which all who played it after having played Johnny Reb II said they had tried to make them similar to Fire & Fury. I had never played JR III as I was happy with JRII . I have played huge games with Fire & Fury and they work quite well.
Principles of War is not only a good colonial set of rules but actually work well for other horse & musket periods like ACW, Franco- Prussian. The rules comes with army lists in the back of the book, but you can buy other army books which cover all the conflicts from Waterloo to Mons. PoW also do Napoleonic rules which I have played a couple of times and seem quite good.

Arab Army
A POW Arab army that fought my French Foreign Legion

Pike and Shot period rules, which GW released a few years back (although I have not played them so cannot comment on them) I use the early Wargames Foundry backed rules 1644, but have just downloaded Victory without Quarter (to see how they play)
The above ramblings are my own thoughts, many other club members have their preferred set of rules and their reasonings are their own, but it is not for me to say which rules are correct for a particular period, I like others have my preferences.

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Every schoolboy's inspiration, HMS Victory

Sunday 16 January 2011

Big Game Saturday 15/01/2011 redux 2

Another 'big game' going on on Big Game Saturday was this Rapid Fire scenario . There's a full list of the forces involved after the 'read more' break further down this article for those who are interested in more detail, along with a couple more pictures. The scenario is from the Rapid Fire NW Europe scenario book, pitting Clarke against Seckendorff at Arracourt, 1944.


T1 German columns in the mist (not gorillas)
T8 - Task Force Hunter plugs the gap on the left flank while the Germans regroup for a push up the centre with a  StuG company
T11 - devastating US artillery takes out more Panthers
T13 - the hill where the artillery observers were positioned


The Germans conceded defeat at around turn 13 as they were losing too much infantry that could be ill afforded, if they were to complete their mission.

Conclusion- 
The Germans had a strong force which was nullified by mist, hidden units and the heavy artillery against them. It could have been worse for both sides if less 1s were rolled.
A great game that we would be able to play again and again with differing results each time.


Saturday 15 January 2011

Big Game Saturday 15/01/2011 redux


I have been sent some pictures from today's game down at the club. John Treadaway, club member and author of the Hammers Slammers: The Crucible ruleset writes:

'We've just come back from the first Big Game Saturday I (for one) have been to in a long time and it was nice to play a game without the need to finish early.

We did a large Slammers game in 15mm and the pictures I took are up on the Slammers website as we speak.

Roger's scenery looked fab (as ever) and new toys from almost all were in play. It was so packed that - in the end - I restrained myself to just taking pics and rule lawyering/umpiring.'






The scenery is Roger Dixon's, the figures are painted by Roger, Kevin Dallimore and 'Big' Jim Clark. Many more pictures are on the Slammers page linked above...

Friday 14 January 2011

Salute 2011 - 13 weeks to go

So with fractionally over three months to go until Salute 2011 on the 16th April, I thought you might be interested in a quick summary of what's happening at the show.

Space - we have 12,000m² of floorspace for 2011. The same as last year, which should allow us to keep the nice wide aisles that everyone likes. You probably don't know (or care), but the ExCeL building has been extended by 50% since last year and we are in the new area (closest to us in the picture below). Still no carpets, though...



Traders - current count is 121 traders, some of whom have seriously increased their space from last year. Overall, we're happy with the turnout. I should be able to post the list sometime this week, though there's always one or two late additions.

Games - the current count is 85 games, which by my estimate means more than 500 gamers from clubs and groups all around the county running games at Salute this year. A big thanks to every one of you. The games list is now closed; Jim may be able to add you to his 'reserve' list in case of drop-outs but that's about it. A comment that was made last year was that there weren't any games with the 'wow factor'. From the list of clubs we have for 2011 and the table sizes they have asked for, I think that will be different this year! There are some real corkers on there.

Committee meetings - we had another meeting this week. A short one, less than three hours, and everyone is excited. T-shirts, exhibitor badges and mugs are ordered or here, the show guide is being finalised, the last installment of the hire has been paid to ExCeL. We are now discussing topics like who gets to be Door Captain (not me!), how many traders will be setting up on Friday (about 50%), and whether we have sent out more overseas tickets than last year (possibly slightly up).

So... everything may look quiet and serene from the outside, but we are beavering away to make this Salute as good as we possibly can.

Sunday 9 January 2011

What is played at the Warlords

At the Warlords, virtually all genres are covered in our gaming calendar, so many that many of our club members have troops that have not seen the light of day for a many a year. The most popular periods, have seen being played over the past couple of years, seem to be:

Historical
World War II 6mm – Spearhead
World War II 10mm – Blitzkrieg Commander
World War II 15mm - Flames of War
World War II 20mm– Rapid Fire, Command Decision
World War II 28mm - Disposable Heroes.
WWII Naval 1/3000 – General Quarters
WWI 28mm - Disposable Heroes
WWI Aerial 1/144 – Wings of War
Wild West 28mm – Legends of the Old West
American Civil War 6mm – Warmaster variant (house rules)
American Civil War 15mm – Johnny Reb II & Fire & Fury
American Civil War 25mm – Black Powder (just started)
ACW Naval 1/600 – Hammering Iron (need to play more)
Colonial 15mm, 28mm – Principle of War
Napoleonic Naval (Various Scales) – Action under Sail and Trafalgar
Napoleonic 6mm, 15mm – Shako, General de Brigade
Napoleonic 28mm - General de Brigade
Pirates 28mm – Legends of the High Seas
French Indian Wars 28mm – House Rules (Barry Cole)
English Civil War 28mm – 1644
Ancients & Medieval 15mm – DBM, Tactica (just started playing)

Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Warhammer Fantasy Battles 25mm – WFB rules
Space Hulk 28mm – Space Hulk
Flintloque 28mm - Flintloque
Horde of the Things 15mm – HOTT
Warhammer 40K 28mm – W40K rules
Warhammer 40K Kill team 28mm – Kill Team
Necromunda 28mm - Necromunda
Hammer’s Slammers 15mm, 28mm – Hammer’s Slammers : The Crucible
Epic 1/300 – Epic 40K
Uncharted Seas 1/300 – Fantasy Naval
Firestorm Armada 1/300 - Fantasy Naval
Silent Death Sci-Fi Spaceships
Humans vs Dinosaurs 28mm – Tusk
Warmachine 28mm

Boardgames, etc
Blood Bowl
Formula Deux
Flux (card game)
Bang (card game)

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Big Game Saturday 15/01/2011

Reminder to members - the club will be open on Saturday 15th January, 9-5, in the back hall.

At present, Hammer Slammers and 40k seem to be on the menu...

Sunday 2 January 2011

TMP and the ExCeL location

There's a poll up on TMP regarding the ExCeL centre, which runs until the 8th January. If you have an opinion on the location and have a TMP user ID, go to the website and comment. It's always interesting to know what visitors and traders think about the show.

Oh, and a happy new year!