Loot from Salute

 

Saturday 12th April saw me taking an early train up to London to attend Salute for the second year in a row.  The theme this year was 'Scotland' and as a bagpiper let out a wild skirl as I arrived my heart sank.  My ancestors used to hang Scotsmen and every time I hear the bagpipes I appreciate why they might have been moved to do so.  I had not gone far when I found the scene shown in the picture above, the courtyard of Carlisle Castle, setting for a splendid skirmish game set up by the Whitehall Warlords, recreating an episode in 1596 when Scots Reivers sprang Kinmont Willie from the clink before the dastardly English could string him up.  This event is celebrated in the Border Ballad of Kinmont Willie, which begins with the stirring line "O have ya na heard o' the fause Sakelde?".  As a descendant (perhaps?) of this fause Sakelde and sundry other unsavory denizens of the English Marches I have to concede that the Scots may not have been entirely in the wrong.

While a main reason for attending the event was to scour the trade stands for books and other materials useful for wargaming, I was quickly diverted by the range of games on display and the enthusiasm of those presenting them.

The battle of Dargai Heights, 1897 - Gurkhas and Gordon Highlanders attempt to storm a ridge held by Afghans during the Tirah punitive campaign.  Put on by the 1/72 Wargames Club this was an example of a simple set up introduced with great enthusiasm by the presenter.

A larger affair was presented by the Continental Wars Society, the 1885 Battle of Gurguljat in the Servo-Bulgarian War - not just a battle but a war entirely unknown to me before this.

with treats provided to encourage participation!

There was a huge Test of Honour game in a beautifully presented Japanese Castle, though I was a little taken aback to find that the attackers were Skaven rather than the usual suspects one might have expected.

My friends from the Society of Ancients had put on a huge refight of Gaugamela using Impetus rules.  When last I saw it in mid afternoon, Alexander seemed to be coming unstuck.

Per Borden and the Wyre Forest Gamers presented a fascinating 6mm scenario from the Great Northern War, using the Twilight of the Sun King rules.  This had the Swedes forcing a crossing of the Düna near Riga in 1701.

Meeting Nick Dorrell and Per Borden at the table with the Düna game was a pleasure.  Per had been really creative with old credit cards and pasta to make the floating batteries shown in the picture above.  I was delighted to see that they won the award for best small scale wargame in the show, although that meant a set-back for Mark Backhouse's equally beautiful Beneventum game showcasing Strength & Honour.

Romans as the meat in the sandwich against the Epirotes and Italian allies outside Beneventum

Low battery on my phone stopped further photography but not several further conversations, notably with FormSquareGames about a new board game they are working on that covers the uprising in the Vendée in 1793 and has some really interesting looking mechanics.

Finally I dragged myself away from the games in order to shop.

On the reading front I ended up with quite a mix from Macedonian warfare to Boshin War Japan by way of  the Khazar Empire, the Baltic Crusades and Rocroi.

The rest of the loot was equally eclectic, ranging from a couple of pot-luck bags of Litko markers picked from a discount bin, to dice, a mould line cleaning tool, spears and pikes, lots of tufts for basing, several dark age buildings, card covers and a selection of 10mm animals.  The latter are to be used for testing as morale markers - black dogs for failed morale tests, white chickens for failed charge tests, rabbits for routed...

All in all a good day, mostly for renewing acquaintances and making new friends, with the loot and the discussions of game mechanics as a happy bonus.  My thanks to the South London Warlords and all the traders and game presenters who contributed to a most enjoyable event.