BROADSIDE SHOW REPORT

An enjoyable visit to Broadside in Sittingbourne in deepest darkest Kent today, as I said in my previous post this is a friendly local show which fills a leisure centre hall with club games and traders plus a very lucrative bring and buy room on a floor above. Luckily it wasn't a hot day and the leisure centre doors were open to aid ventilation!

The winning show game was Deal Wargaming Associations 'The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side' As the blurb said 'This wargame is set in the millenia-old war between predator and prey fought out over generations against the backdrop of the African Plains' The cast included gnu, Lions, Rhino's, Elephants, Warthogs, Giraffes, Crocs, Hippos Zebras and other herbivores. The rules were generated by a club member and games could take 30-45 minutes. It looked good, was different and attracted many players. Well done to Adrian and the other club members present.

My next favourite game really made me think hard about 6mm scale ....not something in figure terms that usually appeals but the Posties Rejects Marchais-en-Brie 8th September 1914 , Turning the German Flank in the First Battle of the Marne really was food for thought. It was well put together with a good basic playing board and effective scale scenary and that scale really gives you a proper eagles eye view of proper formations of troops.

The figures were Baccus 6mm  as were the buildings used. Hedges mounted on ice lolly sticks, there was even a captured French hot air balloon in play! I also chatted for the first time to Big Lee of the Blog Big Lees Miniature Adventures primarily about his visit to the Tiger exhibition at Bovington Tank Museum. Great to meet you Lee and the other Posties.

Next up on my 'favourite game of the day category was the Spanish Civil War aviation game, a photo of an early Heinkel He 111 from the game graces the header to this piece. I really liked the models Heroics and Ros and Scotia mostly with a few rare 'Amiots' thrown in from a 3D printing company. This was put on by the Spanish Civil Wargames Facebook group .

The chap dressed in Spanish Civil War uniform (I presume!) was very knowledgable and helpful, what really caught the eye were the miniature aircraft (always a sucker for wingy things) and they were quite well painted in this small 1/300 scale.

That 'Camo' and 'them markings' hard work in this scale well done to the brushman

The Milton Hundreds Group who put on Broadside are a very friendly bunch and I received an excellent briefing and the rules systems used on their British/Maori Wars game which also looked good mostly using the superb Empress Miniatures figures.

The games system uses cards not dice which are only used as damage counters. I received a complimentary Milton Hundreds Yellow dice and limited edition for the show Leofwine Wargamerson Purgatory card .....whatever that is, but very nice all the same!

The above was the games system used published by Eureka Miniatures/Mana Press

Skirmish Wargames had proof you dont need to spend all your wages on figures and scenary with a fun looking Conan Game using items purchased from Charity Shops ! It was called by Crom the Legend of Conan the Barbarian. This reminded me of the campaign rules written by Tony Bath many years ago using the Conan World as a Geographic setting.

Of course there qas the visually captivating Zeebrugge Game by Maidstone Wargames society pictures of which have appeared in the Wargames press already, but one more wont hurt, that ship is a masterpiece in its own right and nice to see in the centenary year of the actual raid.

Shepway Wargames Club took along a small version of their WW2 Ardennes game which I saw in its entirity at Trucks and Tracks show earlier in the year. They were using Chain if Command rules and the scenary was superb, I felt a chill just looking at it!

Sneaky Tiger

Below is some kind of Sci Fi 'miss the meteorite game' ...yes not my cup of tea but in to keep a balanced report!

Also of note was a Star Wars game 

Thats the games I took pictures of there was more besides, mostly board games but sometimes displays on stands and 'goodies for sale' also catch your eye. 

 I do love the covers of the books for  sale on the Helion stand  and many of the English Civil War titles were quite enticing.

Commission Figurines 'Ruins with Distinction' MDF buildings were rather nice and I purchased CBP1 15mm Berlin Strasse for Team Yankee 

Commission also make a range of MDF 6mm Figures for the Napoleonic period and actually they wern't bad !

The other 'real estate' specialist at the show is Blotz who again produce the ever popular MDF buildings. Resin has definitly declined in popularity. They produce some nice stuff and I will be ordering their 15mm fast food chain building for team yankee which they had run out of on the day.

Well thats it, a really enjoyable 3 hours spent in excellent company. Did I make purchases , well a few select additions but only a few stalls were discounting and no stall was selling rule sets which seemed amazing. I would have liked to purchase 'What a Tanker' and  'Chain of Command' but will have to get those direct from the 'lardies' there was also a lack of any other rules to whet my appetite and surprisingly no 'Saga'. I did have a good chat with the lady on the Foundry stand about what there is to see in their part of the world around Newark and the Battle of Stoke Field. They did not have any packs of Yeomanry Boer War cavalry so will have to order those or visit that area of the country during the summer holidays. 

 Above the Gravesend Gamers Guild Lego Game

The best value was to be found in the Flea Market...where there were few fleas but loads of 1/100th scale cold war aircraft kits and a couple of painted diecasts including a lovly RAF Jaguar. These cost £1 - £1.50 each, amazing value and I hoovered them up to give extra support in team yankee. A few Battlefront Tanks game sets were purchased and the superb Victrix new Gallic Warriors from PE2 Collectables who do give excellent discounts at shows.

Well I have rattled on far to long , but well done to The Milton Hundreds Wargames Club another triumph of organisation and I am looking forward to the 2019 show already!!