Salute Part II - the shopping

My days of doing lots of shopping at Salute are over for various reasons - I already have it, I'm getting more careful with my cash, I can't carry it home on the train etc... 

Nevertheless, there are lots of new and shiny things at Salute... 

GENERAL

Just before going up to Salute I bought a copy of the new merged Miniature Wargames/Battlegames mag.  The old Miniature Wargames was always a curate’s egg for me – i.e. good in parts and I used to browse in Smiths and buy 2-3 issues a year.  The revamp looks good and I suspect that the introduction of the Battlegames contributors will improve what I see as the quality of the articles. 

Wargames Illustrated was there with the latest issue and an offer of a free figure of Joshua Chamberlain for the first 200 purchasers.  Given my love affair wth the magazine is waning then the inducement of a free, limited edition figure was enough to secure a purchase. 

The last magazne was the current issue of Medieval Warfare – Medieval Bishops themed issue.  Lots of interest here.   Right away then I should remind people that I write for the sister publication Wargames Soldiers Strategy.  I’ve let my subscription to the society of ancients lapse this year (too much DBA, biblical, greek and Republican Roman for my interests) and may well start up a sub to Medeval Warfare given the number of issues I’m buying. 

MUSKETS & TOMAHAWKS

Selection of multiple movement trays from Warbases. 

3 of the 5 man clumps

3 of the 5 man lines

Couple of 2 man but square edged trays that will the corners rounding off on. 

Some blank 25mm discs to infill with scenery etc….

SAGA

Big news of course washte box of unarmoured warrors from Gripping Beast.  Looks good and as the box says, enough to make up to 32 with slings or 16 with javelins, or 8 with swords or axes, whilst I suspect everyone could have a spear if you wanted.  .   

I bought a couple of figures for use as SAGA warlords. Nominally 28mm, more like 30mm and not cheap (USA imports). Tthe top viking is supplied with an axe and sword which makes him look more menacing.  

http://www.fenrisgames.com/shop.html#!/~/category/id=4201768&offset=0&sort=nameAsc

I also got a pack of 10 30mm lipped plastic bases to distinguish the warlords  for SAGA from EM4 miniatures. 

Japanese Stuff

The big news here was the Sarissa Laser cut mdf buildings.

http://www.sarissa-precision.co.uk/

I got a number of clan war packs at £3 each – essentially 16 Diadoji Iron Warrors (Samurai Spearmen) with a pack of mizu adepts (martial artists), bowmen and a couple of personalities. 

New to me were fouraminiatures

http://www.fouraminiatures.com/

Initially there was a range of Science Fiction pilots, snow troopers and others that caught my eye, but then from a Japanese viewpoint (I believe there are legends of quatic lizardmen) there was a lovely collection of “sea demons”.  

A few other small bits like some transfers and a couple of bits for friends and I was finished.  

Salute 2012

Another month, another post...

Mid April saw me head up to London and Salute, probably the biggest wargames show in Europe.   As a one day show it's more of a shopping and networking thing than the chance to play, and with my hearing aid I find the general level of background 'white noise" such that it would be fairly uncomfortable to play games.    This year things were made even harder by my bad back from the week previously.  Fortunately my nice chum Andy took one look at me on the Friday and decided that he would drive to Salute on Saturday rather than use public transport, which meant no German beer for him in the evening...

I had an OK show - saw and chatted with a couple of friends.  The demo/participation games failed to make much of an impression on me for the most part, possibly because the best ones seemed to be repeats.  Notable exception must go the VBCW boys from the Gentleman wargames parlour.

For photo blog reports then Joe Dever does it much better than me.  

http://ilovewargameing.21.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=4000

And what did I come home with from Salute:

From the nice man at the relaunched Ainsty Castings the temple dogs and some cemetary gates (essentially pillars with brass gates).  Scots dice for SAGA from Gripping Beast along with Harold Godwinson, and some Jomsvikings.   Measuring sticks (for SAGA essentially) from Products for wargamers although having used them on the Sunday I'm now thinking if i should have bought the slightly more expensive "patterned" finish ones, rather than the smooth ones as they might provide a better grip.  

Next up is a MDF Viking wooden tent from Warbases and a MDF Roman Ox Cart from 4Ground.  Lots of MDF scenery on show from various people, and I've seen some other stuff later in Exeter.   Samurai Bunnies from Eureka miniatures and some plastic Ashigaru spearmen from Wargames Factory although I think mine were bought off the Gripping Beast stand. 

Last item was a copy of Flashing Steel from Ganesha Games although mine came from the Ainsty Stand.  I'm a long time 3 Musketeers fan so this was not a hard sell, and I'd been meaning to investigate Ganesha games because of their Arthurian Song of blades and heroes.   I've read through it a couple of times now and it seems a reasonably solid Skirmish with RPG elements (e.g. skills) type game, even if I was disappointed that the stats within the book are for Pirates rather than the Musketeers.  A post on the forum is to the effect that this is to avoid stifling creativity but I still feel that some benchmarks and ideas would be nice, especially given the title.   

On the Sunday I got out to Berkhamsted castle - again without camera but with stick.  Textbook motte and bailey castle that history seems to pass by after the the 14th century, although it lingers on into the 15th as a bit of sideshow.  English heritage also have a site.  

Chris  

It's here and its good...

It arrived on Saturday morning and on the quick read through so far its very good value and an excellent addition.  Four new boards, which are all very different, and which are also very different from the first four.  Lots of spice and more different play styles.  

From the Gripping beast pages... 

SAGA Northern Fury
"They came from the North spreading terror before them and leaving desolation in their path"
Studio Tomahawk and Gripping Beast Publications are proud to announce a new supplement for SAGA!

Due 1st quarter of 2012, Northern Fury will give you 4 new factions to lead into battle, and contains the Battleboards and rules needed to play these warbands. It also has new Heroes of Viking Age for these factions plus a specially designed multi player scenario which will allow you to form allegiances and vanquish your enemies.

The new factions in the Northern Fury supplement are:-
The Bretons - These warriors fought on horseback using javelins and hit and run tactics to disrupt their enemies before dealing that killer blow
The Jomsvikings - Pagan warriors who's wrath and ferocity was legendry, historians still argue about their existence, but now you can field them in your games
The Scots - Descendants of the Irish migrants established on the western coasts of Caledonia, the Scots whose spears invited death to all who came near
The Anglo-Saxons - Sons of Ælfred the Great, they were known for courage and tenacity in battle, the Vikings feared them and rightly so, at the Battle of Brunanburh the seeds of England were sown

Alongside this publication we will be releasing new ranges of Bretons and Jomsvikings miniatures as well as a host of new "Heroes of the Viking age" to complement the factions to date.

SAGA - dice

One set of rules that I have recently taken a shine to is SAGA from Gripping Beast which is miniatures plus dice on a battleboard.   Starter armies (4pts) are perhaps 30-35 figures, whilst the full 6 pts will put it up to 50-60 figures probably, so not an impossible task to paint.  Plus I can reuse my existing armies as well.
The game as sold uses special dice (although ordinary d6 can be substituted) with symbols on each face.    At £12 a set though its a fairly expensive option but the nice boys at Gripping Beast have made the symbols available so you can print your own and stick them onto blank dice.   So, a favour from a chum and I've got them onto laser label (self adhesive) sheets to give that a try.  Results as below.

This is the labels as they came out.  The square design soon proved difficult to fit on the dice that I had because of rounded corners and I resorted after the first dice to trimming the corners on the labels.  

This is a set of my dice - bottom white (Anglo Danish) contrasted with official dice from Gripping Beast (Vikings at top, Normans in the middle).  So far the idea seems good.  

The white dice worked OK, but the Green and Blue dice were going to be too dark for the black design.   Trimming off all the corners was starting to get to me as well - better to ask for another sheet from my chum with say octagon borders rather than squares and slight smaller, and in say a brighter colour - yellow or pink.   A web search came up with another supplier of blank dice without the same style of rounded corner and in brighter colours.  So, Purple (will still need yellow but seems appropriate for say Byzantines), Pink, Yellow and Lime Green.  

Original Beast dice contrasted in size with the new ones in detail.  

Fitting them onto a battle board.  The bigger dice do take up more space but not so much as to totally hide all the text.