Broadside 2014

Even given my annoying habit of irregular posting, I am very miffed at this most recent delay. It has not exactly been my fault this time.

December was stupidly busy and the new year was spent trying to catch up with things that became delayed. I still had time to start as I meant to go on and post soooo many things but, I really needed to look at the Broadside admin first; and it was a damn good job I did!

First things first and, as it was the easier of the main jobs, I contacted the clubs asking who was looking to return and reminding them that we would have a maximum size of table available this year to keep down costs and maintain space, a big issue when running a show believe me. I even managed to email those traders that didn't fit into the regular trader space mould, the trickier ones to fit in at the best of times, or that would be affected by the creation of the new Wargamers Flea Market location at the top of the smaller of our two halls. All was going well. Then that darn email arrived from the venue management.

It transpired that the new management team at the Swallows Leisure Centre and their over lords have decided that the small hall should be redesigned and refitted as a new gym. This means that all bookings for that hall would be cancelled, no matter how long that booking had been in for. I was the first of the hirer's to be told...the day after I had sent everything off to the clubs and tricky traders! This did cause some panic.

The MHWC game of 2012, big but not the biggest...

...can the spectacular be so easily replaced with the small and innovative...even for a cash prize?

A flurry of new emails and phone calls followed in an attempt to gain some control back and, I am pleased to say, that whilst we have not yet solved everything things are looking brighter. We are lucky that so many of those we deal with are genuinely nice people who are prepared to help and understand our problem. Essentially, we now have some 30% less space to play with than previous Broadside shows. We have to try and fit those traders and clubs that usually go into the small hall into the already very busy sports hall. We could have simply cut our losses and set those clubs and traders adrift, that is not the MHWC way; although the Wargamers Flea Market will have to go :(

The solution we are currently working on is to dramatically reduce the size of the tables we allocate to clubs, even though we are aware that most of them build special exhibition games that get taken from show to show throughout the season. Instead, we are asking them to join in with a new competition and provide a game that can fit on a 6x4 table, such as most of us would be able to use at home. Their Will be the usual prize donated by Pen & Sword Books and judged by Henry Hyde (TBC) for best game in show of course, always will be. But now there will also be a cash prize for the club who can be seen to have made the best, most innovate and most imaginative use of that game space as they can. The competition will be very democratic in that the winner will be voted for by the other clubs using a special token system we are also working on. So far, those clubs that have responded have all been very positive and understanding; it all bodes well. But what do you think, dear reader?

The reduced table size means that we can fit in as many clubs as we can whilst leaving room to re arrange things and fit in the other traders. It may be that we have to restrict the space we usually provide traders too and I am sure they too will understand, but that is next weeks problem. We will visit the venue next week  to make exact measurements so we can set out the hall as efficiently as possible. Of course all of this does have a knock on effect for Broadside 2015, can the new systems work well enough that they can be adopted as the new norm or, will they simply tide us over and we have to find a new venue?

It is a series of problems we could well have done without but we are on the case! Who needs sleep anyway?

SELWG and stuff

I went to SELWG this year....first time in ages. In fact, I am not sure when I last went...it was that long ago! I do remember it being a pain to get to, park and make it along the looong walk to the entrance and sadly not much had changed there...the rain storm didn't help much either; quite a few soggy items on the bring and buy! Mark and I went along top promote Broadside and sign up new traders and visitors.

Once in, and after I had dried my glasses and stopped steaming the rain off, I found I had plenty of room to move about; a big change from my last visit. back then, the upper level was packed with traders and public making it difficult to move along let alone stop, look and buy. I had chance to stop and chat with the traders, hand out Broadside 2014 flyers and trader booking forms...fell in love with the 28mm Napoleonic frigate Andy from Grubby Tanks had on display and then sulked all day because I knew I couldn't afford the £125.00 price tag....and even if I could where the hell would I put it? It was a very pretty thing but in 28mm very big too. Sigh.

Anyway. The bring and buy was well attended and quite well stocked although there was a lot of games workshop gear...nothing Skaveny for me though. That said, I did only have £15.00 on me :( , the trip was very much a Broadside recruitment drive not a jolly (I kept telling myself) so I contented myself with spending time looking and chatting. I did notice that the Bring and Buy was smaller than I remembered it and I was able to actually stand there and look at items without getting ribs broken. Somehow it wasn't the same.

The main hall was busy and some major trader names were there (and me with no money) but I did manage to get a South American Flesh Tone paint set from Wargames Foundry and a pack of four Maori figures with shotguns from Empress Miniatures. Their stand was flanked by two large and well made display cases filled with their fantastic figures. These days many companies simply wash their display figures in a black ink rather than paint them up. This works better for me, the ink shows the details beautifully and I am not intimidated by the unachievable painting skills before my eyes. I eventually moved on from that stand...eventually...with Marks help. By way of thanks for my rescue I helped Mark start on that dark path that is Warhammer...seemed only fair. Mark looks to be set to build an Ogre Kingdoms force and with his painting skills I am sure they will look very impressive indeed...and will stomp all over my rat things with giant hairy feet.

In all we both had a very nice time and managed to have a good chat with many of our trader friends and clubs. The Maidstone boys were doing well with their Balloon game, which I think looks so neat and unusual, and we stopped and admired many a well painted figure along the way. The show was not as busy as I remembered it being but it was as friendly as ever it was. I like the SELWG club, I like the SELWG show but I have to say that I really do not like the SELWG venue at all. I wonder if I am the only one?

Besides SELWG news I had an email from club member Simon about a new model shop in Maidstone. I have also been informed that the No Mans Land store in Maidstone has been closed down for ever; one goes and perhaps one arrives albeit a model shop rather than a wargame shop. This is what Simon said;

Having heard on the grapevine that a favourite shop from my boyhood, Norwood Junction Models, is closing after 60 odd years I was delighted to see that a new model shop has opened in Maidstone, on the same floor and directly opposite the old ModelZone unit. Chatting to the young lady at the till (as one does…) it seems they are a pop-up store until Christmas, at which point they’ll  take a view on a longer lease. It all depends on the footfall between now and the end of December, and I promised to pass on the news of their arrival. They are an extension of the Regal Models unit in Chatham Dockyard and so they are focussed on Humbrol/Airfix kits and Hornby railways. There is a small Gaugemaster stock for scenics plus the odd railway plastic kit (telegraph poles, war memorials, fences etc), and balsa wood. There’s also the inevitable die-cast model range upon which all these places seem to depend for additional revenue – not for me that one, but clearly has appeal for many punters.

I did my best to persuade her that Vallejo would be a popular choice for an additional paint range, and apparently they will extend to Tamiya from tomorrow. Wargamers tend be fairly low down the hobby pecking order, behind railway enthusiasts, military diorama modellers etc. so I doubt we’ll see a broad diversity of stock in the short term. But all the old Airfix favourites are there and who knows what the future holds. One thing is certain though, without the support of the local wargaming and modelling community these guys will struggle just as much as all their predecessors.

I think Simon has raised a good and valid point here. Such enterprises rely on our support and will disappear without it. That said, if they do not stock the things we need.....just where can you get paint from these days other than Games Workshop? That alone is a frustration but it is an issue relevant to the whole shop and custom equation; stock what we want and we will come...but what we want is so varied it is almost impossible to do. It's quite depressing.

Club Open Day

We at the MHWC are to hold our second annual Open Day on Saturday 7th September.

Iwade Village Hall, Ferry Road, Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8RG

Come one, come all!!

Free entry, free parking, refreshments, the chance to meet the club...even a discount on new memberships taken out at the event!!!

Last years event - Seven Years War using Black Powder

As I am sure you are aware we are only a small club, no more than a dozen members on our books, and so running such an event is a little tricky. We run Broadside of course but a big show is actually a lot easier to run than a small open day; believe it or not. With a big show the members you have available are hovering around with various tasks and duties, one member can cover a lot of ground. With an open day, where the club will run a few demo/participation games (and one or two other stands) the membership numbers are stretched with each given a fairly specific task.

WRG 6th edition, a fun trip down memory lane at last years open day

This year we have three MHWC club games, an ancients bash using 'WRG 6th edition' (ah, memories), a WW2 clash using 'Rapid Fire' and a WW1 skirmish using 'To the Last Man'. Our good friends at the Maidstone Wargames Society will also be running a game and we have some extra features for good measure; a kiddies make and take table and even a small Bring and Buy area. This year we also have a trader, Dispatches Books.

Maidstone Wargames Society joined us and ran a great WW1 naval game set in Africa...a lot of fun!

I would like to run a SAGA game too but numbers will not allow us to run it, We can and probably will lay out a game as a display, allowing people to try it out if nothing else, but it would be nice if it could be played too......I don't suppose there are any readers out there that would fancy coming along and running that for us????? You would be very welcome. Let me know.

So please pass this on to as many gamers and non gamers as you can, we would really appreciate your help....and do not forget to come along yourselves too!!!!!

Operation Squad WW2.....always a good game for a strong discussion!

A Cavalier attitude or, what I did instead

I didn't get to go to Cavalier this year, wifey was ill and so I stayed home to comfort her...I am a nice guy after all. 'Ealdgyth', I said, for 'tis her name, 'Ealdgyth, if the pain gets too much fear not, for thou shalt not find me wanting when the time cometh-eth'. A smile crept over her face that said she was indeed deeply comforted...or it may just have been another bout of wind it was difficult to tell that day; poor little love. 'I am a dab hand with the ol' pillow my sweet and would not stand by whilst you suffer...'. A small tear ran from her eye so touched was she.....although, she declined my suggestion that it might be a good idea to practice a bit (emergency pillow always on stand-by, just in case).

This all left me with a little spare time so I decided to familiarise my self with the Operation Squad rules again, in preparation for my game with Mark on Tuesday....only to find that they were missing! I thought I had lent them to club member Bob C. but no. Luckily, I did have a copy of the 'Modern' version of the rules at hand and a copy of the rules explanation sheet I drew up last year. I always get a tad confused on the mortar rules and didn't want to slow the game up. That took up a while and I am now better prepared....possibly...all I need now is some decent die rolls. Yeah, I know. I'm screwed no matter how well I know the rules. Mortars are a bit tricky to use in Op Squad. They can fire at a target in the open and in their own line of sight, so no problem there, but they need to be directed by the squad Sergeant and be within 20cm of him to hit anything else. The Sergeant must first 'spot' the target figure and then communicate that to his squad members, including the mortar crew. The mortar can then fire at the newly acquired target during its own activation phase....as long as the target doesn't move before the mortar can fire. Choosing a suitable target and getting good priority rolls is important.

That done, I took the dog for a walk in a local park I had not been to before and ended up considered the local topography in relation to the known historical features of the island (Sheppey). The park must have been part of an old estate although there are no obvious features that indicate a focal point, nor are there any obvious medieval manorial sites other than those still intact; it could be an Early Modern landscaped estate though, cool. Sheppey has a very interesting history and I think I have identified two possible sites for a conquest period Norman castle (other than the later one at Queenborough)...maps, field walking and aerial photographs can be so useful! There is a lot of history here that would be of interest to a wargamer for scenario ideas. Ah, the joys of being a wargaming social historian....anyway..........

So, after all of this (plus lunch, housework, a decision to paint up one box/unit of wargame figures a month, the realisation that I may have enough figures to build a modern British force for Operation Squad Modern Forces but actually not by about three figure types and a few trips to the lavy) I started getting the odd call from people telling me about Cavalier. It seems that club member Simon was seen ferrying box loads of kit to his car with a slight 'oh what have I done' look upon his usually happy face. Mark also enjoyed his run out and spoke to a lot of traders and clubs about coming along to Broadside; smiled a lot, handed out flyer's and booking forms. I have had three bookings from these already! Our good mate Ray, of Posties rejects fame, was having a good show, even sold some of his newly painted figures on the Bring & Buy. Sadly, he had his experience somewhat ruined when he realised that one of his items had been stolen! I dont think this is an issue peculiar to Cavalier but it is a risk with Bring & Buys; one of the reasons we chose to have a Flea Market system instead. Clint seemed to have a good show, bought a few goodies and spent some time chatting with wargame pals...as one does at these events. Clint also told me about one of the games being played at Cavalier. One club had been using 'Beneath the Lily Banners' but had discovered the rule set 'Maurice', by Sam Mustafa. They were so  bowled over by this set they now use it almost exclusively and highly recommend it....so I then spent the rest of the evening looking at on line reviews!! The rules are played using a set of special cards which make the package some £35.00!! Why am I looking at these damn things??? Because I have Screaming Rule Book Fever, that's why!!! Damn you Clint.....

My research into Maurice have shown it to be very interesting and would accommodate most basing systems. Players are forced into making decisions based upon the cards in their hand at the time, the ability to gain new cards and some clever mechanics that account for national characteristics. An aspect that I came across in one review particularly caught my eye. Player A was moving a formation of cavalry but player B was able to interrupt the move with a card. This card allowed player B to place a new terrain feature, in this case some boggy ground, in the path of the cavalry and thus caused them issues. This is the sort of thing that happens in battles, an order from higher up the command chain cannot take into account the exact ground conditions the units have to deal with....nasty surprises crop up often. What other rule book provides this element in a game? Quirky? Yes. Traditional? Not really. A good game? It seems so......just need to find a set on ebay that someone has given up on and wants rid. Anyone???

So that is what I did rather than go to Cavalier. Bet you all wish I had gone now! :)

MHWC at Legion 2012

 The MHWC was invited to put on a Blood, Bilge & Iron Balls game at this year 'Legion' wargames show, run by the nice people of Red Kight Wargames and the Thanet/Ramsgate wargames club. I had been hit by a nasty stomach bug and so a few of the members took up the baton and made the trip. Andy has submitted a great report of the day and game and so I shall now pass you over to him....take it away Andy! (Sorry, no pics at the time or posting, but if any arrive I will add them and let you all know).

MHWC sent a small contingent to Legion 2012 in Sandwich this weekend. Phil, Clive and Andy staged a Napoleonic Naval game using Alan’s Blood Bilge and Iron Balls rules and Bernie’s 1:1200 Ships.

The show comprised around 9-10 traders, with about the same number of games. Space wise the show occupied two rooms at the venue, which together were probably no larger than Iwade Village Hall. The traders and games were quite tightly packed. Among the games put on by visiting clubs were a Sci Fi game using Tomorrow's War (I think), a Warhammer 40K game, a WWI dogfighting game, a Modern Afghanistan game, two WWII games, one in 15mm and one in 28mm. There was also a Sudan game, a Dark Ages game and a Vietnam game (complete with sound track).

Not sure of the footfall, maybe around a hundred?  We spoke to several members of the public, including a couple who had the rules and a couple who were looking for a suitable set. We distributed Broadside posters, and some for the MWS Open Day.

Phil devised the scenario:

A French squadron comprising the ships of the line Commerce de Marseille (120), Pompee (80), Hoche (80), Rivoli (74), Le Superbe (74) and the Frigate Pomone (40) was anchored in a bay off the coast. The wind was onshore, and from just aft of the French squadron. To seaward was a small island, ahead a couple more islands and some sand banks , each surrounded by shallows. Between the islands and sandbanks and the mainland was a narrow channel through which a skilful captain might navigate. The French objective was to escape to the high seas.

The British squadron comprised the ships of the line the Ville de Paris (110), yes that is a British Ship!, Swiftsure (74), Bellerophon (74), Implacable (74), Africa (64) and the Frigate Shannon (38). The British objective was to prevent the escape of the French, and they would approach the French from windward.

The French had a slight advantage in weight of shot, but the British had the wind gauge.

In the first game Phil took the French, with the British in the hands of Clive (Africa and Shannon), and Andy (the remainder). Phil was later aided by Mark, a member of the public who joined in the game.

Clive ordered the Africa and Shannon to set full sail with the intent of getting ahead of the French squadron, while the remainder set half sail to try to keep the French under their guns. Some of the French headed for the coastal channel while the remainder headed for the open sea.

Ville de Paris and the British 74’s engaged the French ships heading for open water, inflicting some damage, in return the French seemed to concentrate their fire on the Bellerophon, taking down two masts and setting several fires.

As the battle progressed the Commerce de Marseille took some damage to her steering and ran aground in the shallows off one of the island, but managed to refloat herself. The Pompee was not quite so lucky, following the channel between the islands and the coast she also took some damage to her steering and ran aground on a sandbank, however she failed in her attempt to refloat and became stuck fast.

Meanwhile the Shannon, somewhat bravely, tried to head off the French in the channel, suffered severe damage and ended up in the path of a French ship of the line, which couldn’t avoid her and rammed. In the subsequent boarding action the valiant crew of the Shannon could not resist the overwhelming numbers of French boarders, and she was forced to strike her colours and was captured, the French managed to sail her off before any of the other British ships could come to her aid.

The Commerce de Marseille had been the focus of the British fire throughout the battle, and was reduced to only a few guns in her Port battery with less than 10% of her fighting crew left. In the last turn of the game the French were poised to get their last two floating ships, the Commerce de Marseille and one of the 74’s, off the table while the British were in position to give the Commerce de Marseille a close range broadside, it would all come down to which card came up first, the British shooting phase or the French Sailing phase, in the end the Fates favoured the French, and both ships got away, leaving the Pompee beached and at the mercy of the British.

The first game ended with both sides taking a prize and having two ships with severe damage, but, the French achieved their objective in getting off the table so must be awarded the victory. At least in the French papers.

In the second game we switched sides, Andy taking the French and Phil the British, Clive having left the show by now.

I formed my ships in two divisions in line astern, Commerce de Marseille leading the two French 80s to the seaward side and the two 74’s and the Pomone nearer the coast. Phil came in under full sail in line astern, apart from the Shannon, who stayed further out. As the French got under way they all headed for the gap between two of the islands, not wanting to chance the narrow channel. I also had a suspicion that Phil had set to much sail and would overshoot the French Squadron’s course. The Commerce de Marseille’s division set full sail as soon as possible to get ahead of the second division and form in squadron line astern . Great planning I thought until I remembered two things, spacing and relative speed. My first mistake was that I had not left enough space between the ships in the divisions, as the lead ship turned into the channel between the islands the angle of the ship to the wind changed reducing her speed, as the ships behind hadn’t turned yet, they didn’t so rather than coming out in line astern the 80’s had to alter course to come alongside  the Commerce de Marseille. The second was to put the Frigate, my fastest ship at the end of the second line, doh! As soon as the wind got on the quarter I had to bring the Frigate alongside the 74’s to avoid a collision. So instead of coming out in two lines, merging into one, it was more like a rugby scrum with ships blocking each others fields of fire.

However, my suspicions about the British sail setting proved correct, the British line of battle passed ahead of the French scrum at less than optimum range, only one British ship being in a position to bow rake the Commerce de Marseille.

As the French continued forward the British passed to starboard, and some targets of opportunity arose, although usually only 2 or 3 French ships were able to bring their guns to bear without another French ship getting in the way. A couple of lucky shots damaged the British Ville de Paris’ steering, and she was headed straight for a island! Fortunately for the British she ran aground in the shallows rather than hitting the island proper, so would have a chance to repair her steering before refloating. Not passing up an opportunity to inflict some more damage on a sitting target any French Ship that could fired on the Ville de Paris, giving her crew 4 fires to worry about as well as trying to get afloat. Other ships were also engaged, the Bellerophon losing a mast (again) and suffering heavy damage to her hull, while the Implacable also took some lesser damage. The French didn’t get off scot free, the Commerce de Marseille had three fires burning, and had lost half her crew. Pompee  and Rivoli also took some damage and Le Superbe lost a mast.

While the bulk of the British Squadron had passed to Starboard of the French and were now desperate to alter course to avoid the shallows, sandbanks and islands, HMS Africa decided that the best course of action was to head into the anchorage area past the French, getting a few broadsides in as she passed without taking too much damage in the process.

Unfortunately we ran out of time as the show drew to a close. The French were getting their sailing order sorted out, and had the weather gauge advantage over most of the British, who were now scattered. The Africa would be out of the game for a while as she would have to tack across the wind before she could pursue the French. The only British ships in position to intercept the French as they headed for open sea would be the the Frigate Shannon and one of the 74’s. So another probable victory for the French.

Phil and Clive are of course welcome to add their spin to this account.

Andy