Warfare  wargames show is always always a high point in the year. We have been going there for decades and each year it has got bigger and better! Now it is so big that it has outgrown the Riverside leisure centre and next year it will be taking place in Ascot. The atmosphere is always frantic as almost all of the major traders are here and the competition area is massive.

The display games are always of interest. They are not always as awe inspiring as Salute but are what I would describe them as ” aspirational” and therefore achieveable for the rest of us lowly gamers. World War Two was well represented with a German column fighting a desperate rearguard and a small but beautifully modelled Bulge skirmish.

The trend for diorama bases continues. My favourite was the To the Strongest refight of a Roman/ Sassanid clash. I just can’t take to the grid but the figures and sweep of the battle was glorious.

The prize for the most innovative game of the show must surely go to the recreation of Sedgemoor, replete with uniformed players. I think the poor sod who came dressed as a dwarf may have read the wrong email! The hidden movement of the night march across the fens was very atmospheric. The moon casting light down on the sleepy village and the dykes beyond.

The modelling did not stop with the demonstrations, the Bolt action competition organisers had put on magnificent tables with submarine pens, D-day and Arnhem boards. My particular favourite was the player who had stair climbing Polish cavalry. It reminded me of the horror felt when Daleks mastered a similar feat in the 1970s.

Over amongst the ancient and medieval players we found our eighteenth player for Virtus, Mr Jaimieson. This time he had outdone himself, he usually gets the lists wrong and turns up late, but this time he had arranged train and hotel but not the ticket! He is though, one of our top players, so we are all good to go in two weeks. I was looking to finish my Bactrian Greek army off with a search for cataphracts but Mark, another blogger from the USA has got me back interested in 28mm World War Two. Nevermind cataphracts, I found a supplier of ready made armour. They are 1/43 scale so on the large size but I really like them. They remind me of my much treasured Solido toys from boyhood.

I bought these two recce vehicles for twenty five pounds and have my eyes on the Elefant and m3 halftrack with 105mm cannon for Christmas! Because my Bolt action miniatures are on tall bases I think they are fine. They will dwarf my Warlord Tiger though! I may need to add some weathering but at that price I was well pleased. There were no manufacturer’s name on the boxes but I believe they are Italian and Agent models?

Just like the previous shows, the day had been a great success. We had met all the usual friendly faces and caught up with the gossip. The  games were great and the traders varied. Ascot should be even bigger and even better but unfortunately the end of the day did not go too well. John’s car broke down and Admiral breakdown services took nine hours to get us home to Cardiff. Even then we managed a laugh as Chris J kept us entertained with ribald anecdotes about Croatian lap-dancers and Mafiosi . John G remained silent for the whole period…..He did amuse us with a tirade against the injustice of our plight and how arranging a pickup was ” not like organising D-day. Even when angered our hobby affects us!

Two weeks to finish my army but we now have 18 players and that means I can play!