Reader Gregory Johnson has kindly submitted the following brief report on Salute of his own. In addition, he took some photos which you can find by following the link at the foot of this post.
Thank you Gregory!
THIS WAS MY SECOND SALUTE and is my first attempt at writing about my hobby, so I hope you all like it. After attending in 2015 like a wide-eyed schoolboy with a golden ticket who had just seen Charlie’s chocolate factory for the first time, I had some small understanding of what to expect, but with the same buzz as before.
First impressions of the 2018 show was of how much bigger and broader the audience attending was. A few subtle differences were highlighted by how bigger the crowd was and how much longer it lasted. I distinctly remember the throng tailing off in 2015 after midday, however the fever and buzz lingered much longer this time around.
I have a method in my madness when attending these events: I start in one direction and continue until I reach where I started. This meant that when I next looked at my watch after entering at 10am, the time was already 1pm and I wasn’t even half way around the hall.
The event was crammed full of history book stalls, wargaming paraphernalia and gaming tables as far as the eye could see, along with the costumed reenactors representing themes from Star Wars to Warhammer and of course WWI, this year’s theme.
This time, I was preoccupied with miniatures and rulesets for the Crusades and focused my attentions on this early medieval period. I consider the event a success because for the 100-year or so period I wanted to cover, I succeeded in finding no less than four gaming rulesets on the day!
Outside my own selfish motivations, there were two real highlights that stood out for me: first was the replica WWI tank at show, which really projected the enormous size of these leviathans, which are now over 100 years old; second was the In the name of God game being run by the South London Warlords, which not only played to my immediate wants in life but also displayed a variety of makes of figures and a board that was simple yet dynamic in its presentation.
My one final thought from the day was the simple regret that I didn’t have enough time at each stall or game to fully appreciate the history and gaming on offer. Needless to say, I shall be returning next year with a renewed focus!
You can find Gregory’s photos at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n8gbo1f0ny6pvsw/AADniqIhW-hK-Jl54oUTxuq5a?dl=0
All images © Gregory Johnson 2018
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