WMMS 2020

Hard to imagine it now, but only a few months ago you could go out and mingle with hundreds of people and wipe your hands over all manner of hard surfaces and the police wouldn't intervene. I don't normally go to shows very often, but my sister has recently fallen in with a delightful young man whose father happens to regularly run showgames so some sort of visit was only polite. I therefore present the Hrothgar's Shed guide to Alumwell Wargames' West Midlands Military Show.

The battle of the bulge in 28 mm, German tanks advancing down the rode while dear sister and gentleman friend (cut off in the left of the frame) look on.

The front of the German column. The Americans took a long time to realise that the front two tanks aren't really american, they're just painted that way. (I can't remember the extent to which the Germans used such deception tactics in the historical battle).

I was very impressed by the quality of the terrain, looks at those little footsteps in the snow!

While all of the games were good and some of them really first-class, the one I dropped in on was BattleTech (specifically the stripped-down version, Alpha Strike). Glad to see someone else giving that game some love.

SOMEONE ELSE PLAYS BATTLETECH! And they even have the 'Mechs painted in coherent schemes!

I filled a very pleasant hour or so running my 'Mech about shooting anything that came into range, but was tragically called away for lunch and had to cut things short.

No! Run! Get to da dropship! (caption unrelated but it's a good movie quote).

They had an actual scratch-built Dropship! I'm still impressed.

In what may be a deeply symbolic moment, I sold my old Warhammer 40,000 at the attached table-top sale. The funds raised were then immediately spent on more scenery (pics to follow next week) which is the cycle of model-hobbying in action.  

A game with those new-fangled paper flats that make army building a breeze. The results are pleasingly old-school too.

In addition to all the games and stalls of  toy soldiers, there was a stall run by some chaps with a very wide selection of guns and jeeps from the second world war. Getting a chance to inspect in 1:1 scale and even handle some of the pieces gave me a newfound respect for just how big and heavy some of them were. Particularly in the case of the American 37mm anti-tank gun, which I have always considered to be piddly little things (such small-calibre guns couldn't penetrate the medium tanks in common use by the end of WWII), but in the flesh it was a dirty great thing that looked like it could knock down a house. I'm glad to see the weapons behind the rules and plastic kits which usually fail to tell the full story.

Very nice looking "Jason and the Argonauts" game

Featuring those lovely Foundry figures.

I think that's all I care to remember, so just a few more pics to follow. Next post will cover those few things I've been painting in quarantine: fewer than you'd expect as I've been work-working much more than predicted.

Pirate game from Peter Pig. Not really my sort of thing but I photo'd it anyway.

Battle of Edgecote, can't remember the system, but nice 28 mm Wars of the Roses types. Really gets across the feel of a small medieval skirmish.

Some sort of 1940 Home Guard game. Look at the Dad's army references!

Plus a rather excellent set of vegetables.

Horse-drawn German blitzkrieg, France 1940. Fully motorised Brits out of shot to the left.

Later on in that same game. Look at those fantastic greenhouses!

Also, if you're reading this is June I wish you a happy LGBT+ pride month.