Broadside Games Show 2025

Today I went to my second wargame show of the year, with another trip down the A2 to Gillingham, Kent for the Broadside Games Show run by the Milton Hundred Wargames Club.  

When I reached the Medway Park Sports Centre which only takes me about half an hour to get there, the car park was full once again as there was yet another college Sport’s day plus a swimming competition, but I did manage to find a parking spot which was very lucky.

The venue was right at the back of the sports centre and once again it was easy to find your way there. I paid my £4 entry fee, which I must say is a really good deal still, and entered the hall. This was just after 11am and it did seem busy. With the collapse of the SELWG shows, maybe people are now paying attention to this show.

The first thing for me was to look around the trade stands and there was plenty on offer for buyers. Although there were no 20mm plastic soldiers on sale like Salute this year. After a quick walk around the trade stands, I visited the Posties Rejects with their Battle of “Rivoli, 1797”. A battle between the Austrian’s and the French. Here are a couple of pictures of that game. 

The Rules are from “Volley and Bayonet - Road to Glory, and the figures 6mm Commission Figurines, which I believe are all painted by Richard (great work) 

There seems to be a lot of 3D printing companies out in force these days, but most do sci-fi stuff. I found that little room with hot/cold drinks machines and a few tables to have lunch in. Once finished, I went back into the hall and started to look around at the tables layout. There were quiet a number of demonstration games this year  which is always great to see. Even the area where people were selling their second-hand goods looked bigger.

There were loads of wargaming and participation games tables on show a total of 34, some small and some large games. One of them I have already seen at Salute, “Berlin 1945” from the Retired Wargamers Reloaded. Love this table/terrain, so here are a few more pictures of that. 

I went back to the Posties to see how the battle was going. It was nice to see and to talk to Ray Rousell, Big Lee and the rest of the group. It’s always nice to chat with these fine fellows. I had a great time at the show I even brought some Hedges (2pkts) and Vegetable strips from Debris of War out of the old war chest. Returned home just after 3pm on a beautiful summers day. Here is another picture of one of the other games at the show.

"Bridge over La Vie 1944" Shepway Wargamers Club

Salute 52

On Saturday 12^th April I went to my first wargaming show of the year, to “SALUTE 52” at Excel London run by South London Warlords.

It was a lovely sunny spring day as I set off for the show and arrived at 10.50 am, collected my goodie bag and set off looking around the trade stands. The first thing that hit me was the amount of people that had turned out for the event, which was really nice to see.

The trade stands had about everything you needed for your hobby, but once again no trader had anything for us out of date, 1/76 plastic figure collectors/gamers. Although I had some cash in the war chest to spend, I brought it all back home with me. Never seen so many dice of different shapes and colours though?

After lunch I met up with the bloggers at 1 pm and it was great to catch up with most of them that I was able to chat to. Sorry if I missed you.

Around the hall there were many games and a hell of a lot of participation games which were well attended. The only problem for me was that there were not many historical games but loads of sci-fi and fantasy ones again being played. I take my hat off to all of the gamers who made their tables look like museum model layouts. I was lucky enough to see Rifleman Harris from the TV series “Sharpe” 

Rifleman Harris Then

Now

So here are a couple of photographs that I took at Salute this year, not many I know, I should of taken more.

"Caen 1944" Joe Bilton

Not Known

79th Highlanders

"Berlin 1945" Retired Wargamers Reloaded

                                               

To the Strongest-Louis Quatorzes Wars

"Zeppelin" Hornchurch Wargames Club

It was a good show and I will be going back next year, but before that there is “Broadside” in June.

Horses finished at last

 

Here is my last patch of the Scots Greys horses which bringing the total to 23. It’s been quite a challenged to pick up the brush again since late October. I really admire the work that people put in to their model figures on here, but these will do just fine for me being a solo player. I can now concentrate on the first batch of 6 troopers which are nearly done, so still very much WIP but well over due.

Happy New Year from the General

 

I would like to wish my followers and all wargamers around the world a very 

Happy New Year.

Well yet another year has been and gone in a flash once again, so I hope that I can finally sit down now and start to paint once again, as I have said before, that some of my figures just need finishing off. 

I hope once again to go to some wargaming shows over the year and really hope, that we will start to see some more production of new figures coming out from HaT.