Border Reiver 2019

Border Reiver was the first war games show I ever attended. Indeed, for many years, I had attended that show and many others around the country as part of a crew and not as a member of the general public. A move to Gateshead International Stadium several years ago was quite welcome (a shorter distance to carry the gear) but a few years back saw the show drop off my radar. Having some time off last weekend meant a trip to the most recent show was on the cards so, on Saturday morning, my good lady and I ventured into deepest, darkest Gateshead to see what Border Reiver 2019 could offer. Oh, and this was her first trip to a wargames show!

As you can see, there was lots of space.

So, first up, it's in a Sport's Hall. This means sodium lighting and hard floors. I have seen quite a few blog posts and commentators actively detest venues with such qualities through the years but let's be honest here. How many other venues have space and access for both traders and the public? Some old shows (Scarborough, for one, and the Partizan's when they were at Kelham Hall - a horrid building for access, despite the so-called "atmosphere", whatever that means) offered something different but in reality, any trade based show with a display/demo element requires space and access, and sports halls/dedicated showground facilities are the best compromise. It is generally true that the trade stands pay for the venue so there should be some give and take on both sides of the venue discussion. In any case, a couple of hours in a Sports Hall for a show is not going to be the end of the world for any member of the public.

But there were people there.

Anyway, back to Gateshead and the door charge of £3.00 was very reasonable especially when you consider the rather nice 28mm metal figure of a March Warden to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show. Dues paid, we were quickly into the thick of it. Except, it was quite thin.
Now it wasn't the fault of the organisers that Colours had changed their show date this year to match Border Reiver and, for some traders, a choice had to be made. Unfortunately, the north-east show missed out. Some traders did, however, have the ability to attend both shows and that has to be congratulated. True, there were some rather large gaps in the hall and that could not be hidden but I was pleasantly surprised as to the names who had made it. I must also add that whilst it was pretty obvious some of the traders could only just manage a small selection of stock as their main stand was at Colours, I don't think there are many in the industry who could do a double header and it demonstrates how small (and almost cottage like) the hobby actually is. Sadly for me, there were no book stalls so whilst my heart dropped, my bank balance did not.

A small section of the lovely Napoleonic game

That brings me on to the next topic - spending at the show. I admit to not spending a farthing outside of the door charge. Why? Because there was nothing there that caught my eye and I will not buy for the sake of buying. I realise that does contradict previous posts on wargames shows about spending to support traders and the show itself - traders need to make money to continue attending - but I just couldn't see anything I needed. Is that the traders fault? No. Neither is it the show organiser's fault. It's just the way things were.

There was quite a busy Bring and Buy/Flea Stall/Games Workshop graveyard (delete as applicable) which was worth a perusal, just to see how much GW stock makes it onto such stalls, but the games put on for the show took up most of my interest. There was a strategic level Barbarossa game that I'd seen at other shows that  looked rather nice, a long, narrow 28mm Napoleonic game that had a ton of figures and really looked fantastic, and a couple of Wings of Glory games that mildly caught the interest of my good lady. The demo game that really caught my eye, and purely for eye candy, was of a piratical theme with a fantasy twist, packed with lovely little details and displayed with an irreverent sense of humour. Not to everyone's taste, I grant you, but very well done and the effort was plain to see. It also helped that the gentleman who had put the game on was very willing to talk about it and his approach to his hobby. Not something that can be said for many demo games/gamers at quite a few shows I have been to.

Pirate Demo game

So, Border Reiver 2019 - the 25th Anniversary. A good show? The clash with Colours was outside of its control and certainly hurt the number of traders and the breadth of stock for some of those who did attend. As for punters, well, we rocked up around 11-ish and there were enough people around to describe the footfall as brisk, but not packed. Even the lighting didn't seem as orange or harsh as memory recalls. It would be more than a tad harsh to judge the show from this visit alone. I was curious to see how the show had changed (if at all) after several years of non-attendance and I think the fairest thing I can say is that the jury is still out. As to whether we will attend next year, well, that's a question to be answered closer to the time. Certainly there were things that my good lady found of interest, even as a non-wargamer, so it is definitely a case of wait and see.

York - and a question

Last Sunday saw an early start for a trip to York and the Vapnartak show. It has been held at the racecourse for several years now and it's one of my favourite venues. Access is good and the catering is above average. Never underestimate the need for semi-decent scran after a half past bed-time wake up call and a couple of hours on the A1(M).
The show itself pretty much followed previous years, and it must be said that it seemed to be the same old faces in the same old places. That should be expected, after all, the hobby isn't that big, but the biggest concern I felt was that the demo/participation games seemed to be the same as last year. Deja vu indeed. There were one or two new games that did catch my attention, and not necessarily for the right reason - the Airfix battles game on set on terrain in the form of a printed sheet being one. It was one step removed from a board game and having read a few pieces on the gaming system, watching that play out didn't improve my opinion of it one bit.
Other than that, the show did see me drop a few quid at Caliver (the Team Yankee expansions for the British and East Germans - I quite like Team Yankee, even if it is very much a "Bang! You're dead!" type of game but with a few amendments and an umpire guided set up, they are actually quite fun) and Dave Lanchester Books (a lovely volume on air operations at Suez, a conflict that holds my interest but tends to be forgotten amongst the rest of the Cold War shenanigans).
The show was busy (until the usual 1.30 exodus as the hordes depart for Sunday lunch and a snooze), and there were more than a few familiar faces, especially from my neck of the woods. It was nice to see, to be honest, and made me think that if the two larger north-east shows (Border Reiver and Battleground) could attract the same crowd, it would be of benefit to both shows.
Border Reiver has had a drop in attendance since the move to Gateshead International Stadium a few years back (it has certainly felt less busy as the years have gone by), and the organiser of Battleground (Leon), has been more than open on the Pendraken forums about the drops in attendance for that show. So on the whole, fewer people are going to those shows, yet it will cost the same, maybe a little more each year, for the venue. Fewer people means less door money, It also means either the per person spend has to go up or the traders are taking less money. If it's the latter, how long do they keep up their attendance before it becomes financially pointless to go?
As regions go, the North-East is pretty large, and the two shows don't compete for the same venue or date. If you were to compare these shows to, say, Falkirk, they are pretty similar in economic location and catchment area. Yet for all appearances, the two north-east shows (as far as public visibility goes), don't hold a candle to the Scottish show.
So I leave with a question: Is there a point to either North-East show?

Of Things To Come

So a new year has begun and I feel it's time to take stock as to what is to come this year. Naturally, this year will involve some wargaming, with the aim of a Saturday game once a month, shows permitting. We actually have one today where we should hopefully have a good turnout for the delayed TWATS Tiny Tactica Tournament.

Show wise, I am hoping to get to the usual suspects, York (Vapnartak), both Partizans, Edinburgh (Claymore), Falkirk, Derby and possibly Newcastle (Border Reiver). Transport depending, the Battleground show in November is also a possibility, but we shall see. Last year's shows were mostly pretty good, though I have doubts about the Newcastle show this year. And Battleground for that matter. Both are medium regional shows, and last year, Newcastle seemed to follow a trend of being quieter than the previous year. Also take into consideration that Battleground's organisers actually release customer numbers for their show and it has been taking a 10% drop year on year. I get the impression that both shows have uncertain footing. Part of me really hopes they continue, but with declining attendance, how can you keep a show going if fewer people are spending money with traders? And let us not forget, without the traders paying for stands, the economics of a show are very dicey(!) indeed. We shall see...

When time permits (and the mood takes me), there are a couple of decent TV shows that have new seasons this year. Firstly, Sense8, which had a two hour special released over Christmas to tide fans over before the full second season arrives in May. I have written about the show previously and I am really looking forward the the new one.

Another show that gets a second season release very shortly is The Expanse. Based on the novels by James S A Corey, the show is set a couple of hundred years in the future in a divided Solar System. There is political intrigue, action and more than a little drama. Sort of a cross tonally between the Battlestar Galactica re-boot and Babylon 5, the show has a pretty good handle on realism and my good lady and I got through the first season in pretty short order. It even prompted me to buy the first three books of the series and they don't disappoint.

Gaming wise, the slate is a little bare - there is Mass Effect Andromeda coming in March and that's about it. I still have a ton of games to get through so that's possibly no bad thing. I am not even overly bothered about the release of the Nintendo Switch. It's a tad pricey for the two games I would want to play before the end of the year and not even the thought of portable Skyrim is enough to tempt a purchase. I am hoping the price either comes down or there are pack-in bundles that give a bit more value for money.

So that appears to be that for now. I shall, of course be adding to the blog on a more regular basis than last year, and be adding a few show reports as and when they happen. Toodle pip for now.