Wave Goodbye and Say Hello

No I have not suddenly got into 90's Pop, but it sums up my experience last night. At Derby it suddenly occur ed to me that I could exchange my old Back & Breast for gaming vouchers and what better place to do it than at a wargames con. Seeing as we had a Reenactment Society right in front of us I got talking to them and a price was agreed if they liked the look of the armour. I sent the photo's and sure enough the deal was made.

It turns out that two of the controlling members live in the Mansfield Area and better still attend the local Wargames Club in Mansfield (not far from me). My first club was the Mansfield Club but after a while we just drifted back to our playing in isolation as a group of about 6 players which suited us (no late start, early finish as we saw it then). So I was a little unsure what I would find but on entering the club I found it a mix of slick looking games and others that still require paint jobs of the many of the figures! The Heresy of it all. Actually the snob gamer in me shouts no you can't play with unpainted figures but the bigger part of me remembers the days I was building my first armies and to be able to play I had to use unpainted figures. What was important was that the guys were having fun and a very relaxed mood was in play.

So what games were in play? A gunfight skirmish between two Indian forces that was the first scenario in a campaign using the Games Workshop rules, this was over quickly (they told me they often play 2-3 games in an evening), a Fantasy game that had lots of large creatures in it but mostly unpainted. A second Fantasy game but this one was all humanoid with no beasts in site and very well painted. A very large 15mm battle involving Turks and Battle Wagons on hexgrid terrain which looked very busy and the four playing it were having lots of fun. Last up was a 28mm Naps game with very nice looking figures and great terrain but again a good number of yet to be painted figures.

What came across the Most was the peaceful easy going nature of the games, no shouting no moaning about dice, rules even the weather was passed over. OK I lied about the weather. It's a friendly group too as I looked over the games I was chattered with and I am sure I will go back and join them. Whatever I play it seems the scale is wrong or they don't seem to play it at the moment but already I have a couple of guys saying they are happy to give mine a go so lots of wriggle room. Rather a small club by most standards but that is what probably gives it the comfortable feel.

Last shot of the armour, one Tasset has a fair amount of surface rust that will just wire brush off and it's good to go (Tassets don't tend to be worn for anything but displays, major threat to your own health if worn on the field). Goodbye dear heart, I hope you like your new master.