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So one of my "to do this year" objectives is to attend at least one gaming/fantasy/wargaming/geeky convention!

However not having really paid a huge amount of attention to the convention scene (save for the aftermath of news/previews and so forth that tend to follow some) I'm wondering which ones might be worth going too for the year and it seems that one of the next biggest is Salute - indeed biggest wargaming convention without heading overseas to the USA.


So I'm wondering what its like. What happens, what the feeling is like; what goes on and so forth from those who've been before. What's it like getting in; are there issues/problems/fun things etc....
My early scouting around suggests that its a lot of great tables and showcases of games and scenes people have setup; a bunch of demo games from some game designers; a selection of almost entirely wargaming firms with a few of the big stores (wayland, element etc...) turning up as well.


And also please do mention other conventions worth considering in fantasy/wargaming etc.... I'm bound to have not even heard of some or forgotten others and if there are others that some might feel are better or more interesting/diverse/varied and so forth please do say!



Ps I know covid broke a LOT of things and whilst I totally agree that chatter about "what's been lost" is important to have lets try and not let it dominate things too much.

It's undoubtedly the biggest and best wargames show in the UK.
It's also one of the most expensive, due to ticket price and location.

But you will see a lot of small manufacturers that you don't see elsewhere, and you'll see and maybe play on some amazing tables.

And they have a solid painting competition, and guest speakers doing seminar stuff.

The key thing is to have a plan. It's a very busy show, and there is simply not enough time to see everything. So pick out stuff you definitely want to see/buy/try, and work out a route.

You *probably* won't get time to chat with particular people. Everyone tends to be way to busy, unlike the smaller shows.

But it's always a great experience!

It isn't like a gaming convention. You won't get much of an interactive experience as limited slots to play games. It is more a look at stuff and buy stuff experience.

What is it you are after from such a day out?

I would say Salute is an absolutely essential visit if you are a fan of wargaming. Perhaps not at it's heady heights that it was at years ago, it is still probably the most impressive one in the UK.

As The_Real_Chris says you don't get that many participation games - although there are a lot of big (many quite spectacular) demo games that some clubs have spent all year preparing for. And you can usually ask to have a go and a lot of the time they will be accommodating I have found.

Honestly considering even skirmish wargames can take easily more than an hour most times (esp when new) I wouldn't really be after demo games. You'd hardly get time to really do one or two and at a big convention half the time would be spent going "Wait what was that, what did you say?" and so forth

So more of a go look and see sounds just like what I'd expect

I have been attending Salutes for more than a decade now, so I have a very skewed opinion about Salute performance these days.

The good news is that you never attended one, so no comparison point with previous years etc. As such I would say, save some money and give it a go!

If you like quirky independent stores, obscure ranges, crazy games and above all, to BUY minis then you are in for a good time Sir!

My tips:

- Pack light, bring a sandwitch, water and snacks... comfy shoes, clothes and an empty back pack to fill with wargaming. If you intend to spend 100 and only 100 on minis... think double that XD
- Go to the site now and check stands companies, check their goods and make plan for the first 3 or so hours at the event. Get those things you really really want out of the way and then spend the rest of the day surrounded with wargaming and discover things as you go. Some sites are really bad so dont worry, the stands usually packed with goods.
- Everyone is busy there so dont expect long chats.
- Take a camera or phone and take pictures of the stands new releases you want to check later at home, get their cards and websites. Remember some companies have loads of goods not on the show while others have loads of new things on the show thats not online. Weird I know.
- This is not a GW show its mostly and independent show.
- You can order things from some stores/companies you know beforehand and then pick up at salute.
- Above all dont stress if you cant see everything, because you cant. Pick your battles.

Have fun.

Salute is the biggest but there are other smaller shows around the country. I'm planning on heading to Hammerhead in Newark at the beginning of the month ad will also head to Hereward in Peterborough so search about and support your local show.

 NAVARRO wrote:

- Take a camera or phone and take pictures of the stands new releases you want to check later at home, get their cards and websites. Remember some companies have loads of goods not on the show while others have loads of new things on the show thats not online. Weird I know.

Hah I've already been going around trying to find a darn metal plate for the bottom of my camera to lug it around with a smaller lens with a shoulder strap (been mostly using the larger ones as of late that have their own plates and strap connection points on them). So yep very much looking to take the camera and a lens and get some photos of the displays and such. A good idea about photos of stalls too to keep them in mind.

I've been to a couple of Salutes, my thoughts are:

- If you just want 40k, there isn't much of it. You have a few retailers including Wayland, but the vast majority of the show is for other wargames, some of which are very interesting but very niche.
- Plan your day ahead. Plan your route in advance as the DLR can get very packed depending on what else the Excel is hosting. You're also close to a couple of nice pubs including The Grapes, owned by Sir Ian McKellen.
- As others have said, bring water and snacks, the Excel is stupidly expensive. They have water refill points scattered about which come in handy, can get very hot in there.
- Be a bit buyer-beware. I very much try to support small businesses but got conned on one of my visits; bought a pack of nice-looking brushes but the bloke failed to disclose that he sells factory-seconds which fall apart quickly.

Salute has seen a very substantial fall in GW stockists in recent years. Also a lot fewer traders than before as many are saying costs don't make it worth the trip for a one day show.

Candidly, from a participants perspective, Warlords (the organisers) are a nightmare to deal with and frankly possibly need to lose some ego in the way they engage with people offering to do games / stands.

Salute used to be huge, these days I don't think its as good as it was and I think there are better shows out there.

 Valkyrie wrote:

- Plan your day ahead. Plan your route in advance as the DLR can get very packed depending on what else the Excel is hosting.

You also have crossrail - travelling from as far afield as Reading now is very easy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

jim30 wrote:
Candidly, from a participants perspective, Warlords (the organisers) are a nightmare to deal with and frankly possibly need to lose some ego in the way they engage with people offering to do games / stands.

Salute used to be huge, these days I don't think its as good as it was and I think there are better shows out there.

Are you missing the bring and buy?

I think with the move to Excel it got visibly very big (though in terms of bargains and variety Earls court era probably wins), but there has been a big drop in attendance from my casual observation. Being big meant they could be more curt and take less time in correspondence with attendees (it is a massive time sink) and be more make them do the work to attend rather than try and entice people in. If the fall continues that might cause a change.

I do wonder how it would change with a private events company running it. I imagine they would need 2-3x the ticket price to make it generate a profit for them.

The_Real_Chris wrote:


If the fall continues that might cause a change.
.

It's changing as we speak, they are pushing the "Celebrity" Card even more this year and they are engaging on the Facebook page by feeding steady news updates, of who's coming etc... to attract a more robust attendance.
If miniature celebrities is your thing then yeah I guess so. In my case it does the opposite. I run away from those things

The core of the event is, for me, Independent games and minis. With less and less stands and people buying/playing I don't see how obscure celebs will turn that boat around to be honest. I think one of the major causes of the decline is and was Brexit. UK small companies just dont have the money to attend and are on emergency mode or simply closed doors. While several international companies that were always there just dont come anymore.

I would say theres a mountain to climb before Salute comes close to its former glory, Hope they manage to do it since it was something really to wish for, every year.

I went once, was massively disappointed and not ever going back. I know some Londoners have a reputation for being rude and I'm sure it's not many but they all seem to be invited in some way there. Couple of examples. Firstly a young south Asian boy was with us, upon politely asking a question about where a certain stand was he was told to go try a colonial game because and I quote only thing your mob is good for. Especially stupid as atone of my son's was.using a hand held camcorder and caught it all. We reported it to their committee and was totally ignored.
Secondly.om watching a demo based on modern middle east I remarked about some of the miniatures used weren't in use by UK forces at that time and I was told, I assume as I wasn't wearing shorts and my prosthetic leg was obviously clear to see,."shut up spax


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sorry finger slipped." Shut up Spax you don't know what you're talking about I'm on the TA and I know my stuff' . I don't normally mention how I lost my leg.but I was totally fed up with them by that point and pointed out that this spax got my bionic leg(as I always teased my kids) in the gulf war and I was actually there at the time game was set and if we'd had that equipment maybe I'd still have both legs.
I still am ashamed at my outburst, needless to say we've never been back or will ever go back. We still go to many other shows here and in the USA and have never had a problem.

Jaxmeister wrote:
I went once, was massively disappointed and not ever going back. I know some Londoners have a reputation for being rude and I'm sure it's not many but they all seem to be invited in some way there. Couple of examples. Firstly a young south Asian boy was with us, upon politely asking a question about where a certain stand was he was told to go try a colonial game because and I quote only thing your mob is good for. Especially stupid as atone of my son's was.using a hand held camcorder and caught it all. We reported it to their committee and was totally ignored.
Secondly.om watching a demo based on modern middle east I remarked about some of the miniatures used weren't in use by UK forces at that time and I was told, I assume as I wasn't wearing shorts and my prosthetic leg was obviously clear to see,."shut up spax


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sorry finger slipped." Shut up Spax you don't know what you're talking about I'm on the TA and I know my stuff' . I don't normally mention how I lost my leg.but I was totally fed up with them by that point and pointed out that this spax got my bionic leg(as I always teased my kids) in the gulf war and I was actually there at the time game was set and if we'd had that equipment maybe I'd still have both legs.
I still am ashamed at my outburst, needless to say we've never been back or will ever go back. We still go to many other shows here and in the USA and have never had a problem.

Sad to hear that. Bad luck I guess, I have attended more than a decade worth of Salutes and did not have that experience. In fact the only time I remember a particular rude person was actually a famous Spanish painter that was just full of himself. Then again Im also used to London folks and I do know some of the tables run by some clubs are full of ego and bad habits. (you can spot them miles away) Either way if I was in your shoes I would probably never go back either.
Since its not off topic.

What other events conventions in the UK and London you guys attend?

Hammerhead in Newark this weekend is always good.

If your into boardgames with a smattering of wargames and RPG stuff too the UK game expo in Birmingham is worth a look,

but if you're just into wargames then it might feel a bit lacking

(and again bring your own food/drink as although it's not London pricing it's not cheap)

Salute looks like it would be a great event to go to, but unfortunately I don't really have a way to get there. 3 hour bus trip from me.

 Llamahead wrote:
Hammerhead in Newark this weekend is always good.

First time i've heard of this, what's it like? Would mainly be going for the traders / to buy stuff

I'd recommend a quick google then. Plenty of demo games from a variety of clubs. Several trade stalls from most of the major none GW brands (Warlord, Wargames Foundry, Mantic Great Escape Games,Gripping Beast etc) I mainly brought plastic boxes where the combined deals were better than online. What I felt was lacking this year was the smaller stalls. The first time I went there was a second hall with several smaller traders with smalIer stands. The lack of the second hall also makes it more crowded. I didn't play any of the demo games but some of the tables were stunning. There will be a pair of fairly similar Partizan shows at the same venue. All in all I'd recommend going to anyone interested in none GW games.

Hammerhead and the Partizans are very good I've always thoroughly enjoyed them. There's so many good shows large and small out there.
Apart from Salute they've always been great fun.andc full of friendly enthusiastic hobbyists.

Also Mentlegen a good way to find out about shows is to look at the manufacturers your interested in's websites they'll usually have a liftwith linksof the shows they're attending.

 Llamahead wrote:
Also Mentlegen a good way to find out about shows is to look at the manufacturers your interested in's websites they'll usually have a liftwith linksof the shows they're attending.

Yeah I saw there were at least 2 sellers I'd get a few things from, so went. Was definitely worthwhile and i'll be going again. Was mainly just after cool sci-fi/fantasy miniature to paint or use for D&D and stuff like that, but there seem to be a bit of a lack of those and it was a lot of historical games and quite a bit of 3d printed stuff. Will still be going next year though, it's only about 30min away from me so surprised it had been running for at least 10 years and that was the first i'd heard of it.

Glad you enjoyed it and glad to spread the word.