Last year I posted about meeting Andy Callan at our local wargames show (Battleground) and how, indirectly he was probably responsible for me staying in "the hobby" in my youth. Side note. Battleground is a bit strange as a show because it is free to enter and attracts a lot of families. Sure there are the usual crop of crusty sandal wearing wargamers, but also some really interesting talks and of course, the infamous "Cake Wars" game, where you get to eat what you kill :-).
I was doing a demo session for Blood Red Skies and found three of my four sessions were Dads and Sons - the kids always won :-)
Actually it only really dawned on me when chatting to him why this was.
Back in the early 80s when I was just a neophyte gamer things were very different. We had no internet, and indeed no dedicated magazines - wargaming was an adjunct to modelling and appeared on and off in magazines such as Airfix and Military Modelling. There were no retail stores, GW was embryonic. The only way to learn about new games and models was therefore in the irregular articles in magazines or at locally organised shows, and there were several in the local area, but the first I remember attending, and most easily accessible to me as a youth relying on public transport was "Models, Wargames and Board games" in Stockton, and David was one of the two organisers along with his friend Tom Davidson.
The show was held in a rather small hall venue (Corporation Hall - now demolished).
I remember the first time I attended - you had to go down a few steps to the hall floor and there, crowded in, were what I thought were dozens of trade stands and games. Actually I suspect there were rather less than a dozen, and like the magazines we read, the show was part modelling and part wargaming, but I was hooked. Here was a window into new games, new products, new ideas.
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| I pinched this pic from a Facebook post David made |
David and Tom continued to organise local shows for over a decade, and without them, the current Battleground show, the spiritual if not actual successor probably would not have existed. The current show is organised by the fine chaps at Pendraken Miniatures btw - and what a good job they do.
So having the chance to sit down and chat with David at Battleground was quite interesting. We chatted about the old show, Blood Red Skies, model ships and "stuff" and on reflection I realised that David and Tom's work in organising their little show was another big influence on my gaming habits.
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| David - he beat me too :-) |
Tom has passed away, and I think David would not mind me saying his health is now not great, but he says he still enjoys his games and is looking forward to playing some more BRS.
Battleground Stockton is a great show well worth a visit for hobbyists, families or just the curious. Give it a try next year!
