Salute 2023 Live Blog!

Make sure to have a look back over the Salute 2023 Live Blog and delve into the different gaming tables AND the painting competition that we explored over the day. With that in mind, also keep an eye out for some seriously indepth videos over the next week or so where we’re going to be talking with the gaming clubs and designers behind a host of those games. Watch this space.

Another of the impressive tabletops, and one that we couldn’t miss out, was from the Hailsham Wargames Club. By their own admittance, this wasn’t a display table but was there so people could have a good, fun demo game at the show whilst also enjoying a nice tabletop. I think they’ve done a sterling job on this one which represents a battle set during the Indian Mutiny/War Of Indian Independence.

In this 28mm Black Powder game, Sir Henry Havelock and his men are trying to rescue some besieged civilians and troops on the road to Cawnpore. This has then turned into a fun skirmish with some really well done additional bits and pieces thanks to the Hailsham lot. It’s a great table and a good way to draw people back to Salute. The gaming tables were somewhat MIA last time around so this has been a welcome return to form for Salute 2023.

Another absolutely amazing World War II tabletop, this time from the folks at the Retired Wargamers Reloaded. They have headed all the way back to Carentan and are playing out a 15mm scale clash between the Allies and the Axis in this war torn city.

The miniatures here are in 15mm scale and the rules for this are Rapid Fire Reloaded which, I have to admit, I’ve not heard a lot about to be honest. It seems like great fun though and a bunch of folks have been having a good time throughout the day.

Another impressive Modern Warfare-era tabletop, this time from the folks at the Maidstone Wargames Society. The focus of their tabletop was on Falluja during 2004 in Iraq. The miniatures are all in 20mm and there is a LOT of action packed into a small space.

The rules for the game are Force On Force and each player uses a squad of USMC soldiers to move between buildings and try and clear them out as they go. It’s tight, deadly, and plenty of things can go wrong! There are so many interesting sight lines and places for ambushes to take place. The attention to detail, especially with Modern-era tables, is great for setting the scene.

And the winner is…

Lisa Mason – Snow Dragon

And the winners are;

1st Place – Stephan Johnson

2nd Place – Mark Lifton

3rd Place – Ben Roberts

If you’ve ever doubted how epic Warmaster was/is then look no further than the awesome game being played out by the folks from the Chelmsford Bunker. They have decided to put together an epic clash using mighty armies of air, land and sea as the enemy tries to attack and bring down the walls of Marienburg.

The armies look stunning and it’s cool to see that Warmaster is getting some love. A lot of folks have been playing around with BIG but small armies over the last few years though so I think this style of Oldhammer is still very much a winner for a lot of people.

And the winners are;

1st Place – Caleb Brever – Fulgrim

2nd Place – Christoph Zwast – Tree Lord

3rd Place – Selby O’Rourke  – I Thought it was Treasure

And the winners are;

1st Place – Mark Lifton – Pallador Vs. Skull Grinder
2nd Place – Stephen Smith – Dark Mirror
3rd Place – Lia Mason – Mucha :Music

And the winners are;

1st Place – Janna De Conick – Midori Bust
2nd Place – Lance Allen – Priest Bust
3rd Place – Lee Hebblethwaite – Ponko Turtle

And the winners are;

1st Place – Lisa Mason – Snow Dragon
2nd Place – James Tato – Ship in a Bottle
3rd Place – Martin Collier – Troll

And the winners are;

1st Place – Mark Lifton – Zarbag’s Gitz
2nd Place – Hedley Coppock –City Militia
3rd Place – Lee Winnett – The Gouged Eyes

Salute 50 Painting Competition – Winners for Category 7 – Fantasy Figure

And the winners are;

1st Place – Adam Skinner – Papa Gumbo

2nd Place – Martin Collier – Nurgle Lord

3rd Place – Mamikon Khatchikan – Barbarian

And the winners are;

1st Place – Stephen Smith – Warhound Titan
2nd Place – Josh Golding – Ork Megatrak
3rd Place – Sebastien Clement – The War Griffon

And the winners are;

1st Place – Stephen Smith – Space Hulk Terminators
2nd Place – Pete Halloran – Ork Kommando Kill Team
3rd Place – David Roberts – Morat Assault Vanguard

Something of a fun one and a returning favourite by all accounts from the folks at 1/72 Wargames. They have brought their game, Kaiserschlacht back to Salute 2023 this year allowing you to play out the desperate last throw of the dice from the Kaiser before the American forces began to overwhelm their forces.

An impressive game which showcases some interesting ideas for fog of war and smoke on the battlefield. It may not have been intended but the air conditioning here in the ExCel actually ends up turning those into floating clouds of smog which are at least a little realistic!

And the winners are;

1st Place – David Roberts – Ghost Fusiliers

2nd Place – Adam Skinner – Emperors Children Praetor

3rd Place – James Taro – Grot Bike

And the winners are;

1st Place – Sebastien Clement – Vikings Vs. Saxons
2nd Place – Graham Green – Trebuchet
3rd Place – Darren Linnigton – Artillery

And the winners are;

1st Place – Darren Linnigton – Forming of the Line, 47 Regt.
2nd Place – Graham Green – Templars
3rd Place – Luke Lane – Royal Highland Regiment

I couldn’t not stop off at the amazing table and gaze at the stunning terrain that was part of The Battle Of Baenfleot which is a wonderful Burrows & Badgers game. The game takes place in a small village which is in the process of being assaulted by pirates!

The absolutely amazing terrain has been built by Magrathea, Builder Of Worlds and I think it really helps to set the scene for the wonderful world of Burrows & Badgers.

And the winners are;

1st Place – Mark Lifton – British Infantrymen

2nd Place – Stefan Johnson – Pirate

3rd Place – James Rudd – Vercingetorix

An awesome team have been running an awesome game which has been set in the heart of The Empire and The Old World. Mordheim is alive and well with a whole host of warbands coming together to clash in the ruined streets. The table for this is absolutely massive and it comes with a brilliant HUNK of wyrdstone right in the middle of it!

If this doesn’t make you want to return to Mordheim, I don’t know what will!

The Battle Of Oravais has also been played out by the folks at Hugo’s Heroes. This is a pretty awesome tabletop that stretches quite far indeed! It has armies for both the Swedish and the Finnish and is represented in both 28mm but also in a MUCH smaller scale.

The original smaller board (seen as the initial larger image down below) was used as a plan for the bigger one. But, the board has also turned out into an awesome gaming space in its own rights.

Hugo’s Heroes are here doing some awesome stuff with a company that I would say a lot of folks tend to have moved away from when it comes to miniature wargaming. Airfix have been making kits for military aircraft, soldiers and more for years now and so it would seem to make sense to play more games using the miniatures they produce.

Well, Hugo’s Heroes are doing just that and have been showing off some classic kits as well as diving into a bit of gaming at the same time, showing off how the miniatures can be used.

As judging continues, this year’s process sees many finalists put back in the cabinets quickly, showing those that ‘Made the cut’ but have not placed…

A very cool table has been set up which is taking things back in time when it comes to the grimdark. Wait, What? have been getting people involved in a bit of Space Crusade as a battle takes place that will have you putting on the rose-tinted spectacles and getting all nostalgic.

There is some stunning terrain on show here that features lots of classic and modern miniatures, duking it out. I have to give a thumbs up for the amount of detail worked into the boards as it helps to build on the atmosphere.

A bit of World War II from the folks at Anschluss Wargames as they have dived into The Price Of Distraction which covers the German invasion of Russia during Operation Barbarossa. This battle has been played out in 12mm with some brutal battles happening between 2nd Panzer Division and 8th Mechanised Corp.

It’s cool to see lots of different scales being played here at Salute. You don’t just see 28mm and I think that’s in part due to the fact that a lot of wargamers here like the Historical end of things which plays at much smaller scales. That then, hopefully, filters through into other genres!

A fascinating project from some of the folks at the Ardhammer Group caught my attention here at the event. They are running a battle called Bread & Beef which is based on the Battle Of Domstadtl that happened during the Seven Years War. The War Game Rules by Charles Grant are at the heart of this particular battle and yes, that is two entire armies made out of German Flats.

It was fascinating seeing such an old and venerable style of miniature being used and it created quite the effect on the tabletop. You’ve got some stunningly realised armies for both sides here with the Austrians and the Prussians.

Those folks at The Friends Of General Haig don’t seem to stop! They also have another awesome battle being played out that takes place during the Modern era. This one focuses on Operation Desert Shield that happened during 1991 and sees a mass of tanks and other armoured elements powering through the landscape.

Between both armies is quite the no-mans land which seems like the perfect place to be blowing up some tanks. Another glorious board from the team at The Friends Of General Haig I think you’ll agree.

Time to dive back into some Historical wargaming from the folks at Miniature Wargames. They have brought an absolutely splendid Ancient wargame to play out using one of their own rulesets.

This comes from John Sutherland himself who wanted to showcase the period in the best way possible. If nothing else, the gaming table showcases the absolute spectacle of Ancient warfare and why you’d want to consider diving into it yourself on the tabletop.

Another of the games that Osprey are showing off here is The Silver Bayonet. This is the sneaky, skirmish game from Joseph A. McCullough where you take control of different warbands during the Napoleonic period that have been tasked with hunting down monsters and more throughout Europe.

This snowy board features a creepy landscape that is most definitely designed to give you the proper vibes for a Silver Bayonet clash. With such a low model count, The Silver Bayonet is certainly worth diving into if you like atmospheric wargaming.

The judges are starting to pull their favourites out of the cabinets.

This year’s judges include Tommie Soule and Duncan Rhodes!

It’s nice to see some of the wargames from Osprey Games getting an outing here at the show. Oathmark, a brilliant Fantasy wargame from Joseph A. McCullough, is being demoed here at Salute where the Goblins are defending their mine against an assault by a Dwarven army.

Things are being turned on it’s head! Dwarves assaulting a Goblin stronghold? What has the world come to. Oathmark is still a superb game and hopefully, we’ll get more from McCullough and by extension North Star, over the next year or so.

One of the games pretty much right outside our little room is DAK Attack from the folks at Offensive Miniatures. This was originally designed as a solo wargame but can also be played as a multiplayer skirmish affair if you like. As you will have guessed from the name, DAK Attack is set during World War II and the Desert War between the Allies and the Axis.

In this game, you take control of the Long Range Desert Group and you will play out not just one fight but a couple of games spread out across a ten-day campaign of lighting assaults. You will draw from a deck of cards each day to see what new foes you face and in some cases, you might not even be playing out a game. When it comes to actual mechanics, the game uses D10 and D6 with D10 for shooting and D6 for saves.

Offensive Miniatures seem to have found a winner here that could be a lot of fun for World War II lovers.

As well as some tried and tested games out there in the hall, there are also some brand new wargames from a few different independent creators. For example, James Morris of Morris & Chums has been working on this new tabletop wargame, Midgard: Heroic Battles which can be played at a variety of different scales and with a focus towards Fantasy or Historical.

The games being shown off today focus on a clash between Norse Gods where Thor, Freya, Odin and the like are battling against an army of Frost Giants in 28mm. The other table showcases the game in 15mm scale and a more traditional Dark Age clash. Their focus was on providing a game where warbands of warriors march into battle alongside mighty heroes.

The tabletops look great and it’s nice to see another game out there that is looking to do that traditional rank-and-file style of gameplay.

Andy Callan is also here this year demonstrating his new game, Never Mind The Billhooks. This is a quick and easy set of rules (similar to some of his past work) which is great for playing out Late Medieval European battles on the tabletop. An absolutely wonderful gaming table has been put together for this showcasing a clash from sea to land.

This particular focus is on the Italian Wars and the clashes over on Europe rather than your muddy battlefields of England. It looks seriously impressive and takes place on some wonderful terrain that was provided by Wargames Illustrated.

Another absolutely packed tabletop here at Salute comes from the folks at the London Wargaming Guild. They are running a game that takes place across the entire of London Bridge during The Great Frost Fayre on the River Thames.

In this game, players take on a band of different characters that have come to blows after having one too many drinks at the local tavern. Trained Men, Ruffians and the Clergy of all people have ended up getting stuck into fisticuffs!

This one, again, looks like a lot of fun and folks are really getting into it. The game uses a set of specific rules for the different parties and activations come through the drawing of cards.

Another of the impressive battles being played out comes from the Hornchurch Wargames Club. They have taken to diving into some Zulu action with the battle of the Ntombi River. The British soldiers at the time were defending a convoy of wagons that was on the road from Derby to Luneberg as it came under attack by the Zulu troops.

The tabletop, once again, is absolutely stunning and it’s brilliant seeing so many miniatures on a tabletop at any one time. It will be fun seeing how people get stuck into the game over the next few hours and how the situation unfolds.