As in previous years, Salute 2013 saw a small but beautifully presented selection of tables set in Japanese feudal history.
The majority of photos I took are from Oshiro Model Terrain’s Assault on Aki Kamei-jo.
Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine ran the participation game Wrath of Heaven using an adaptation of the Muskets & Tomahawks rule set. It saw players take on the role of Shinobi from the legendary Azuma clan, carrying out stealthy ninja missions for the Daimyo.
It always surprises me how many science fiction themed tables are present at Salute and 2013 was no exception.
One of the largest sci-fi displays by the South London Warlords themselves was based on David Drake’s Hammer’s Slammers series of books which has spawned the tabletop games system The Crucible.
Mecha meets WW2 in West Wind Production’s Secrets of the Third Reich alternative pulp history.
Mechworld put together a demo game of Full Thrust using self-built models of famous star ships from movies, television and novels.
Frothers Unite attended with an eclectic mix of genre-bending games which I included here under sci-fi for lack of a more fitting term.
First off, Return to the Planet of the Apes, where “intrepid astronauts lead the remnants of humanity in a desperate battle against a gorilla army in the ruins of Washington DC”. Unfortunately I didn’t take a close enough look to spot whether there was a Charlton Heston miniature.
Snits Revenge, a “3D recreation of a classic, humorous game first printed in Dragon magazine. Snits Revenge is a a game involving biology where players defend a Bolotomus from the invading Snits”. I’ve got to hunt down a PDF of the original.
The genuinely disturbing Haunted House of Slaughter. “100 Cannibal Ghost Clowns are determined to devour your soul as you try to escape across the twisted landscapes of horror!”
There were a myriad of other small participation games in all sorts of scales and styles, snapshots of just a few below.
My knowledge and interest in the Napoleonic era usually extends only as far as watching episodes of Sharpe. I do however like the sheer spectacle of massed colourful infantry, charging cavalry and smoking cannons that a good Napoleonic display can provide.
And they don’t come much more spectacular than Waterloo 1815 by the Essex Gamesters Robert Browning and Ron Ringrose (of Corunna 1809 fame) at Salute 2013.
Wargames Illustrated presented the wonderfully naturalistic Battle of Little Big Top American Civil War display.
This early WW1 game based on the Miracle of the Marne 1914 was played using the Crush the Kaiser set of rules.
Unfortunately I don’t have details for the tables below, other that they are set during conflicts between the United States and Mexico. Hope you enjoy the pictures nonetheless.
There wasn’t enough Ancients & Medieval on display at Salute 2013 for my liking. There isn’t enough anyplace, anytime for that matter. I took pictures of most of the valiant efforts I discovered and they make for a pretty varied lot.
To start proceedings, a tribute to Ray Harryhausen in Fleeced! by the South London Warlords. The game represents the final climatic battle between Jason, plus two other Argonauts against the “Children of the Night”. The figures are all accurate “collector” models based on Ray Harryhausen’s brilliant originals.
The Battle of Ilipa 206 BC during the Second Punic War. Unfortunately I can’t say who ran this or which games system was being used.
Greeks against Persians in a loose recreation of the Battle of Marathon 490 BC by Ancient & Modern Army Supplies.
A Pyrrhic Victory – Heraclea 280 BC by the Oxford Wargames Society was played using house written rules and squares for ease of movement.
The Battle of Cravant 1423 during the Hundred Year’s War was recreated by the Lance & Longbow Society.
To round things off, some snapshots of other displays and participation games of the eras.
Skirmish games with a Steampunk setting were a popular feature at Salute 2013. There are many independent publishers releasing rule sets lately and even more superb miniature ranges available. I have some Boxer Rebellion Chinese that should make for a great Triad or Warlord faction…
Below a demo game of Wolsung by Micro Art Studio, presented in style.
This original smog shrouded table for End of Empire was created by Spirit of the Game.
The largest table in the genre featured Victorian sci-fi in War on Mars by Red Planet Miniatures.
There were a number of other Steampunk style tables at the show, a couple of which I took the following snapshots of.
The Lost and the Damned 