World War 2 was the theme of many wargaming clubs who had brought their tables to Salute 2017, spanning multiple theatres of operation.
A lot of attention to detail had gone into a scenario during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1942 which was hosted by the Crewe and Nantwich Wargames Club.
Japanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames ClubJapanese Invasion of the Philippines by Crewe and Nantwich Wargames Club
Ironfist Publishing fought in the Battle of Tobruk using the Battlegroup ruleset (my current forerunner in rulesets if I were to ever start a WW2 collection).
Battlegroup Tobruk by Ironfist PublishingBattlegroup Tobruk by Ironfist PublishingBattlegroup Tobruk by Ironfist Publishing
A very different take on the subject came from the Gamers in Thanet Society. Here escaped POWs needed to evade capture in a lovingly modelled town.
Papers Please by Gamers in Thanet SocietyPapers Please by Gamers in Thanet Society
The unusual battlefield of the Babaoshan Golf Course was the setting for an engagement during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Pin Hai, Battle for the 18th Green by Ard HammaPin Hai, Battle for the 18th Green by Ard Hamma
The Tunbridge Wells Wargaming Society led a Russian counterattack on a prepared German position in 1942, using 15mm armies.
Russian Counterattack Near Rogochev by Tunbridge Wells Wargaming SocietyRussian Counterattack Near Rogochev by Tunbridge Wells Wargaming Society
There was even more variety on display, with battles in the air, at sea and across the seasons.
Battle of Britain by City of Henfield Squadron, RAF Fighter CommandLefthand Down a Bit (or Sink HMS Eagle) by Gentlemens Wargames ParlourRussians vs Germans presumably in Bolt ActionSword Beach 1944 by Herts Volunteers
Salute 2017 saw Dalauppror return with another great looking wargames table. Fort Mosquito was the semi-historical setting for a battle between Swedish and Dutch colonial forces in mid-17th century Delaware.
Fort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by DalaupprorFort Mosquito by Dalauppror
Warlord Wargamers played the Battle of Inverlochy 1645 during the Scottish Civil War using the Pike & Shotte rules.
Battle of Inverlochy by Warlord WargamersBattle of Inverlochy by Warlord Wargamers
The Battle of Kalisz in 1706 during the Great Northern War was recreated in 6mm by Wyre Forest Wargames Club.
Battle of Kalisz by Wyre Forest Wargames ClubBattle of Kalisz by Wyre Forest Wargames Club
The Art of War in the Age of the Condottieri was demonstrated by Real Time Wargames in the 10mm scale.
The Art of War in the Age of the Condottieri by Real Time WargamesThe Art of War in the Age of the Condottieri by Real Time Wargames
Scimitar Games Club fought an engagement during the French and Indian War with Muskets and Tomahawks rules.
French and Indian War by Scimitar Games ClubFrench and Indian War by Scimitar Games Club
Always a favourite are the Japanese tables by Oshiro Modelterrain. This year the setting was an assault on a keep, with naval forces landing and deploying their siege equipment.
Shiro O Kogeki by Oshiro ModelterrainShiro O Kogeki by Oshiro ModelterrainShiro O Kogeki by Oshiro Modelterrain
Taylor’s Crew played out an attempt to kidnap Elspeth von Trinkenessen against the backdrop of the Italian Wars during the Renaissance.
The Great Trayne Robbery by Taylor’s Crew
Skirmish Wargames presented Blood on the Snow, a 54mm scenario set in 1758.
Simon Miller and the Wargames Holiday Centre brought this staggering array of phalanxes, cavalry and elephants to Salute to refight the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC. Thanks to undeadhighelf for the close up shots. Photos of the battle lines clashing can be found here on Simon’s blog.
Battle of Raphia by Simon MillerBattle of Raphia by Simon MillerBattle of Raphia by Simon MillerBattle of Raphia by Simon Miller
The Society of Ancients had the Battle of Kadesh as the theme for their game, reminding me to finish off my Hittite army at some point.
Battle of Kadesh by Society of AncientsBattle of Kadesh by Society of AncientsBattle of Kadesh by Society of Ancients
Taking their cue from a musical, the always original Tin Soldiers of Antwerp had the three houses of Rome clash across a hippodrome, bath house and amphitheatre.
A Not So Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum by Tin Soldiers of AntwerpA Not So Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum by Tin Soldiers of Antwerp
The Battle of Hastings was played out in 15mm using the Mortem Et Gloriam rules.
Battle of Hastings by Donnington MiniaturesBattle of Hastings by Donnington Miniatures
The School of History from the University of Edinburgh used Lion Rampant to fight the Battle of Lodi Vecchio in 1239.
Battle of Lodi Vecchio by the School of History from the University of Edinburgh
There was a distinct lack of epic Fantasy action at Salute this year, so I am combining the category with anything ‘weird’, like Lovecraftian horror and… other things.
The Sons of Simon de Montfort ran a skirmish game based loosely on Animal Farm, using the animated movie from 1954 as a guide for their scratch built terrain.
Animal Farm by Sons of Simon de MontfortAnimal Farm by Sons of Simon de Montfort
Achtung! Cthulhu by Modiphius EntertainmentAchtung! Cthulhu by Modiphius EntertainmentMythos by Legion Wargames ClubMythos by Legion Wargames Club
Osprey Games themselves presented Dragon Rampant in Frostgrave, pitching a large warband of barbarians against a tribe of gnolls, while Chesterfield Open Games Society took the wizards and their gangs into a ruined city and deep dungeons.
Dragon Rampant in Frostgrave by Osprey GamesDragon Rampant in Frostgrave by Osprey GamesFrostgrave by Chesterfield Open Gaming SocietyFrostgrave by Chesterfield Open Gaming Society
The remainder was a collection of smaller tables for a multitude of skirmish level games. Of course there were more, but some I covered in previous years, missed, skipped or only took blurry pictures of…
Fabled Realms by 4GroundDiscworld Witch Racing by Grantham Strategy and Gaming ClubTribal Primeval and Mad Maxillian by Little Wars Australia7TV by Crooked DiceX-Men vs Avengers by Chelmsford BunkerThe Walking Dead by Mantic GamesDevil’s Run: Route 666 by G3 Gamers
Sci-Fi games at Salute 2017 had a strong showing, but many of the demonstration tables were run by the respective game manufacturers for consecutive years now so I skipped photographing all of them (and spent more time buying shiny new things).
Since I am now collecting and painting Infinity, I was particularly excited about the following two tables. I hope I have the credits right for the first, but unfortunately I don’t know who created the second.
Infinity: Operation Free Nippon by Red Knight WargamesInfinity: Operation Free Nippon by Red Knight WargamesInfinity: Operation Free Nippon by Red Knight Wargames
A nice mixture of old and new on this smaller table, something I want to try with my own fledgling terrain collection for Infinity.
Infinity
The South London Warlords piled several thousand pounds worth of lovingly painted Forgeworld resin onto this large table for Warhammer 30k, depicting a battle of the civil war on Mars. I didn’t get to see this display last year, so I was glad to catch it now, after it did an extensive round through the UK wargaming show circle – and even the V&A Museum!
Warhammer 40k – Horus Heresy Civil War by Brotherhood of MarsWarhammer 40k – Horus Heresy Civil War by Brotherhood of MarsWarhammer 40k – Horus Heresy Civil War by Brotherhood of Mars
Star Wars has a steady presence at Salute now, and there were several participation games of X-Wing in progress.
Star Wars X-Wing by Ilford Wargames GroupStar Wars X-Wing by Gravesend Gamers Guild
Dark Sphere went a step further and constructed a three tiered table with glass panes to refight the attack on Scarif from Rogue One.
Star Wars X-Wing by Dark Sphere
The Drowned Earth made their first showing at Salute. Their Kickstarter is already well funded and I am looking forward to seeing more of this very original looking system.
The Drowned EarthThe Drowned Earth
Fenris Descending by the Maidstone Wargames Society and Germy was another very original looking game out of left field. All terrain and models for this game were scratch built from household materials, plastic and electronics parts.
Fenris Descending by Maidstone Wargames Society
As usual there were plenty more smaller tables and participation games to look and and get stuck in with, here just a sample of those I managed to catch.
Beyond the Gates of AntaresDevil’s Run: Route 666 by G3 GamersXCom – Rise of the Resistance by Blockbuster Games
The Lost and the Damned 