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Overlord 2004
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First, for all those obsessed
with the grub available at the show, and there are many of you, the "90% fat free" bacon butties are probably the healthiest food option on
offer but it all comes down to what the attendees are buying - we've had the same caterer for the last five years and, quite simply, they will sell what
the customers want to buy. Besides, there is actually nothing better than a hot bacon buttie and a cup of tea to set you up for a good day's gaming!
We were very well served with games this year, from both variety and standard viewpoints. Unfortunately, we can take little credit for that - we
simply provide a venue for enthusiasts to showcase their games. If you want a complete breakdown of games, we had:
Abingdon Wargames Club - Gladiators (Quickplay rules)
Abingdon Wargames Club - Demolition Zone (Street grunge mayhem)
Oxford Wargames Society - Pathans (Inter-tribal rivalry)
Oxford Wargames Society - Napoleonic Skirmish
Oxford Wargames Society - Rabbit evolution (Inventive concept game with no
obvious bloodshed)
Newbury & Reading Wargames Society - Napoleonic
Ken South - LOTR - ROTK
Peter Pig - Colonial
Whitstable & Herne Bay Wargames Club - Shifting Sands (Absolutely
spectacular scenery and wonderful gameplay - a treasure!)
S.O.D.S. - Napoleonic Peninsular - Vittorio
Tony & Andy Major - Boxer rebellion
Aylesbury Wargames Club - Dark Ages
Dave Bradley et al - WW2 Streetfight
Like you, I didn't get a chance to have a good look at all the games but it
was really satisfying to see people still playing up to the end of the show and I'm sure that comes down to the quality of the games. I can't offer
enough thanks to all who contributed - a major factor in the success of the show.
We also ask for feedback from Traders and the general result was that they had a mixed day. Even those that did well said they were a bit down on last
year. Traders are very important to us, they basically fund the show and it's only reasonable that they should get some return; so I regret that the
show wasn't the trading success we had hoped for. We'll try to get better next year and we'll take the comments on board. Attendance was bit up on
last year so we're moving in the right direction.
At the end of the day, a lot of the success of the show comes down to willingness of club members en masse. Organisers provide a framework but the
atmosphere of the show is largely due to club members getting stuck in.
Again, I really can't offer enough thanks to the heroes who were directing car parking in that awful hailstorm, shifting all that stock, manning the
Bring and Buy and the front desk and, most of all, clearing up afterwards.
I'm touched by the suggestion that we could eventually compete with Salute. However, we've got a very long way to go! Current ambitions are just to make
the show a worthwhile experience for everybody.
George Clarke
Abingdon Wargames Club
Please remember to mention Wargames Forum when contacting traders!
