My ‘local’ club in Devizes held its annual show, ‘Attack’
this weekend. I might be biased but I really enjoy this type of show; there is
an OK range of traders but it does not feel like a manic shopping experience.
The number and range of demo/participation games was slightly disappointing
this year but none were too flashy and most were within the ability of many
gamers to replicate. The best presented was ‘Gettysburg, the first day’ by The
Ex-Herford Wargammers, using the ‘new’ brigade level Fire & Fury rules in
15mm. I enjoyed seeing how the action developed over the show. As usual there
was a nice Wings of War game (Chris Haigh) running. The most popular
participation game seemed to be ‘What a Tanker’ (Boscombe Down and Amesbury
club) with many players, young and old, taking part. In addition there were a
range of friendly, well attended competition games and the overall attendance was
not too crowded, so getting to see and speak to traders was not a chore. I’m
always surprised about how little thought some traders put into marketing their
wares: simply relying on racks of poorly labelled blister packs with no ‘hook’
to pull punters in! In my experience wargamers are ‘magpies’, so investing in a
few displays of well painted miniatures would work wonders, and linking the
ranges to popular, established rule sets would also encourage interest. A
demo-game utilising your figures would help if it can arranged. It strikes me as
bizarre that a trader can put obvious energy and passion into producing figures
etc. but pay no attention into selling them and then whine about poor foot-fall
and sales! With a little more customer-focus I’m sure returns could be
drastically improved. I was shocked that a seller of boardgames had no
knowledge of some of the games nominated for awards at the up-coming Essen
show, even though these games have been ‘hot’ on Boardgame Geek for months! It
behoves traders to keep up to date with what is happening in the hobby, to
think about what the customer wants, to display their wares in an attractive
manner, and work in a more ‘professional’ manner. Rant over!
On the purchasing front I managed to buy most of what I
planned, plus a few impulse buys. The only omission was I could not find a copy
of the new Saga Crusader book and battleboards (these will have to wait until
Colours in September). I mainly bought odds and ends to add flavour to my
games; a few Japanese terrain items, including a Torii Gate, a few civilian
figures etc. I could not resist buying a few more Gladiator figures from Black
Tree Design. Rather than take a photo of my loot, they will appear on future
posts as they get painted.
The B&B at Attack is always excellent, not too crowded
with a good range of objects for sale. The only downside is the first floor
location gets very hot and sticky when the weather this is sunny. This year I
managed to sell a few odds and ends, and the money raised covered all my
purchases and left me with a small profit, again! I managed to chat and catch
up with many friends, including Graham, who was over from Belgium and playing
in the FoW competition (he came 1st, again!).
At the beginning and end of the show I spent a few hours
helping to set up and take down the tables etc. I think gamers and traders should
more appreciate the amount of effort the organising clubs put into holding such
a show; it is not simply a money raising endeavour. I feel more recognition
should be given to the organisers and club volunteers who put in so much effort.
So, my thanks go to all fellow DDWG members and I look forward to next years
show!
