7th and 8th May, The Centre, Milton Keynes

Campaign 2016

Next stop, 2016, was Campaign in MK's Central shopping zone.   This is another of our few opportunities to meet the general public and try to engage them with wargames and military history.

Again, the Society of Ancients teamed up with Northampton Battlefields Society and we had a display of replica weapons and equipment around the 1460 battle layout, the two society pitches plus a DBA table.

(weapons and equipment from the NBS collection and the battle of Northampton display)

(DBA Lords of the Nile: a modern game with ancient armies using antique figures)

(the game table, this time featuring 'Axum's invasion of Arabia)

(the Arabian and Axumite armies)

(Have a go pairs at Campaign: 'Spartacus against the Romans')

We had copies of the new book published by the battlefield society on Northampton 1460, and on Sunday the author was with us to sign copies.

(author Mike Ingram introduces a Saints supporter to some local history)

You can get the book from Amazon on the link above but if you buy it from us at a show (and I generally have some), the battlefield society gets a bigger share of the price - and any proceeds go directly to protecting and interpreting the battlefield.  Recommended.

We got in 4 or 5 runs of each of the DBA scenarios ... they started out pretty even until my goddaughter joined us and proceeded to defeat all comers through her mastery of the rolling a 6 tactic.  OK - she's learning the came and coming on fairly well but utterly thrashed me in the dice department as kids and females generally do.

(flats DBA at Campaign: the Pharaoh goes into action)

The Northampton 1460 display is always popular at this event as the battlefield is only some 20 miles or so up the M1 from Milton Keynes (and a lot of the shoppers come from much close to Delapre than that) ... we often meet current of former resident of the areas around the battlefield with anecdotes to share and fragments of community knowledge that would otherwise remain buried.

Same time, there are still plenty of people who just don't know what is on their doorstep.

If wargames can help people be better informed that is all to the good.

(Campaign - the 1460 display: a dad explains to a youngster how the armies fought at Northampton)

(Northampton 1460: looking through the Lancastrian camp at the approaching army of Warwick and the Earl of March)

Elsewhere there was quite a good mix of games of all sorts and the big competition which the show annually hosts.

If you didn't know, at Campaign, the red zone tables are a national competition, the blue zoned tables (like ours) are the public show.   Together with a fair cross-section of traders and a lively Bring & Buy, it seems like a good mix. 

So here's a look round ...

Some great stuff there ...

On Sunday Peter, from the battlefield society joined us, and brought some of his equipment and demonstrated some of the secrets of the longbow archer.

It is very handy to have these sorts of exhibits around, especially with the general public (many wargamers know this stuff already).  They are fascinated and amazed by the sophistication of the military equipment of days gone.  The sheer variety and quality.

The show itself seemed a little less busy than in previous years - perhaps it was the first hot weekend of the Summer.

Nevertheless a very useful outing and a lot of publicity goals achieved.

Thanks to everyone who did a stint on the stand or just stopped by for a chat.

Next stop Partizan.