Bovington 2007 - by Paul Davies

After what seemed like weeks of unseasonable torrential rains and floods, the prospect of spending several nights under canvas at Battlegroup South’s Bovington 2007 event was less than inviting.

However as my ten year old son and I crossed the borders into Dorset, the grey skies started to clear, and by the time we arrived at Bovington, we had blue skies, (Yes folks, the skies really ARE blue!), and bright sunshine. In fact at the celebrated Saturday evening Pig Roast and Barbeque we all sat outside, some of us until well past 1on Sunday morning, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

This year was the 9th Annual Battlegroup South event. Held at the Tank Museum, Bovington Camp in Dorset, this two-day event seems to increase in popularity every year, both with the clubs and amongst the traders who want to sell their products. In fact this year so many clubs and groups wanted to present games that the Battlegroup South team decided not to put on any of their games, to allow more space for the visiting clubs!

Despite the dire weather leading up to the event public attendance figures were up too, as was the number of visitors wanting to take advantage of the very reasonably priced on-site camping facilities. Where else in the south of England can you camp in July, for two nights for a fiver a night?

Popularity can have its disadvantages, and in truth, with more than 30 gamers and 40 or so traders interspersed between the exhibits it can get a bit cramped but then again its pretty unique to be presenting your game between a Pzkfw IV and a King Tiger!! Most of the clubs and traders seemed more than happy taking part in this event, even if in some cases conditions might not have been ideal. And the museum is in the middle of major expansion so the future looks very good both for the museum and for future events. More exhibits to see AND more space too. Can’t be bad!

The range of games presented was pretty broad, with an emphasis this year on WW2, but also with some very interesting other periods represented too; a Wild West gunfight presented by the Cheltenham Warchiefs, a 40mm Samurai skirmish by the Penarth & District Wargames Society and a really fun Dr Who participation game run by Abingdon Wargames Club.

For World War 2, I was most impressed with “Operation Sonnenwende 1945”. The later stages in the game where the German armour forced its way across a river valley and up into the forest looked incredible whether with the naked eye or through the camera lens.

As ever the Skirmish Wargames Group came up with an original game concept, with their Burma 1942-45, “The Jungle is Neutral” game using 54mm figures from W Britain’s Super Deetail range of painted plastic figures. Hmmm…. Britain’s. Now THERE’S a name to moisten the eyes of the more “mature” gamers amongst us, well, mature in age at least!

And of course there’s always the unusual. Take your choice between “The Golden Elephant”, featuring elephant lead armies battling it out, in I think, the Burmese jungles, to The Escape Committee’s “Siege of Tenochtitlan” which repeated its Salute 07 success by winning the Best of Show at Bovington too.

My personal show favourite? The Battle of Shiloh in 6mm presented by MAD Gamers using figures from the excellent range Baccus range. I think you either love this small scale or hate it, but there’s no denying that for large battles where you want regiments to LOOK like regiments instead of them being represented by a handful of figures and where you also want the challenge of realistic manoeuvring and flank marches on the battlefield, then its got to be the optimum choice. With thousands of finely painted and based figures on 12 feet x 6 feet terrain, this game was an inspiring example of how good a 6mm game can and should look.

As for traders, I was personally very interested in the new terrain board system from Battleboards who are in the process of launching their brand new range. There was certainly a lot of interest in their stand during the weekend and they were clearly more than willing to discuss wargamers’ specific requirements, so if you are looking for something very special or unusual terrain-wise then why not give them a ring on 01305 824900, or check out their website: www.battleboards.co.uk.

This was my fourth visit to “Battle Group South-Bovington” and every year it gets better. As well as being an excellent wargaming event, it’s also becoming a social one with families and friends meeting up and simply having a great time together. I also find it informative to chat “face to face” with the traders, find out their future plans, and make a few of my own too. Of particular interest to me was the confirmation that the release of Magister Militum’s 10mm Crusader range, the first steps into their expanding out into the medieval era, could be just weeks away. In fact my appetite was so whetted that I decided to ease off the “plastic” during the weekend to ensure that there would be sufficient funds to delve into the period!

One trader I spoke to admitted that he would come to the event for the social side and “networking” even if he didn’t make any money. Having said that he did add with a smile, that he’d always made more than enough money at the event anyway to justify his continued attendance!

Any criticisms? Not really. As far as the games were concerned, there was a good range and hopefully something for the majority of interests. Certainly the players were always more than willing to chat to members of the public, to pass on their enthusiasm and hopefully gain a convert to the hobby. I often wonder how non-wargaming visitors feel when they turn up at the museum only to find masses of wargamers, wargames tables and traders, in between the exhibits? Hopefully some of them might just be tempted to have a go themselves! One visitor I spoke to actually asked hopefully, if the wargames would be a permanent fixture at the museum! Now THERE’S a thought.

Due to the Museums extensive building works, their on-site restaurant, “The Gauntlet” was temporarily no more and I’d very much enjoyed the very reasonably priced English breakfasts that they had provided in previous years, but having said that Battlegroup South had arranged for a catering van to be on site and open early on the Saturday and Sunday morning to offer fried breakfasts, burgers, sausages and reviving mugs of tea and coffee at very reasonable prices, so no problem there.

On the organisational side I’d like to make special mention of Richard Harris, the event organiser. Whilst he is well supported by his colleagues of Battlegroup South over the weekend, Richard puts in an incredible amount of work into making the event the success that it is, both before during and afterwards. And it is he that stands to make the financial loss if things go wrong. So thanks for all your work, Richard. I don’t think anyone else could, or would want, to do it!

As for next year, yes, I’ll be there again, and if any of you have not been before then I thoroughly recommend that you try to get there. It’s a very different event. It IS getting bigger each year but the organisers go to great lengths to retain a friendly atmosphere, and once you’ve been there once, I’m sure it will become a regular feature on your wargaming calendar.