How Dare He...

 It's been a fun week after I commented publicly at the 60% rise in the door price to Partizan.

Of course the True Believers (who probably only go to the largest and most fashionable shows anyway) were on me like a pack of Yorkshire Terriers with OCD, damning me to hell and demanding to know - even after 5 days - how I could not bat an eyelid at spending large sums on figures, yet complained about a £3 rise in ticket prices to a show, which let's face it is pretty much the same every time and which, as is the modern trend offers eye candy and the same traders, year in and year out.

There was even one comment basically asking how I dare say such things when there were companies out there relying on shows for income.... Err, how would they otherwise exist, in that case... Absolute nonsense in an age where we al pretty much shop and browse online.

There was the usual 'Stay away, and let the rest of 'us' enjoy it', that collective angst reaction, as someone seeks to whip up the town into a hysterical mob, to burn the sinner... It made me smile and proved something I'd been wondering about for a while, about tribalism in the wargames.

How many of these people will moan at a few pence on a litre of fuel, pack of cigarettes, bottle of wine, but find a larger percentile hike to walk through a  door to spend more money, having already spent money to get there and maybe also eating an overpriced sandwich and poor coffee (a show staple, the UK over) totally OK?

Stage two, was to ask who was going to Tabletop Gaming Live at Doncaster Racecourse (nice venue for any event and great facilities and catering BTW) wit it's £13 ticket price...

And as you may imagine, we were off again... How could I? etc, etc... Pay money to watch people play Monopoly, was a comment that had me literally crying with laughter. 

There we have it, the old separation of 'proper wargaming' from roleplaying and boardgames, which I thought to be dying out. It made me all nostalgic for the early 80s again. Anyone remember what a pre corporate game store worth it's salt looked like? The aim being to raise the mob into a state of derision... Which only works if the target in question A. Cares and B. Isn't laughing at you... It's a two-way mirror or course.

That said, I did buy tickets last night because TGL appears to offer things that the usual tranche of shows don't, for someone who is not so mono-visioned in their approach to the hobby. True, it's a tad more expensive than perhaps it's worth but that's not helped by a booking fee, but as I was discussing with a few people in person, of a similar vintage and who, came up in the hobby around 1981 onwards with a rich and diverse gaming environment in our city and surrounding areas, where most of us had a 'favourite' type of gaming and others had a more holistic approach and who played tabletop wargames ('Tabletop' you see?), boardgames (again...) and RPGs (need I?) pretty evenly.

However, we all enjoyed a show which had lot's of different stuff, and which sometimes changed the mind of a mono-gamer when they saw or tried something which caught their eye or ticked a box somehow.

And this is what I think TGL is trying to do...

£13 is £13... but if I am going to spend money on something other than hard products, I want to be entertained, stimulated and to see something different around every corner. You know... How most if not all shows used to be?

So, let me see... £8 each to stay in my well trodden tracks that are say Partizan or Hammerhead, or £5 (cash only) to get the Vapnartak 'vanishing Mars Bar' effect, or save £8 and go to a bigger and more varied show ('Waste £13 on a show I never heard of?') with manufacturers such as Chaosium (oh and that little wargames business that you never see at any shows... What's it called? Errr... Oh yes, 'Warlord Games', both of whom I don't think (yet) have ever produced Monopoly, and one of which is celebrating 50 years in the industry in 2026 and which, has had some bloody excellent product lines in it's time.

Lectures, panels and a gaming quiz (not my thing but very welcome because hell, that's what we used to have in the day at Triples (another fallen idol of mine) and it engages with people.

This unknown show must think it can fill Doncaster Racecourse for two days of be a tax right-off...

Remember when the 'insert suitably macho name here' show, was 'unknown'?

Well, there you go...

And then, - knowing full well, that the pack still wanted their blood - I posted (as wargamers do) pics of the box of around 800+ plastics that arrived this morning.

And we were off again, the bile and vitriol palpable. 'How can he moan about £3 and then spend £300 (more like £800 actually, not including the £312 of Gripping Beast metals bought at Vanartak (cash only please!) the other week) on figures" etc, etc...

Well, I can because if I don't waste money going to say two shows that never really change, I can buy quite a few figures when you add in sustenance and travel. And that adds up.

All in all it's been the best £3 I've never spent...

TTFN