A great 2-day event down in Reading, at the Rivermead Sports Complex on the 14th & 15th November.  More info can be found here: http://www.wargamesassociationreading.co.uk/ and we'll need any pre-orders in to us before Sat 7th.

Excellent show indeed. We will be running a Bloody Big Battles participation/demo game at Warfare, probably Franco-Prussian War (with Pendraken figures, of course). So put it in your diary, come on down to Reading, roll some dice with us, have a good time, and then pick up your new FPW armies from Leon. 

Chris

Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.co.uk/

I'll be there.

Might make that the excuse to go and see my brother and get the lift along the M4.

Chris,

I'll be coming to warfare (doing usual wings participation game for two days) so great to see that you are running a BBB game. I'll certainly like to participate to see how the rules go.

Nigel

Nigel,

Great - I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Chris

Can confirm that I, my brother and nephew will all be there (not my son - he rather disapproves of martial interests). Hope to see some of you southerners when I go. Staying over in Reading (Novotel) so will be there Sunday as well.

Hi Leman, I plan to be there both days too. It'll be good to meet you and the rest of your clan then.

Chris

If it's a participation FPW I'd happily give it a go.

Yes, the plan is to repeat our successful FPW participation game that we ran at Abingdon. It would be great to have you and yours join in. And indeed any other Forum members who may be passing.

The scenario will be the battle of St Quentin, 1871 - not just the assault of 19 January (which was a straight attack-defence and therefore of rather limited interest as a game), but the very mobile fighting on 18 January as well, complete with wagon trains.

(Incidentally, I've been playtesting an ACW scenario for the Battle of The Wilderness over the past few weeks, and was struck by how structurally similar the two battles are: a numerically superior army, advancing on two axes and encumbered by wagon trains, gets struck in flank by an aggressive and qualitatively superior force, likewise advancing on two axes. Quite different in other respects, of course, but the distinctive geometry makes for a great game in each case.)

Chris
Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.co.uk/

I plan to be there but can only do the Sunday afternoon.
Does anyone know what time it finishes on the Sunday?

My best guess would be 4pm.

Quote from: capthugeca on 05 September 2015, 08:12:19 AM
I plan to be there but can only do the Sunday afternoon.
Does anyone know what time it finishes on the Sunday?

Officially I think Leman is about right with 4pm, but the Sunday's tend to be quieter and most of the traders will have started packing away before 3pm usually.  We've got a 5-hour drive back up north after a long weekend, so we'll be hoping to be on road by 5pm if we can.

Aaagh! Must get my order in tonight... 

I'll pop by on Saturday. Time to make a list of lace goodies to pick up
Cheers,
Aksu

Would like to pop down by most likely doing family stuff. The FPW game sounds good and of great interest. You never know...

In other contexts that sentence could be so wrong.

Or so right?

Definitely going to be there on the Saturday as I have a metric f*ck tonne of stuff to collect.

- Neil.

Ah! For a moment there I thought you meant Fetric McTonne. who was the well known Scottish poet and nationalist, who spent the 1840s hiding in the heather from the redcoats who weren't looking for him. He is well known to Pendraken through the conversation he had with our own Techno whom he met under a cairn on Skye in October 1843. Techno had set out three months earlier to buy a pair of shoes in Milford Haven, but had turned right at his gate instead of left, and become "a bit lost".

Their conversation was recorded by McTonne in his diary: "Today I was discovered by a strange figure. At first I thought that some evil nightmare had risen from a cold grave to haunt me, sent no doubt by the accursed witch-queen." (editors note: McTonne always referred to the young Queen Victoria as "the accursed witch-queen") It shuffled on bleeding feet, unshod apart from the uppers of a pair of pinchbeck shoes which flapped about its ankles as it gibed along the road. For the rest of its attire there was naught but some kind of sheet or shroud wrapped around a bony body, and of its face I could see nothing, for it was so wreathed in long, white, matted hair - as one would see on the rear portions of unclipped sheep - as to leave naught of the features that would distinguish it as human.

Coming upon me suddenly, crouched under my cairn, it started in, I suppose, fright. Certainly it gave physical evidence of distress. It backed away some ten paces, then ten paces more when I brandished my dirk. Perceiving no other life, the weird creature could find no succour to its distress but to approach me. It advanced, as nervous as a kitten in a dog-yard and I could see that it struggled to form sound kind of human speech. Throaty noises, growls and whines emitted from the matted and filthy head, until I could discern the first stirrings of intelligence. The wretched creature gave a mighty cough, and from somewhere in its hairy countenance flew the bone of some creature that had the ill luck to cross its path.

'Excuse me.' It said. 'Could you tell me the way to Milford Haven?' I pondered this request.
'No. Be off and take that physical sign of distress with you!' I replied.
'Thank you very much.' responded the creature.  It then turned in all directions, until seeing one that it found more pleasing, or less displeasing than the others, it stumbled off. 

I never saw it again."

Editor's note. Techno eventually made the Milford Haven shoe shop in 1848. It took him a further two years to find his way home, by which time his shoes were worn out.

Oik!

Order is in!