Hi!
Well we trundled down to Edinburgh today for Claymore 2022 and I had pennies in my pocket to spend and was quite excited to visit my first wargaming show in a few years.
Sadly following spending a fiver to get in and walking around confused for a while as the show seems to have been split into three different halls with little direction as to what was where, I ended up leaving having bought 2 packs of MDF bases which cost about £3.00.
Coupled with just how packed it was, I ended up leaving after about half an hour incredibly disappointed. I'd made three attempts at reaching the bring and buy but having to fight through a scrum of largely potato shaped men (of which I hasten to add, am one) to reach the stand, I gave up entirely and left. I made three tours of the halls and still didn't find some of the stalls I'd been looking for.
My wife suggested we vacate Edinburgh and head back north by way of Culross Palace. We left the capitol in heavy traffic and were soon north of the Firth of Forth and cruising into Culross, and I'm really glad that we did.
The palace itself is a National Trust for Scotland property and it was just the balm I needed as it felt like we stepped back in time and ended up spending about two hours peeping through rooms and wandering the gardens.
It's absolutely chock full of inspiring stuff, be it beautifully painted ceilings, carved details or possibly the best garden I've been in ever but after all the stress and disappointment of the convention, the Palace was the perfect way to unwind and relax and was far more conducive to my hobby than being elbowed in a crowded hall or trying to find some reason to pick up some random figures.
We ended up taking the scenic route home through several glens, a smattering of tiny villages and got home in time for tea.
I used to really enjoy wargames shows and have been to quite a few over the years but I think this will be my last as I found absolutely no enjoyment in visiting this one and would far rather sculpt my own stuff or order the odds and ends I want online. I know that for the vast majority of folks visiting a convention is a highlight of the year, for me it turned into if not quite a nightmare, then at least troublingly stressful and unrewarding.
But enough of my gurning! I got home and retreated to my man cave and pootled around with both Brutal Quest and Colostle, wrote new entries, drew new illustrations and played a couple of quick encounters and even got a bit of sculpting done so it all ended up well, despite the start to the day!
I'll be updating some more Colostle whatnots tomorrow but until then, All the best!
Yeah, I've got fairly mixed feelings about conventions. On one hand, you get to meet up with friends and buy random interesting things, but on the other you have to deal with a lot of randoms and it can be a real pain, especially if it's not very organised. Also, I always seem to end up spending a lot more than if I just buy things online! Still, it's nice not to do everything via ebay. Culross Palace looks great by the way.
ReplyDeleteI was really excited but I ended up finding it a bit overwhelming and the bring and buy, something I usually grab a load of bargains from was too much of a scrum to manage!
DeleteEbay is handy but increasingly expensive but I tend to sculpt a lot of my own stuff these days so its pretty cheap all things considered!
I've been to those conventions! They are no fun. I was glad the one I attended recently wasn't that. They are big enough to rent a convention center, which gives a huge room for dealers, and a smaller room for the bargain area. I was also lucky enough that we went Sunday which is free because they are only open for a few hours. This also cuts down on the traffic.
ReplyDeleteI'd probably be ok without it and ordering online. The nice part is finding random stuff I can't easily order or have never seen before. Bargain basement all depends on what shows up. Last time my buddy and I both came up bust. This time, we scored some gold! You never know.
Good job on finding something interesting to do instead. Turns something of a bummer into something to remember!
I used to love visiting conventions and would regularly pick up tons of bits and bobs as my local gaming shops had all closed down but I just had no enjoyment out of the experience anymore.
DeleteI seem to be moving more towards RPG type games than my old passion of larger scale skirmish games. Maybe its full time work and less budget for hobby goodies but as much as I'd love to keep collecting large warbands for different games, I just don't have the will to stick to it!