Cavalier 2020 photo report

It was a case of Déjà vu for me yesterday when I drove through Tonebridge towards the Cavalier show. I've been on holiday on the south coast and due to roadworks on the A21 and subsequent diversions, I have passed through this town four times this week already. This time however I was here early to attend the show and meet up with fellow Rejects Ray and Stuart for our first game show of the year. For me, this was a time for a restock of consumables mid painting challenge, as well as a chance to catch up with people I haven't seen for a long time. As usual, I spent more time standing around chatting than I did exploring the demo games or with the traders, and for me, that's the best thing about attending small shows like this.

Rejects on tour!

Anecdotally I'd say that attendance seemed down on previous years and certainly by the afternoon the show seemed very quite. I'm not sure if the weather or the closed A21 had an impact but whatever the reason it was noticeably slower than normal. Having said that some of the traders I spoke to seemed to be doing a brisk trade in the morning. The Bring and Buy were well attended most of the day and both Stuart, Ray and I found things to buy when we were able to get to the front! Thankfully I'm tall enough to lurk in the second rank and nip in if I see something interesting. I went back to look at the BandB several times and it seemed busy most of the day.

The Bring and Buy had quietened down a little by lunchtime but there were still some bargains to be found. 

I was a little disappointed at the number of games on display this year. Three or four fewer games doesn't seem like a lot but when there were only 16 or so to start with that's a big loss. A couple of the games were a bit lacklustre but there were two in particular that caught my eye and I've included several pictures below.

Crawley Wargamers - Escape from the Aztecs - 28mm Jungle Chase Participation

Crawley Wargamers - Escape from the Aztecs - 28mm Jungle Chase Participation

Hailsham Wargames Club - Battle of Strasbourg - Late Romans vs Goths - 28mm Demonstration

Hailsham Wargames Club - Battle of Strasbourg - Late Romans vs Goths - 28mm Demonstration

Deal Wargames Association - 'Shall we Dance?' the Boworadet Rebellion, Siam 1933 - 20mm Demonstration

Deal Wargames Association - 'Shall we Dance?' the Boworadet Rebellion, Siam 1933 - 20mm Demonstration

Deal Wargames Association - Shall we Dance? the Boworadet Rebellion, Siam 1933 - 20mm Demonstration

Friday Night Fight Club - Best of Enemies Crusades - 28mm Participation

Friday Night Fight Club - Best of Enemies Crusades - 28mm Participation

Col Bills in full salesman mode! 

Cheshunt Wargames Club - Mosquito Strike Norway - 1/300th Air Combat Participation Game

Cheshunt Wargames Club - Mosquito Strike Norway - 1/300th Air Combat Participation Game

Gravesend Gamers Guild - Kill Team - 28mm SF Skirmish Participation

Gravesend Gamers Guild - Kill Team - 28mm SF Skirmish Participation

Maidstone Wargames Society - Biggles - The Island at the Top of the World - 28mm Fantasy; Participation

Maidstone Wargames Society - Biggles - The Island at the Top of the World - 28mm Fantasy; Participation

Tonbridge Wargames Club - Fight or Flight - 28mm French Indian War; Participation

SEEMS - The Colonel’s Jammed and the Gatling’s Dead - 28mm Colonial; Demonstration

Milton Hundred Wargame Club - Der Kampf um den Krug - 28mm Napoleonic Skirmish; Demonstration

Milton Hundred Wargame Club - Der Kampf um den Krug - 28mm Napoleonic Skirmish; Demonstration

Wadhurst Wargamers and role-players - Dungeons and Dragons - 28mm Fantasy; Participation

Society of Ancients - Battle of Paratakene - 28mm; Participation

Ray taking a picture of the Trade Hall from the balcony. This is something of a tradition for us!

In conclusion, a slightly depressed event this year (hopefully just weather-related) but still worth the effort to get there. As previously mentioned this was made up for by the good conversations taking place all morning.