Overlord - Abingdon Convention

Yeah.. I just wrote yesterday about a ton of events coming up, blah blah for me to attend. But at the last minute over the weekend I found out about this event that AGAIN was but an hour from my house!!! I am seriously liking being in the UK for all of these events popping up!

Set up at the local school in Abingdon, and run by the Abingdon Wargames club this was a nice little event to while away the rainy weather on a Sunday. 

Immediately it was quite busy as there was actually a line up to get into the event, and then you could see the main hall with all the traders and some demo and club boards set up in the middle. 

I did my first pass and walk around the event here to have a look around and see what exactly was all there. To begin with there were a few smaller, local traders whom I have not heard of. Then we moved into some painting companies selling off units as they had. Ainsty's casting was also there and set up. Some Judge Dredd, but I didn't see them too busy. Warlord Games was in attendance and had a big stall ( and debit machine.. doh! ) to sell their goods. Some book seller. Then Prodos Games.. who has resurrected Warzone. Surprised them when I stated that I had played the original.. as it seems I look younger than I should be for someone who knows anything about that! Another painter selling his wares ( and was a really cool guy ) and then another local trader who had a real random set of items up for sale. 

I can say that I did pick up some items from the main 2 stalls that pulled me in.. Warlords and Warzone. Grabbing some stater boxes and rulebooks from both. I also picked up some movement trays from a local trader at 10p per hole. Yes.. that was what he said, and it made life a bit easier it seems. 

Yeah I got suckered into them.. but the Bolt Action stuff I have had my eye on for a while. Due mostly to the fact that there are quite a few players of it around. Warzone was more of nostalgia and cause I really like some of the sculpts of the Bauhaus German faction. But this has added a lot to the unpainted pile.. so let's see if I can do some damage to it in the short term or not! I might try to get some of it painted up quickly in time for Salute or Duke.. but that might be really pushing it. 

Aside from the shops there were also a lot of demo games, and also larger showcase games being played. Not all participation driven, but more like gamers from other clubs coming in to show off what their clubs were doing. Which is really cool to be honest, and I had more than my fair share of chats with them. 

The last game here was from a group in Tring that have been gaming together for over 25 yrs!!!! Like wow!!!! Meeting up every Friday night ( even on holidays! ) to throw some dice and make some laughs. Had a great chat with them, and really enjoyed seeing how their game went. Even if the dice kept getting spilled over, or that some of the members kept forgetting what they were doing :) JK guys.. it was a brilliant game, and one that lasted throughout the day. 

I had showed up at just past 10am ( when it was just opening ) and stayed till just past 2pm. I can't say that from what I saw it was required that I stayed that long, but I was determined to see if I would win anything in the raffle.. and I did.. though it was the first pull which means the booby prize really. A purple dice bag.. nothing really to write home about.. but at least I walked away with something ( even if I paid more for it in raffle tickets than it was worth from the dealers! ). 

What is really funny though is that after the event, and after getting home I was checking up on Facebook and saw some more photos. And realized that there was a second hall!!!!! OMG... I just saw half the show, and only half the demo tables!!!! Arghhhhhh oh and missed out on the Bring/Buy section which confused me as to why I hadn't seen it in the main hall. 

I will have to just chalk it up to being lucky I did not see it as I guess then my wallet would have been hit harder still then! But I do regret not seeing some of the other gaming tables there.. 

Oh and it seems someone on Facebook caught me in their photo.. can you tell where I was? 

And that is that for last weekend.. expect a few more photos on the 2 gaming systems that I got to look at and would make probably little to no effort to play over the next year even if I say I will now. But stranger things have happened!!! Till then..