Monday 9 July 2012

Bovingdon 2012 - BGK Demonstration

I went to the Bovingdon show to help out with a display game organised by Nick Turner on behalf of the South Somerset Wargames club. At 9am Nick received a call to say that his house was about to float away, water coming up to the sill of the back door. Time for the sandbags! The display was a Franco/Prussian display in 28mm. A truly awesome display of painting, which attracted a lot of attention. Nick and Ralph got back about 1.30pm and I could then go to the toilet, although I did spend 5mins at the bring and buy before the doors opened to the public.

Battlegroup Kursk was showing as a display game, with Piers and Warwick doing the honours, opposite the Plastic Soldier Company, who also helped out.

Piers looking on, prior to being awarded best painted army!, or maybe not

 Warwick - on the right, explaining the game, Piers on the left (with back to camera) doing some explaining as well.

 Table shot of the 6x4 foot table used in a lot of the shots appearing on the web

The rules themselves in plastic binders, 1st proof.

 

I had the opportunity on Sunday, which was very quiet, to spend some time reading the rule set, and also having the opportunity to talk to Warwick for quite a while about what he was intending to do with Kursk, and where this was going to take him with Normandy ( but not just that ) and how he wanted to make them relevant and still retain a flavour of the different periods and conflicts. I have to say that Warwick did a lot of the talking, and that I fundamentally agreewith where and what he is wanting to do, with Piers. It reaffimed my decision to come fully into KGN, and to support BGK.
BGK is a morale based system, allowing skirmish/battle with an opportunity for both sides to play an historical game with the advantages and disadvantages that both sides enjoyed/endured. The Russians have the Stal! Stal! Stal! and Ura! Ura! Ura! rule as well as Kommissars, with the Germans having a Tiger Ace rule. There are differences with the effects and results of combat, but familiarity with KGN should allow for an easy transition, with some of the hickups of KGN removed or rectified.
Overall, I will be getting a copy of BGK, even though I have finally just got to grip with KGN, but I feel that Warwick and Piers should be supported for what they are doing, which having seen BGK in action, is really an excellent set of rules