ANOTHER "tactical"

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Hoffman Grink

ANOTHER "tactical"

Post by Hoffman Grink »

I see that Martin Delaney is now organising yet another LLandridnod.
Nowt at all wrong with that but after Adam (Kp1) did the good thing and sent a round robin to canvass opinion, Martin seems to just go off pop and bang one in!

It is scheduled for the weekend of 10/11 JUNE! slap bang in the middle of the show season!

Now whack me on the arse with a stick of celery and call me mother but is this sense?

Not knocking Martin and not knocking Llandridnod.... Just questioning the merit of putting a tactical in the summer months when most members are intent on spending their cash to get to such as Beltring (July) and other large(ish) shows around the country.

Ourselves (AFRA) we are booked in for GCR that weekend as are GD, Das Heer, FJ14, The Leicesters and I suspect some other groups......

Is there NO account taken for shows, NO attempt to pick a dead spot in the calendar - is it an arbitrary pin stuck in somewhere?

I thought tacticals and privates were the preserve of the winter months when we had no shows and could hone our skills as well as get together without the MOPS interrupting every five minutes????

Definitely don't want to turn it into a specific rant about people or an event but in general - What are your thoughts people? Tacticals in summer? Private events in the middle of the show season? And another thing - I've already booked Vickers!!!!
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Muller
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Post by Muller »

I think a battle in the summer can work but only if you have buy in from groups that are not busy.

Going back to the same site battle after battle does get boring but hay if those that are happy to back then good luck to them.

Traditonaly i always thought it winter for Batterling and summer for shows :shock:
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bee
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Post by bee »

Mhh. have you had a word with him explaining your pov? is he on this forum? i could talk to him as well if you want.

I think there is some valid points about not having tacticals in summer. It is nice having them in winter when usually there is nothing going on and I love freezing my bum off in the cold :)
makes you realize what they were going through. nothing like playing in beltring.
bee.
--
the greatest pet i had was a flat rat.
Jon Das Reich

Post by Jon Das Reich »

I think some like the idea of camping/travelling in better weather which i can understand.Also battles should last longer due to the lighter nights.

Battles in the show season why havnt they been before, because groups are at public shows and you cannot attract enough reenactors to cover the costs and make an event of it.

Because one or two groups dont have an event on during a certain month doesnt need all groups are free.

Alot of Allied groups go over to Normandy in June plus there are many other shows on in the UK.

Another problem is that during the summer sites become more over grown we found that out ourselves the other year when we used the Bristol site for a photo shoot and you couldnt get no where near the barn gue to 5 foot tall nettles, plus the brambles on other parts of the site had taken hold., which you forget about during the winter months when the undergrowth has died down.

The main reason thou why theres no summer battles is like ive said groups are at public shows.
Salerno43
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Post by Salerno43 »

Personally for me the hobby is battles, Public shows feel like poncing about, but that said I have enjoyed them more lately.

One summer battle a year could be good if it was a regular and we had time to plan around it - most groups though by now have there calendar fit to bust.
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Pete Skillman
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Summer Battles

Post by Pete Skillman »

Poor Sod, Leave him alone Paul. Seriously, I was introduced to this hobby when Public shows were minimal and piss poor! as the years have flown by and Public shows are now king and Privates events seem to be or are used as a winter fillers,.... well bugger that! Lifes toooo short you can do Italian 43/Normandy 44 loads of stuff,In my experience if you choose sites that are open to the sun , then yes you get brambles,stingers even ruddy triffids! but get a nice woody site with plenty of shade cover then you have a cracking weekend of waist high ferns(ambushes) and lots of belly crawling, late night firing (23.00hrs at Pipp). Lee from Pioneers mentioned to me they have nothing in June to me, I was wondering about doing something like an Italian campaign at Pipp Pk in summer, big valley with river in middle with forces opposing each other dug in, plenty of reccon for crossing points, I have large scale maps etc.., I can get 12 to 15 yanks as well !, but the big problem is costs, as Paul says, you need numbers!!n unles you just have the die hards that pay £50.00 for a full on non stop event?? I have just lost a land site that would suit a smaller scale scenario but thats modern life, neighbors!!. Personelly I aint interested in Llandirgonnobob tooo far for me but I say go for it . Have a good weekend , cheers Pete
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

No NO NO!!!! :lol: I stress! I'm not having a pop at Mart - he is a good lad with a heart of gold.... tries damned hard and gets kicked in the nuts on a regular basis....... It's just that show season being what it is..... and the technicalities of private events.... I question not the wisdom of Mart but the wisdom of putting privates in the middle of the show season.....

I can remember when every weekend we turned out was a private of some sort or another...... Training events (anyone remember them?) when you did fieldcraft and learned to march etc. Never seem to have time. Couldn't get the kit for love nor money - now you can't have the money for love or kit!!!!! It's not a cheap hobby anymore and God knows some of the boys struggle.

I would say September would be a good time or even August but then there is Detling and shows such as the Victory are squeezing in at the back end because there are so many gigs out there..... At the end of the day it's a pays yer money, takes yer choice scenario and we can't do everything. I suppose for those who don't do so many public shows then a private is the answer. Certainly leaves the field free(er) for groups wanting to pick up shows - especially payers... :shock:
Jon Das Reich

Post by Jon Das Reich »

When i 1st started reenacting we had roughly 5 private battles per year and about 3 shows noe its the other way round , reenactment has changed for the the better or worse, but as i see it and from feedback i get from our guys is that they like the public shows. ( IMHO thats due to to some crap private events over the past few years)
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Pete Skillman
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Private events

Post by Pete Skillman »

Hi Jon, Totally agree with you . To be honest the state of Private Battle events in the past forced me in to the action I took, or I would have packed in the only hobby I do,I had done the trips abroad,Bussum,Hollandx5 times,Bethune,France x8 times,Americax3 , battle site tours, even taken part in the first european reenactment including allowing German troops participation, (town of BOOM, BELGIUM WITH LEE ATTWELL PIONEERS)so I sort of ran out of things to do, Is it called the "watershed moment"?, when at a battle on a Saturday, around 13.30hrs suddenley I asked myself "what am I doing here, this is crap" watching blokes just charging about without a care ignoring everything, slung my bundhook and walked away, did nothing apart from 2nd Armoured trips for 3 years onwards. Then realised that instead of waiting for others to do something about it I would have a go. Hence here we are, but things have moved on and there is a new generation of reenactors influenced by B.o.B , SPR who dont need to trawl the kit shops/charity shops,2nd hand shops/markets!, credit cards are go!.
Public shows, give what?,Public adulation?Beer tent?non physical effort?
at a pIp Pk event I dug for 5 hours to get knee deep!! then filled in 10 hours later after a sleepless night, but how many want that experience? wet, cold ,no fire,beer, sing songs?. Oh well, old man moaning, I am off to bed. cheers Pete
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Alex
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Post by Alex »

I think a summer battle is a good idea. if it is done well, surely that would only be for the benefit of the hobby? I mean, if the reenactors decided to go to private battles instead of shows ... the show organisers would have to put up the ante wouldnt they?
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

Alex wrote:I think a summer battle is a good idea. if it is done well, surely that would only be for the benefit of the hobby? I mean, if the reenactors decided to go to private battles instead of shows ... the show organisers would have to put up the ante wouldnt they?
No 'cos there is always a crap group willing to fill your place!

And it isn't always about pennies..... As long as our mob get the guns and the ammo and the pyro paid for. As long as the big boys sort out our armour... we are grateful..... I don't believe in paying to play but I certainly don't believe in "getting rich" from re-enactment. I dont' think any of us do but that is going off topic and is another thread.....

Pete Skillman is a leader in what he does. His reasoning for what he lays on is absolutely diamond. We NEED challenging events. SBG did some of the best battles available. Hawkinge, Mereworth, Longmoor etc. Now Pete S. is taking it a stage further and adding some realism apart from going bang..... it won't be for everyone but for some it makes a difference. I firmly believe in and support Pete in as much as I think it is the way to go...... And if, with plenty of notice, Pete planned a tactical in summer, I for one would recommend our boys attended and made a hole in our diaries for it. It's just that summer IS the public season and the publics DO help support the clubs and gain them members. It's our showcase and without it we'd have a harder time attracting members and in some cases the media work we do. After all, a flash website can hide a proper bunch of monkeys so media people get out to shows and take a look at us first these days.....
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