On Sunday, Steve and I ventured over the Pennines to the Partizan show at Newark. It was c11am when we arrived and it was plain from the number of vehicles already parked that many other wargamers had converged on the venue. Once inside we saw that the organisers had again produced a show with a high standard of games on display and also provided a wide range of traders. What follows are photos of a selection of games; it concentrates on my main areas of interest but games from other periods which were worthy of inclusion.
First, a showstopper of a game which my photos do not really do justice to, the game the late Ian Smith would have brought to Partizan, put on by his friends as a tribute to him. A YouTube can be found here
Close by was this Great Northern Wars game by the Derby Wargames Society, which portrayed the Battle of the River Pruth, a significant defeat for the Russian army led by Peter the Great.
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| Views of the Russian camp |
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| The Ottoman forces |
Barry Hilton had three mini 17th century naval games set in the Second Anglo-Dutch War and I was particularly taken by the lovely model of the Medway. Unfortunately the roof lights reflected off the varnished river.
The Immortals put on the battle of Morlaix, 1342 which used a new type of table matting based on a material usually used for lining hanging baskets. It gave a distinctive texture to the display, also distinctive was the basing of the archers .
Simon Miller put on a game based on the Battle of Roundway Down and used an inclined table.
Steve Jones put on The Battle of Freeman's Farm from the AWI.
One of the great features of the Partizan show is the Participation Zone where visitors can try out all sorts of games. Steve and I tried "Never mind the Boathooks" which is a version of the popular "Never mind the Billhooks" rules for medieval naval warfare, produced by Andy Callan. The rules give a fun game with plenty of incident.
An inspiring day with the added attraction of meeting up with friends from all over the country. There were many other games on offer and I am sure that you can find large numbers of photos on other blog reports.
BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteThank you MurdocK
DeleteWish I could have joined you for the trip
ReplyDeleteYes Will, you missed a good day, even the weather behaved !
DeleteFrom only a sampling of the many blogs posts on Partizan, the show must have been very well attended. Thanks for the photos and good to see you back!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan, yes there was quite a press up to lunch, but the crowds tended to thin later.
DeleteSome really impressive games on show, lovely stuff! Living at the other end of the country, it's not on my list to go to,so always nice to see report and pictures on the various blogs.
ReplyDeleteYes Donnie, living fairly central quite a number of shows are within range for a day trip. However, the south (from Bristol) and Scotland would all require a multi-day trip. For those shows I rely, as you do, on blogs to see what is going on.
DeleteOutstanding report. Great eye candy with all the colorful games. Wish I was there!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark. Yes, a great variety of games and all well presented. The show is a great advert for our hobby.
DeleteBy accident or luck I came across Stuart of Settle Wargamers online, contacted him as his site unusually has an email address, and he told me that there was a wargamer in Bentham which is where I live. I see from your blog that you knew John Tuckey who I gamed with long ago when I was in Somerset. Also that you know Phil Olley who is also a mutual friend. Phil began the Virtual Wargame Club which currently I host. If you would like to get in touch you can ring me on 61257 - you'll know the Bentham code or ask Phil for my email, or reply to me on here.
ReplyDeleteI game in multiple periods but with Napoleonics my armies are Spanish and Polish - an odd combination perhaps but there's a history to it.
all the best,
Stephen