Partizan 2024

 I and my youngest went off to the Partizan show on Sunday. It was pretty busy! But everything seemed to be buzzing (apart from one poor chap selling spray paints somewhere near the Warlord stand and Lardy Zone: fingers crossed things picked up for him!).

As ever, there were lots of good-looking games, some in a conventional way done very well, some a bit less conventional. Plus a smattering of different types of participation game.

First up was local gents the Forest Outlaws doing something in Eastern Europe - Belgrade, or something like that? Anyway, Ottomans versus Serbs in 10mm and very nice it looked too. Bright and bold, big but doable.

More local talent: this time Steve Jones putting on another one of his superlative AWI games, this time Freeman's Farm. The rumours are apparently true: he has done every regiment involved in the fighting in every variation of headgear!

The Skirmish Wargames people did something very sci-fi-y/scavenger-y.

Like the dead Transport in the top-right corner

Love the dead AT-AT in the top-left corner

 

 The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers did Trieste 1920 (I think); a really detailed visual set-up

Rubicon Models did their very neat Vietnam display again. Good water effect! Lovely buildings too.

Glasgow Tradsestone put on Breitenfeld. I think they put on Lutter in the same style. This is a somewhat more functional look than some of the other games, but perfectly nice. Nice to see some 15mm action too. It was quite a big table, I struggled to find a single shot to really do it justice.

 

I think the next one was from the Durham Wargamers? Apologies if I have messed that up. Anyway, a 1066 clash, the Battle of Fulford (always thought of by me as 'the Battle of York Golf Club' when my Dad explained to me where it was!). Anyway, quite simple but very pretty, lots of lovely flags.

Next up, a Successors' battle in Persia, by the Westbury club. Can't go too far wrong with pikes, elephants and near-eastern terrain.

This was a very big battle from the Yarkshire Gamer and friends - I think it was an 1859 battle. Lots of lovely figures and buildings,

Action in the Sudan, with lots of Perry Mahdists on the rampage, against a British square in the foreground and some Egyptians at the far end of the table. I think it was the North Riding club? Anyway, all looked great.

 

Okay, I think this is from the Stonewall group - Conquistadores versus Mesoamerican Indians. Apparently all the figures and buildings were 3D printed. They all looked really great, you would have had to look very closely indeed to tell (I only found one giveaway on very close inspection). Again, it was another huge game, I didn't really get a single shot which did it justice as an encompassing spectacle.

Phil Olley put on a smaller but perfectly-formed game: Ottomans versus Muscovites (I am guessing C15 or early C16). Everything about this project was gorgeous! Loved the flags in particular. Incidentally he wrote a really good set of articles on 'doing a project' in Miniature Wargames,

I think the next game - by 1st Corps? - was a Mexican-American War action. I liked the look of the terrain in this one, particularly. Good rocks!

Another offering from the Forest Outlaws: Bladensburg. I recognized this one in an instant, a really nice version of it. the guys were very friendly in explaining it too. Lots of 'simple but effective' terrain here.

I think this next was from Branley Barn? Anyhow, it was '7th June: What if Bayeux had been defended?' So a mixture of British and US troops advance on the outskirts of the city.

More WW2, from Chesterfield? In any case, these were big figures and vehicles. I thought they were 54mm models, but they might have been bigger. Lovely looking things, anyway.

Barry Hilton put on Jutland. It was a pity that circumstances didn't really allow me to explore this further, I feel myself getting more and more interested in WW1 and WW2 Naval games. Looked good, mind.

A hardy perennial is the VBCW game at Partizan. Always looks really good! I think there is something interesting about why VBCW caught on, which hasn't been explored enough...

I can't remember the name of this battle, but it was a Wars of Liberation affair (Venzuela, I think). Nice game, liked the colour-coding on the unit/commander labels. If they need to be on, then I think this is the style I prefer. Visually, they are almost like extra standards, if you follow me?

The Boondock Sayntes with another one of their awesome Indian set-ups. I can never quite do them justice in either pictures or words! Just gorgeous. Somehow it makes me think that it is like HG Wells' Floor Games and Little Wars perfected on both axes, if that makes any sense at all?

A passing re-enactor from 21eme Ligne (I think!)

 

A small but very pretty ECW action from the Iron Brigade (the Parliamentary forces trying to nab the Queen I think!)

Not sure which club did this - Derby, perhaps? Anyway, it was Operation Goodwood, and very nice it looked too.

 

 

Next was another really big game, some kind of Imperial Romans in Mesopotamia/Persia I think. It was called 'Edge of Empire' or something anyway. I saw something to make me think it might be a tie-in to a historical novel, but since I have both slept and eaten since the show, I can't remember what that 'something' was - glorious stuff, anyway.

Next was a Lace Wars battle using the Wofun version of the Peter Dennis' Paperboys. They look pretty good and it is such a neat idea. Maybe if I were just starting now, I would use these. I might consider doing them for ACW, actually.

Okay, the biggest battle of the show next - Simon Miller doing a huge 'For King and Parliament' game. It was a (fictional) 'relief of a city' type game, which is very appropriate to Newark of course! You can just notice the very subdued 'grid' for the game.

Next was 'The Bunker' doing an Indiana Jones type game. Looked brilliant, lots of fun touches. I think 'the Bunker' isn't too far from me, I should go there one day!

James Morris had two offerings: the first, a 6mm Early Medieval clash showcasing his Midgard rules.

Really hoping 'drinking wine from the goblet' is an integral part of the mechanics...

Whilst on his other table, First Age Tolkien, as the Elves of Nargothrond take on the Legions of Morgoth, led by (gulp!) Gluarung (I assume, anyway). Really like the beautiful-but-achievable look.

Kriegspiel, featuring the Combat of Genappe. Would love to actually have a game of Kriegspiel!

John Kersey doing Spanish-American War I think, in 1/72. Same cool vibe as his Boxer Rebellion game.

Okay, I think this next is the Harrogate club doing a 'Modern' version of 'What a Cowboy'. The setting/scenario seemed to be basically 'Clear and Present Danger'. In any case, looked great fun.

This next one has beaten me. Another very lovely AWI game - very similar aesthetic to Steve Jones' Freeman's Farm game, but I can't remember the club.

Another one where I had lost track of which club did it, but they were very nice. This is a very colourful Cape Wars action. The variety of greens really make it pop, visually.

The Too Fat Lardies' put on a Malaya WW2 game, very interesting visually, although most of the troops were quite well hidden from this angle!

Think you can see a Japanese tank and some infantry in the background, a couple of Scottish officers in the extreme lower-right

Caseshot Publishing did a Revolutionary Wars action on some nice looking hexon-terrain.

Blitzkreig Miniatures with another simple but great-looking 'Pikes'n'Elephants' affair (can't remember if this was Alexander or some of the Successors...thought the latter, but unsure).

Next up was a Dad's Army game. Very nice-looking, although similarly culturally interesting, like the VBCW game, something about what appeals to some gamers, and why.

A big Napoleonic battle - Penisular War I think - but can't remember who did this. It 'might' have been Lincoln. Looked nice, and good figures, although I thought that the hills 'popped' a bit too distinctively from the base colour, unlike the base colour for the wooded areas, which worked really well. At least to my eyes, anyway.

Okay, the next things were pretty unusual for Partizan, but really interesting: small solo games on Hexon terrain. Bijou, but all looked very nice. A reminder that there are still loads of new areas to explore in gaming.

Solo Napoleonics

Solo tank command (a Sherman in Normandy, I think)

And LRRPs in Vietnam

Another view of the Normandy tank action.

 

We are now moving into the 'Participation' section. I don't know as many of the club names for this one.

Cowboys are always good, simple fun!

An intriguing game of '7 Days to Conquer Argentina'! (edit - a helpful comment pointed out that this should be Argenta NOT Argentina. Which makes a lot more sense!)

Breville Manor re-skinned for the Hundred Years War! (looked lovely, this one)

A great-looking WW1 Trench game

A big Napoleonic clash - unusual for a participation game, but looked pretty busy when I wandered by.

A big spaceship participation game.

Charles Rowntree putting on another spectacular game based on 'All Hell...'; the entirety of Omaha beach!

More spaceships.

I think these are the Maneovre Group guys - based in Derby? Still flying the flag for detailed simulations

SF/Apocalypse-y stuff

Was that previously a Dr Who board on the right?

I think this is Kelly's Heroes

WD use the rules-concepts made famous by Chef du Battalion, Newbury, Tractics, Phoenix Command and Cambrai to Sinai...no, wait, it is the Battle of the Bulge in 5 minutes. Real shame I didn't get to play this!!

A Saga participation game

Very big spaceships. They remind me of the Freighters from No Man's Sky.

Another ECW game. Very nice looking.

Another big participation game - Aughrim.

Border Reivers, or similar (I think)

More cowboys

A very off-beat affair this - something about african warriors and logs in the river!

Undaunted Battle of Britain. Seems to be quite popular!

A quite simple but effective fantasy set-up; like the texture of the terrain on the right hand side. Anyway, lots of undead advancing to make mischief

Sails of Glory: always looks good, and good fun.

Ditto Wings of War.

Not a game, but a really interesting model from Rubicon - a Viet Cong tunnel system!

Anyhow, I hope all that gives a good flavour of the games and the day. I saw plenty of hobby 'faces': Big Lee, Henry Hyde, Dan Faulconbridge, John Treadaway, Richard Clarke etc. It was pretty busy but without being a huge scrum (usually). My son got a box of Warlord Romans and a box of Spartans. Shopping at shows with a little one isn't always great, so I just got a couple of books. In fact, shopping at shows isn't always great for me full stop: when things are busy I find it harder to concentrate on buying things, especially if it isn't obvious what the price is. Of course, I normally buy stuff at Baccus, but they weren't attending this year. Since Adler has stopped attending shows as it begins its wind-down process, there wasn't much 6mm stuff there (although 10mm is well-represented by Pendraken).