The Wargaming Erratic

On the High Street 23b

York is a good place to visit as a Wargamer especially if you like History. Aside from all the sites concerning the Roman, Viking and Later Medieval periods, there are still real shops where you can buy things for your hobby.

Bookshops have still been dissappearing at a fair rate, yet Amnesty International reopened their York book store which involved moving across the river to a new revamped premises.

On the model front you can still get a good range of stock,

Warhammer in Lendal – does what it is says on the tin – well packaging!
P&S Hobbies sell large scale models – boats, trains and planes but also a lot of kits including 1/72. Their miniature figure stocks have been shrinking though.
Monkbar Models sell large railway related ranges alongside extensive military model kit ranges and collectible ready built aircaft and vehicles. Their stock figure ranges – notably 1/72 have also been shrinking. No.2 Goodramgate.
Boyes General Store does a a good range of hobby tools and paints and many Warhammer boxed sets. They no longer carry Airfix or Perrys post lockdown.
Down whip-ma-whop-ma gate is the OG gaming store which is ideal for your RPG needs
And by Ousegate Bridge is a board game cafe – Geek Retreat
Travelling Man offers a massive range of Board Games along with selected RPG lines.
The Alma Cafe on Coppergate sells some Irregular Minatures – 40mm figures

So if your visiting York check out these traders and give them some valuable support. And remember February is the Month for Vapnartak Wargames Show and the Viking Festival.

Of course the centre piece of Medieval York is the Minster which on a sharp winters day looks fantastic.

Or you could visit the many other churches in the city and take in the glazed windows.

Tags Alma Cafe, Boyes Store, Geek Retreat, monk bar models, OG Games, P&S Hobbies, Shopping, travelling man, Vikings, wargames, warhammer, York

lance and longbow society wargame shows wargaming

VAP 2023

VAP 2022 felt like a throw back – as if COVID19 had not happened – all those companies were back and there was a feeling of relief.

You can read here my thoughts a year ago https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/4337

VAP 2023 felt changed – I had seen changes at other shows in recent years – VAP had seemed to buck the trend. It had continued to grow and evolve. This time it was the show with empty space and yet more shoppers and less players?

It also had the misfortune to have some logistics issues around not enough people on the entry tills and perhaps not enough show experience either?

So what about the actual show? Well I decided to “play” first. I chose the lance and longbow society refight of the Battle of Buda between The Ottomans and Imperialists. My post about the Tour de France visit to Hungary finishes with scenes of Hussars and Berlioz in the Capital. Budapest is still a fantastic city and well worth a visit if you like history and panorama.

The game was multiplayer using modified Lion Rampant and played well in a crowded show area – the actual play took a few hours simply because it turned out neither side could get a knock out and the attrition took some time to play out with both sides in with a shout of victory until the final turn. I compounded poor decision making with poor dice throwing in the early stages – nothing new there! It was a good game in my book (for multiplayers) as there were no early disinterested observers.

Thanks to the guys at Lance & Longbow Society for another great game.

By the time the game ended I needed some food and after that it was early afternoon – the show was now emptying out after seemingly very crowded. I wandered round the trade stands and detected satisfaction – maybe buyers had been out in sufficient force?

There were participation games The Balkan Wargamer highlighted some and the Lake Priepus game looked enticing. On the other hand I was now in buying mode. Actually I only bought some 1/72 figures at the, by then, deserted bring and buy.

One company did catch my eye and given I am not into 28mm that was interesting. Black Scorpion Miniatures had a small but effective stand showing their range of 3D printed miniatures.

If I was to enter the 3D market in 28mm I think this sort of figure type might entice me. The detail clearly repays careful painting.

Thats it for VAP 2023 and I had a great time playing a game but found little to tempt my wallet on this occasion.

Tags lance and longbow society, renaissance, wargames, wargaming

life

Glass Painting

St Michael cum Gregory in York, is the home to the glass painting skill centre and the other day it was an open day. Walking past – I paid a visit.

The Church itself has been used as a venue for arts and theatre in recent times.

The Church was built, modified and extended over centuries and its glazed windows are a story in themselves.

In one respect our ancestors recycled window glass into new arrangements meaning you now see mixes of glazing perhaps made hundreds of years apart reassembled to create a new window.

The volunteers present included a demonstrator. They showed some of their fantastic examples and created a basic image while we watched. So the skills are still to be found and looked to be very satisfying – if you have a careful hand!

The centre details and extra information can be found here. https://www.stainedglasscentre.org/

Painted or Stained glass has a long and venerable history dating from the early middle ages – the oldest extant stained glass windows appear to be in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent.

Tags churches, Stained Glass

metal miniatures Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 23a – Central Italian League 1860

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 15th Jan 2023
4 Comments on The Painting Pedestal 23a – Central Italian League 1860

These figures are from Warrior Miniatures who were my first hobby metals miniatures purchase ever. In this case I bought these figures during lock down after trying to find a suitable figure to show off the Cavalry Regiment Guide who served in the brief existence of the Central Italian League.

My go to reference book is Osprey Men at Arms 512.

The basing uses my standard 3 colouring of bird grit PVA’d to the 40x20mm base. The three colour is yellow ochre dry brushed over burnt sienna with a yellow white highlight. This time I used Gamers Grass Desnse Beige 6mm in large quantities – I am quite keen on the pale grasses they sell which do have a hint of new growth at the base, great detail.

The figure on the cover of Osprey 512 caught my eye – bottom left. This is a fantasic quartet of books by Osprey.

Being guides (although eventually becoming a regiment) I have just two figures, who will be brigaded with others if in the unlikely event they fight in the battle line!

I have done no alteration to the Warrior Figures which are sold as 25mm British Hussars from the Napoleonic Peninsular Campaign.

They will no doubt appear in one of my imagi-nations armies. And if I ever get other forces done – some actual 1860 actions. While the uniform has limited period use I simply found it a compelling one to paint up.

Not sure when the next painted unit will appear as I have at least a dozen units all in states of dis-completion – talk about dissipating your resources……

Tags central italian league 1860, Guides, osprey books, osprey MAA 512, Vienna Treaty Wars, wargames, wargaming, warrior miniatures, wars of the italian unification

miniatures painting Vienna Treaty Wars wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 22i 1850 Austrians

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 28th Dec 2022
5 Comments on The Painting Pedestal 22i 1850 Austrians

These Austrians sporting waffenrock full skirted tunics and tapered stove pipe shakoes are really post 1850 . This time I have two weak units representing Infantry Regiments 40 and 41.

IR40 Baron Koudelka 1834 to 1849 probably means the men with light blue facings are from IR40 Inhaber (Ceremonial Commander in Chief) Baron Rossbach who took over in 1850.

IR41 with sulphur yellow facings, under Baron Sivkovich from 1841 then handed over to Baron Kellner in 1857

These are weak Field of Battle Battalions at only 3 bases. Right now I tend to paint the figures by sprue and “Waterloo 1815 manufactured” Austrians come with 10 figures including a mounted officer. So I get 3 bases of 3 foot figures.

I use the excellent Osprey Men At Arms 323 by Darko Pavlovic as my main reference.

Tags 1/72 plastics, 1850 Austrians, austrian artillery, austrians, austrians 1859, osprey austrian army 1836 to 1866, The Austrian Army, Vienna Treaty Wars, waffenrock tunic, wargames, wargaming, wars of the italian unification, waterloo 1815 1/72, Waterloo 1815 1859 Austrians, waterloo 1815 Austrians

life natural world

Intermission 22j: Last Quarter Waning Crescent

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 24th Dec 2022
4 Comments on Intermission 22j: Last Quarter Waning Crescent

Winter has continued to offer amazing cloudscapes. As we head into the Christmas season and the year end I would reflect on a year of cloudscapes, the sheer number being notable.

The colours that attract me are the greys and pinks. And of course the blues are often stunning in contrast.

2022 has offered big skies of blue tempered with grey while pink has been everpresent in my sunsets

Nature has offered much in 2022 while winter never dissappoints.

In many of my cloudscapes the trees provide a secondary role, often in silhouette. Winter offers a chance to examine the tangle of branches bare of their leaves.

And so the year ends and I wish you all peace.

Tags christmas, cloudscapes, intermission, new year, trees, winter

miniatures painting Vienna Treaty Wars wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 22h Austrian Artillery

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 19th Dec 2022
1 Comment on The Painting Pedestal 22h Austrian Artillery

This Austrian Artillery Battery works for the 1st and 2nd Italian Independence Wars of 1848/49 and 1859/60 respectively. We are still in muzzle loading smoothbore territory but with rifling growing in popularity.

This time I opted for individually based figures.

Previously I had based some of them for Piquet Field of Battle rules.

The artillery pieces are Irregular Miniatures Russian guns.

Tags 1/72 plastics, 1850 Austrians, austrian artillery, austrians, austrians 1859, irregular crimean russian artillery, Irregular miniatures, The Austrian Army, Vienna Treaty Wars, wargames, wargaming, wars of the italian unification, Waterloo 1815 1859 Austrians

Book Reviews Military History wargaming

On High Street 23a

A recent trip to Harrogate proved fruitful in the Oxfam Charity bookshop. Before that a tour of the Harrogate museum at the old springs was very interesting.

Tags airfix guides, bayko building sets, early rome, Harrogate, Terence Wise

Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 22g Sardinian Infantry 1848

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 9th Dec 2022
4 Comments on The Painting Pedestal 22g Sardinian Infantry 1848

When the Kingdom of Piedmont and Sardinia went to war in the 1st Italian Independence War in 1848 they had been rapidly mobilising their forces.

A shortage of materials and equipment meant that new units were equipped with a simpler uniform. Tunics were single breasted instead of double breasted. The shako was a different design as well.

These figures represent soldiers in these rapidly mobilised units.

They are are made from two sets of figures.

the body – Hat US ACW infantry
the head and back packs – Hat Dutch Napoleonic infantry

Tags 1st Italian War of Independence, hat 1/72, hat miniatures, piedmontese, sardinians, VTW1848

wargame shows wargaming

High Street Hiatus V – Recon Tripled

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 2nd Dec 2022
No Comments on High Street Hiatus V – Recon Tripled

Before the high street, one might say the big shopping destination was the market place and in medieval cities there were the quarters – with the street of tailors or say the street of bakers. So maybe you get some quarters surrounding a market.

You would go to a quarter or street for specific things. The Market might have variety.

Small traders characterised such places. Scale is important.

You could say Wargames shows are simply a return to one of those medieval quarters – a place where you knew you could buy a certain thing. I suspect in previous times certainty of a purchase was very important as travel was very expensive, time consuming and energy draining (before the iron horse arrived).

For wargamers its probably a market or fair they want because there is a variety of things to see and buy at a wargames show.

Recon 2022 is that street for wargamers or that Wargames Fair – either way its a market of small traders.

This year I think I detected more traders in terms of space occupancy as the games area seemed a bit squeezed in the main hall.

Given the football coverage, energy crisis, cost living hikes and transport chaos I thought the show might be very quiet. It actually seemed as busy as last year with only the bring and buy quieter – that was more about what was for sale. Less gamers selling on I suspect?

Then again when I think back – 2021 was between lockdowns and people were only just peering out at a post covid world. And so last year I think there was a greater effort to get out there. So 2022 may have had no more in numbers but I suspect there was greater energy to do stuff.

This year seemed more relaxed, normal if you like, except of course things are anything but normal at the moment.

This is a great show and maintains the variety and number on offer in northern england. The BHGS show in Manchester went south this year to its new venue in Nottingham. In my case Recon22 more than made up for my missing Fiasco this year.