The Wargaming Erratic

Recon 2024

The last wargames show of the year for me is Recon. It takes place at Pudsey Civic Hall. It used to be run by Wakefield Wargamers but since last year The Pit Gaming Shop have taken over. While it is one of the smaller shows its still a great day out and in the case of the venue you get free parking on site, level access to a well lit two storey event space with civilised toilets (yes I have been to Partizan many times….) and a decent licensed cafe bar on site selling a good hot food range.

The show supported “models for hero’s” who were at the entrance – no queuing as the show is FREE entry. You could make a donation as I did and also Pit Gaming ran a raffle.

Pit gaming had a good range cowboy skirmish material – notably dead mans hand

And if thats not enough a great range of traders and lots of participation games were to be had not to mention some life size sci-fi warriors wandering the aisles.

Hopefully The Pit Gaming Shop will host this enjoyable, relaxed and friendly wargames show again in 2025.

No apologies for pens – this was a to be played game not a demo.

This year I managed to take part in two medieval games at the lance and longbow stand. They were very enjoyable with veterans and beginners playing a modified version of Lion Rampant.

The game was designed for a balanced play and it delivered with both battles being close run affairs. It is always a challenge to design a scenario that gives enough opportunity without a walkover by one side. “Show” games are peculiar with the dynamics of unfamiliar players, unfamiliar rules and the distractions of other games, demos and traders. So they need to be interesting.

In this case the heavy mounted knights (attackers) looked like they would steam roller the bow and bill (defenders) albeit behind stakes. However in the first game just as the defenders looked to collapse the knights leader fell to his death and the attackers lost their will to press home the attack.

In the second battle the defenders were again overrun but no lucky leader death seemed forthcoming when the battle ended – so a sort of draw maybe:Exciting to the end though.

At the end of the day I had plenty of enjoyment from these games.

In fact I neglected to take many photos around the show.

Yarkshire gamer brought 1867 Italy – garibaldi trying to knock over the papal state despite French resistance

There were plenty of traders but at the moment I am on a clear the iron mountain and plastic pit push. Of course impulse buys override such plans and I indulged at blotz.

28mm (but in 20mm) Bronze Age fortress starter pack made up there and then with a nice discount-thanks blotz

To be fair I had previously gazed at their Bronze Age fortress yet held off. Now though I have some converged plans which mean the fortress bit the dust or rather my wallet did!

Recon 2025 is in my diary already.

Tags ancient and medieval wargaming, garibaldi, garibaldi wargaming, garibaldini, lance and longbow society, medieval warfare, mid 19th century wargames, miniature figures, risorgimento, Table Top Battles, table-top wargaming, Vienna Treaty Wars, wargames, wargaming, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe, wars of italian unification, wars of the italian unification

natural world

Intermission 24e

Early winter has been quite dry in fact very dry with the first real rain in weeks falling as snow which again is rather early for this time of year.

The sunsets have continued to be stunning

Typically the west side of England is wetter than the east side – the lakes in the Lake District never dry out in theory as Atlantic westerlies dump their rain before climbing over the Pennines. And November can be very wet, cold and windy. But then again it can be a very dry month! So when a fine day comes along…….

The lakes on a dry sunny day – where else would you be?

Lake Windermere on a fine November day at noon

Moon pics have in contrast to sunsets been a bit in short supply – this evening shot does not quite convey how the moon made the sky almost feel like daylight

Tags clouds, nature, sunset, weather, winter

life natural world

Intermission 24d

Autumn is well on with some excellent skies

Just a passing frost – a very mild autumn so far breaking records as usual

Tags nature, sunset, the natural world, weather

Book Reviews Military History

USA book tour

I had the chance to take a much delayed trip to the states this spring and hit the “front range” first, landing in Denver Colorado.

I took a clockwise trip round the southern rockies where the Colorado (Grand Canyon bound) and Rio Grande (New Mexico and Texas bound) rivers both rise.

The trip took in Colorado Springs, Raton, Santa Fe, Moab and ended in Boulder just north of Denver.

On my trip I bought a few books but I am getting ahead of myself. Trips like this invariably start with trains and planes. For which a book is useful.

My first book therefore was Eckart Frahm’s recent “Assyria” the rise and fall of the worlds first empire.

This got some airtime both ways when I was not watching both parts 1 and 2 of Dune. Dune I enjoyed and seemed a lot better than the one Sting was in – that’s showing my age….

The book also got some train time too. However it’s got a long way still to go and is still promising to be a great read in the future now I have moved on to other things!

My first USA purchase was completely unexpected. While waiting in a Walmart till exit queue near Fort Collins I was confronted not with Hershey bars but a pile of national geographic civil war atlases. I succumbed.

Moving south I landed up in Raton – the Raton pass is the mountainess northern route of the Santa Fe trail running from Kansas in the east.

Then it was onto Santa Fe where I got two books.

The first book so to speak in Santa Fe itself, I picked up at a niche bookseller. We had a good chat about the book world and I then asked him if he had something on the military history of the region – civil war or earlier.

I picked up this Mexican War book secondhand on the owners recommendation seeing as I would never have spotted it either and it turned out to be a top buy. It proved an excellent read for someone who knew nothing about the conflict.

I also did a check on the various titles for civil war histories in the region of Colorado/New Mexico and was happy with the book I had brought with me from the UK.

I had also read it before travelling as the battlefield is not straightforward. Essentially a main road runs smack through the extended site with all the development/disruption that results.

And when I made a trip to the nature park near the battlefield there was a fantastic choice of military history books on offer. Again the reserve is another story but I only bought this one book – about the civil war in Texas.

I found that mid west bookshops generally covered the Indian wars post civil war better than the civil war itself. Understandable given the distance and geography involved and the fact that the civil war was much more an east coast affair.

Durango and Moab were great places to stay but no compelling books to be had.

So it was left maybe to Boulder to finish on a high. Boulder was renowned for its bookstores in the past and I found two excellent ones still going and very well patronised when I visited.

At Trident booksellers and cafe I bought iron empires…..and the union pacific hits the rockies nearby……….

Half read – it gives a vital ingredient of the Midwest – a thoroughly good read

At Boulder bookstore I bought of dice and men….

As I was there at the beginning a quick leaf through convinced me to give this one a go

Both stores were on Pearl Street which is the main shopping and retail street in Boulder.

Well that wraps up the book tour which was a success giving me plenty to consume during the rest of 2024 and well into 2025.

So those pesky brushes are back which means I can do some miniatures painting again!

And just maybe a few more posts will follow on what I saw on my travels…….

Tags american civil war, battle of glorietta pass, Mexican war, Military History, railroads, rpg games, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe

life

Remembrance Sunday

Tags Remembrance Sunday

life wargaming

Those pesky brushes……..

My miniatures painting has been non existent since spring and now I can tell you why…..

Well not exactly. Here are some clues as to where they went or rather the hand that operates them!

See if you can solve the seven clues and location before the next post in a few days.

Tags miniatures painting

Scenery wargaming

No Ork in Scenery

As another month slips by scenery has remained centre stage.

The net result has been quite a number of scenery pieces have appeared on the work bench.

The reality is little has been completed.

So lots of starts but so far only one more finish since I posted “afterglow”.

The finished piece is an airfix cottage which I have repainted after its long life with a bright yellow thatch.

I have opted for more muted colour and some dry brush work.

Almost complete really because I think the chimney will need a bit of smoke effects.

I started a production line which is always dangerous

The question is whether the scenery phase has now run its course.

Tags miniatures painting, painting miniatures, Scenery, season of scenery challenge, wargames, wargaming

wargame shows wargaming

A Genteel Fiasco part 1

Autumn sees me on the move – the other partizan is done and now it was the turn of Fiasco in Leeds.

In contrast to the Newark show I reckon I was about fiftieth in the queue despite arriving about fifteen minutes before the doors opened.

The dock hall is a sombre black lined but very high ceiling cavern! Today there was plenty of space due to less traders and some missing games and others, compared to previous years.

Maybe it was a bit of half term effect as numbers held up during the day?

I was done trader wise in thirty minutes in terms of checking out who was there and what was on offer. So I could then home in on those traders that took my fancy.

Caliver books and Dave lanchester books absence meant that the show was book free except for some stalls typically selling old ospreys.

There were plenty of games being played and in that sense the show was vibrant. Few straight demo/display games or showstopper demo only tables but again every table that set up was playing as far as I could see. Gaming tables for gaming and there was plenty of variety on offer.

Some traders were clearly doing excellent business while others looked a bit too quiet from their owners early doors looks.

Now I went back in the afternoon and I reckon it was still as busy as at ten. You don’t get that at other shows where there is an initial rush and then numbers dwindle.

Fiasco was enjoyable as you could shop without the scrum at many of the big names traders.

I had no particular buying plans for what is really yet another convenient Yorkshire show.

I ended up buying a few things that were wanted plus some surprises.

A few tables caught my eye.

Recycling partizan……

Ok so I forgot to snap this one in the dock hall lucky for you I caught it at partizan

Winter…….

Ice flow was a favourite board game of mine but no one else liked it so it got the heave ho – wargaming on ice anybody? This looked an engaging fantasy game with bespoke rules

The Yarkshire Wargamer presented his Italian wars game nineteenth century style. Think ACW with vineyards and garibaldis – no not the biscuits!

Live recording as Yarkshire man throws a double six seemingly to order….

I chatted to the what a cowboy gamers who were typically happy to converse over their lunch break hence no fighting on the board…..

Warlord game – boardgame/wargame crossover? Maybe a take on what Zvezda art of tactic sought to achieve?

Buying wise I am still looking at nearly mechanised….

Airfix trusty old kit

A Japan surprise from EWM

These vehicles I bought from the friendly helpful guys at battle zone games

Grubby tanks yielded this ancient Tower in more ways than one from one of their bits and pieces boxes.

I had a chat with Mr Grubby himself as ever willing to talk to his potential customers and just not sell even though he was very busy. He has now selectively cast SHQ/Kennington and has sold them on request. So I need to get an order in for some 1848 Saxons!

https://norber1424.blogspot.com/?m=1

Artillery feature at actual size miniatures. I found a miscasts box – bag ‘em yourself for 1 pound – a bargain I reckon. The owner even helped me match the barrels to the carriages! Chapeaux as cyclists say.

Well that’s it or would have been except Fiasco has a fantastic addition. The royal armouries is a minute across the square.

A decent range of traders and games means this show is worth a visit in 2025

Unlike partizan (an agricultural show facilities wise) Fiasco has tons of food options – even gluten free – proper tea for one yes two Yorkshire tea bags in that pot: And table service. The wrap? I was technically late for the breakfast menu at the museum cafe but they knocked me up a gluten free bacon sandwich with some imagination-the wrap was “loaded” with bacon.

Part two properly covers my museum trip. But you’ve read that already – probably…..

Footfall measure? – last valley still had stock on the shelves a couple of hours in. But at least you could shop like human!

Next up……

Nice to see 1848 Danes on show in the promo flyer

Tags garibaldi, garibaldi wargaming, garibaldini, mid 19th century wargames, miniature figures, risorgimento, SHQ miniatures, wargames, wargaming, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe, wars of italian unification, wars of the italian unification

Military History wargame shows

A genteel Fiasco part two

Fiasco is a wargames show with a difference.

Next door is the national armouries https://royalarmouries.org/leeds and if you have never been it’s fantastic and even if you have been it’s worth a revisit every now and then.

I did a selective tour to fill out my visit to Fiasco wargames show next door in the dock hall.

There are slots round the edge so you can view the diorama at ground level

1911 self loading rifle Swiss built Mexican 1891 design – below is up a Lewis air service machine gun

Triang, minic cars, frog aircraft and sten guns…….

All the weapons a platoon (German and here British) had plus the occasional rationed item like the piat

I noted the two in the middle to back centre……

So take a trip to Fiasco 2025 and get a free entry military museum into the bargain.

Tags medieval warfare, Vienna Treaty Wars, wargames, wargaming

wargame shows wargaming

The Other Partizan 2024

Having missed the spring partizan show I did not want to miss the autumn offering.

The crowd descended on Newark in a leisurely fashion arriving half an hour after the gates opened. We expected a shorter queue but no it was still the length of the building and some.

Once inside (fairly quickly as it happens) the place was heaving.

So my first comment is it was too crowded to take in all the excellent displays. I am not sure what you do – if the show is less congested people will feel it’s not thriving etc. I don’t think we will see a return to the two venue set up that saw competition games plus more traders in another hall?

In short maybe it’s me but it felt busier than ever?

So overall a busy, popular and I expect successful show.

The congestion also deterred me from taking as many pictures.

Turning to the retail side – all the usual suspects were there but just maybe a few less new offerings and less 3d print offerings visible?

There were no showstoppers in retail as far as I noticed.

I did throw some dice at Chris Kemp’s NQM game – I failed to drive away the Germans from longstop hill…..Chris uses on board indicators to avoid lots of rule checking and I think the scenes are intended to look congested so it’s abstraction might not suit everyone. The important elements are the variety of components that work together to enable the fighting elements to launch and sustain an attack or defence…….a neat grid game which is now a published ruleset.