1487 Stoke Field – The Wargaming Erratic

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.

This is my last show of the year so roll on 2023. Why not add Recon to your diary now? Recon 2023.

Forward with Fiasco 2021

After almost 2 years absence, wargame shows once again became a reality and I was pleased to have visited Leeds Wargames Club’s show at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Fiasco sponsors Sue Ryder Charity and the Soldiers Charity – the Army’s National Charity as well as Models for Heroes and the Battlefields Trust.

Hicks Hall was again the venue with a reduced trader and gaming footprint which made circulation easier.

I felt people had come to buy, people came with a purpose – to trade. And to meet fellow gamers, talk, discuss, game and well – enjoy themselves!

This is the first show I have attended since Recon 2019 almost 2 years ago.

Mask wearing was evident as was no mask wearing, but numbers were down so crowding and congestion were not an issue.

Notable for me, were two games right at the entrance, The Battle of Stoke Field 1487 and The Italian Wars.

The Italian Wars was a great spectacle with colourful 15/16th century pike, arquebusiers and mailed knights not to mention artillery, bills, swordsmen and many flags by Petes Flags.

Bradford Battletech Battalion caught my eye as their hex game with these recent (2019ish!) kickstarter plastics robot warriors looked quite enticing even for someone like me, that normally struggles for gaming interest after Napoleon has hit the buffers. I say normally because today most of my purchases were World War Two themed!

A recent Yarkshire Gamers podcast about the Italian Wars.

And the Winner is…….

I did not get the name of the demonstrator at Breese and Hudson but I am guessing he was either Mr Breese or Mr Hudson of Mansfield or more specifically Radcliffe on Trent. He was lucid and measured in explaining Stoke Field, while being clearly very enthusiastic and showing his enduring interest in the battle. In fact absolutely everything you could wish for from a demonstrator when just strolling up to a demo game that catches your eye.

The rules they played to were never mind the billhooks expanded, and yes I forget to get a photo, but given it was 1487 you can guess the Wars of the Roses picture or rather can you?

Stoke Field is an outlier battle of the wars with King Henry VII already in power. The battle itself involves significantly, Irish soldiers as well as European mercenaries – notably pike. Like many interesting campaigns this battle ended quickly but that is no barrier to the gamer. Makes a change from Barnet, Tewkesbury and Towton.

So Stoke Field and Messrs Breese and Hudson win my vote as top show stand!

In my next post I consider my purchases……