actual size miniatures – The Wargaming Erratic

Fiasco 2025

This year the dates fell such that no sooner was The Other Partizan only just fading in my memory than I was heading to Fiasco and Leeds in the morning sun.

I grabbed a coffee in a nearby cafe as I had turned up early. Obviously as everyone got the lay in bonus with British summertime ending, I thought it would be a big queue on opening at ten.

Centre shows the exhibition area entrance – the queue just after ten was not what I expected.

The reality is that the musuem while being a giant venue itself offered perhaps the floor space only half of that if the normal dock hall venue.

That said the dock hall venue had some of the most generous circulation areas of any major show. And that was a big plus I always thought. And of course it had a very high ceiling which simply added to a cavernous feel.

Today we got a compact, cosy yet brighter venue.

The victims for space were the big demo games – those that characterise the partizan shows. And some bigger retailers were missing.

However the traders present offered a nice selection and choice. In fact having gone intending to only maybe do some gaming I ended up buying quite a few things

Bow and blades stand yielded some Vallejo varnish

I can never refuse a bargain and love these pre coloured card models – at colour party paints

Some nice ship kits at stonewall figures

I was very happy with my purchases.

Actual size miniatures have a great table of products – I had to resist because I am still painting last year’s acquisitions

Some nice printed ships and planes at three decks dockyard

The games were mainly small table affairs with plenty of participants joining in.

Big games were in evidence but in smaller scale such as bouvines in 6mm

Plenty of naval action over on the right!

Vertical gaming – a neat, small but intriguing game by Django Ensoe and Stafford Collie

The display included some useful material

The facility was fully occupied and cosy with a great cafe in the museum just a few feet away if you chose to ignore the dedicated bar. The facility was better than the farm shed at Newark

The organisers-2025 flyer shows last years black cavern

Maybe next up- I want to go but other priorities may prevent me

I nipped into the armouries looking for a present for someone in their bookstore but came away with a surprise for me instead.

So a good day out as it happened.

Postscript

Thought I would share some extra bits

The books I bought at the armouries include some period illustrations. All helping to get into that feel for the times – a few telephones, telegrams for those who could afford it and snail mail ruled the day – or probably word of mouth!

I dug out 2024 because I did a long post on the armouries – no photos this year.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2024/10/27/a-genteel-fiasco-part-two/

And here is last years show post.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2024/10/29/a-genteel-fiasco-part-1/

Recon 2023 at Pudsey

I was back at Recon in Pudsey for what is the year end show for me.

First a massive hats off to the Pit Gaming Shop who stepped in after last years event proved to be the last that Wakefield Gamers were able to host. https://thepitgamingshop.co.uk/

I like Recon – it is a good regional show and has that blend of traders, games to see, games to play and a bring and buy. The venue – Pudsey Civic Hall is equipped for such events so you get a nice bar and seating area and plenty of space to circulate.

Wintry but bright and sunny – the civic hall has good lighting unlike Fiasco venue in Leeds

I was late arriving this year and then played a game straight away, then discovered the bring and buy had been huge but also plundered very very quickly.

The Ottoman Turks defend a hill against impetuous Crusaders

I played two games at the Lance and Longbow Society participation table. First up I took the Crusader Centre for a Nicopolis 1396 era encounter. I quickly advanced and was promptly decimated by the defending turks led by Bob.

The crusader centre looked suitably heavy

In the second game I took a flank of the turkish army and got badly beaten up by the crusaders led by Andy.

Second game flank force – mainly bow although they did ok

Second games ends abruptly when the Porte is killed! on first contact! The dreaded dice throw check for leaders in melees…….

Rules were home adapted Lion Rampant and they are fun to play.

Always an enjoyable game with Steve, Bob, Will, Andy and the Wargaming Amateur! https://wargameamateur.blogspot.com/

I did have a good look round the show.

The first floor this year contained the very much enlarged bring and buy plus a HOTT competition.

In the main hall were the traders and games. Pit Gaming were located on the large stage – but I failed to snap their offering!

1941 – Mussolini launches his Greek adventure

Attack on Height 518 from the 1941 Italian invasion of Greece caught my eye. Ironically they were using Rapid Fire Rules which I had recently started to look at – I had got a free copy of the “reloaded” booklet somewhere last year and became interested in the original ruleset. Then I passed up a secondhand copy at battleground https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/7155

Anyway the guy hosting gave me a lot of his time to chat about the game which I appreciated, and is one of the benefits of a demonstration game – although this was actually a game being fought by him and two other gamers. So hats off to him.

tankettes are a feature of early war combat as well as towed artillery/anti tank guns. scale was 1/72.

Hill 518 was a few metres lower after this battle simply because the Italians deluged the location with so much bombardment – neatly illustrated in the game by the shellholes and destroyed trees