Ok so let’s get the loot out of the way – Yep zilch purchases 😱. Well ok not quite…..
Cash buy £2, which is just as well because I forgot to bring a wad of cash…..
Yep no cash on me and of course I saw plenty at the bring and buy………lots of frustration.
It then got to 15:30 (that’s another story for lower down) and I finally spent some money….
More to follow on this…
The show was “packed to the rafters” – I arrived late (for me) at 11:00. Then took an age to find a parking spot, literally there was no room left and certainly no one to tell you if there was some less obvious spaces.
The usual set up and lots of regularsNo figure for me – clearly there were more than 500 at the show more like 5000 – I jest.
I got in and immediately found some obvious bring and buy purchases in the new awning area at the main entrance but then realised I had no cash so moved on. I did a full circuit twice before some refreshment.
I would say noise levels were vibrant to say the least.
Here is my selection of pics, clearly not necessarily the best – whatever that means – but things that caught my eye.
As always click to get the bigger picture
Crazy giant RISK game 😁Intriguing RPGAction ACWI have that book but alas not the figures Small table but intense activity Surprised it had not happened before Prewar France was more bonkers than Britain My memorable demo of the day
So I also got preoccupied with planes again…
Some more table envy
Impressive tanksImpressive tanksAtmosphere but get that tiger outa my way!I like bodkins demo’sRolling fields Fun burrowsAnd badgers 😁Loaded tables are not my bag but I have always liked the figure range Something a bit different Nice figuresSome nice inter war action A winter scene The town makes the difference for me
A few more…..
Some serious facesAnother biplane Looks innocuous on first lookStill innocuous Wait their a bit odd Aaaargh it’s the MartiansScary camera shake 🤣A glut of Martians?A horde of steam tanks Sparking into life maybe 🤔 Ship ahoy A full consignment of stirrers sits idle. Obviously few modellers at the show this year!
Ok that was a bit tongue in cheek, so now for the highlight – a game. In the afternoon I played Chris’s not quite mechanised Crete 1941. My guide was from Boston but I forgot his name: Sorry. Anyway he explained the game basics and led me through a few rounds which saw my Australian forces drive the Germans back.
My mission was to boot the Germans out of Khania and I did!Close up of the actionRules guide on a board – easy to see
The rules are a neat combination of grid but given a wargaming look with 15mm figures densely occupying the hexes. The variable scales used for buildings, tanks, ships and aircraft tell you this is an abstract however the look is really good and the detailed vehicles especially are not regimented in style or painting, so you get a gritty result.
The rules are quick to pick up and give you the headaches of logistics, resources, ammo, positioning, energy for attack and indeed tenacity of defence.
Needless to say I enjoyed playing the game which is why I found myself shopping at 1530. And now I have a copy of Chris’s rules but no forces, I face yet another wargamers dilemma: Do I start another project 😱
Thanks for the chats Chris and a great scenario to play in.
All in all a great day for me at the Other Partizan.
New year new ideas. Over at westbury wargamers https://westburywargamers.com I like their monthly game wrap ups. Now my games are very erratic to non existent at the moment, so my equivalent posts would be pretty much empty. My postings have tended to be model or painting specific yet there’s quite a lot of other stuff whizzing round in my head.
So for now I am going to try out this posting of bits and bobs. I could have called it that or indeed meze or tapas – you get the drift.
I have settled on “fragment”. We will see how it goes.
And of course I am going to break my fragments rule by having the first post consist of just one subject! ok one fragment then.
The year has started with me picking up a number of print magazines. It’s something that has caught up with me. During the Covid era I inhabited bookshops where possible as part of lots of walking and getting out. I gave magazines short shrift as a result.
In 2024 my book buying declined – well it fell off a cliff. And in 2025 I have shipped out fifty books I have read or will never read and which are not useful for future reference.
I still have plenty of reading material to go at.
Those magazines purchases – what’s going on? Somehow I have reconnected with the mix you get in magazines and especially I will read about aspects of the hobby I don’t follow. It’s a fascinating hobby because of the many tentacles it has.
Magazines are in effect a form of censorship on the information you get. Once upon a time like newspapers such control was significant. This was especially true in niche areas such as wargames. The World Wide Web changed all that. Now we are all rigorously self censoring or should be.
A key selling point gone, print magazines should have long gone with vinyl and cd’s.
Somehow they have survived and you can even get three magazines for general consumption.
Do I have a favourite? Well yes and no. My favourite magazine is the one that has just the right mix of articles. That means I buy these on the high street and look before I buy. This is why all three print titles remain my favourite!
Do I tend to buy one magazine more than another over time? Well yes I tend to buy Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy more than Miniature Wargames. I buy Wargames Illustrated least. This is because WI run thematic editions and so it is easier to leave those on the shelf if the theme real does not appeal.
WI and WSaS have superior print quality over MW. And yet MW does run some intriguing subject mixes.
With WSaS having plenty of writing while WI offers lots of photography you could say they have managed to differentiate the market.
Quite how long the hobby will support three titles I have no idea. I would say I had thought they would all disappear when the social media onslaught took place over a decade ago.
So what caught my eye and liberated my coins?
Wargames Soldiers and Strategy issue 133 themed charging into combat. The theme is more about tying together disparate periods rather than discussing the mechanics of charges and wargame rules etc. It worked for me and I was actually taken with Bouvines 1214 – French Cavalry charge fails due to disorder. The rest of the magazine was mildly interesting for its subjects but especially Von Bredow’s charge at Mars la Tour 1870 and again in my current period of interest the item on charge of the light brigade. Despite its fame? It seems to get little coverage in wargame publications.
With WSS you get several written articles which I generally find worth a read. That is something you don’t get in Wargames Illustrated.
Wargames Illustrated 445 January 2025 ran a theme of painting and modelling.
The content was eclectic if nothing else. However an article on Airfix 1/72 in arguably the premier 28mm picfest hobby magazine caught my eye and yes – there was a Crimean article – I somehow had missed part 1…..
The article on MDF scenery was interesting in the sense that it showed what “low relief” modelling can offer as well as the benefits of “abstract” modelling. In both cases the human eye is actually very good at filling in the blanks so if the eye knows well an oak or alder tree in all their 3D glory it can imagine the missing bits of a model – enough to please the eye.
The Airfix article included some modifications to the 40 odd Napoleonic Highlanders box of figures. A good paint tutorial for these venerable 1/72 or 20mm plastics followed.
The theme sort of worked although you can simply argue it was a magazine full of variety!
Next up Miniature Wargames 501 January 2025. Really simple – I bought the magazine for the free hobbits sprue. And that was because I am taking part in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge – AHPC15.
The magazine enjoys a seelction of regular writers so if like WSaS their not your cup of tea then the magazine might feel samey or poor value if your interests are left with just the specials.
I enjoyed the range of articles – wild west through fantasy and WW2 and into pike and shot. Scenery modelling and free rulesets always get a look in.
So on to February and Wargames Illustrated 446 February 2025.
Again the freebie won my money – valour and fortitude marches into pike and shot. Yes I have played just one game with the original rules yet could not resist a read up on their adaption to a period sometimes considered a bit awkward to game. V&F is aimed at bigger wargame battles but my aim is to shrink them for 6×4 or 1.8m x 1.2m max. Probably a stupid idea?
I did find the Black Bands for Giovanni – a 16th century italian warband a good read and even a possible solution to the devilry going on in AHPC15!
Finally we get to Miniature Wargames 503 March 2025. This was the least compelling purchase of the lot. Although ACW is slap bang in the middle of my current “in vogue” period – 1840 to 1877 I am primarily interested in European conflicts at that time, especially those in Schleswig Holstein and the Italian peninsula.
So McPhersons ridge sprayed across the cover just about did it. I did enjoy the Turkish Wagenburg scenario.
So thats a 2 month window where you get 2 MW and 2 WI but just one WSaS. If I had to choose I would settle for WSaS once every 2 months simply for the reason that their mix most often chimes with my interests.
I could save money and buy online using a subscription. I actually prefer to look at the physical cover and make a judgement. The act of a physical purchase just like figures and kits is something I grew up with and still enjoy.
And as you can see I would probably need to take 3 subscriptions to satisfy my print interests!
The three magazines remain sufficiently different to see that they can coexist. Whether the uptick in print sales across the book market sustains these magazines remains to be seen.
Wargames in Print has been on a rocky road – I was a subscriber to Battlegames (BG) not long after I found it by chance on a WHSmith railway station stall back in 2008. I abandoned that journey when it really disappeared into Miniature Wargames (MW). MW had always been a mixed blessing for me while Wargames Illustrated (WI) had been a favorite before leaving the hobby.
Henry Hyde and BG brought me back into the hobby. And I returned to the Wargames Publication world transformed by the Internet with Blogging/Being online all the rage.
I started reading blogs about 2011 and the print market now seemed terminal although BG helped sustain my interest. WSS I luckily discovered at another WHSmith when that shops footfall was in serious decline.
Today I am fully erratic! If I buy at all, it is mainly WSS but occasionally WI and MW.
The WSS focus was Hundred Years War and although at the wrong end of the war for my latest interest I decided to take a punt. I enjoyed it and I liked the range of scenarios/actions.
The Slap Chop/Grisaille method painting article was a bonus. I have read quite a few online articles on this subject yet some printed paper words and pictures were still enticing. That is the “print preference” still in me. I could contrast it (sorry) with the Speedpaint article in WI425, but I won’t, it was another very effective print article on a subject I have read round on the internet.
Now MW484. The last word was by Brenden Wheatley who talked about the importance of the Solo Wargamers Association and solo wargaming that sustained his hobby which he now pursues in both Budapest (see some hussars and music at the end of this post in Budapest) and Brecon!
Mid 19th Century warfare was a topic in WI425 – Perry French Franco Prussian War (FPW) plastics painting class while MW484 led with the Schlieswig Holstein Question.
Dave Tuck gave an excellent taster for the two wars – 1st and 2nd (1848 and 1864 respectively). Given MW style and content he did the subject justice and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a clear straighforward way into the subject.
FREE RULES – Dave Tuck offers his ruleset via a link on the MW web page. FREE WARGAME RULES
Interestingly Dave Tuck started his journey before the FPW range from Perrys appeared and after the Helion range had ceased production. He had also used the North Star range. For coverage of the second war (1864) the one he opted to develop, he also resorted to conversions.
And I do think you should not be put off by the lack of a “go to” range. in 28mm 1864 can draw on Perrys FPW and any number of ACW ranges as well as other mid century wars in the Americas as well as the Crimean war of 1854.
If you are a uniform purist then that lack of exact replicas will probably drive you mad!
For the 1st war in 28mm, if you want to literally start at the beginning you can steal lots of Napoleonic era forces. 1815 to 1848 saw new uniform ideas but a lot of conservatism while weapons technology appeared to have stalled. A few months into the 1849/50 war and its all changing with kepis and pickelhaubes gathering pace alongside frockcoats, breechloaders, rifling and even the very early machine gun. Given quartermasters stores and regulations were never up to the minute, you can have lots of leeway in my view. You can borrow both back, forward and sideways for these wars!
I have grown to like the 1st Schlieswig Holstein war period simply because I get the best of both worlds – with the early versions of FPW uniforms and weapons still mixed up with Napoleonics. You have tailcoats, frockcoats, all types of shako, kepis, pickelhaubes, flat caps, smoothbores and rifled weapons in the mix plus of course emerging railways and telegraph.
If I was doing 28mm I would follow Dave Tucks approach and start with 1864 (the 2nd War) using FPW/ACW resources.
If your more Napoleonic in outlook opt for the 1848 or slightly earlier uniforms – the Danes are clearly still Napoleonic as are many German Confederation troops which just leaves the Prussians and Bavarians in their iconic pickelhaubes and combed helmets to be sourced from ACW/FPW era. And you don’t need fancy rifled/breechloading artillery yet – smooth bores will still work. You can also consider Crimea War for 1850’s era uniforms.
I would look at Ed M’s Wargames Meanderings for further inspiration if Dave Tuck’s article does not convince you.
I wanted as, with many of my projects, a low cost option. 1/72 plastics used to be low cost. Now they are no longer so cheap. Yet you can still pick up around 50 figures for £10. The key issue is sculpting quality, figure poses and paintability. You have to love the sculpts, I have grown to like their roughness in an age of 3D marketed perfection. To get the repetitous poses you may want you have to buy multiple boxes. My advice then is that if multiple poses is a problem go with 25/28mm sector metals. Finally paintability – the internet provides an astonishing window into the art of those who wash, prime and then successfully paint bendy plastics. My favorite site for inspiration is Pauls Bods – he can even make venerable airfix ranges look compelling. Also Philotep is worth a look. And you can always look at weather like Crimea, being winter wars there is a greatcoats crossover which can hide a multitude of things. Tumbling Dice Miniatures do ranges of 1/72 sculpts which are excellent – cast in pewter. I prefer the figures in summer gear with greatcoats packed away and blankets rolled. So Crimea ranges might also help here for those who want correct season clothing. Also Jacklex relaunched a few years ago in 20mm.
I opted for 20/25mm and have accepted a complete mash up of ranges both plastic and metal and the inevitable conversions.
20/25mm or 1/72 is small enough to hide the imperfections at 3 feet yet not so small that you can’t enjoy each figure in its own right. The scale remains my perfect compromise for the “table top” game.
WW1 Austrians repainted to 1850’s Danish in transition (Irregular Miniatures Metals)
Hat – Prussians from Zulu War British and ACW mash ups while WW1 Germans just get a repaint to become German Confederation troops. Nassau troops become well Nassauers for 1848 and offer also another take on Danish Bell Shako infantry.
Strelets – 1877 Russian dragoons become Danish Sharpshooters, 1806 Prussian Hussars become 1848 Prussian Hussars with a repaint
Airfix – WW1 British flat caps join ACW frock coats from strelets/hat to become Danish Riflemen in 1848
My latest addition is B&B Miniatures SH Rebel Dragoons and SH Rebel Artillery (in Prussian gear)
All this 20/25mm focus spun out of my Italian Wars of Independence 1848/1859 project (Italian wars of independence) when again I baulked at 28mm metal costs as the project was only meant to be a minor detour…….
Danish Line Infantry 1849 (Irregular Metals from their Colonial Range)
Alas the sheer variety of infantry types has overun my imagination and SHQ remains a questionable (sorry again) project with slow yet very enjoyable progress! Most units and figures are stuck on the paint table because I keep being distracted by mechanised warfare, medievals, Sci-Fi and yes even some FPW french figures daliance – Emhar – You can’t keep a good kepi down.
Which brings me back to WSS125 again and the 100YW. I have succumbed to yet more diversity in my painting – digging out my various unpainted medieval figures. My aim had always been Italy for this period, but it seems alighting on the battle of Shrewsbury 1403 while reading a biography of Henry IV caused me to re-examine an english force.
Who can avoid Hotspur…..thin end of a new wedge?
It remains to be seen what progress I make. And of course the next butterfly moment armed with a chance magazine purchase is probably just round the corner………
The death of Duncan Macfarlane is a sad moment. His life though should be celebrated by wargamers as he delivered two great magazines into the hobby – giving pleasure to thousands of gamers. And his publishing enterprises probably did most to keep me from leaving the hobby altogether.
In the late 1970’s I left the hobby and at that time Battle was the wargamers magazine – kit bashers and painters had Military Modelling.
However I became an armchair wargamer through the next wargaming magazine – Miniature Wargames launched by Duncan in 1983. Later in that decade he started Wargames Illustrated as well.
Still the big head era – maybe some of these are by Bill Lamming?
I have binned my magazines over time simply because I have gutted them all for those articles I wanted to keep. Along the way I kept some of the covers.
Renaissance and Medieval periods are particularly photogenicI recall the variety of covers – most importantly they were wargames figures painted to be fought with.
here are a few more
Horse and Musket shares the cover with a Wargames Holiday Centre scene?I think it was also the era for 15mm and big armies at that – well before DBA?Although clearly set up, the scenes depicted always felt within reach of the hobbyist in some way. There was always some purpose – not just an excuse for a photo.
By the late 1990’s Wargames Illustrated was mature and we still had Miniature Wargames. I re-entered the hobby by chance – finding a flier for the Solo Wargamers Association (which is still going strong) left in a library book as I recall.
I seem to have liked medieval covers!This cover sowed seeds that only germinated in the late 1990’s when I bought into Museum Miniatures 15mm ranges – ironically not their Republican Romans though!
So it was Duncans two magazines that sustained my interest in the hobby during almost 2 decades of no table top battles or painting of any figures.
I will finish with probably one of my favorite magazine covers of that era
The Wargaming Erratic 