Tag: terrain modelling

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wargame shows wargaming

2022 Partizan Perambulation

Partizan at Newark Showground made a welcome return for me in 2022. Last visited in 2019 this show or rather the pair – “the other Partizan” that happens in the Autumn, had both become a regular destination for me.

This years show built on my trips to Vapnartak (masks still very evident as well as much caution) and Hammerhead (obvious relief as constraints eased) so I should not have been surprised that Partizan was “many in earnest”. I felt there was a lot of catching up conversation going on, which maybe meant slightly less participation? Yet the enthusiasm was so obvious – people discussing, looking and yes playing games – simple pleasures throwing dice and moving pieces.

And there was the other simple pleasure of admiring other peoples work. Conversations seemed easier and the enjoyment palpable.

For once I had no shopping list – 2 years of on online buying had emptied my pockets? Well no – quite simply I have been sticking to my projects and actually painting my figures and even gaming. That has meant less erratic moments for the Wargaming butterfly.

First up are the games that were on show. I concentrated on just a few for photos. on reflection mats seemed to be a theme for me!

commercial mat – not to my liking but I liked this Pike and Shot display by Mr Mike Spence.
Plenty of eastern cavalry – polish?
I really enjoyed reading Robert Frosts The Northern Wars 1558 to 1721, where a lot of actions involved storming defences – as shown here.
Excellent read if you can get a copy.
The pikemen gather

The 40mm Mr Ian Smith and friends was a glorious display of Napoleonic soldiers and fantastic scenery.

Napoleonic infantry columns advance
Artillery drop into action
Cavalry advance beneath the walls of an imposing town
The British Light Infantry and redcoats appear in the distance
I really liked the town walls
Excellent attention to detail made this a model come alive

The Immortals presented an excellent medieval action

The terrain was the first thing that caught my eye which is terrible because the figures are absolutley fantastic. But the terrain caught my eye becuase it looked so good in itself!
The painting schemes used here are simply fantastic even though I know medievals lend themselves to being pictured.
On the hill English foot await the cavalry attack while admiring the fantastic detail of the grasslands that surround them.
Behind the french lines are some equally fantastic buildings of another town – all scratch built.
This table won the “mat award” for me.
It was all about the Bretons and their succession……….
nearby I think was Mr James Morris and Chums? anyway his dark ages game was fought over Sherpa fleece – it was good and he kindly showed the process of turning this product into a usable table mat – top marks

Over to another Eastern European battle – no details gathered

traditional boards slightly textured worked ok for me.

Fast forward to 1833 and Westbury Wargames with their “two brothers war” in Portugal where all manner of nations piled in for another go just a few decades after Wellington and his Portuguese allies had fought their way through to Spanish held France.

Traditional scenic boards with some nice set pieces and out of shot excellent buildings (again scratch built)

And thats it. Well I did get distracted by mats and terrain this year. The terrain mats are a gift for the time hungry and space hungry gamer which is the most common type of wargamer I suggest. I think it is more the case that, at shows where displays are a product of a different amount of effort the textured cloths seem to be the better bet for “a look”? However I have seen some tables where the “hirsute” cloth swamped the poor figures who looked as though they were wading through 2m high grass.

All in all the displays I found were excellent and inspired me to wargame, which is what it is all about.

What did the other big sell do to me – the trader tour!

I impulsively fell for some pendraken and warbases material – invariably so. Usual suspects being bases plus some dice.

Gamers grass seems to be winning my texture competition and I am going more bland as well. You live and learn – my Austrian rifleman have demanded sunglasses to tackle the luminous green grasses they are striding through………..

The man in the “corner” shop hailed from Birmingham and brought many an interesting box for the 1/72 gamer. They were at T22 in the trader zone – see map at the end.

I fell for this station……..

But was too late for its mate the Italian church – curses.

I took this warbases church instead
Long gone – these out of production miniart romans are not everyones cup of tea even if the artwork is enticing
even rarer the cavalry are very nice. Not sure when my interests will return to the late roman period?

If you cant wait for me to paint these then try visiting https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/

Chariobaude offers up a great range of painted Late Romans.

My current preoccupation is middle nineteenth century where in plastics you get the “plastic soldier review” much disliked Austrians. Failing this in 20-25 mm its really just Irregular Miniatures at each end so to speak 20mm or 28mm. I have posted a picture of 20mm Neapolitans posing as 1848 French at Rome elsewhere on this blog.

Irregular 20mm Neapolitans posing as French 1849 at Rome.
Austrian Artillery are always useful while the Carabiniers will get head swops – wearing kepis or stovepipes to become something useful. Plastic Soldier Review liked these horsemen……

I will be back in the Autumn for the Other Partizan

The free figure was nice – I might even paint him.
A nicely laid out and well organised show – very well attended! A hobby back to some of its social life

Categories
Mythical Realms Scenery wargaming

Fauxterre 1816: Part 5 The Terrain of Kloster Arens

The Field of Battle

The actual battlefield terrain was an accident. I wanted a river crossing at a road junction scenario. Zarland aim to control the junction, just inside their border, to prevent the VinAlbans and Davarian forces uniting.

A flat landscape was planned and then I remembered my collapsible tables had height adjustable legs. Coupled with my desire to experiment with cloth battlefields, one thing led to another.

I used three collapsible picnic tables which come with some handy height adjustment

I had seen a number of blog battle reports showing rolling countryside. I played around with some wooden blocks and old towelling. Finally I tried using a spare quilt!

I was surprised how the quilt gave just enough shape although my “25mm metals” squashed it a bit too much at times

Yes thats a rolled up wargames felt mat pressed into service as well. The wood pieces are discarded TV unit shelves (you never know when you might need trapezoidal wood shelving!).

The result was as you see it and I immediately set about planning the action.

Kloster Arens is suffering some slight settlement – I hope that door opens inwards. The road zigzag was a result of laying out the road and it seeming natural that the road would not go straight up the valley side.

Categories
anglo saxons Book Reviews new additions wargame rules

One Scenery Modelling book and Two Rulesets

I have recently bought another rule set and unusually for me, a book on terrain and scenery modelling. I have a lot of scenery articles saved from discarded magazines. So why do I really need any more advice. It is not like I am overflowing with home-made items.

Well it just caught my eye. It being “Battlefields in Miniature” by Paul Davies and published by Pen & Sword. Dating to 2015, I have the paperback version printed in 2018. I think the original was in hardback.

A quick flick through has made me pleased I bought it. It looks a comprehensive view of this part of the hobby. Also, I have noticed a preoccupation with “high density foam”. This appears in a lot of my saved articles as well.

Somehow it is not a material I like and in fact generally I have avoided plastics when it comes to scenery and terrain. Maybe that’s because when I was far too young to be left alone with polystyrene ceiling tiles I cut them up with nice sharp knife to make contour hills. I then glued them together with polystyrene cement with exciting melting results and interesting vapours. That was the 1970’s – safety was basic common sense then, which children often lacked!

It put me off, except for retaining a continuing interest in plastic figures.

I will use some of the ideas in the book and Paul Davies writing style is engaging: Very much just have a go. My only criticism so far is that the book is rich in finished items in use and yet some of those picture slots would have been better showing some more intermediate steps of construction for greater clarity.

Now how about that ruleset?

Well I looked at the Too Fat Lardies Dux Britanniarum several years ago just before I bought Maurice (another card driven ruleset as it happened). That was at Fiasco in Leeds, just one of many shows I have missed this year.

Here is one of those cards that drive the game. Love or Hate them they have an impact you cannot quite control. The figures are Greenwood & Ball (Garrison) Vikings from circa 1978. Yes they are posing as 5th century saxons……..

The figures are painted in Humbrol matt oils finished with gloss varnish while the basing in those days was dried tea – uncoloured. looking good at around 40 years of age.

I took a punt and bought the full rules including the follow up “raiders” supplement and all those cards.

I like dice and card driven games and I like the “big man” idea that threads through Too Fat Lardies publications.

I have since played a single game solo that took an age to complete. That will be reported in another post. Suffice to say I will play these rules again.