27th May, Kelham Hall

Partizan 2012

A rare leisurely start for me this time, as, expecting me to be groggy from a college reunion on the Saturday evening, the rest of the Shows North team took the set up and morning shift (leaving me to stroll in after lunch, take some pictures, have a chat, and do the take down and return) ...

 (Lords of the Nile featuring tradition flat toy soldiers)

In addition to our DBA Lords of the Nile participation game, there were a number of other attractive ancient and medieval games at Partizan ... from big ships to small Dark Age contingents...

 (Medieval war at sea by Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy magazine)

(Dark Age skirmish)

 (Arthurian battle)

I was great to see those Perry Wars of the Roses again - though it was disappointing to miss old Partizan favourites like PP and WD ...

 (the flight of Queen Margaret by the Perrys and friends)

It was good to catch up with Phil Hendry who gave me a good walk through of his Augustus to Aurelian game which has now been published (Augustus to Aurelian) ...  Last Year I watched Phil and Richard C demonstrating the prototype, this year Phil puts the CD in my hand.

Actually, Phil did more than that, and showed me how it looks and works on his tablet reader/computer.

I confess myself impressed by this.  I am a book fan, and like the analogue reassurance of seeing the accumulated knowledge of my bookshelves - however I have always had a love/hate affinity with wargames publications (rules, supplements, revised editions and such): it is often so hard to distinguish between classics to treasure and tomorrow's chip wrappings (though, in truth most are probably the latter) ...

 (a picture from last year's Augustus to Aurelian game)

So, looking at the tablet, I seem to see the ideal format for game documents: electronic publishing has given us a huge wealth of wargame material, so perhaps it will be no surprise if it turns out that electronic devices are the best way to store and display it.

Despite some losses to Triples being the week before, this remains a great show and a lovely location.  A big favourite this year was Heraclea Hail Caesar game ... 

(Heraclea at Partizan 2012)

A very big game featuring figures by Craig Davey and Aventine with contributions from Ancients on the Move favourites Simon Miller and Phil Hendry (and with admiring oversight from new SoA Committee member Rick Priestley) - great publicity for the traditionally sprawling ancients tabletop battlegame.

Perhaps my favourite gem of the weekend was out of our period, however:  I was really taken with this 42mm Franco Prussian game using Irregular Miniatures toy soldier style figures.   These bigger figures somehow seem to capture the spirit of an earlier age of wargaming.

There was also an excellent Eastern Front game in back room (lots of trains and bombed stock yards etc.) ...

Thanks to Chris Ager, Will Whyler, Graham Sargeant, Dave Rose and Matthew Hartley for doing the work, and to the Lance & Longbow Society for being our co-exhibitors.

We will certainly be back for The Other Partizan - meanwhile, Phalanx is on the 16th of June.