Partizan 2021 - the Longest Day

Two shows in two weeks? Sheer decadence I hear you say and you wouldn't be wrong! But after so long away from the circuit and friends, it was good to have another chance to go to a show and one of the best known in the UK, namely Partizan. I had never been before so when my good friend Keith asked if anyone fancied helping out on a demo game he was putting on, I jumped at the chance.

An early start (4.40am) saw me on the road to Keith's and from there we picked up Jon and arrived at the show before 9.00am. The journey up whizzed by as we chatted away, which was nice. Parking was easy and a short walk and we were at out table. Set up was quick and largely left to Keith, who knew the layout, troop dispositions etc. The organisers came over and gave us complimentary tickets for coffee as well as the free show figure, which this year was the WWI nurse Edith Cavell, both of which were a pleasant surprise. We managed to check a few tables out prior to opening, but more on those later.

Shevardino, 5th September 1812

The scenario was based upon the French attack on the Russian redoubt at Borodino. Roy Boss kindly lent Keith is wonderful Hinton Hunt 20mm figures for the day and these drew lots of attention throughout the day and rightly so. with everything ready, Jon and I took on the unenvious task of playing the Russians, whilst Keith, Paul and Roland took on the French. I took some photos as the game went along but the action was fast and furious so I'll try and give an overview of how the game played out via the photo captions.

The Russians are on the left, the French the right. From a Russian point of view, that's a hell of a lot of French coming our way! The Russian right flank was very weak, with our centre covered by woods on either side. We had to hope we could hold on long enough before some reinforcements arrived.

The Peter Laing figures in all their glory with some hand painted flags to boot.

The Russian redoubt, with support behind, that we had to try and move before to support the redoubt before it could be overwhelmed by the French.

As the French advance, aggressive Russian tactics drive them back, much to the consternation of the French. However on the Russian right (top left) the French are about to push the Russian Jaegers out of the town.

The unexpected success of the Russian infantry has forced a French infantry unit back right in front of the redoubt. Huzzah!

Jon (left), Roland (centre) and Keith(right) ponder their moves. The Russian cavalry (top by Roland) are going toe-to-toe with the French who seem to be unable to destroy them, despite outnumbering them 2-1. The redoubt is secure at present but the French are turning the Russian right (bottom of photo).

The French and Russian cavalry clash, with the former getting the better of the day. As the French infantry surge forward, their is nothing to stop them at present.

The Russian cavalry are still holding up the French right, but things are getting messy in the centre. The Russian right is a shambles (my command!) and our Grenadier battalions who are our reserves are led by chinless wonders who fail to get them to plug the gap on the Russian right. The French simply surge forward keeping up the pressure that the Russians are unable to withstand.

The French are struggling to find space to deploy all of their troops whilst the Russians fail to deploy and are caught in the worst formations possible (ie square vs infantry or line vs cavalry).

Jon is still taking the fight to the French in the centre. This is the sort of situation that gives rules writers nightmare's!

After some eight turns of intense action the Russians were simply overwhelmed, especially when fresh French infantry reserves arrived and moved towards the centre. The game was great fun and played in the right spirit with plenty of good natured ribaldry. well done to Jon for holding on for so long and taking the fight to the French. Paul was a great opponent as i faced him with my right flank, with Keith and Roland superb opponents too. I thing by the end of it we were all rather tired but happy.

Of Boats, Planes and Trains

As we were so involved in our game, we didn't get much of a chance to really see the show. We took a quick lunch break to allow us to try and shop and see the games on offer. So after a bite to eat, I whizzed round with the camera and took some photos as best I could. I'll add captions as best I can:

An AWI game I think.

Vikings in some form or other.

Some lovely boats that really catch the eye from afar.

A lovely WWII table (I think).

Definitely WWII and a very large game.

So much detail and nice touches throughout.

WWII desert and skirmish level by the look of it.

A medieval game. Again lots of stuff to see and admire.

This was a beautiful game; Wellington in India or something like that.

The red fort was a wonderful model.

A nice and simple skirmish game and the sort of thing you could happily play at home.

Nice buildings and again something that most of us could do at home.

Seven Years War I think, but loads of lovely figures no matter the period.

A bit of a blank on this one, but looked good.

Borodino, 1812 and the table right behind us. They used C&C rules and it looked very effective I must say.

WWII island hopping.

Good to see landing craft and we talked about it being nice to have them when playing seaborne landings.

An ACW game and a nice boat in the foreground.

An ancients game.

Chariots or elephants are a bit of a must for an ancients game. Pure eye candy on the figures front.

The Perry's War of the Triple Alliance. 

Superb figures as one would expect from the Perry's. I'd rather do it in 10mm to be honest.

These ships were huge and you couldn't miss them. How they got them to the show undamaged is beyond me.

I loved this star fort and thing one would be a nice addition to my games. something to ponder for sure.

So much to take in in the town behind the star fort.

Another medieval game, with great figures too.

Again something that could easily be done at home.

The Wild West, by the look of the tippees at the top.

A nice small game by the Pike & Shot Society.

Another 'Society' game.

To The Strongest participation game with 54mm figures.

Certainly eye catching.

My sort of game (with or without hex terrain) and with 6/10mm figures. Very nice.

Another lovely game with smaller scale figures, which is good to see at shows.

So much detail to see, from the working cinema to all the great planes.

Show Haul

Early on I picked up an pre-order from Pendraken, with a real mix of bits'n'pieces that were mainly nice to have rather than essential for my forces. I didn't really get to have a good look at the traders, but did pick up a book.

A nice mdf trebuchet to scenery or as an objective in a game, some lovely 6mm Raiden aircraft (very nice) and some medieval artillery, again probably mainly for show, plus some WWII additons for my Italians.

Not cheap but a treat for myself and a book I've been after for a while. The scenarios are great and can easily be used for other conflicts. I plan to 'Rebels & Patriots' for the smaller actions and BPII or SotE for the larger ones.

Thoughts on the Show

Bear in mind that this was my first Partizan, so am not sure how it compares to previous one, plus that playing a demo game meant that I had little time to really take in all that the show has to offer, so here are my thoughts a day after and in no particular order:

• The venue is very nice, large and spacious and well ventilated. The doors were kept open to help stop it getting hot and stuff and more importantly lots of fresh air given the prevalence of Covid. Parking was easy and you could move around freely and there was plenty of space to view all of the games.
• Apparently Partizan is known for the quality of the games on display and it certainly lived up to its reputation. If you are into 28mm games then you are in Seventh Heaven! The downside is that there were only a few games of different scales and of ones that you feel you could put on at home. As one gamer commented, some of the games looked like museum pieces rather than wargames. Now it's always hard to tell when taking a wander at lunch as to how much gaming takes place on these tables, as naturally everyone needs a break. Personally I prefer to see a game in action, but I must admit that you can take plenty of inspiration from these 'museum' tables, not matter what sort of game or scale you play with. I certainly did.
• Once the show opened I put a mask on and wore it for around 6 hours, which was rather tiring, but I felt more comfortable doing this than not wearing one. It did make conversation difficult during the game, especially during the busy part of that day with the general hub-bub and echo of the venue. However virtually nobody was wearing a mask, whether gamers or visitor. I know that this was a worry for many planning on attending the show and the lack of mask wearing won't have allayed their fears.
• On the trader front there was a reasonable mix, with some new ones I hadn't heard of, such as a company producing 3D printed 1/144th planes. However the quality was good enough for me (with my old modelmaking hat on) so passed on those. Maybe if they improve then I might consider them in the future. As this show is mainly about the games, then it's hard to compare it to say Colours, which is probably 2/3 traders, 1/3 games.
• I like to pick up a few books at the shows, but frankly it is easier and cheaper to buy them off ebay or Amazon, rather direct from a seller. One item I was interested in was cheaper to by online from the same seller rather than at the show. This was something we talked about on the way home and pretty much agreed that it no longer makes sense buying certain items at shows. I do try and support the traders but there's only so far I can go to be honest.
• From where I live the 3+ plus hour journey each way, makes it a very long day out. I got home around 7.45pm, so a bit too much for me and certainly a bit too much on the family to be away so long. Will I go again? Not for a while as I much prefer Colours, due to proximity, the type of games on show etc. However if I do go again I might go as a visitor so I can really take in all the the games have to offer, which is something you can't really do whilst taking part in a game.
• I missed a few gamers who were due to pop by are table, but did see Geoff (Ellie's Dad) but we failed to meet as I disappeared of before we could be introduced. Sorry Geoff. Normally I do bump into gamers I know and have a chat,  but not this year. Maybe it's too far away for them or Covid was keeping them away. Either way I did miss that chance for a catch up. I did get a very brief chat with Leon of Pendraken before the show opened, but missed him when I went back later. 

So there we have it. My thoughts on the show and of our game. It was a good day out and the time flew by, but I was certainly a tired bunny when I got home. So thanks to Keith for organising the game and for driving us there and back, and to Jon, Paul and Roland for being such good chaps to play with and against.

Until next time take care and stay safe.

Russian Civil War

Some recent Bloggers have been talking about the Russian Civil War lately and whilst sorting through my books recently I came across an Osprey that I picked up at a show a few years ago, on White and Allied Armoured Units. It has lots of useful information that I ported across to my AVBCW setting. Whilst re-reading it the other night and browsing e-bay, I managed to pick up two Osprey books on the 'Red' and 'White' armies. 

This landed on my doorstep yesterday is another treasure trove for the wargamer. I had bought it just for background reading, but whilst flicking through, I realised that I had plenty of 19thC 'Russian' that I had bought with the intention of playing the 'Big Game' over India and Afghanistan. Rather than doing this I could use them for my AVBCW setting, which would be cool.

I like the idea of using more cavalry in my games, even though I hate painting horses and tack. BKCII didn't have stats for cavalry, other than as transport, but BKCIV does, which is just the excuse I need to field some Cossacks etc! It may not be a perfect fit for the AVBCW setting, but it works for me, or I can simply use them for some RCW games or 'what if?' conflicts in 1930's Europe. What's not to like?

A Very British Civil War-cum- Spanish Civil War Additions

Lately I have been busy painting up some extra command bases, standard bearers and vehicles for an ongoing SCW campaign that I am running. Alongside these I have also been working on my ImagiNations 19thC European troops, but more on those in another post. The results of my efforts can be seen below and some will be making their debut on the table today.

An Armoured truck. I was toying with some fancy camo schemes but in the end went with plain grey as you can see, as it works perfectly for the SCW and is generic enough for any side during the AVBCW.

Another armoured truck, but one I converted by covering the back and adding an MG turret to it.

A French Schneider WWI tank. The Spanish had around 3 working ones at the start of the war.

A French WWI armoured car that will be used as a Bilbao armoured car in SCW games.

A little red tractor! A 'N' guage railway model that I added a driver to and repainted it. It will be used as an artillery tow or simple table decoration.

Local Police force or Guardia d'Asalto. The model 'T' Ford was converted by giving it some new wheels and armoured windows.

British Union of Fascists or Falange.

People's Fifth Flying Column or International Brigade.

Prince Albert's Somerset Light Infantry or British International Brigade.

Italian Corpo Troppo Voluntare.

Italian CTV Blackshirts. The centre of the flag is actually gold but just looks yellow in the photo.

I enjoyed painting these and the painted flags look better than the ones I can print at home, as they don't look so washed out. If I had a laser printer then this would be less of an issue as the one I used to use at work produced wonderful flags. One of the downsides of retirement! The only other issue with these is that I can't do any text on them as they are too small (about 8mm high) for my eyes and shaky hands. A minor problem though to be honest.

Time to go and get ready for the game! until next time, stay safe and keep healthy.

Cotswold Wargaming Day 2021

Yesterday was the 3rd Cotswold Wargaming Day, held in Northleach, Gloucestershire. Normally this takes place in early September and has come to mark the start of the wargaming season for me, but for obvious reasons, it was pushed back about a month or so. Dave and I had planned to put on a game as normal, but at the last minute, family matters meant that he could not make it, which was a shame, as it was the first chance to meet up for nearly two years.

Games wise we had settled upon using 'Rebels & Patriots' rules for an Imagi-Nations game in 19thC Europe in 10mm, as we had not had chance to give the Shadow of the Eagles rules a run out FtF. Not having enough 10mm figures for both sides meant a change of plans was called for. So I dug out my trusty Commission Figurines mdf figures and quickly looked for a scenario that could work solo or for anyone wishing to join in the game. Rules wise I went for 'Shadow of the Eagles' as they give a nice game that could last for a while, rather than repeated quick skirmish level games. 

As always this excellent scenario book provided me with the inspiration I needed for the game. It also seemed appropriate given that the show was the last one Stuart Asquith attended before he sadly passed away.

With everything set it was a pleasant trip through the Cotswold countryside and I arrived at the venue just after 8.00am. Keith Flint, who organised the show, was already there with his son Sam and the tables were all set up, which was good as it meant a leisurely set up could commence. It was great seeing Keith after two years and after much catching, up I got the game onto the table and I was ready to.

The Game

Luckily for me Sam was happy to join in the game and also Adam Jacques, who I have played with many time before showed up, so again a pleasant surprise to see him and to cross swords once again. Adam had never played the rules before and Sam once, with myself being a bit rusty as I had been concentrating on 'R&P'. So we kept things simple throughout, but we all picked up the rules quickly and so could concentrate on the game, rather than the rules themselves. I let the photos give an idea of how things played out and will give some post game thoughts later.

I chose Scenario 25, 'Chance Encounter' for the basis for the game, as I had played it before and had enjoyed it very much. I bumped up the figure count so that there were a couple of infantry brigades per side plus some cavalry. Nice and simple and not too much terrain. It was set sort of 1809'ish Danube Campaign and Austrian vs French. The Austrians (me) are to the South of the river, the French the North.

Adam (left) and Sam (right) confer as they plan my demise! Both sides have pushed towards the river, with the French cavalry crossing at the ford (extreme right).

The Austrian cavalry keep out of sight of the French grand battery and the enemy cavalry. The Austrian artillery are taking hits from counter battery fire.

The action hots up by the central bridge as both sides close.

The French push towards the wooden bridge as the Austrian's struggle to deploy to meet them.

The cavalry clash into each other. Over two cinematic turns, both sides traded identical die rolls which led to mutually assured destruction! With no cavalry left it now became a titanic infantry battle to see who would win. the French certainly looked to have the edge as their grand battery destroyed the Austrian artillery on the hill (red die).

With the loss of the Austrian artillery, things looked rather bleak, until in a sudden turn of vents, superior Austrian marksmanship (ie lucky die rolls) saw the French weakened and pushed back. The fighting raged on with neither side able to land a decisive blow, until the Austrians were finally worn down to the point they were unable to achieve any offensive action.

The French were able to slowly overcome the Austrians, who had to keep retreating to maintain what resembled a cohesive defensive line.

In the end we called it a hard won but fair French victory, with both sides somewhat bloodied but the Austrians certainly beaten. A few thoughts:

• We had lots of fun and laughter, with the game played in the right spirit it was great to play against Adam and Sam again. Who won was irrelevant to be honest and after nearly two years of solo games, it was so nice to play against and opponent/s!
• The rules gave a nice game and we had little recourse to the rulebook, with the QRS sufficing. If we weren't sure we either asked Keith, the author, or just went with what seemed logical.
• The MAD cavalry clash was brilliant and we couldn't believe what happened, but certainly one of those game moments that will stick in the mind for many years to come.
• The game attracted a lot of attention and I spent a lot of the day chatting with others gamers, which again after so long was lovely.
• The Commission Figurines figures like the game, attracted attention, with many people not having seen them before or realising that they were 2d shapes. Once on the table you really can't tell at arms length. I received some nice comments (more on this later) which is always nice to have.

Other Games

As we spent most of the day on the game, I had little chance to walk and chat with as many people as I would have liked, but I did get to whizz round and take some photos.

The Battle of Sentinum, 295 BC, put on by Farnborough Wargames Society, using club rules which IIRC, are based upon Neil Thomas' excellent 'Ancient & Medieval Warfare' rules.

The figures were a joy to behold and very well painted.

Ottoman's versus Polish Imperial by the Cirencester Wargames Club. they'd just reset the game for an afternoon session. Again, a lovely game to behold.

You've just got to love the Ottoman army and their huge cannons!

Cavalry, lots of cavalry and winged hussars make a wonderful spectacle but put the fear of God into me in terms of painting so many horses!

French versus Prussian at the Battle of Dollitz during the 1813 Leipzig campaign. this was put on by JP and his young son Charlie (great to see young blood at the show) using General d'Armee rules. I gave Charlie a free book of Napoleonic skirmish rules as he loved the period and is apparently rather good at the game!

The game was certainly spectacular. The chap top right was from Spain and I spent some time chatting with him about our game. I must have made an impression as he bought a copy of SotE rules at the show. Commission Keith😉?

A fictional ACW game set in 1863, put on by some friends. I would have loved to have spent more time chatting about this and looking at the game, as there was so much to see.

You can't beat a railroad in a game, especially an American one.

A few close up shots would have been in order, but I didn't want to disrupt their game.

Sinai 1967 put on by Paul, using 'Cold War Commander' rules. With the updated rules due soon, this game has got me to a thinking again!

The 10mm figures worked well as I've mainly seen CWC played in 6mm. 

Awards

As with other years, there were some prizes to be given out, kindly supplied by Osprey Publishing and Partizan Press. Tom Asquith was to be the judge, which was nice, keeping Stuart's memory and involvement in the show alive. Tom made a nice speech about his father and his time in our wonderful hobby, which was touching.

Best Game Overall. This went to the Battle of Sentinum.

Best Terrain. This went to the Battle of Dollitz.

Best Figures. This went to my game and Tom told us about how Stuart would have enjoyed seeing these figures, that could have been used across multiple periods, something that he was keen on himself. I was very honoured to have won, given the quality to be seen right across the boards and something I will treasure for many years to come.

All the winners got to chose a prize as well as all those who put on game, which was nice. My choice can be seen below.

Thoughts on the Show

After so long it was great to be able to meet up and chat with friends and fellow gamers!  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it and frankly needed it. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed and felt more like a bunch of friends getting together for some games, rather than a show. Like a club day in fact. So many people commented on how friendly it was and we all spent as much time as we could wondering around chatting about life and gaming in general and the games in particular.

It was great to meet Norm Smith who made a surprise visit whilst on holiday in Oxfod with his very understanding partner. We didn't have time to chat as much as i would have liked but it was great to be able to put a face to a fellow Blogger. He has a nice review of the show on his Blog for another view of the show.

As with Norm, seeing Adam again was a pleasant surprise and we had a good chat on and off through out the day. As always he's a great chap to play with or against and kindly gifted me these 3D printed buildings at the end of the day. Thanks mate!

He thinks they are meant to be from Carentan in Normandy. Wherever they are meant to be from, they will be put to good use.

In the end I was there for 8 hours and I can honestly say the time flew by. I had a wonderful day out as I'm sure we all did and met many new gamers and of course some old friends and familiar faces. Let's hope it can go ahead next year and be as much fun as this one was.

So it only remains to thank Keith for organising this for Same helping to set things up and for playing in my game. Last but by no means least thankyou to Stuart Asquith for first nudging Keith into getting this wonderful show off the ground. He may be sadly gone but he will not be forgotten.

Autumn Campaigning

For me, September always marks the re-start of the wargames season, as the children have returned to school, the holidays are over and the weather begins to turn and the 'local' shows of Colours and the Cotswold Wargaming Day are on. But as with all things over the past 18 months or so, things have changed somewhat from the norm.

Colours has been cancelled once again which is understandable and the CWD has been moved back to October. After a very funny year on the weather front here in Bristol (the North and Scotland have had much better weather than us for once), we are having a rather lovely Indian Summer, just as the kids have returned to their lessons! Whilst on their hols the weather was distinctly iffy. So I've been spending more time in the garden than I would normally expect in late September, but I'm not complaining as it's been fantastic. Also with everyone back to work more or less, the local walks and bike rides have been less of a traffic jam and rather more peaceful, which is lovely.

The Battle of Eggmuhl

But all has not been quiet on the wargames front. In August I planned to fight a part of the battle of Eggmuhl with my mdf figures, only to realise that I didn't have enough painted up or even in the house. So I turned to my wooden blocks instead, which have stood me in good stead for my Linear Warfare games over the years. After plenty of planning, researching and tweaking of OOB etc I was good to go. But the best laid plans of mice and men and all that...

An overview of the table, with the French in blue, the Austrians in red. The BUA is Ober Sanding, so we are on the Northern edge of the action.

I made labels for the units to help me try and keep track of things. 

Early on in the game and the French have made good progress, especially in along the wooded ridge on the right.

Mid-game and the French centre and left wing are struggling to make progress, but the right wing are likely to turn the Austrian flank. At least Austrian reinforcements have arrived in the form of Grenadiers and cavalry to provide a good defensive position in Ober Sanding.

The end of the game and the French have forced the Austrians to retreat, which they are able to do in relatively good order, with the French struggling to maintain the pressure as they withdraw.

So the game played out historically, which was good, but frankly the blocks and labels didn't make for a good game. With skirmish screens being used, it just didn't feel right using the labels in their stead. Not something you have to worry about in the SYW! Also I think the game was too big considering I was still learning the Shadow of the Eagles rules. Post game I realised I had made some small errors in interpretations of the rules, but then that's what these games are for.

Cotswold Wargaming Day & Partizan

After two years since I last attended a show, rather like waiting for a bus, two come along at once! So I'm going to be a busy bee in early October. First off Dave and I will be putting on a game at the CWD. We had planned on using SotE but not being able to meet up to get to grips with the rules and a scenario, we have gone for something similar with ImagiNations mid 19thC and using the excellent Rebels & Patriots rules. 

Then the following week Keith Flint is putting on a demo game of SotE at Partizan and I am going along to help out on the day, along with a couple of other gamers. I've never been to Partizan, given that it's a good 3 hours or more away, which is a bit too far in normal times for me. But like many I need to get my gaming fix at a show and also to meet up with Keith and have a chat on the way up, as long as I don't fall asleep as it will be a 5.00am start for me, but what the heck I'm retired and can spend the rest of the week recuperating!

Spanish Civil War Campaign

Since Covid and the various lockdowns, I've enjoyed playing some simple solo narrative campaigns, especially using BKCII, my go to WWII ruleset. With the prospect of things not changing much for us due to having a son who is classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, I reached out the Jonathan Freitag and Norm Smith to see if they fancied taking part in a campaign. Fortunately for me they were more than happy to, so I've been busy organising things and painting up some extra AFV's and HQ stands as required. With luck I will be able to kick tings off by the end of the week, so watch this space. Updates may not be too forthcoming as I want to maintain a fog of war for both players until such time as the campaign finishes.

Sword & Spear Medieval

I had dismissed these rules after a few games, where for some reason they just didn't seem to click with me. In hindsight I think this was down to the scenarios I played with friends, which were too complicated and too terrain heavy. Norm with his recent games using them has forced me to reassess my initial view. I have some figures painted, enough for some simple game, so this is another thing I want to try this Autumn.

Alongside all of this, there is the small matter of DIY on the house, which needs to be done as is something is generally enjoy. However with my current ongoing back issues, I'm not sure if this will be the case. Really I should be doing some prep today, but the weather's gorgeous, my back was bad this morning, so I think I'll take a nice walk instead!

So until next time, stay healthy.