Partizan 2019

Despite saying I was not going to go to any wargame shows in the future after York this year I relented and volunteered to got to Partizan with Julian, Julian mentioned it first, it would be an opportunity to meet up with some people and it looked like there were a lot of actual games at the venue. I took a lot of flak from 'her indoors' for this foolish six hour round trip all on one day, I was also offended that this implied I was too old and doddery to do so safely, I offered to drive as Julian had a long day working on Saturday. I did not admit that by the time I went to bed on Saturday night I was not looking forward to the drive.

Julian arrived promptly and we set off and it was, for a change, a fine drive down in perfect weather, despite the harbingers of doom promising environmental Armageddon this weekend. I also managed to cut the journey to two and a half hours. We arrived a tad early but the queue was not huge and we only stood about for five minutes or so, the hall was very spacious and had excellent lighting, it was also very well attended but it was never crowded, you could get to the traders and wander around without a bother or hitting a backpack.

Bolt Action.

Chain of Command WWI

Russians v Ottomans, very nice layout.

 Right away I could see it was well organised, all the traders were set on the outside like a wagon lager with all the games in the middle, and to my joy there were a lot of these and although the odd dragon or green thing was in attendance most were historical, there was also a fair number of wargaming illuminati, Rick Priestly, Richard Clarke, Simon Miller, the Perry's, and Henry Hyde, there may have been more but I didn't recognise them.

The AWI game where nothing happened and no one seemed interested.

18th C game which was lovely, especially these figures and had a good talk with the owner.

Not quite sure what this was Swiss on one side and English on the other, but again engaged the public (me)

 The games on show were excellent, lovely lay outs, many of them quite large and with beautiful figures, I spent a bit of time at the tables having conversations about the games, only a couple were let down by the organisers apparent disinterest in discussing their set ups. I went past one lovely AWI game several times and bent over the table admiring the troops without anyone once engaging me in conversation, but this was made up for by others.

Edgecote, nice layout but I didn't get anyone to talk.

Different, Stalingrad, excellent discussion with the players on the game.

 I managed to meet up with both David Bickley and Phil Robinson who's excellent blogs I follow, both extremely pleasant gentlemen, I also found out that Phil had painted the Offensive Miniatures Waffen-SS which in part persuaded me to buy them. I also got a word with Simon Miller for whom I have drawn some scenario maps, another nice gent, he was helping run a huge 6mm Marston Moor game. I wanted to get a word with one of Helion's editors but he wasn't there however I talked to Andy on the stall and bumped into Charles Singleton (another editor) on the way out.

I was tempted to buy a Warlord Marder III, which is the early version with the open back but drew back at the last moment, one day, I also got some red paint and picked up two cans of Testor's Dullcote from Great Escape Games along with three more packs of tufts. I also got a good look at Empress Miniatures Volksgrenadiers, lovely models and perhaps a future enemy for my Russians when I get them.

So that's it, I lasted three hours which to be honest is enough for me at a show, no matter how good it is and Partizan was good and I will probably go again. Well done to the organisers and everyone who put on a game, great stuff.