Just Add Water: Partizan Wargames Show May 2024 Pictorial Run Through

I attended my favourite show Partizan last weekend; it is without doubt the UK's premier wargames show in terms of the overall high quality of the games. Durham Wargames Group were there with our collaborative effort, The Battle of Fulford Gate, a game I put on roughly 20 years ago for SESWC at the wonderful Claymore show in Edinburgh and a game we revisited a week ago at the show.

I was (by order of myself) allowed an hour away from the game, as we wanted to keep the game going as the day progressed, which unfortunately only allowed me to capture pictures the games that well..... captured my imagination. What is certain is that I missed a large number of games that were just as worthy as the ones featured here in this article. Apologies to those I missed out.

It was wonderful to catch up with so many people and especially Steve and Derek who I hadn't spoken to properly in a while. I mustn't forget, it was great to meet up with some welcome new faces too!

1st Corp, 28mm Mexican-American War, Across the Rio Grande

Boondock Sayntes, 28mm Indian Mutiny, The Battle of Unao September 1857

My pictures really do not do the amazing modelling details and brilliant storytelling of this game. I can only say that this game reminded me very much of the book, Our Bones are Scattered, Ian Ward a harrowing narrative history of the First War of Independence/Indian Mutiny. what a complete/sublime game.

Durham Wargames Group, 28mm (Not So) Dark Ages, The Battle at Fulford Gate

Miniatures came from the collections of myself, Aaron smith, Martin Gordon, Matt Boyd. The idea was for us to have a pile of casualty vignettes available to add to the game as the armies fought it out, to create points of interest but this came to very little as dropped my Anglo Danes at the club(!!), utterly underestimated the amount of time I would have to repair, retouch and rebase the miniatures and had no time to paint up the vignettes and base them. bummer as they would have made the game more of an For those who are interested in the result of the game, Harald Haadrada got into one combat and legged it so there was, in the end, no need of the "six foot of English soil" (wrong battle quote- right sentiment!).

James Morris and Chums Midgard Heroic Battles – double header The Silmarillion (28mm) & Trojan War (6mm)

James Morris' Midgard rules should be coming out this year via The Too Fat Lardies and will be a real treat. They can be amended with little effort to suit many a period but I think (from very early playtesting) they might mostly suit the Early Medieval/Dark Ages period and that of the conflicts in Tolkien's writings. I wait with bated breath to see as I have plans for these rules!

Like a Stonewall Wargames Group, Conquistador

North Riding Wargames Club, 28mm Sudan, It's Hot Here Sir

A fabulous looking game and very much "up my street" as I have a Sudan collection but it's nowhere near table ready. I had a great chat with the organisers who told me about a bit of filming with a French film company they had done, which was premiered to me on a phone- and I have to say, the film crew have done an amazing job at creating the atmosphere of the action, gun power and heat in the desert. I could say more but I'd better not (I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say- contact North Riding Wargames Club if you seek more detail).

It's hot Here Sir were the set of rules being used for the game- hopefully they will be available to the wargaming public one day?

Mr Phil Olley, 28mm Eastern Renaissance, One Steppe at a Time

For me, this relatively small game was the standout of the show. Bright, colourful, with beautifully painted miniatures and painted background played out on lavish terrain A real, almost cinematic snapshot of a scene it was. Superbly presented too with apt paraphernalia too.

Mr Simon Miller, For King and Parliament, 28mm ECW, The Relief of Norchester

er, For King and Pa

Mr Steve Jones, 28mm AWI, Freeman's Farm

The Bodkins, 28mm Rome Vs Sassanids, Warriors of Rome: The 3rd Century Crisis

This game was another that completely blew my socks off! Fantastically crafted terrain, excellent attention to detail on all the painted miniatures and, more importantly, very much a period I'm obsessed with.