Show & Tell

I'm not sure why, but I don't get to as many wargames shows as I used to. It might be due to having a less historical focus to my painting (as most shows lean that way); it might be my relentless focus on reducing the Lead Mountain; it might be that my regular companions for these sorts of things are knee deep in 3d printing.

Whatever the reason, Matt and I made the decision to get ourselves to Partizan in Newark last weekend.

There's something timeless about most wargames shows. Mainly the same companies with stalls in pretty much the same places, selling largely the same stuff.

They're more of a market than a show.

Which is not a bad thing.

Of course, there are the display and demo games, representing a significant level of effort and commitment from the groups that put them together.

Due to the work required, there are obviously games I've seen before as if you have a 20'x8' board of Indian Mutiny terrain and miniatures, you're not going to just leave it packed away forever.

There are also new things to see, such as this much larger scaled game of Battlefleet Gothic, demonstrating the power of 3d printing and one of the impacts it's going to have on the hobby.

This game felt like a massive (and I used that word deliberately) combined effort from a gaming group and it's hard to convey the impact they had just in photos.

This was probably the only game that made us really stop to look, as it was truly different and a visual feast.

However, I was left wondering whether the original scale of the game was a better indication of the distances involved that this upscaled version.

But that wouldn't have looked as good.

I do get a bit jealous of some of the terrain on display and always ponder the idea of making a proper terrain board myself.

Then I remember that I'm a flighty wargaming butterfly who'd never maintain the level of focus required to bring something like that to fulfilment. Not to mention the fact that I have nowhere to store such a thing.

I could go for a smaller scale, which would tackle one problem and go sone way towards the other. 

However, despite the care that goes into smaller scales, I'm just not stirred by them in the same way.

Perhaps I should focus on increasing my collection of scatter terrain, as there were plenty of displays that did just that and still managed to be visually impressive.

I did do a little bit of shopping. I picked up a few brushes, paints and bases. I also grabbed half a dozen miniatures that are going to be used in my oft-forgotten Freedom Force project, which is due for a splurge of activity soon.

Obviously, I also got given the traditional 'how the hell am I going to use that?' free miniature on the door. This time it was a Norman noble, Sir Walter D'Isgny, who I'm not entirely sure is a historical figure.

I have done a little bit of painting this week, but I'm not happy with it.

I put together a couple of Wargames Factory (the sprues are now owned by Warlord Games and used in their Project Z game) Zombie Vixens to use as proxy Feral Ghouls in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare.

However, not only have I messed up the painting to a point I'm not happy with, having now played Fallout 3, I know that the Feral Ghouls shouldn't have hair, and it bugs me.

At least they don't have noses, and they'll do. I'm not overly keen on the official miniatures either, so I guess I'll live with them.

You'll be no doubt delighted to hear that I have 'finished' Fallout 3 and so can turn my attention back to painting, which given that it's half term is a good thing.

Acquired: -100
Painted: 263
Lead Mountain: 687