Partizan has gained the reputation for hosting the best demonstration games on the circuit. This is one of the reasons I go to the show. Yes there are traders and plenty of easy (and good) reasons to turn your money into lead (or plastic or resin). However, it is the games that are the main draw for me. A chance to talk to talented and knowledgable gamers and to gain inspiration or at least to affirm that I am on the right track with my projects.This year there were a number of games that did just that for me and in acknowledgement I have a couple of shots of the League of Augsberg's presentation of the Crossing of the Boyne. A neat little game that had plenty to draw the eye. Not just the well painted figures and the excellent execution of the terrain, but also the extras. Like the men wading through the river - figures cut off at the waist (or higher) to show the depth of water - I particulalry liked the one with just his head and arm holding his musket out of the water. The bases matched the colour of the river and for me showed how a game should be done.
So mark that up amongst the good then.
Also good were the ever popular Blue Bears and their aerial wargames. These guys never fail to bring along a fun game that is easy to play, intelligent in design and a most enjoyable diversion for an hour or so. They also know their history and the background for the game. Well done guys.
For the bad I have to put the venue at the top of the list. The show has now outgrown the location. If not in size then certainly in its ability to cater for the visitor. The food and drink is affordable, one might say cheap, and well done. However should you want to sit and eat in comfort then think again. A lack of seating and tables really tells and it is one of the reasons that I tend to make for the bar first to hydrate before walking around the show because later on you can forget about finding a seat.
At the same time there are parts of the show that are too crowded to walk around. Add in overweight gamers who just stop and chat to their equally overweight friends in the middle of the only walkway and you make for an irritating event. I have to admit to losing my temper with one group and not apologising for pushing through a group of four standing in the middle of the access route, and yes they came with rucksacks to boot.
As for the ugly?
The Armies of Arcana demonstration from Terrian Warehouse was a demonstration in how not to do it. Especially for a show that has gained such high prestige for quality. On show were some very nice models. There was some excellent painting in there as well. But, and it is a very big but, it was the number of unpainted and part painted models present that drew my eye. At first glance I thought half the eagles were large ravens and then realised that they were only undercoated. The men in brown and grey were part painted and the large mass of grey ghosts were not ghosts but assembled and unpainted figures.The Grimsby club would not have allowed this standard of game on one of our club nights let alone an event to show the public the hobby at it's best. There may be an argument for showing the hobby at its base level and for getting the kids to play but Games Workshop don't do this in their stores let alone at a show.
So I came away with the result that I wanted. I want to paint more figures and paint them well if only to prevent me playing with the attitude that anything goes that, on the above evidence, is creeping in to the hobby.
Purchases? "Beneath the Lilly Banners" from Barry Hilton as a base for the rules for my GNW project. Also coming home with me were some more Doughboys - I cleared Dave Thomas out of all the Brigade figures he had, and some Germans for the Great War. I also picked up some gabions at long last from Frontline Wargaming ( I could have bought a lot more of their exccelent resin items if the pocket had been deeper.
There will be more photos appearing soon on General Grant blog (a Grimsby Wargamer online) who was very busy taking shots all day long.
8 comments:
guys cut off at the waist!
that definately qualifies as top level efforts.
As far as the 'meh its good enough' crowd...I was present at a Vancouver BC club when a real push went on to have games where only painted models were going to be permitted on the tables. I watched as attendance dwindled to only a 'hard-core' 12 or so members, then was shocked to watch even them start to bicker with each other about 'what qualified' as painted good enough. There were only 4 really active game hosts and they were starting to get burned out having to host every game night the games.
Then the convention (show) came around that year and the fur hit the fan...tempers flared and there were about half of the game spaces that would normally be filled being used by the same 6 members. All had great models and wonderful terrain...but no players.
It was a simple little tank game, with just barely painted models and fair (but not great) terrain and a fun pirate game with balsa ships on a blue cloth that were the winners in the play category. They were packed, well-organized and filled with keen (tank) and loud (pirates) active players. Neither of these games were being run by club members.
Both of the filled games had only marginal quality figs and in the case of the pirate game no terrain at all.
The organizers and club leadership finally turned a corner and decided to permit games without painted models etc (since games like settlers of catan do not use them). The leadership changed hands from an 'old guard' that was fixated on historical only games with only painted models and NOTHING else, to one of more flexible participation and encouragement towards excellence.
The awards were liberally given away at the next convention (show) for great pain-jobs, great terrain and best of show getting free attendance fee and hotel accomodation at a nearby US convention (show). These efforts have switched the regular club events from dreary ones filled with the same 3-6 games to busy active and energetic events filled with some historicals, some fantasy and even some sci-fi games (like the Star Wars plastic minis and the paper(?) pirate ships) being played on card and paper constructs that can be quite elaborate. I saw one of the Star Wars ones that featured a cool light show that looked like waterfalls and a lava-flow meeting in a dry-ice volcano.
My point is to elevate the others it must be done by collective good shows and rewards for those good shows, not by punitive rules or regulations.
Very nice report paul. Didnt think much of the armies of arcana game either though was busy with other games to notice the details you mention. The lighting of the show wasnt great. Still managed to get loads of good photos with my main camera though. Those photos are not on the blog yet. The battle of the boyne was probably my favourite game of the show. Writing this comment from my mobile.
Murdock,
I think it is a little different over here. we are spoilt by the proliferation of wargame shows through the year (almost one a week at some times of the year) and the relative ease of finding a gaming club or shop - most towns have a GW shop at least.
Whilst not wanting to push away the enthusiatic newcomer my point was that newark has prided itself for being having the BEST games be they demo or participation. In my book to be the best does not mean having unpainted figures present. It does not show the hobby at its pinnacle nor does it showcase talent and ability. There were many games that had thse in bundles.
Touching History had the best terrain in a wonderful model of a peninsular village. Hot on their heels was another Spanish town being defended by the French from the Spanish and the Royal Navy (complete with two fine 28mm ships and launches).
The Perrys were there with their fine ACW game, next door Bruno Allinson had a fantastic Punic Wars game on the jungle faced African coast.
There were games festooned with figures. There were games with just a handful, and of these the Occult Wars guys had a really neat little game or you could have had a wild west shoot out.
Even the Wargames development guys and their "To Glory We Steer" was well presented with just a half dozen figures.
One of the reasons I like the Grimsby club is that we have this presentation rule. We have good facilities, buildings and terrain. The paint qulaity is not important but the fact that someone has taken the time to paint the figure is.
Yes, I suspect the 'spoilt' factor perhaps is there...but I have to ask:
Your club has a 'member fee' right?
To get into an event do you need to bring your own figs?
Can you 'drop in' and game with others with only a door fee?
Such things would naturally lead a newcomer to understand the need for the fully painted presentations and then aspire to meet them.
I have seen, here at least, that such demands are not taken well at all...I understand both sides. One side says you must have a good presentation to keep 'standards up' and thus attract more. The other side says I cannot afford such a grand presentation, while I wish to run a game I know that I cannot have it ready to such a level...(or at least their facile argument follows such lines)
Each side starts to argue and so on...leaving the rest of us whom just want to play left waiting for someone to roll the dice...or set up a table...or just bring something else than another reason to argue.
>>sigh<<
I guess I'll just have to aspire to travel and experience your level of gaming entertainment for myself someday.
Personnally from a historical miniature persepective as far as I am concerned, it goes without saying that a figure has to be painted to be used on the table top.
I have never been to Partizan but I had always understood that it prided itself on its exemplary presented games which placed great emphesis on the quality of the painting, terrain etc. Wading troops! Fantastic. Its this level of detail which I have always aspired to. I went to a model railway show at the weekend and I was again amazed by the level of skill and presentation by that group of hobbyists. I also have to say they had the same tight avenues between stalls, demonstrations etc but there was a conspicuous absence of rucksacks and far more consideration shown especially to two in wheel chairs.
Yours,
Guy.
When I worked for a game store in California, we put on "game days" in the local youth center.
For miniature events we had one rule . . . if it wasn't painted, it was dead.
"Painted" was a bit flexible depending upon period, but usually meant at least three colors of paint on the figure.
Surprisingly it worked quite well. We also ran some painting workshops to show how you could get a decent simple paint job done fairly quickly.
We also had someone who then showed them how to "detail" those simple paint jobs into much better-looking figures.
And it all grew out of "if it isn't painted, it's dead".
-- Jeff
Thanks for the report, Paul. I had meant to go to Partizan this year but got confused with my dates and hadn't realised it was the bank holiday weekend (I'd already made other plans).
I agree with you re unpainted figures: it's not "snobby" or "elitist", just a reflection of the fact that it you pay and/or travel a fair distance to go to a show, then you expect a certain level of competence in the games on display.
Incidentally, I'm sure at Salute a year or so ago there was a Zulu Wars games involving a river and lots of Zulus sawn-off at the waist who were crossing it.
Giles
Interesting points about the Armies of Arcana demonstration.
Though I disliked the part painted figures (shock - I have played with bare metal before today) these guys where the most forthcoming of the whole show. I spent nearly an hour with them discussing the game, its background, the rule set and future and what work they had put into the new version.
Maybe we get to hung up on paint and forget imagination?
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