Today was Partizan, at Kelham Hall, Newark. Proper 'Partizan weather' (™) - scorching hot and not a cloud in the sky.
All in all a jolly fine weekend. Trundled down to Steve Jones' house in Long Bennington on Saturday morning. Sat around and chewed the fat/set the wargaming world to rights until Guy Bowers arrived, bringing Jasper Oorthuys and Christie Beale (i.e. most of the WS&S Crew). Most chatting, lunch, and then a game of Black Powder, using an AWI adaptation of Steve's. Great fun - and not just because Guy and I won (thanks to aggressive play, and some uncharacteristically good dice-rolling on my part). Played on a 6' x 4' table, with 28mm figures, and using the full movement allowances (tempered by the presence of lots of wooded ground). The interesting part of it was splitting 'conventional' 24 figure battalions into four stand of six figures and treating each of those as a Standard unit - it successfully turned an unashamedly 'big battle' rule-set into a great 'skirmish' game! Clever lad is Steve!
Then out for a curry and drinks with John Stallard and Rick Priestley. Good company, good banter, lots more wargaming chatter. A really good evening.
And then up bright and early this morning, to get down to Kelham Hall to lug tables around. The show was very enjoyable (I always enjoy it anyway - nothing I like better than a good crowd of wargamers). Lots of interesting games, traders, etc, and lots more chatter. I talked to various people about AVGVSTVS to AVRELIAN. MIght be doing an interview for Meeples and Miniatures sometime soon - Neil was very taken with the concepts involved in my rules. I have a funny feeling that the interview will mostly be giggling though - as regards sense of humour, we seem to have far too much in common - it could easily all get very silly.
I have very definitely gone off Dave Imrie (Saxon Dog) though. He knows I'm in a bit of a quandary at the moment, regarding future projects (i.e. I've no idea what to paint next). Does he help? Does he heck as like - instead he makes matters worse by, with a complete lack of compassion or mercy, giving me a pack of his new 'Claymore Castings'. You can go off people you know!!! The figures are, as you might imagine with Dave's research and imagination behind them, and Paul Hicks sculpting bringing the ideas to life, QUITE SIMPLY SUPERB!!! "The first pack's free, after that they're twenty quid." says he. Bloke missed his way in life - he ought to have been a drug pusher!
I might just set in and paint them straight away. Not that I know anything at all about the period. Heraldry - what's that? Battle of Otterburn? I know it was in 1388, and that the Scots beat the living daylights out of the English, but that's as much as I know. Time to make a total fool of myself by painting them completely inaccurately! Medieval skirmishing - where did that idea spring from? Oh yes, it was flipping Dave Imrie sowed that one. Hmm… Plastic cottages from the Perrys. I think I'm a hopeless case; a lost cause.