Planning for Partizan

If all goes to plan, at precisely this moment in a week’s time, I’ll be enjoying the refreshments on offer at Kelham Hall as I attend Partizan in the company of Peter F, von Peter and his young ADC, Simon.

Kelham Hall is at Newark (that’s “somewhere up North”) and I live in the West Country, so it takes quite an effort to get there and, as a consequence, I don’t go every year. This year, the trip has taken on the proportions of a ruthlessly planned mission because I have to pick up two of the party on Saturday afternoon and head for basecamp at Calpe Towers. Then we have an overnight stay there prior to our assault on the summit via the A1.

All the planning should bring a worthwhile reward though because Partizan is one of my favourite shows. Partly that’s because the very fact that I don’t go every year means I don’t get the chance to fall into complacement familiarity with it. Also it’s because Partizan has a unique atmosphere of it’s own in the way it combines the qualities of a big national event with the cosy camerarderie of a local club show. But the main attraction of Partizan is that it usually boasts the highest quality demonstration games.

You can never be quite sure which games and traders will be there until the day itself (the website doesn’t seem to be entirely up-to-date) but I’m already licking my lips at a second chance to see the Perrys’ Quatre Bras demo and the League of Gentleman Gamers’ offering. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the latter will provide an opportunity to inspect David Imrie’s new large French units. Ever since I saw some photos on Steve Dean’s forum I’ve been wondering about adopting some of the ideas – in particular the 60x60mm square bases.

The extra real-estate on these bases is something that David has used to enviable effect. It’s provided room for impressive use of the Silflor grass tufts. One thing I quickly realised is that there’s no point in being stingy with these tufts – the mass effect of lots of them to create drifts of grass is definitely the way to go. David also placed other items like dead casualties in this extra space and I intend to emulate him as well as adding abandoned drums, broken artillery equipment and muddy varnish puddles. All of this will come into play as soon as I get started on my first Saxon battalion. I’m also considering a move over to the 3mm thick versions of the Litko plywood bases to avoid warping given the larger 60x60mm size.

In fact, I’m getting really itchy palms just typing this and I’m hopeful of having a full battalion’s worth of Calpe Saxon musketeers in my hot little hands RSN. Peter F. and I have been discussing the changes we will need to make to the Calpe website when the official release date arrives and I hope you’ll appreciate the specific improvements we’re hoping to make.

In the meantime, I’ll be the one at Partizan feverishly looking out for the Andrea Miniatures white paint set (thanks for the tip, Harry the Elder), Silflor 6mm Autumn grass tufts and that trader who had Litko bases at Salute. If any of you know where I should look, let me know!