Attended: Sunday 24th May 2009

This report originally written a few days after said attendance.

Sunday 24th of May 2009 was Partizan day and von Peter himself and his trusty(?) sidekick The son and heir were lucky enough and spoilt enough to have a great weekend built around it.

The plan was:

     ‣     catch 3:30pm train on the Saturday from Bristol Temple Meads to Chippenham. The plan got messed around here as the travellers arrived early and decided to take the 3:00pm instead. Could the weekend survive such a change so early?!

     ‣     Martin Kelly - he of Befreiungskriege 1813-14 fame - would meet us at Chippenham station and drive us for around two hours to Calpe Towers in Harpenden, north of London

     ‣     overnight in Calpe Towers

     ‣     Peter Fitzgerald of Calpe Miniatures drive us all to Partizan. Estimated drive duration of two hours.

The whole process would then run in reverse to deliver everyone to their home abodes.

von Peter himself can happily report that the weekend ran like a well oiled machine. Adding to the feeling of well being was the weather which was brilliant throughout and the traffic which was down on its usual volume.

The hospitality of Calpe Towers was lavish. The son and heir was certainly not deserving of it!! 😃 We supped hot and cold beverages in the back yard. We explored the hallowed shed at the end of the garden with it’s painted units, in progress works, draws full of ‘product’ and endless reference materials. We consumed a lavish BBQ style dinner and were all finally settled into our bedrooms for a comfortable nights sleep.

One event of note and infamy occurred while dessert was being served. Being the ever protective father that he is von Peter himself warned The son and heir that the delicious home recipe HOT chocolate sauce was indeed HOT. Of course upon hearing this The son and heir promptly sticks his finger into his HOT chocolate sauce and starts whining that he has burnt his finger to the amusement of all. “Quick”, someone suggests, “put it in your ice cream to cool it off”. So, faster than lightening, The son and heir puts his finger in his ice cream ... plunging it through more HOT chocolate sauce on the way to the refuge of the cooling ice cream!!! A quick retreat of the finger follows along with more whines of alleged increased discomfort. All of a sudden von Peter himself realises that there has been some horrid mistake and he has brought along the wrong child. This one certainly wasn’t related to him ... and if he was then he most certainly gets it from his mother. Ice was got, more whining was heard and later, before bed, creams were proffered. von Peter himself can now report that the finger has not dropped off, or even blistered, and that much good natured ribbing ensued for the rest of the weekend and, one hopes, will continue well into the future. Oh, the shame! For the record the dessert - HOT chocolate sauce, ice cream, mixed berries and optional cream was delicious.  😃

And to cap off the stay I left with some of the new Calpe Saxons. Heaven.

Above: Kelham Hall, at least the building in the background is. Partizan was hosted in that older building at the back

Sunday and we were treated to breakfast and then on to Kelham Hall, the venue for Partizan.

First impressions of Kelham Hall are that it is quite a different to the home of Salute - The Excel Centre in London. Kelham Hall is old and stately and situated in park like surroundings. The Excel centre is newish and in the middle of a metropolis. Inside the venues the expected differences continue. Partizan is spread over several rooms, some of them a bit smaller than some of the others, and all of them kitted out in the stately style expected with decorated ceiling trims etc. As is well known the inside of the Excel centre is like a big stark aircraft hangar. One similarity though - both have substandard lighting, with Kelham Hall being the worst of the two in von Peter’s opinionated opinion.

Perhaps it has to do with the venue, or perhaps it’s just the difference in scale, but Partizan has a quite different feel to Salute. von Peter found it to be more homely and chatty, as he was advised it would be. Because it is spread out over several smaller rooms there is the feeling of a more intimate event. von Peter had the impression that while there may not necessarily be more chatting going on than there was at Salute perhaps the chats were longer and somehow more relaxed at Partizan. There is less to see than at Salute and perhaps the resultant lack of pressure to get around everything helps make for a more chilled out event.

Partizan may be smaller than Salute but that doesn’t mean that there is a shortage of things to see and buy. There were plenty of games to admire. The photographic evidence at the bottom of this page is far from a comprehensive record of games on offer. Many others didn’t get photographed for a variety of reasons:

     ‣     the game was not of great personal interest

     ‣     the game was not so photogenic

     ‣     the lighting was just to bad

     ‣     the chance for a photo didn’t occur

     ‣     photos were taken but they didn’t reach the requisite standard to be published (too dark, not sharp enough etc).

As at Salute the Perrys were playing Quatre Bras using their figures and the yet to be released Black Powder rule set. No problem with that. The Perrys were their usual friendly selves and who wouldn’t want the chance to see their efforts again. But they did have a new wrinkle to unleash upon the unwary public. The cotton wool (or whatever) they were putting down in front of units that had fired contained little flashing red lights to mimic the flash of firing muskets. They may even market them. A downside for me is that they only last for around eight hours of flashing. Of course what we really need is flashing and an audio of crackling muskets. But kudos to the Perrys for trying something different.

Above: Hitech gaming from the Perrys

The son and heir’s pick for game of the day was the 1066 game put on by Bruno Allanson and Neil Allen. This depicted a hypothetical encounter between Saxons and Normans and was really a display more than a game as the figures did not seem to move throughout the day. But pretty it was and it certainly worked away at one young mans imagination.

Above: Saxons and Normans hurling abuse at one another in 1066

Being in the company of Martin and Peter once again paid dividends with various gamers being met and introduced. Everyone was friendly and positive. Excellent.

On the shopping front The son and heir scored for himself a ruined temple which will work for his 40K and fantasy gaming ... and even some historic games. It is also flat enough to mean that its eventual shipping back to New Zealand wont cause any dramas. von Peter himself purchased a set of the Rank and File horse and musket gaming rules for a nosey and the latest cd compilation of Wargames Illustrated - that’s another box load of magazines that can be disposed of then. Terrain was an area of great interest and mental notes have been taken but no money has changed hands yet.

von Peter himself and The son and heir would like to sincerely thank the Fitzgeralds Ann(e), Peter and the rest of the family ... including the dog) for their warm hospitality and to Peter for the ride to and from Partizan. Similarly huge thanks to Martin Kelly for getting us to and from Calpe Towers. A truly memorable couple of days. Where’s that time machine so it can all be savoured again!  

Below are some photographs from Partizan MMIX. The light in the various rooms was not so good for amateur  photographers so most photos have been adulterated to lighten them. Apologies to those who deserve to be credited but are not. If anything needs correcting or details added then please let von Peter himself know and he’ll get onto it.

See below for a clickable gallery of more photos.  

Salute

von Peter himself