Well, the continued lack of progress towards the goal of this blog can now, at least partially, be blamed on a real wargaming adventure: I finally made good on all my big talk and actually made it to the UK for Partizan 2026!
With my Outpost colleagues Allan (Minneapolis), Kerry (New Zealand) and Malc (Spain) all making the trip, the usual excuse about Toronto being ‘a bit too far’ didn’t really hold any water. So it was that my employer begrudgingly let me have a few days off and I headed back to the old country for a couple of days visiting family and then a full day at what is now widely recognized as the UK’s premier historical wargames show. (As opposed to the much larger and more eclectic Salute, which I have attended a few times, that accommodates all sorts of sci fi and fantasy stuff as well as historical.)
So much better in person than in photos
In addition to the aforementioned international contingent, there was also a strong showing of the Outpost’s UK arm with Brendan, Giles, Phil, Timmo, Steve and Eclaireur. It remains one of the true boons of the internet that I have made such good friends with people I have rarely, if ever, met. It was a real joy to spend some time in their company. On top of that, there is the slightly weird sensation of recognizing a slew of people I feel like I know, but have in fact only seen, heard or read on the internet. Big Lee, Alex Sotheran, Guy Bowers, Henry Hyde and Rich Clarke were, to a man, friendly and welcoming.
The high point for me was getting to play a few turns of Charlie Don’t Surf on John Savage’s amazing Hue set up. On top of the thrill of playing on superbly detailed terrain that I have only previously seen in pictures, it also demonstrated that the much vaunted friendliness of the Too Fat Lardies community is very real. The entire crew from Rich onwards were genuinely warm, determined to make sure I had a good time and simply a fun group to game with.
A little light retail therapy, within the constraints of carry on luggage only, was indulged. Just like on my visit to the The Sentry Box in Calgary, I rely on the constraints of airline baggage policy to save me from indulging in the purchase of enormous colourful boxes filled with plastic figures that I can’t really afford and certainly would never get round to painting. (Warlord’s Epic stuff and Dead Man’s Hand cowboys are the biggest temptations on this front.)
The AB WWII Brits will certainly raise the tone compared to the practical but less beautiful PSC plastics I have. My excuse is that I need two whole platoons for Scenario 11, but in reality I just love these sculpts. The Wargames Atlantic Agents are for my (entirely theoretical) 5 Parsecs from Home campaign which would be set in the present day, there being no need to turn to sci fi for dystopian hellscapes these days. I decided against Midgard for my Dark Ages stuff because of its focus on heroic leaders, but I think the campaign supplement could still be very useful. One pot of Brushscape for basing was all I could fit in under the liquids limits and the Pro Arte paint brushes packed flat and mean I can look w’or Ken Reilly in the eye if I ever meet him.
I didn’t bother taking pictures of the games, so many other people do a much better job than I ever could. So I’ll just point you in the direction of two of the best, my friends Phil and Giles.
My day at Partizan was absolutely one of the best I’ve had, and the warm glow is going to have to last me a while. Real life is overwhelmingly busy right now (still). If I could afford to I’d retire, but it’s not an option, so the slog goes on and the completion of my year with Charles recedes ever further into the distant future. But the friends I have made in this hobby are what is really important, and it was great to see so many of them in person.
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