Joy of Six 2026

After last year's Joy of six I wasn't convinced that I would stir my stumps and attend again.  This was partly due to the heat and partly due to the low interest shown by event participants in interacting with the attendees.  However, this year's show rolled around and I thought I would give it another chance.  The heat had reduced from the earlier 30 degrees plus to something more British and there were grey clouds on the horizon, perfect.  Of course this being me I set off in a short sleeved shirt, shorts and sandals, without a jacket!  Fortunately the rain held off.

As normal I parked at Nunnery Square park and ride and hopped onto a tram to complete the trip into the city centre.  I went one stop further than in previous years and alighted at Castle Square (a huge 100 metres or so further!) but, and this is a huge but, the walk to the venue is much easier from that stop as it is a straight and level walk along Arundel Gate to Sheffield Hallam University.

This year the entry cost was £6 which I think is a whole pound up from last year.  That still represents good value though.  A couple of traders and games had cancelled and to my mind it was slightly less busy than last year.  Both of which I suspect was due to the heat of the previous few days.  Even so there was still a lot of 6mm goodness to see.  Better yet the game teams and the vendors were more than happy to chat.  Must have been the heat last year then.

I always start the same way at this show, which is to take a stroll around and see what the games look like.  There was the usual range from Mech's firing missiles and lasers at each other in far future cityscapes through to Greeks having a bit of a barney at point of spear, and pretty much everything in-between.  The standard of games was up to it's usual standard with some really nice terrain on display.

Having had a quick look around I turned my attention to the traders and actually bought some stuff, unlike last year. Heroics & Ross provided me with some World War Two tanks and AT guns which I will need for the Fistful of T34s campaign.  True to form I bought some totally useless Soviet light tanks (well marginally better than the German stuff I already have, a couple of KV-1s who will masquerade as KV-1s flamethrower tanks, a couple of Pak75 AT guns and some artillery crew figures.

More pitiful tanks although the KVs are a bit moreof a beast

I then wandered over to Brigade Models to pick up a Gettysburg Seminary and Cemetery Hill gateway.  These will come into play later if I can arrange an Altar of Freedom game covering (yes you guessed it) the three days of Gettysburg.

If you have seen the movie Gettysburg you should recognise these buildings

Lastly on the buying front, after a look at Commission Figurines display table, I bought some of their 6mm MDF Napoleonic figures.  At £2 for 96 infantry its a gateway drug for the period!  I spent a whole £10 and came away with 192 British Inf in stovepipe shakos. 192 French Infantry in Shakos and a pack of 36 French Cuirassiers/Dragoons. I have already painted a sample to see how my usual technique for 6mm has to be amended for MDF figures (spoiler - it changes a fair bit.  but more on that in a later post).

Commission Figurines Display, Napoleonic's closest to the camera

The MDF figures have a fair bit of detail laser engraved on them, more than I expected to be honest.  Oh and as a warning if you buy any don't throw away the little MDF 'pips' that are in the bags of infantry, those are the drums for the command strips.  Don't ask!  Fortunately there are plenty of spares in each pack.

Sorry about the gratuitous thumb shot, but look at the engraved detail.

It was back to the games next and I took a seat in the Cold War gone hot participation game put on by "Gaming at Si's House".  This used the Battlegroup Northag rules and was fairly enjoyable, despite my complete inability to make a comms check to call in artillery on the Soviet hordes!  This was almost certainly the most popular participation game at the show. 

My view of the table, it got busy soon after this with Soviets galore entering at the far end

Other games were there aplenty.  Visually my favourites were The Strength and Honour demonstration game of Civitate 1053.  Terrain was good and the extension to cover the Feudal period worked well. period.  The players were happy to spend time explaining how everything worked and I gained a couple of clever ideas on how they set up the terrain.

Civitate - it's terrain like this that make games in smaller scale 

More Civitate action can you see the grid markers, I couldn't

A lot of games had terrain that I would be proud to replicate.  Here is another good looking table from the Loft of War who put on Langoot 1748.  As with Civitate the ground colours aren't overly intrusive and aren't a single monotone green.  Plus the game looked like it was being enjoyed, which is the whole point I suppose.

Games Ranged from Classical Greece through to a couple of Science Fiction games.  The latter were popular with the younger attendees.  In fact I saw a number of children at the show, and they didn't look like they were unhappy to be there either.

This was a different take on things, one concept over three periods

Above is a set up which took me a minute to understand.  It is urban warfare in three different periods including a future mech warfare set up at the far end.

I was very happy to see a participation game of Alter of Freedom underway.  I like those rules as they put players into a different gaming space by focussing upon the Army commander level where they have to worry about the tempo and timings of the army and also have subordinates who may not be exactly as good as they might like.  The scenario was Gaines Mill 1862 part of the Peninsula Campaign.  Compared to the last AoF game I played this is a smaller board with more troops, so it is crowded.  When I was watching Dave was explaining the priority point bidding system to a player who was coming up against the restrictions his subordinates were imposing on him by the abilities (or lack of them).

Gaines Mill 1862 using Altar of Freedom run by Dave Benton

Overall there was a lot to see and do and plenty of things to spend money on.  I always feel it's nice to see things in the flesh before spending and the option to do that for 6mm stuff is fairly limited.  Players and vendors were relaxed and happy to chat which was a marked improvement on last year.  My doubts have been quashed and I hope to be able to attend again next year.

Last but not least.  As a taster here is a picture of the first Napoleonic's I have painted since my Airfix days.  The pom-poms finishing but I need me to decide how I'm organising them as units before I paint them in the right colours.  Undercoating is a must as MDF soaks up paint and dulls the colour and I can't decide on whether to prime them in black (as below) or in white.

Poor image these little devils are hard to focus on.  My first attempt at Nap's in fifty years!

 

Joy of Six 2025

It's taken me a couple of days to assemble this show review, partly as it took me a little time to decide on my view on how I found the event.  It's not the largest show on the circuit, in scale or in scale (if you see what I mean), but it is a nice little show within an easy sixty minute commute of Chez Elenderil.  Joy of Six is dedicated to all things 6mm, which makes sense as it is organised by Peter Berry and the team at Baccus 6mm.  It is held at Sheffield Hallam University right opposite the Sheffield rail interchange.  With good parking and transport links including a park and (tram) ride it isn't a difficult show to get to.

I haven't attended this show for a couple or three years and it is a bit larger than I remember it.  It's held in three rooms and a connecting hub where the lifts and stairs are.  One of the rooms also has catering facilities.  All of the games on show are (of course) 6mm as are all of the vendors apart from one who had naval stuff in even smaller scales (Three Deck Dockyards).  I almost bought some resin 1/4800 Russo Japanese war ships from them.  When I got home I took a look at their website and the models are 3D prints using licensed STL files from The Wartimes Journal and at a much reduced price to buying them direct from WTJ's online shop.  They do look rather nice too, even at 1/4800.

Commission Miniatures - Not bad for MDF

And cheap enough to use en masse

Sticking with the trade stands I have a confession to make, I didn't buy a single solitary thing!  Not one.  I know this is a bit of a shock and I think it must be down to the heat welding my wallet closed or something.  I did want some stuff from Heroics & Ros but couldn't get near their stand as it was really busy for the entire time I was there.  I did have a nice chat with the owner of Commission Miniatures, the chap who does the MDF 6mm figures.  It's the first time I have seen them in the flesh (or the MDF) and they don't look half bad given the material is almost 2D.  They have more depth than I expected and at arms length look almost as good as cast or printed figures.  They have the bonus of being very inexpensive at £2 for 96 foot figures.  Something that would make them attractive to me for a period I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money on (hint that's Napoleonic's).  They do some nice MDF railway tracks too.

Rob's Scenics trade stand with pre-painted very tempting models

Baccus were doing good business but I didn't need anything from them (want yes...need, not so much).  I also spotted Brigade Models in attendance with both 6mm and 2mm scenics on display.  I have quite a lot of their 2mm stuff but hadn't considered the 6mm offerings but they do look nice.  Another good set of terrain was on display from Rob's Scenics.  I had a look the Rapier Miniatures stand where painted and based 12 element DBA armies was retailing for around £85.00 which seemed fairly reasonable.

Baccus put on a fast play Battle of Lens 1643

Having wandered around the traders I turned my attention to the games.  These were of a high quality with some really nice terrain on display.  What was noticeable is that the vast majority were full scale battles and only two were not historical refights.  As usual there were a good number of participation games alongside the demonstration games. I missed spotting a couple of games and a couple which were advertised were actually missing.

Baccus' Battle of Lens was using big bases so the entire battle only had just over a dozen combat formation a side.  It's one way to make things move faster I suppose, restrict the number of units a side, but it doesn't really work for me as a concept.  It sort of turns a battle into something like a skirmish game when there are only a handful of combat units a side.

First El Alamein courtesy of Maidstone and District Gamers

The MAD display game was one of those who were keen to interact with passers by which was nice.  A good chat ensued about how after the real battle Rommel felt Montgomery wasn't playing fair as he refused to follow up into Rommel's AT gun lines.

Lovely terrain here probably my favourite table at the show

Total Battle Miniatures displayed the Battle of Lobositz 1756 Prussia v Austria and I think the opening battle of the Seven Years War.  The terrain was excellent and shows what can be done in a small space.

Those troops look like an army and sit well into the terrain

I spotted the Yarkshire Gamer taking part in Champion's Hill 1862 (I think).  Lots of Adler 6mm on displayin this game.

ACW action from The Yarkshire Gamer himself

Another rather nice table this time showing a Franco-Prussian war battle

Per Boden put on a Bloody Big Battles game from the Franco-Prussian war.  Again really nice terrain.

Meanwhile in 1960s Goa.  India v Colonial Portuguese

Battle of Bouvines 1214 (or so)

There were the obligatory strange hats on offer

A big cold war gone hot game.

Just after the time frame I set my cold war gone hot game in.  East Germans trying to move down the length of the table against BAOR opposition.  Whether they managed it I don't know.  If all they had were T55s I don't fancy their chances unless they had an awful lot of them!

Overall some nice tables but for some odd reason I wasn't really feeling enthused.  It may have been the heat but it seemed like a lot of the games had their own private force field around them that repelled spectators from getting involved with the players.  Or maybe I'm just getting old and grouchy, who knows.   At other shows I have friends who are running games or trading so I can have a chat but none of them are 6mm gamers so were not at this one. The jury is out on whether I will return next year.

The other Partizan 2024

So Sunday last saw me hop into my car and drive down to the Newark Showground for The other Partizan Show.   As a bonus I managed to sneak in an illicit McDonald's breakfast muffin on the way.  I'm not supposed to eat stuff like this but it was my first Fast food since this time last year!  It was a fairly clear run down the A15 and A46 and it gave my car a decent run which it hasn't had for a while as we normally do long runs in Mrs E's big VW Tiguan.  I could tell I'd not done much in the way of long drives in my car as when I got back home after an 80 mile round trip my projected tank range reading had actually risen from 205 miles to 240 miles!  If only that meant extra fuel had miraculously formed in the tank eh?

Parking at the Showground was simplicity itself even though the car park was already busy.  There was a long queue to get in but this moved along quickly.  Entering the pavilion the first thing to strike me was 'wow, this is big'.  Really, really big! Plenty of traders around the walls and games in the central area.  In fact it's almost too big as there is so much to see and it takes a moment for it all to sink in.

Swedes at Lutzen. Advancing on the Imperial centre

The display games were my first port of call as some of my re-enactment friends were putting on a refight of Lutzen 1632 in 28mm.  This was an epic undertaking with over 2,000 figures on the table.  I dread to think of the weight of lead involved or the cost of figures, painting and basing!  Ian who was providing the Imperialists joked that he could feel the weight of lead he was transporting pulling his car sideways in bends!  I then had a chat with the guys from North Riding Wargaming who were putting on an Alter of Freedom game using 10mm figures.

 

Chris Kemp's Not Quite Mechanised game

 

I spent a pleasant 20 minutes chatting with old friends from the Monday Night Gamers (you know the ones who meet on Tuesdays) as they were running an Edgcote game, and a Not Quite Mechanised game of Longstop Hill, Tunisia in 1942 and manning the Northampton Battlefields Society stand.  Well done those chaps.

The huge Lutzen battlefield.  The town is burning at the other end!

Looking around the games there were at least three ACW games of various sizes, the same for Viet Nam and a lot of games involving beach landings.  The later included a huge D Day participation game.  I spotted a couple of western shoot out games as well.  All in all the standard of games was stunning.

Bloody Omaha participation game.  Nice to see some younger folk having a go.

The above game in close up the detail is stunning

Second day at Gettysburg in 10mm using Altar of Freedom

Another D-Day game.  I really liked the empty battlefield feel of this.

A samurai game which was simply stunning to look at

I tried my hand at the Wargames Developments participation mini game next.  These are always interesting and usually play out in under 15 minutes.  This year it was the armoured drive to relieve the para's at Arnhem.  The game consists of a line of squares each with a mini playing card allocated to it.  The card shows the level of German resistance and some squares have hidden events under the cards!  Cards are valued as in Bridge (well it is a Bridge too Far) with ace counting high and suits ranked Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts to Spades.  The allies win all ties.  The allies are dealt five cards face up. German cards are face down.  Each turn the allies advance one square, or stay put to either resupply or reorganise.  Resupply brings their hand of cards back up to full strength, reorganisation discards the current hand for a re-deal.  Used cards are discarded and not reused.  The hidden events are that the US airborne troops have not secured their bridges and the armoured thrust is stalled for a turn and that a German counter attack happens back down the road which has to be dealt with (Gerry gets an additional card back down the road which has to beaten before moving forward again).  Very simple, very elegant and very frustrating!  I got to the south bank of the Rhine at Arnhem on the last turn so it was a bridge too far for me.

Seven Years War as the action heats up

I then headed off to do some shopping.   First up was Pendragon for some Litko flight stands.  These are two part items a hexagonal base in one pack and the uprights in another.  This allows you to buy different size hex bases and different length height posts.  At ten stands for £9.50 you can't go wrong.  Next was Warbases where I had to restrain myself, they had a full range of the Cactus Creek western shootout building kits and I was mightily tempted by a couple (well rather more than a couple if I'm honest).    What I really wanted was some of their Antonine Miniatures 2mm stuff for Strength and Honour but it turns out they don't bring those to shows...pooh!  However, I got a special code to allow me to buy from their website postage free for 48 hours after the end of the show.  I then bought some western shoot out figures from Empress Miniatures (along with a chat with Paul and Christine) and some Hunnic Noble cavalry from Baccus.  By my standards this was a very restrained shopping frenzy.  Then it was back to looking at the display games.

Lastly I wandered over to the Strength and Honour participation game being run by Mark Backhouse.  This was a really popular game and deservedly won the best participation game award.

Strength and Honour game, this was hanging in the balance at this point.

After all this excitement I had a leisurely drive home and even managed to drop the roof and and have the full cabriolet experience in my elderly tin-top VW Eos.  I'd say 'feel the wind in my hair', but I don't have any 😊.  So all in all a great day out and I really recommend it.

Post script

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  It seems that I had one additional. unexpected acquisition from the show...Covid!  It's so 2020 my dears.

Oh Bugger!

Didn’t we have a lovely day at Vapnartak

Vapnartak 2023 York Wargames show held in the grandstand of York race course.  There is plenty of free parking and it is easy to get to as it is just off the York ring road.  Public transport links are good (when they aren't on strike) and York is a great tourist city in it's own right.

I like Vapnartak it’s fairly local and it’s the first big show of the year.  Plus all my favourite traders are usually present.  I haven’t been able to attend for the last two years due to various issues, so I was ready to shop.  It seemed to be much busier this year with a huge queue when I arrived about twenty minutes after the doors opened.  The host team from York Wargames Club kept things moving though and I was inside within a few minutes.  Still the queue was long enough for the two blokes in front of me were wondering if the traders would still have stock when they got in!

More lead was purchased of course - Empress and Galloping Major

Inside was the usual mix of traders, demo and participation games.  I’m on a bit of an Americana theme at the moment so my first stop was Empress Miniatures for some of their excellent Wild West figures from the 'Wild Bunch' range.  These are lovely sculpts depicting characters from well known Western Movies.  I plumped for the 'Baxter Boys' set aka the bad guys from 'Open Range', The 'Unforgiven Cast' a hitching post set and 'Stumpy' because who wouldn't want Walter Brennan armed with a shotgun in his town?

From Warbases what will become a saloon

Then it was across the aisle to Warbases for one of their MDF buildings.  In this case “Annabelle’s Hotel” which in De Lancy will become a saloon with accommodation for traders in negotiable affection!  While I was on a building theme I hunted down Sarissa Precision where I acquired a Blacksmith’s Forge and a wagon.  Well I say hunted down it was really just around the corner.  Lastly it was up the stairs to the Galloping Major stand for more Wild West figures.  I took a long lingering look at some of the Foundry packs but decided that the bank account had suffered enough for one day (and I had to explain my spending to Mrs E when I got home) so I decided to leave that for another day.

Every town needs a Smithy so here is one

Last from Sarissa a wagon for local colour

Shopping done it was time to check out the games.  These were up to the usual high standards of Vapnartak.  First stop was the League of Extraordinary Kreigspeilers game set in the 1920's with Russian Bolsheviks battling Chinese and White Russian exiles in what was described as a Dien Bien Phu situation for the Bolsheviks.  Early casualties came not from enemy action but a tray of cavalry being knocked off the table.  No fatalities but probably a need for some tea and sympathy when they get home!  I had to get a close up of the train just for Trebian who I know likes this period and has a soft spot for an armoured train.

Who doesn't love an armoured train

Sited in the warmest spot of the stands but great for shadows

The next thing to catch my eye was a western shoot out participation game run by Harrogate Wargames Club (which I would have loved a go at but missed out on).  Using the new Two Fat Lardies rules 'What a Cowboy' and a really nice looking table.  From what I could see the rules use card activation (or maybe the cards described traits?) and the roll to hit and roll to defend mechanism.  People seemed to be dodging a lot of flying lead while I was watching.

I hope my eventual table looks a tenth as good

Next to this was a very nice ACW game covering the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg run by Grimsby Wargames club.   Iron clads and mortar barges a plenty on the mighty Mississippi including one which was burning furiously!

Vicksburg under fire from the river

Next up is a display game that has been doing the rounds for a few months; Charles Rowntree’s Korean War set up of the last stand of the Glosters on the Imjin River.  This shows what can be done with terrain modelling in small scales and it was a real pleasure to see it in in the flesh.

Last Stand of the Glorious Glosters - Imjin River 1951

Next up were the three tables presented as participation games by the Wings of Glory Forums.  These covered World War One, The Battle of Britain and a Star Wars space battle.  I only got shots of the first two set ups.  I have to say that the Battle of Britain really took my fancy.  If I was to start a new air combat period that would be the one for me.

Looked like a bombing Raid across the Front 

Handley Page's finest heading sausage side

Meanwhile on the next table Jerry Fighters are over the channel

But the plucky RAF are up to stop them

York Wargames club put on this great looking dungeon crawl game.

York Wargames Club Dungeon Adventure

The team from The Bunker were hunting The Predator, or maybe that was vice versa on this huge jungle table.  There was lots of detail to spot here.

 

The Bunker - Predator Game

Brompton Bankers put on this Battle on the Ice 1242 game using Lion Rampant rules.  It was a fictional skirmish set the day before the historic battle on the frozen lake.

Teutonic Knights v  Alexander Nevsky Russians

There is always a huge number of things to see (and buy) at Vapnartak and I cannot do the show full justice in a blog post.  I missed getting decent pictures of Sally Fourth's Viking raid game and the giant Space Hulk participation game.  There was also a 40K game of some sort going on all day.  

The best suggestion I can make is that next year you should try to go along and take a look for yourself, it is well worth it.