The Other Partizan (Newark, 12 Oct 2025)

This is new: a show report! The last time I went to a "major" show was in 2008 when I helped Mirliton run their trade stand at Salute. So the offer of a lift to this show was more than welcome; as was the £2.00 entry fee for wrinklies (pensioners) like me.

In the end I saw very little of the games on display. If you want lots of pictures of the wonderful games on offer then Google is your friend. I spent most of my time shopping, and bumping into old friends. I also met a celebrity and spotted an influencer.

The venue

These photos show the layout at a little after ten. After this it got very busy, very quickly.

Of course one of the advantages of pre-paying and arriving early was that the cafe wasn't busy. By 10:30 the queue was quite long and stayed that way throughout my visit.

My first ever selfie

That's right: 2025 and I'd never taken a selfie until Sunday. Here's yours truly with Harry Sidebottom (right) taken in the Writer's Zone. He's an academic, best selling novelist & ancient wargamer. He's also one of my favourite authors.

Harry is a smashing bloke. I put in a request for more novels set in the Eastern Roman Empire. He said the next three books are already planned but the fourth may well be set in the East.

Old friends

The biggest surprise of the day was running into Barry (left) and Graham (right). I still see Barry fairly often at northern shows, and this time he'd turned up with a carload from the Liverpool Wargames Association (LWA). I left the LWA back in the 1990s but have many fond memories of those days, and sometimes wish I lived close enough to rejoin. Barry’s invited me to his 70th birthday game weekend in mid-December, and I have to admit, that’s a very tempting offer!

Next I stopped by Dave Lanchester's very busy book stall for a brief chat with Dave.

The second big surprise was seeing Kev Johnson manning a table for his club. Kev is the organiser of the ADLG Northern League competition and will be at the King in the North (KITN) ADLG competition this coming weekend where I will see him again. Small world.

I also bumped into Will McNally & Kev Ellis. I've played Kev at the last two KITN competitions. We're both playing this year too: could it be three in a row?

Traders & an influencer

Firstly, Dene Green of Instant Armies who helps me maintain my pile of unpainted toy soldiers by offering second hand lead at reasonable prices.

Next is a photo for posterity: Leon Pengilley of Pendraken. After being a fixture on the UK show circuit, they recently announced that they would not be attending shows from 2026 onwards.

Finally, no show without punch. I took this of Kev Reilly (the Yarkshire Gamer) at "work" recording material for his podcast.

Closing remarks

An early start, two hours getting there, three and a half hours shopping, two hours travelling home, and a big hole in my wallet. A grand day out!