Vapnartak 2014

I have just come home from York Wargamer's annual show Vapnartak hosted at the York Race Course. Ninjasaurus Rex and Dean came along for the ride (one paid me in, one paid for my lunch in place of petrol money). It was a well attended show and in a good location and a good building. when we arrived about half past eleven the place was rammed, but it had thinned out a bit by the time we left at three. It was packed out with traders and there were some very good display games, although only one appeared to be WW1 related, something I found strange, what with the centenary and all... 

Anyway, I went armed with my camera and here are some photos of some of the games. Unfortunately I didn't get the full details of all of them!

First up was what appeared to be an alternative history Japanese attack on Hawaii?


I particularly liked the Japanese Imperial Airforce Neuiport...




This was a hot Cold War scenario with an attack on Trafalgar Square in London.



Maggie Thatcher defiantly mans the barricade. Hopefully she was captured and hung as a war criminal.


Nelson's Column had fallen!


Next door was a modern Afghanistan game.


The single WW1 game was this early war German-French fracas. 


French cavalry bearing down on the German guns. 


Scratch built German heavies. 


And even heavier... a 280mm Siege Mortar! This was a lovely model.


Then there was a War of the Worlds game, with excellent Martian war machine models.



The view across the English countryside from the Martian POV.


This was a large English Civil War demo game. I think I've seen these houses before at previous shows.



A jousting participation game. 


This was a Medieval battle, I particularly liked was the figures crossing the river, all cut in half as though they were wading through the water. 


An early medieval battle, I think Danes were involved!



I spotted a Banksey on a display model for one of the traders.


An Syrian/Israeli conflict game that involved lots and lots and lots of tanks! 


A Panamanian jungle game, by the League of Ausberg


STINGRAY! STINGRAY! 

 

And the last picture I took, a participation game of Wings of Glory, WW2 with German Heinkels attacking during the Battle of Britain.


There were quite a few other games going on, but I didn't take pictures of everything. There seemed to be a good mix of demo and participation games, which is what a good show should have in my opinion. Overall, it was a good afternoon spent in York and I didn't actually spend my allotted budget, but I did come away with a good stash: 


Two books: The Gas Attacks Ypres 1915 by John Lee, Three Armies on the Somme by William Philpott, some stowage from Reiver Castings, a rectangle of rubberised horse hair and some sets of foliage for making hedgerows from Treemendous, two pots of white Vallejo paints, a die cut MDF building from Commission Figurines and several impaled men and casualties from Donnington Miniatures. These latter will be used for my forth coming Vlad the Impaler army for DBA. Speaking of which, the package from Essex Miniatures arrived on Saturday. Later that day, I went charity shop shopping and picked up the following bits and pieces:


John Terraine's The Great War, David Chandler's Waterloo the Hundred Days, Richard Homes and John Keegan's Soldiers, best of all: Don Featherstone's Advanced War Games. Plus German Cavalry Marches LP and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers collection. A pretty bloody good weekend!

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