'Ommer'ead 2025

Phil and I went over to Newark Showground on Saturday to visit the Hammerhead wargames show. Although in the same venue as Partizan and The Other Partizan it has nothing to do with the Newark Irregulars, being organised by Kalistra and the Forest Outlaws Gaming Club. In common with many other similar events up and down the UK it features Trade Stands, a Painting Competition, a Table Top Sale/Bring & Buy, and games - lots of them! Where it differs of course is that all the games are Participation Games, not a Demonstration Game in sight! 

For me the main attraction of a visit to the show is a day out with Phil and a chance to chew the hobby fat during the journey, the first retail therapy of the year, the opportunity to catch up with geographically distant friends, many of them last seen in October, and take in the games on show. Of course as a deaf Wargamer, even wearing my aids, participating in games in such a noisy environment with folk whose voices I'm unfamiliar with is a no-no. That's really where the format disappoints as the games are generally physically small and let's face it not that spectacular compared to most seen at the Partizans. 

Of course that's not the point of the games on show, they are there to play if you want to join in. It does mean though that not only did I fail to take any game photos but also it shapes the time we spend in the venue. Most of our time there is divided between shopping at the Trade Stands, having a look at what's on offer at the Table Top Sales - if you can beat the scrum of course - and chatting with friends! For me the games are almost an irrelevance then. I enjoyed meeting and catching up with Kevin (down from Aberdeen!);Colin (from Middlesbrough) and his wife Kathryn; Dave Andrews; Dan from WI; Lawrence and Richard, the Partizan supremos - "Things are in the wrong place!"😂; and Jon of course. My path and Paul's failed to cross, despite being there for about two hours.

I mentioned retail therapy once or twice, so I really ought to mention my loot from the visit ~

From Wargames Foundry I got some packs of Late Medieval figures for my Wars of the Roses project. It grates somewhat with me that there seems to be no show discount to draw in punters and their hard earned from this giant of the hobby!

I replaced my Rapid Fire Reloaded booklets from Colin at Valiant Miniatures, having gifted my original copies to Matt last Autumn. Colin wouldn't let me pay for them, another example of the kindness which runs through our wonderful hobby!

From the seemingly omnipresent Dave Thomas (and Phil) I got most of the Perry Miniatures Wars of the Roses figure packs on my and Matt's list. Hopefully I'll pick up the missing packs from him at WMMS on 30th March.

From Great Escape Games - "...not in the right place!"- I got my resupply of Gamer's Grass tufts, taking advantage of the usual and appreciated 6 for 5 offer. I also got one new brush from ABC Brushes!

Overall then, what did I make of my day out? Obviously I think you would realise I enjoyed myself given most of what I've said. Downsides? Well, I find shows noisy and wearing trying to hear what folks say to me. Friends are used to my issues and make allowances, Traders and others obviously not so it can be stressful for me. The games are a real disappointment, despite knowing beforehand what to expect, for I do love the scale and drama of the Partizan games! Even the large Boondock Saynts' game disappointed me in a way! The Table Top sales are very cramped and I'd favour fewer games to give them and the punters more space to do business. I failed to get a look in on my several passes. Lastly then, my perennial show moan: lack of casual seating for we geriatric-in-waiting wargamers, though I did manage to get a seat with Colin, Kathryn and Kevin in the Bistro for 20 minutes!

What then of 'Ommer'ead 2026? Well, Phil suggests he would not go again, mainly quoting the same issues with the games which make the experience somewhat lacking from our perspective. While I agreed with his assessment yesterday, today my resolve is already weakening...