Phalanx Show, St Helens, 2025

 Another excellent show hosted by the Spartans club, who really know how to organise a wargames show.  Plenty of volunteers to help traders and game organisers with their stock, equipment and figures, the tables not too close together and a good variety of traders and games on offer.

This year the balance seemed more towards historical games with a variety of scales on offer from 54 mmm down to 2mm covering periods from antiquity to mid 20th C.  My apologies to those whose games aren't featured below, this is just a flavour of the treats on view.

Next to the Lance & Longbow game were the Liverpool club with a Napoleonic game depicting D'Erlon's attack at Waterloo.  I am not sure which rule set was being used.

The Liverpool club also had a Pavia game

The All Independent 54mm Wargames Club put on a Bannockburn Game

Tiger Miniatures showcased their figures in a Tudor period battle set in Ireland

The Beacon Club had a WWII "Saving Private Ryan" game

Cheshire and Staffordshire Wargamers ran a Dead Man's Hand participation game

The Lance & Longbow game was Arsuf, using the usual amended version of Lion Rampant.  Si from the Beacon club organised the game and painted all the figures.  The game attracted plenty of interest and some brave souls even joined in.

We played the game twice and the Crusaders won both, but both  games were enjoyed by all the participants.  Thanks to Si for organising the game, Chris, Will, Andy, John, Alasdair, Steve and Peter for helping with the game and playing in the right spirit.  Thanks also to Dave and Neil. 

Phalanx Show 2024

 Once again the St Helens Spartans club has organised an excellent show, with a good balance between games and trade, with the added attraction of what looked to be a thriving Bring and Buy.  In the lunch time break between participating in the Montgisard game with the Gentlemen Pensioners I managed to take a few photographs of other games of interest.

Firstly, this Boxer Rebellion game, with groups of troops from several nations attempting to rescue a group of their nationals from the besieged town.

Another 'colonial' game was offered by Tiger Miniatures, set on the North West Frontier

Next to the Lance & Longbow game were James Mitchell and Bren Dolan with a Talavera Game in 6mm

In contrast the All Independent 54mm Wargames Club also presented at Napoleonic game, in , as their name suggests 54mm scale.

The Cheshire and Staffordshire Wargamers had another game which looked Napoleonic, but on closer inspection was set in the Crimean War.  It was covering the British sector of the Alma Battlefield.

Two clubs had games set in North Africa in WWII : Beacon Gaming Club

and the Mailed Fist group

We ran our game twice and  several visitors to the show were interested enough to give our much modified 'Lion Rampant' rules a try.

In these units the spearmen can kneel, allowing the crossbowmen to fire

Sadly, Dave Lanchester wasn't able to join the Gentlemen Pensioners this time, but Andy, Chris, John, Neil, Peter and Steve were all in attendance.

Gentleman Pensioners Weekend 2024

 The weekend of the Phalanx Show at St Helens is coming up soon.  Once again we will be running a game in support of the Lance and Longbow Society, this year provided by Will.  On the Sunday, Steve usually hosts a game and this year it will be an Eastern Renaissance 'bash'.

We will be using Steve's 8 x 6 table and almost 1000 25mm figures.  The battle will involve an Ottoman army, with some Tartar allies confronting an 'Alliance' army of Muscovite, Cossack and Polish/Lithuanian troops.  Here are a few photos of the initial deployment.

View along the table from behind the Alliance left wing

The Alliance centre flanked by wagons

The Ottoman centre, Janissaries and Spahi of the Porte

Ottoman right flank

Soldatski and Cossack foot

Hopefully, a report of the show and the Sunday battle will appear in a fortnight's time.

Phalanx preliminaries

The 2022 Phalanx Wargames Show (link ) is only a week away and Steve, Bob and I are busy getting our game ready for the event.  Once again we will be representing the Lance & Longbow Society and our game this year will be based on the relief of the Siege of Buda in 1541.  The inspiration for the game came from Oliver Green's Camisado blog especially the photographs of his excellent collection.  He and Stuart Mulligan have extended the Dan Mersey Lion Rampant rules, (published by Osprey), into the Renaissance period and very kindly supplied us with a copy of their rules and army lists.

Buda is held by Hungarian, Moldovian and Wallachian troops loyal to the Sultan and an Imperial army, also containing some Hungarian troops, led by General Roggendorf, has been besieging it.,  Sultan Suleiman 1 is leading an army to raise the siege and has  reached Buda before the Imperialists can form up their forces away from the  siege works and camp.

The Ottoman forces arrive before the Imperialists can move away from their camp

The Imperialist infantry still forming up

 

The view from the walls of Buda

So, is you are attending the Phalanx show please feel free to drop by, have a chat and perhaps roll a few dice with us.  We will be adjacent to Dave Lanchester books.