The first big wargames show of the year is Vapnartak at the York racecourse. York is a lovely city, with plenty to see and a few decent bookshops as well. The venue is a short distance from the city centre, which wasn't a problem since I had a car. It was a quick visit as I was driving to Manchester for the Fulham game at Old Trafford in the afternoon. On Saturday, I stopped at Marston Moor, the site of the largest English Civil War battlefield. It is not far from York and has a decent memorial and information board. The site is also little changed from the 17th century.
The venue is bright and airy, with adequate car parking and catering. The local club has resolved the entrance issues, and the substantial queue entered the building quickly. Visitor numbers looked good, although trader numbers were down, with some well-known faces missing. It has always been mainly a trade show, with a small number of games on the top floor. The trader spaces would have benefited from more games, as they used to have on the ground floor.
The games were small but well-thought-out, mostly participation-based, and well-supported.
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| Wings of Glory is always a popular participation game and is a good length for a one-day show. |
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| Quartermaster general. A WW1 Risk-type game by the looks of it. |
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| Rebels and Patriots. Fighting over the booze wagon. |
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| The biggest game was Germantown using British Grenadier rules. By the Yarkshire gamer and team. |
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| This busy table was Fornovo using Midgard. Stretching the timeline for these rules, but the game looked good. |
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| Battlefield Northag, and fine modern town |
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| Japanese naval game, Hakodate 1869, with an engaging team of players. |
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| The unmistakable look of blood and sand, with a Ben-Hur-style chariot race. |
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| Gripping Beast came in force, bringing several games to showcase their fine figures and rules. |
I bought some bits and pieces and yet another set of Napoleonic rules! Thanks to the York club for all the hard work that goes into running this show.
Looks like a nice show with the added bonus that you get to wander around York (something I have yet to do)!
ReplyDeleteHighly recommend that. The Yorkshire Museum, regimental museum and the railway museum are all within walking distance of each other. Car parking is a nightmare so public transport is best.
DeleteSeems a nice show. Thanks for the pics.
ReplyDeleteI understand it was a little quieter than usual this year. Still, as long as you enjoyed yourself (I appreciate that events at Old Trafford May have subsequently put a downer on things).
Cheers,
Geoff
Dont get me started on referees and VAR!
DeleteGreat to see you down at the show Dave!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report. I didn’t go this year but did last year. I felt then that it was significantly smaller than 2023. It seems that the trend has unfortunately continued which is a real pity as it was one of the best shows. I hope they can turn it around.
ReplyDeleteThe numbers attending looked fine. I just think they need to adopt a better balance between traders and games. With some well-known traders not there this year, a couple of big games would have plugged the gaps.
DeleteThanks Dave for the post - always nice to see different perspectives. Sad that I am I have floor maps for 4 vaps in recent years and trader numbers matched the previous two years, only down on 2023. It’s the games that have really disappeared plus the various iterations of competitive games that used to be on the top floor - I remember the Falkirk guys who came to play impetus for example or the blitz on malfaux rpg? One year. They’re all gone. Even the wings of war corner looked shrunken because of all the space around them. Then again despite liberal space on the ground floor it was a scrum at grubby tanks on the mezzanine corridor with traders opposite as well. Then look left and a vast empty space loomed for two traders - namely the reenactment Vikings? - the tables were bare where equipment was promised - the two Vikings outside were a fraction of previous years when maybe 6-8 were hard at it long before the queue moved. So yes 40 plus traders on plan but what you saw was something else. And I do think the footfall was down year on year from 2023 (really Covid spring back year) . But crucially the age profile has dropped. I see VAP as in transition - the bring and buy was great for warhammer style stuff. And it was way bigger than previous years with some traders! Sorry private sellers staying all morning. I see all this as a very big positive - no persistent crush loadings compared to past shows. And the more youthful audience suggests a sustainable future? Maybe the show will be smaller in future but to be honest back in 2023 it looked just like triples at Sheffield in its day - a big northern historicals show but with a lot of older people. Much as I like these big shows, I think more regional shows are the future for historicals battleground at Stockton was great and I always go to recon in pudsey. And look at border reiver - going to two shows in 2026. I might just finally make it back there for the first time since the eighties……so not the VAP people remember but maybe the VAP people will want in the future? Either way it’s still the show that kickstarts the wargaming year. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAll good points. In fairness, a few of the regular traders weren't there for personal health and other reasons. Pendraken and Irregular were the obvious ones, but there were others. The key point is getting the balance right. If they put out a call to clubs, a few more might respond. Our's being one of them.
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