RECON - 2023 A View From The Trenches.

 

 


Recon at Pudsey was always a fun show for me. In the 80s we had Recon in the Summer and Winter Recon in the, well... You get the idea.

 For the last few years it's been a December show, and it's great. It's not without it's faults, but the venue, Pudsey Civic Centre gives it the feel of a proper 'old school' medium sized show. The catering is generally good, with standard wargamer's fare.

How many shows can you go to, and get two tickets, two breakfast sandwiches and drinks for £16?

The ambience is enhanced by the fact the the PCC is all decorated for Christmas and the attendees are almost universally in fine mood and well disposed to the world in general.

This year was the first time The Pit Gaming Store have run the show and I have to say, they have largely improved the show, expanding the area used for commercial exchanges ad getting even the renowned Dave Thomas to attend.

We arrived a few minutes after the doors opened and it was already filing nicely. As I have said, the atmosphere is great. Traders are usually happy to have a relaxed chat as for many it's a wind-down from a hectic year at the coalface of the hobby, and many are traveling fairly short distances. 

People browse and meander in a pleasing manner unlike the normal cattle market feel of some of the larger shows. It's all in all a great way to pass a Saturday.

The Pit have really injected some life into the show, but I have a couple of small niggles which I would politely like to address:

1. Don't bother with the Speed Painting competition. In fact don't bother with a painting comp at all. I am a veteran painter and have won 22 prizes in my time, up to and including Salute. 

Historically, you got a fair variety of painters, but modern competitions seem to be dominated by a certain self-congratulatory clique of You Tube Personalities, who take the same few figures around, year after year. I have stood back and watched them at play and they are a pack and exercise a nepotistic pack mentality. 

That fills me with dread for the future painters. The whole thing is becoming dominated by a few people and a few companies dictating what is and what isn't well painted. It's toxic.

2. There are a ridiculous number of Big Box discounters and 3D printers selling the same stuff. You can only sell or buy so much GW/Warlord tat. Reach out to traders, do some research and try to get the same kind of mix you saw in the 80s and 90s. Many of those companies are still out there. Get companies who sell different stuff to each other interested. Again, I have spent a few decades on both sides of the table at shows, and I know what I am talking about.

All in all, Recon is improved, but needs some fine tuning to really bring out all of it's potential. Leverage the goodwill you are obviously generating.

Will I return in 2024? Hell yes...

Comments

Post a Comment

Leave your praise and vitriolic commentary here...

Popular posts from this blog

How, Over 40 Years Ago, A Guy Called Andy Changed My Life With 5 Words, And Other Reminiscences...

Image
 Of late I have been having long and vivid dreams wherein, I am often walking or travelling with people I have known, some living, some passed, talking over things we had done or said. I confess that it's been eerie but also very liberating. These coversations have been so real that I have awoken in the morning (more usually, half way through the night) and been confused at my surroundings.  Last night I was speaking with Dave Hoyles  - very much alive and kicking - of Q.T Models/Museum Miniatures. The only thing I have noticed is that is often been snowing heavily in these dreams. One of my latest dreams was of the late Ian Smith, another the comic book artist Paul Green - who, thankfully is still with us. This pattern began a few years ago when I had a similar experience with the recently deceased Pete 'Greblord' Armstrong. It was a very cathartic experience for me, as I had much which needed to be said. I may have written of this before, but this particular dream was d...
Read more

A Serious Post And Another Obituary But With Some More Positive Stuff At The End

Image
 I am at an age where I would expect the odd death of someone I know, but I am starting to realise that it's the younger end of the line which is getting culled.  This week I found out through a good friend that another friend in the hobby from the old days had taken his own life, bringing the total friends lost to 5 and drom that number the number lost to suicide in the last few years to 2. Now, I've been close to that I think, three times, but I've been lucky enough to be able to turn my illogical brain around and decide that the world and my enemies will not be happy if I thrive and stay alive. So, that has been my stated mission, to live long and be hated that much longer. The first time I was taken with thoughts of suicide, was when I was banned from Games Workshop Sheffield in the 80s (see my book or earlier posts) and my so-called friends allowed themselves to be bought off, trading silence as to what a set-up it was in return for part time jobs at the store. That wa...
Read more

The Passing Of A British Wargaming Legend

Image
It is with genuine sadness and heavy heart that I must record the passing of Sheffield Wargames Society founder member and long time Chairman, Steve Roberts.    I was 13 when I first met Steve (some 43 years ago, now). It was a chance meeting. I'd been playing Dungeons & Dragons for about a year and had taken some Citadel FTZ Zombies back to my Junior school to show my headteacher there, who'd always encouraged the creative arts in pupils.    He was impressed (as you'd expect) and told me that a wargames club met at the school now, on Monday nights run by a chap called Steve Roberts.    Well, of course I was interested, and together with my friend Alan Staniforth, I attended the club, to find there was no D&D...   What there was however were historical games, played by local kids with 'Big Steve' the only adult. But he ran that club like a champion, providing all the models and simple rules, which was just what you needed to hook kids in. ...
Read more