Recon 25 - The End of an Era (again, perhaps)

Well last year I reported on what was supposed to be the last Recon Wargaming Show at Pudsey Civic Hall.  It's still there this year, either the proposed council sale is taking longer, or Wargamers are just hard to shift.

The Games 

I didn't get a good look at all the demo and participation games,  but here's a selection of the ones that caught my eye. 

If anyone cares to leave more details in the comments,  please do. I was making notes, but I've lost them. 

It felt like I was back at BOYL again, it very much looked like an old school game of Warhammer. But it was a much newer game system.

Awesome set up, though I can't remember what game was being played.*

Snoopy vs the Red Baron. This looked fun, but I didn't get a chance to try

Mantic's Armada and Kings of War

A grand view of the main hall

I think this one was called Xeno plants or something

Recon still run a Hordes of the Things tournament,  here's a game in progress

The Haul
I do like to look at the stalls and pick up stuff for the next year's hobbying. I didn't have much of a list this time,  though I was on the lookout for anything that might fit in my Oldhammer collections. 
I did see some lovely painted Oldhammer,  but it was appropriately priced for the painting,  and I'd be wanting to repaint it.

In the end, my slender haul was a base of MESBG scenery pieces,  they'll get individually based,  possibly as part of a Weathertop build.

Three Pro Arte Kolinski Sable brushes from A Brushes. I got one of these last time, and I'm impressed.  It may not be the equal of Artis Opus, but it's quite good enough for me,  and a huge step up from what I'm used to. 

A tub with six painted Frostgrave gnolls.  I've got plenty of unpainted plastic gnolls,  but two of these are the metal heroes,  including an Apothecary,  which I'll use as a Shaman in the next Rangers of Shadow Deep mission. 

Finally,  not pictured,  I placed an order for the new forth edition Kings of War rules from The Pit Wargaming. 

Quiet at the Bring and Buy - the calm before the storm

The, rather empty looking, Bring and Buy. It filled up quite a bit later, and I got both the terrain and the gnolls here. 

Lead Me Not Into Temptation 

There were quite a few bits that I almost bought. 

There were several new Epic Encounters sets (large boxes containing themed minis, maps and an encounter). These look superb,  the minis are excellent. 

Blotz were selling some packs of plastic minis from Fortress Figures.  These are monopose and look to be the same sort of plastic that Mantic used for Star Saga etc.  They are located in the US, and their website s currently inactive, so I wonder if this was old stock being sold off?

The goblins looked fun, rather Kev Adams in style,  but the other races seem a bit large to fit in with my old school stuff.

The Mantic Advent calendars look great fun. Perhaps next year? And they'd make good presents.

North Star's Oathmark Human Heavy Infantry were available,  and they'd fit in with my Kingdoms of Men.  I'll get back to this army once I know how the new rules work (and if I switch; there seems to be a bit of push back against the new edition).

So that was Recon 25. Great fun, as always, I wonder where Recon 26 will be?

*EDIT; Bodvoc informs me that this is for Baron's War.