Hello all, and welcome to the Christmas 2025 edition of the Podcast and as always I spend the festive celebrations with the Brews in the Binyard crew, tonight its a full house.

I'm joined by Alex Sotheran from Storm of Steel and Iain McDonald of Flags of War as usual but there is also a return for the "voice of reason" Sean Clark.

If you haven't listened to a Brews before it contains a lot of opinions and a bit of swearing and its best not played in front of your kids ! We tackle some weighty topics in our usual irreverent way so if you are a delicate flower I'd stay in your compost.

Tune in to hear Alex attempt to break the world record for the loudest ever typing at a keyboard during a podcast, a new and definitely true conspiracy theory about Santas reindeer. There's a couple of quality rants by yours truly after an interesting year of magazine mags and a swarm of Mediaeval Skirmish Games. We also introduce a new Space Marine Chapter.

Its a long one but its got to last you all Xmas so take it slow.

As always please, like, subscribe and comment to help the show grow, lots more coming in 2026

Until then, Sithee

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Welcome to the show and today my guest is another Yorkshire resident Mr John Savage.

John is well known on the show and Lardy Day circuit for putting on high quality, fun participation games and we spend the final section of the show talking about those games and getting some tips for putting them on ourselves.

Before that there is all the usual mayhem of a "normal" episode. John has been seen doing some Big Game Napoleonics recently so we use the Big Game section of the show to discuss that and also add a new meaning to the phrase "Full Leipzig"

The next episode could be anything ! But the main thing is there will be one and it will be free ! 

Until next time Sithee

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

A change in Programming Schedule as the difficult birthing of the Wargames Time Machine episode continues.

I took the opportunity to take a ginormous microphone down to that there Newark and the T'Other Partizan show where I spoke to the organisers and a variety of people including former guests and potential new ones, here is the full running order

Running Order Live at T'Other Partizan 

Something a bit different, hope you enjoy it, please like subscribe and leave a comment where you can thank you.

Hopefully back soon with the Time Machine finally working !

Regards Ken 

The Yarkshire Gamer 

Hi everyone, welcome once again to Yarkshire Gamers Reet Big Wargames Podcast.

Today sees a continuation of our round the world trip with a visit to New Zealand and my guest Mark Strachan.

Marks Blog 1866 and all that has been a popular stop off point for many wargamers over the years, it covers many things but specialises in the Franco Prussian War and other similar wars around that time.

https://stracmark.blogspot.com/

We look at Marks personal hobby as well as his time working in the wargames industry and the hobby in general in New Zealand. Hope you enjoy it.

Episode 79 will be a new show format for Yarkshire Gamer as I take you all back in time to 1983 and the first ever edition of Miniature Wargames. I've got some great guests and an item from the magazine (kindly donated by its current owner) which I hope to raise a few quid for the Bradford Burns Unit by auctioning it off.

So until next time,

Sithee

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Earlier this year one of the early Wargaming Pioneers Charlie Wesencraft passed away at the age of 97. 

I thought it would be a fitting tribute to get some of my former guests together and have them tell Charlies story and there memories of him. 

In between the various interview sections I read passages from his first book, written in 1974, Practical Wargaming. See if you can spot any phrases from those readings that still resonate today.

Charlies first book can still be obtained via amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charlie-Wesencrafts-Practical-Wargaming-Wesencraft-ebook/dp/B01H2UK96U?ie=UTF8&tag=mh0a9-21&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvexid={aceid}&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7dy1f5hemb_e

Here is a link to Robbie Roddis' piece on his blog about Charlie

https://independentwargamesgroup.blogspot.com/2025/04/charlie-wesencraft-author-wargamer-and.html

And here is the piece about Pete Berry from Baccus6mm and his tribute to Charlie which has a link to the Blenheim Project

https://www.baccus6mm.com/news/28-06-2025/CharlesFWesencraft/

Thanks for listening and as always, please like subscribe and comment wherever you get this podcast to help the listenership grow.

My next guest will hopefully be Mark Strachan from New Zealand who runs the 1866 and all that blog, so I best get the Yarkshire Airline Pidgeon fed up for the trip.

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Hello everyone and here's something for the weekend !

This is the hangover from Episode 74 when in the Brews in the Binyard Episode where we talked rubbish for that long we didn't get chance to cover the listener questions ! So here they are.

We spend an hour catching up as one or two things have happened between this episode and the last brews and then its into the questions.

As always for the professionally offended, this is a very loose form Podcast which contains the odd (and even) naughty word, I even mention edible knickers a couple of times (no, I don't know where it came from either) so if its not your ting skip on by and wait for the next episode.

Speaking of which I am putting together a Tribute Episode to the recently departed Charlie Wesencraft whose book Practical Wargaming was an introduction to the hobby for many of us. If you would like to include an audio tribute (minute of so long) to Charlie, send it to me at [email protected] 

Until next time Sithee

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Hello everyone and welcome to the shows Diamond Jubilee.

Todays guest is Ken Hanning. Ken has a wonderful wargaming shed (its a lot better than a shed !) which is named The Perthshire War Room.

It is a wonderful spot and the envy of many when he shows the room off on his Big Wargames Website and YouTube Chanel.

Ken has many links with the Leeds Wargaming Scene and it was lovely to chat about old friends some of which are no longer with us, the joys of Yorkshire and the Pie based food of the area.

At the end of the show we try and tackle a difficult subject in a positive manner. Ken was diagnosed with Cancer some time ago and has gone through numerous rounds of treatment and surgery some of which only ended last week. Ken was keen to talk about how the hobby and people in it have been amazingly supportive. Other communities like the We Have Ways Podcast have also been key to Kens wellbeing and it was a joy to hear the positivity in his story. Thanks to Ken for being so open and honest.

Kens Big Wargames Website is here

Big Wargames

The YouTube Channel is here

https://youtube.com/@kenhanning57?si=KhP5Bf1Rf0i1U_eZ

Next episode will be the Brews in the Binyard Questions we missed at the end of episode 74

Until Next Time,

Sithee

Welcome to the Summer Edition of the Brews in the Binyard side Podcast within a Podcast.

Its the 9th time we have done one of these and they are very different to the usual shows, so after a run of 7 or 8 "normal" episodes I suppose I best warn newcomers that there may be a spot of bad language and you really don't want to play this with kids in the room.

Someone will no doubt be offended, but that's not the intention and I hope everyone takes the show in the tongue in cheek manner it is intended.

We start the show with a general catch up with some lively discussions about wargame magazine coverage and game complexity that develops nicely throughout the show.

Part 2 is the draw for the 1st and 2nd Rounds of the World Cup of Wargaming Pet Hates, we discuss the results of the Preliminary Votes and those who didn't make the cut before going onto the draw.

We delayed the usual 3rd part of listener questions, we were already over 3 hours in and thanks to the wonderful audience we had well over 70 questions, so we decided to come back and do a separate episode in a few weeks time.

So sit back and enjoy this episode and I'll see you again soon with either a guest or a bunch of questions.

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back and today in episode 73 we return to the fascinating events surrounding a potential German Raid on the radar station at St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight in August 1943.

My guest Paul Thompson has spent a lot of time and effort supported by others to greatly further the investigation into the "rumour" on the Island of a raid to a point where the evidence is really looking like there was one.

We have spoke to Paul a couple of times (Episode 43 and 63) about this event, but we've tried to make this a stand alone episode with an introduction before we get into the meat and gravy. By all means go back and listen to the other episodes if you fancy a deep dive.

I wont spoil it but there are some pretty juicy reveals in the Episode and I honestly think we have gone from it being hard to prove the Germans were on the Island in 1943, I think we are at a point now where its hard to prove they weren't. Listen and decide for yourself.

With the shorter episode length I've taken the opportunity to cover the recent Partizan show and also the new World Cup of Wargaming Pet Hates, the preliminary round is open for voting until 2nd June via the link below

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1394761557711606/permalink/2097032530817835/

Next episode will be the Summer Brews in the Binyard, if you have any questions for the panel of me, Alex and Iain please send them to [email protected]

Until next time Sithee

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer

Welcome to the Show and today I have a couple of guests on the show who I have known for a few years via the Analogue Hobbies Winter Paint Challenge (see Episode 18 for more).

Ray Rousell and Big Lee Hadley have been around the hobby for many years, both running successful wargaming blogs, with Lee branching off into the world of the Utubes in recent years, having his popular question of the week videos every Sunday.

As usual we start with a bit of an introduction and general game chat before using the second part of the show to discuss the Posties Rejects group that both Ray and Lee belong to.

After the usual mayhem of the Quiz we get down to an in depth discussion of the recent Salute 52 Wargames Show down in that there London.

This is a really fun episode with a couple of great guys who have a similar outlook on the hobby to me, hope you enjoy it.

Rays blog is here

Don't Throw a 1

Lees is here

BigLee's 'Miniature Adventures'

I will be returning in a week or so with a further exciting update on the German Raid on the Isle of Wight in WW2 with Paul Thompson.

Looking forward to that.

Regards Ken

The Yarkshire Gamer