11th - 12th August, Manchester

Britcon 2012

At one point Steve reassured me that we were the best Participation Game in town.   Indeed, that we were the only Participation Game in town.

(Greyhounds in the Slips by the Society of Ancients)

Actually we got a number of games of Greyhounds in the Slips played on Saturday, the players all enjoyed themselves and the Society of Ancients sold a bundle of games.  Indeed it went very well.

(Steve and Will look on as another pair of punters take on the GitS challenge)

Two days earlier we still hadn't heard whether we were invited (whether they had space and tables for societies and show games), and, as it was, we only had a proper pitch for the Saturday ...

Well, the further atrophying of the show side apart, there was some chink of light shining through at Britcon.

Gone, thankfully, was the corporate overload of the Slitherine empire.  Although there was no show to see, gone was the public-blocking Slitherine hoarding and intrusive computer gaming 'play and sell' station.

 (the Saturday stand with snapshots from the games)

The event had been slimmed (just the ground floor) and the Bring & Buy (which seemed well-enough organised) was down in what had previously been the cafeteria - giving a more nucleated feel.   The upstairs food outlet was now the only one open other than the bar - and so there was much less of the food clutter and debris spoiling the look of the main areas.

(the BHGS competitions: Armati)

Many of the usual BHGS boys have retired, and Nobby's babes seem to have taken over.    They seemed to cope OK and were nicely turned out in the new polo shirts.  All good, then ...

(the BHGS competions: Field of Glory)

(the BHGS competitons: Flames of War in a cold climate)

All the important games seemed to be there (FoG, DBMM, Armati, WAB etc.) plus, outside our period, FoW and FoG-R.   It is a pity they never figured out how to get DBA included in the programme.  It needs two one-day-only items on the list, with DBA swapping for something else for a day.

 (the BHGS cometitions: FoG-R)

(FoG-R highlights ... Lurkio's Bavarians)

I was freed from playing the infernal 6 competition games this year so had an enjoyable weekend presenting games of Gits and Bosworth, and generally publicising SoA, L&L and the Battlefields Trust.

 (Flames of War highlights: an iconic Messerschmitt lone wolf)

So ... on Saturday we ran a joint SoA/L&L stand and played half a dozen games of Greyhounds in the Slips with visitors.  Actually, the first game was between Will and Steve, who hadn't had the chance to play it at previous shows (they had been presenting games for L&L): they picked up the key points in the game and were running it themselves an hour or so later!   

They trained up very well!   We had a couple of disasters for Harry, and a couple of near run things.  We also did a couple of play test runs through the 15mm 'test' version of the forthcoming Bosworth game.

(all change: the Society of Ancients goes solo on Sunday)

On Sunday, although the joint stand was one-day only, I was able to take the offer of a spare table to give me base and ran through a few more games of Bosworth.  It still proves a tough ask for Richard though his army seems the stronger.   

 (play test Bosworth: the figures are standing in for their English counterparts - who will appear in the 54mm version)

The play seems to vindicate Mike Ingram's theories on the battlefield and deployment..

(the Bosworth playtests: a game in stages)

One of us, however, managed to get Henry V killed at Harfleur, and continued by dying as Henry Tudor at Bosworth.  In the latter case by frontally charging DBA bowmen in the open and not rolling 'up'.   I don't think it compromises the scenario, of course (I'm fairly confident that Henry would scarcely have done this in the real battle) ...

 (the Bosworth playtests: Henry's maverick death ride)

I didn't stay for the prize-giving - so can't give you my usual podium photos and event top lists.  I did see, however, that Scrivs got the Persian Helmet award.  A good winner, I think.  Best of luck.

OK - I enjoyed Britcon - it happened and, a little less flabby, seemed to be full of happy wargamers.  

It needs good communications, good publicity (any/more publicity) and a show worthy of inviting the public to (i.e. a few club demo and participation games and some non-commercial content other than ourselves and Lance & Longbow).   That said, count me in, BHGS, if you want to keep this going as a show to visit as well as a competition.

(some of the 54mm Bosworth figures: Lord Strange bides his time in Richard's camp - axeman at the ready! ... figures and cart by Irregular Miniatures)

My thanks to the Lance & Longbow Society for putting this combined enterprise together, and to will McNally and Steve Ayers in particular for their help and encouragement with the game.

The Other Partizan is on September 2nd.

14th - 15th April, Witney

Society of Ancients Doubles Masters 2012

Again a one-off event, this years Doubles Masters went to the Oxfordshire market town of Witney ... very smart, in these days where the local MP is Prime Minister of the country (it was a little less polished in the early 60's when I was a village boy just down the road).   

There are very few vacant units in the prosperous town centre and more antique shops than pound shops ...

As last year, the masters was contested in Field of Glory and DBMM, and some spare space was allocated to an associated FoG-R event.   The DBMM was 500 points, themed 500BC to 476AD.  The FoG was 900 points themed 450BC to 200BC.

10 FoG teams and 8 DBMM teams played for the Alexander trophy (in addition to which there was a FoG-R event) ... 34 Ancients players (after the host team had to split owing to a 'no show')

(our Parthian/Median 900 point FoG army)

Chris and I had struggled to find a suitable (easy to use and reasonably authentic) army within the highly restrictive period theme - in the end we realised that we could put out a reasonably attractive Parthian army which complied with the time thread.

(DBMM) 

 

 (Field of Glory)

We had a very pleasant weekend - although it started fairly slowly with a bye in the first round (despite the organisers' best efforts to get an evened-up entry) .  Our second game was against a Warring States Han Chinese army, and on Sunday morning we faced eventual winners Nik and Dave who also had Parthians.

 

(Parthian heavy metal ... in round 3 we came up against this lot, ably played by Nik and Dave ...)

It isn't unusual for we four to meet up on a Sunday morning - indeed we faced Nik with the same army but a different partner at Burton with out Libyans (we won that one) -  but over the years they have had the edge on us ... they often go on to do well in the final placing and we generally achieve an undemonstrative mid-table.

This event was not unusual and after what felt like a fairly even game in which we one or two weaknesses the attrition points escalated in the last couple of turns (our army broke on the last phase of the last turn).

 

(several teams conspired to ensure this wasn't a 'pikefest')

The final game was no more than a skirmish against a Seleucid which put all its eggs into a flank march that took all game to turn up, meanwhile packed itself in behind a wall of bronze which we could not dent.

The presence of an IC meant our shooting never built into decisive collapses, and our reserve prefered to wait for the flankers rather than impale itself on a wall of undisrupted pikes.

We took no casualties and in so far as there was a result it was decided by a unit of stragglers lost on the march.

 

(some games were dominated by the infantry however)

David Fairhurst presented the prizes.  We had a small membership stand at the event and took some renewals - and, no Committee members being present, I was pleased thanked the organisers on behalf of the Society (as I would have done in former times).

Lawrence Greaves and Oren Taylor won the DBMM, and Dave Handley and Nik Sharp the FoG. With the higher overall score, Greaves and Taylor were made the new
Society of Ancients Doubles Champions.

(DBMM winners Greaves and Taylor - right - alongside FoG winners Sharp and Handley - with the higher overall score, Greaves and Taylor were awarded the Alexander trophy)

There is talk of changes to the formula here - possibly pairing armies in the original Doubles way ... variations to the points or table arrangement etc.   

Hopefully, the event will become 'open' again (or at least inclusive, like say Burton or Usk), rather than the recent trend towards highly restrictive periods which may not be of interest to members and enthusiasts.

Still, a lovely venue in a pretty town, good company plus two good games and a stalemate.  And the Alexander trophy goes to new winners.

Many thanks to the BHGS and Oxford club for organising and hosting the 2012 Doubles Masters.  I'm looking forward to next year - and if you have any great ideas for enhancing and improving the event, please feel free to air them (the forum is open) ...

Full scores and finishing positions can be found on the BHGS website in due course.

The Society of Ancients will be at Salute on saturday 21st April.

See you there, perhaps ..

24th - 25th March, Ascot

The BHGS Challenge

The BHGS Challenge is an event not often found on my blog - it usually clashes with Salute, and anyway, it is one of those competitions I'd decided to give a miss.

It is singles ... it doesn't offer lighter games like Armati, Impetus or DBA ... it has the nightmare 3 back-to-back games on the Saturday ... it is a touch rough and ready ... and the catering is not what it could be.

Still, never say never - and some of the locals were all for going.

As a spur to tidying up the last of the groundwork (all the bases now have their flowers and shrubs ...) I rejigged the good looking if underpowered Italian Condotta.

(Hawkwood's Florentines arrayed before the earlier English)

And splendid they looked.

And I got 5 very pleasant games - and despite being an open competition, the c.1400 AD Florentines drew a pretty reasonable series of opponents - 3 virtually contemporary, the other 2 western medieval at least.
(packed in, shoulder-to-shoulder, to fend off the wily Ottomans)

Florence is a city of fashion and culture - and the name means city of flowers.

After the Peace of Bretigny in 1360, the English Captain, Sir John Hawkwood (Giovanni L'Acuto) plied his trade in Italy, ending his career as Captain General of the city of Florence. The football team is known as the vilolets.

Hawkwood is celebrated in mural tomb by Paolo Uccello in Florence Cathederal, an icon of the Italian Renaissance.

(a collage of pictures from the Italians' weekend at the BHGS Challenge)

And, aside from the last game (in which I got 'Sunday afternoon-ish' against a small but tough Free Company), the army performed well enough - pushing, even, towards ultimate victory.

Plantagenet English, Ottoman Turk, Later Sicilian, Santa Hermandad Nuevo Castilian and Free Company. Not a bad mix. A couple of 'tigers', a couple of my favourites and an oddball.

(Chinese, Britons, Middle Plantagenets and Ghaznevids against more Chinese)

The biggest event was, as ever, the 15mm Field of Glory (Ancient and Medieval) ... FoG-AM.* I was very impressed by the variety of armies ... Ancient British and Waring States Chinese in there - mixed up with the Dominates, Turks and Hungarians.

There was also Flames of War, DBMM, FoG-R and FoG-AM 25mm.

In the end, I still don't really like the formula. FoG 800 point games take too long - as a rarity, even all 5 (yes, all 5) of my games were drawn.

Appropriate, you might think, for Hawkwood's mercenaries at work you might think ... but I like to finish my games off within the time limit, and then chat and put away over a leisurely drink.

(DBMM)

Doubles and bigger armies seems to cure a lot of the problem - and I'm happy enough with two long games per day. Or three shorter ones (like Armati, say) ...

(FoG-AM 25mm)

The top places were ...

FOG: AM 15mm ... 1. Graham Evans 94 points; 2. Ian Stewart 81 points; 3. Dave Handley 76 points;

FOG: AM 25mm ... 1. Richard Collins 95 points; 2. Richard Jeffrey-Cook 83 points; 3. Simon Elliot 79 points;

DBMM ... 1. Greg Mann 91 points; 2. Mike Bennett 89 points; 3. Jer Morgan 84 points;

Top Junior ... Byron Emsen 71 points

(RJ-C presents Society awards. Everyone got a complimentary packet from Fluttering Flags too: nice one, Graham)

Honorary Treasurer Richard Jeffrey-Cook presented prizes on behalf of the Society of Ancients.

FOG: AM SoA Annual Champion 2011 ... Dave Handley;

DBMM SoA Annual Champion 2011 ... Tim Child

FOG Rennaissance SoA Annual Champion 2011 ... Alisdair Harley

See the BHGS website (and click the e.g. 'Challenge' ... and 'past results' navigations) for full details.

Back next year? Well, stranger things have happened. But these studious and indecisive tournament singles games are not really what I am looking for in a weekend of wargaming.

* 32 FoG-AM 15mm (+ 12 in 25mm); 28 Flames of War; 25 DBMM; 16 FoG-R. Everything 15mm except the FoG 25s of course.

3rd-4th September, Abingdon

The 2011 Society of Ancients Doubles Masters (DBMM and FoG)

A busy weekend started with a Saturday morning dash down to Abingdon for the Society sponsored Doubles Masters. The event also hosted a FoG-R tournament and a 'one day' AK47 bash, but the main events were the DBMM and FoG doubles the results of which would be combined to decide the Masters Champions.

Chris and I entered the FoG competition. As well as wanting to support events the Society sponsors by showing up and presenting prizes, it is nice to play as well - and Doubles is such a friendly and enjoyable format it is a pleasure to join in.

Given a very restricted choice of armies, we went with one we have tried before (and which, borrowing Patrick's splendid infantry, I can put together without too much trouble). There were plenty of other Byzantines, but no-one else took Nikephorians. Maybe that was a clue.

(nice shot of our camp - sadly there are too many Arabs in the picture!)

Although we seemed to make a good start against eventual 3rd placers Keith and Graham, we lost the game and didn't accumulate many points. We scored even fewer against Gordon and Richard's impressive Italo Normans ...

Rumour has it we fared a lot better on the Sunday when I was not able to be there until the prize-giving (actually, it is said we won a game in my absence ...) ... Great games all, and very enjoyable. The Byzantines are excellent in Armati, so perhaps I should mark the box up accordingly.

(a great shot of those Italo Normans: they swept onto us like a wave onto a Sicilian beach ... and we were quickly in too deep ...) ...

The AK47 competition was Saturday only, and it was nice to see Martin, Rob and the RFCM brigade so far north ... Hope you enjoyed it. Next year, maybe?

(AK47 event prizes distributed by David and Bob)

(Airstrike! The Nikephorians could have done with one of these: even the Normans would surely conceded the poa!)

Seasoned campaigners Terry Shaw and Simon Hall won the FoG event, with Mike Bennett and Colin Sharp taking the DBMM honours. Meshing all the scores, Terry and Simon took the coveted Alexander Trophy.

(prize winners at the 2011 Masters - nice Tee Shirt, Mike!)

DOUBLES MASTERS
1. Terry Shaw and Simon Hall (FoG)
2. Dave Handley and Nik Sharp (FoG)
3. Mike Bennett and Colin Sharp (DBMM)

For more comprehensive listings, please see the Results Press Release

Watch out for this event next year ... Doubles is a great and sociable way to play, and that Alexander trophy needs a good home. It could be yours.

Many thanks to Bob Medcraft and David Fairhurst for putting the event together - and all the players for making the event such an enjoyable venture.

Here are some more pictures...

Looking forward to next year.

12th to 14th August, Manchester

After 15 years, this was McNeil's last Britcon.

(Britcon 2011: everything stops for the fire alarm!)

Well it's been quite a journey ...

When they ask iconic questions like where were you when Diana died, I will always know I was a Britcon ... (Aston University): it has become part of who we are and what we do.

I was there when the old nationals crashed into a wall in Harrow, I was there when they tried to manage a public meeting to launch a national wargames federation (or to strangle it at birth depending on what you though they were all up to ...), and I was there when the new model Nationals, Britcon, burst into life.
Like tournaments or not, this one has been made to work, and has been made the premier National Wargaming event.

Yes, JD, you succeeded. Congratulations on the job well done.

Britcon this year was therefore a swansong ... lots of players there as guests of the management, there were presentations and there was polishing of helmets. There was a film crew and there was the search for a successor ...

(upstairs with the Armati players: a game you will struggle to see in play at Britcon ...)

Frustrated by last year's inability to make the vestigial wargames show presence work, this year I let Steve and Martin S from Lance and Longbow mind the pitch for me while I played Armati.
I enjoyed the games and banter a lot, but was really playing amongst friends as a shelter from the cheesier tournament play of FoG (which seems to play less gamily as a Doubles game with more points on the table) and in order to have some control over the amount of time I spend playing soldiers (8am to 8pm on the Saturday - and that for just 3 games! - is too much of a good thing ... even if it is a good thing!) ...

Struggling to get something I could cobble together from the over-restrictive theme (goodness! This is the year of themes alright ... why to people organise events then rule half the possible players out by insisting on banning most of the armies people have got? Doh! No wonder some events struggle for support ...)..

I ended up with 'The Goths of Totilla' ... Yes, you know him ... the man who charged into Narses at Tadinae. Well, the eunuch general was scarred of them so I thought they might do me some warlike service, too.

(Glorious Goths at Britcon: some of mine and some of Carl's)

It's a very nice army actually, and spurred me into a bit of painting and tidying.

With the travelling Armati players only playing warm up games on the Friday, we had five scored games over the weekend, and I came out about square (actually a very strong performance for me: I might have won a couple of 'scenario based' Armati events over the years, but these Old School 'bring your own' events often see me at the bottom of the table with no wins at all!).

(the ferocious Moors join in the killing)

My favourite unit of the weekend? Certainly the Moorish Light Cavalry I was almost obliged to take (the only LC available, and necessary to get the benefit of all the light units).

Now,many Armati players will tell you that 'key' javelin armed LC are a liability, and hardly worth the price ... well I christened these the 'ferocious Moors' after the Late Roman unit on the Notitia ('Equites Mauri Feroces') from whom it seemed like they must have been recruited ... They had a very high kill ratio, mostly against HC ... sometimes, yes, with their missiles, sometimes charging into the flank.

However, they did not let me down when I trusted them with a game turning frontal charge. OK, the HC were exhausted from defeating some of my own HC but it isn't a move you see that often in Armati.

I like it when the armies start driving their own narratives ...

(as tough as they come ... FV3 and out of command - but scary enough if you are a Hun!)

Wimps of the weekend must surely go to Craig's Hunnic Heavy Cavalry who pussyfooted around with the Gothic Slave HI ...

FV3 against Craig's FV4 with impetus (who would sweep them away if he won) - so he nurdled up to them just behind their flank to charge them from round the corner in a future turn: not brave enough to charge with the odds all in favour.

Not very Hunnic at all ...

So, what else?

The Apres Ski was excellent and tiring in equal measure ...

(convivial scenes from the Britcon Bar)

The usual suspects won, of course ... the other events, as well as the Armati, or so it seemed ... the 'show' was poor - and boring for the people doing it (except those traders who still cater directly for the tournament audience - otherwise the 'show' is really a whopping great Slitherine banner in the shadow of which everyone else - and so that means fewer and fewer - get to lurk if they are lucky enough to be allowed in) ...

(Meth the Merciful's splendid Sarmatian army)

(Patrick's Carthaginians battling away in the FoG 15mm events)

(Graham's English fluttering in the FoG 25mm)

The Flames of War terrain was great, and favoured to front - the FoG terrain was rubbish as you'd expect from a game that doesn't value it ...

(some splendidly plausible Flames of War terrain)

You wouldn't know about any of the other games as FoW and FoG are the favoured children of the event and take centre stage (anyone not dancing to that choice of BHGS tunes is tucked away somewhere in the building) ... then again, I did get to present the Society of Ancients Sportsmanship award (the Persian Helmet) so, OK, there was some role in the event for those of us who have supported it since the very beginning.

Nobby from Flames of War takes over from now.

So having congratulated JD on all he has achieved, what are the notes for Nobby?

Well (a) it isn't a Flames of War tournament and it is a 'fix' that FoW has the best placed tables (try shifting the layout around so that the show gives equal prominence to the other games that are in the mix) ...
(b) when JD talked to me about his big project years ago it was to create a sort of UK Historicon (with all that entails) ... he created a tournament games feast, but not the diverse 'convention and show' the Historicon analogy might suggest. There is much more that can be done - so much more.
(c) the game all day format is far less popular than the BHGS insiders think: more people would come of the game pressure (indeed all the regulation) was more relaxed ...

(d) you inherit the project at the point where the wargames show side of Britcon has almost been killed off. It can be resuscitated, but only by a massive change of attitude (you might be just the guy to do that!): see Roll Call (the BHGS are great at competition events that don't host shows ... but their events often clash with 'regular' wargames shows, so you can tell they don't go to them or maybe even understand what makes them tick) ...

Good luck!

Amongst the tanks, Ironsides and Goblins there are still quite a few Ancients events hosted at Britcon ...

(Britcon awards ceremony in full swing)

Ian Stewart, Shaun Drummond and Neil Howard won the various FoG 15mm categories;
Dave Handley won the FoG 25mm;

Jan Van Embden won the DBMM;

Wayne Richards won the WAB event, and ...
Bill Wilson won the Armati.

Paul Crozier won the best painted army (ancient/medieval) for his Seljuks.

Ian Speed won the Society of Ancients Sportsmanship award
THE PERSIAN HELMET

God bless the good ship Britcon and all who sail in her ...

Good luck, Nobby ... (just ask ...)