2nd to 4th July, Knuston Hall, Northamptonshire

(meeting outdoors and empty chairs ... posterity will know this was 2021)

Yes, it's true - we've been back on the road!

WD's 2021 Conference of Wargamers, Knuston Hall, was able to take place with a reduced capacity and with Social Distancing required - which was initially very weird.  Fortunately, the weather was mostly good over the weekend, which enabled a number of outdoor sessions and masks to come off.

This will be a relatively short report, as there were only a small number of ancient and medieval games at CoW this year  - if there was a theme, it was Cold War/Terrorism and/or Cluedo respun.  But I ended up spending a lot of my weekend in the 18th Century (an unexpected collection of excellent games, from pirates to night attacks and set piece battles) ...

 

(the variety of CoW 2021 ... 18th century attacks, terrorist cluedo, tanks on the lawn and all fuelled by a kitchen excelling itself ... ) ...

 

If you want to see more of the other stuff, there are pictures on my companion blogs

 

18th Century on Phil's FoG Blog

 

20th Century on Yesthatphil's P.B.EyeCandy

 

I'm afraid I missed out on the intro session to Never Mind the Billhooks, but I got in a late night game of Trebian's latest publication, Dicing With Death ... an alternative for Gladiator fans who don't like cards or dominoes.

 

 

(a multiple combat: Dicing with Death)

 

We had a fun little session and it seemed to work OK even with three players (which was never really possible with Gladiolus - historically so, Andy would always have said, but nonetheless, players often want to do it) ...

 

We also played a learning game of 300, a board game of the Persian Invasions. I liked it - I won (GGIW).  Actually we were told that the Persiand had not actually won in any of the presenter's series of games, although the reputation is that there is a fine and fair balance.

 

(the last turn: the play completed, but the scoring still show the score before the tally-up: +1 still, to the Greeks)

... so I was happy to take the Persians and give them ago.  Indeed the odds  did seem stacked in favour of the Greeks.  Nevertheless, I managed to get through to the end without losing a King and with a good hand (and a strategy) for the last turn.

I took Athens, and, courtesy of a very useful card, managed to hang on to it and the rest of my conquests (+6 to the Persians, in the nick of time)

 

 

Not at all ancients, but I'm sure some regular readers will be interested in the pirates game, which was designed and put on by Sue Barker, and in which Phil Barker commanded the treasure ships while I and a couple of other pirates tried to engage them and steal their bags of treasure.

 

(To Sail the Spanish Main by Sue Laflin Barker)
 

Phil, of course, is getting on a bit, these days, but commanded the ships very well (and unsportingly sank most  of my pirates), getting most of his ships into port. I haven't seen Phil since before Covid, of course, so it was nice to see him well enjoying the games.

The ships Sue was using were those cut out Spanish Armada ones from Helion.

 

(Cows, silly hats, SYW flats, Treb's SCW and those paper galleons: more from Cow 2021) 

I played 9 games from Friday dinner to Sunday tea ... not bad at all.

I also put on a few pounds.

July 2019, Edgcote, Northamptonshire

July is the anniversary month of the Wars of the Roses battles of Northampton and Edgcote.

Northampton was fought on July 10 1460.

And Edgcote was fought nine years later on 24th July 2019 (not, as you will see all over the internet, on the 26th - a tradition which dates to the following century and has no contemporary corroboration).   This year is therefore the 550th anniversary and sees the culmination of a 2 year project to reevaluate the evidence and to complete a wargame-able model of the encounter.

(we had a good gathering for the anniversary evening visit to Northampton)

(the iconic symbol of Warwick's victory, The Eleanor Cross, is under conservation right now)

Earlier in the month we were still in recce mode at Edgcote.

(NBS team Recce on the battlefield at Edgcote)

(Edgcote 1469: looking across Danesmoor at the Royalist positions)

A few weeks later we were showing the HS2 Oral History Team the lie of the land.

(HS2 with us at Edgcote ... reading the Welsh poems)

And we took the Wargame to the Conference of Wargamers

(Edgcote 1469 at CoW)

(Edgcote at CoW 2019 ... Clapham's cavalry attack falls back after doing its job)

(Edgcote at CoW 2019: Henry Tudor awaits his escape options in the Royalist camp)

On the anniversary, the 24th, we led a walk on the battlefield ... note how the colour of the crops has changed in just a few weeks)

(550 years after the battle: Edgcote 1469)

(Anniversary walk: Phil interprets the battle of Edgcote from the Royalist perspective)

... and at the end of the week we took the model to the Edgcote Study Day at Abington Park Museum (Northampton Museum)

(Edgcote 550 Conference: Ann Parry Owen discusses the Welsh sources on the battle)

(Edgcote 550 Conference: weapons and equipment)

In addition to Ann's agenda setting discussion of Medieval Welsh sources on the battle, Graham analysed the documentary evidence and I looked for clue in the visual sources.

(Robin of Redesdale?: a contemporary woodcut of Robin Hood)

(the Edgcote model ... Clapham attacks)

Next up, the game will go to the Defence Academy and then on to Partizan  at Newark Showground in August.

6th to 8th July, Knuston Hall, Northamptonshire

The 2018 Conference of Wargamers

Midst the 2018 heatwave it was off to Knuston for WD's annual residential event.

Ancient and Medieval content was a little sparse this year but we started off with an '8 years on' visit to nearby Northampton battlefield.   WDers had walked the battlefield on the 550th anniversary back in 2010 - which is pretty much what kicked off the Northampton Battlefield Society (of which I have subsequently become vice-Chair) ...

It was a pleasure to show people round and instructive to reflect how much our knowledge and understanding has come on over 8 years.  In itself it shows that local heritage activism works.

Not ancient and medieval but very much a project I have helped with, Saturday morning saw a very impressive run out for Trebian's War of the Spanish Succession game 'Va t'en Guerre' ...

Later, I gave another run to the Tony Bath wargame complete with some new accessions ...

(the Tony Bath wargame reconstructed with the original 1960s flats)

We are making some progress toward a playable authentic version of this classic game.

Some aspects are timeless innovations that have become mainstream - other bits have fallen out of use as better systems have been devised ... nevertheless, this is where today's ancient wargame began.

(The Tony Bath wargame: a loan surviving elephant rampages forward) ...

In this play through, archery made a bigger than usual impact, none of the light troops running way, and a group of 3 elephants being shattered by bowshooting (2 elephants killed, the last being panicked and out of control - though, it must be said, it went on to do considerable damage albeit not under the direction of its notional commander!) ..

We also added some chariots into the mix (at the far end of the table) with mixed results.

Also over the weekend I played some WWII games, tried to capture Gordon at Khartoum

(54mm scale lawn game: a big push on the Western Front)

(CoW 2018: Indian Mutiny M&T; Save Gordon; Suffragetto; Airfix Battles)

A great stress buster of a weekend in what has become a hell of a year.

Always a great event ... but book early if you fancy it.  Everyone's welcome but it sells out very quickly these days ...

WD website

(CoW 2018 Friday excursion ... looking over Northampton battlefield from the Eleanor Cross position)

The Summer of 2017 ... Middle England

 

Shows and Battlefields Heritage

It's been a while since Bakewell and mostly that has been the heritage events and shows trail ... we've been out and about a lot.  Here's a quick update (letting the pictures tell most of the stories) ...

 

The Battlefields Trust weekend Conference and AGM had a ECW theme but was staged in Newark and featured a day out to East Stoke for the Stoke battlefield celebrations.

The anniversary event was hosted at Stoke Hall, which some of you will know is home to Wargames Foundry, and the event included a wargame of the battlefield as well as a walk (in temperatures and blistering sunshine not seen again over the rest of the summer) and military displays by the Beaufort Companye ...

 

(Stoke Field - the steep river bank where many fleeing the battle met their end)

 

(Stoke Field - last gasp of the Wars of the Roses)

 

(Stoke Field/Stoke Hall - indeed lots to explore)

 

(Stoke Field - played as a wargame in the hospitality marquee) 

CONFERENCE OF WARGAMERS

 

CoW 2017 is the first I have attended in 2 decades where I haven't been putting at least one session on.   I like to contribute as well as enjoy other member's sessions but it has just been one of those years.   None of my 'back burner' projects looked nearly like being ready by July and I had no spare time in which to turn up the heat.

There were some ancient and medieval options ...

 

(Tim WDDG North Gow's simple Hollywood Agincourt  game used 54mm toy soldiers)

 

(John History of Wargaming Curry presented an old school take on triremes)

 

(John Armatys hosted a card game version of Roman Careers: Cursus Honorum)

In addition I played a in black game exploring 20th Century terrorism, and in a strange Warsaw Pact game that involved drinking a lot of neat Vodka.

NORTHAMPTON - EDGCOTE - BOSWORTH

A few days later it was back home for a battlefield anniversary.

 (Northampton 1460: commemoration at the Eleanor Cross)

 

(Northampton 1460: battlefield interpretation)

We had our usual evening walk and wreath laying on the actual day (10th July) followed by the Delapre Family Heritage event at the end of the week.

 

We had the new game together with the battle model, period equipment and tours of the field ...

 

 

(Graham introduces youngsters to the joys of military history and wargaming)

Meanwhile, in the arena, Harrington's Companye acted out a number of tableau illustrating episodes from the battle.

 

 

We enjoyed a great turn out from members of Northampton Battlefields Society and everyone helped run the stand and displays ... So much so that I was able to host a meeting of the Battlefields Trust on the Saturday and show young Imogen around on the Sunday.

 

By the end of the month we were at Northamptonshire's other WotR battlefield, Edgcote ..

 

There is much more to say about this battle and Northamptonshire Battlefields Society has announced an Edgcote Project to look afresh at what we know in advance of the anniversary in 2 years time.

 

 

(Edgcote battlefield - medieval ridge and furrow around Job's Hill) 

Middle England's Summer battlefields tour finishes at Bosworth in August.

 

(On Saturday, The Battlefields Trust tent featured my 54mm DBA reconstruction of the battle)

We had Partizan on the Sunday so I could only do Saturday and by now 2017's washout Summer had taken a grip.   Even so, plenty of stalwarts braved the variable conditions and we did a lot of proactive campaigning.

 

(Bosworth 2017 - massed reenactment)

I bought a Warhammer for the waving about at talks ...

 

... but for the time being, other options are out of reach ...

By sunday we were off to Partizan and an early start to the Autumn shows season. 

 (Trustee Harvey Watson talks about Bosworth)