14th June, St Helens

Phalanx 2014 ...

(young enthusiasts cluster around the Society of Ancients stand)

Phalanx seemed very busy this year and had its usual successful mix of things to do, things to buy and things to look at.  

(DBA challenge, bombers, WWI, Society stands ... and shopping too ...) 

The Bring & Buy continues to offer traditional bargains and to be well supported (maybe that helps ... in a late run, even I found a couple of book bargains) ...

(the Phalanx Bring & Buy tables - quiet enough for me to get near but still heaving)

But my first break was not until after lunch, such were the number of people to talk to on the Society stand and Martin's popular DBA game.

The Society of Ancients followed the now time honoured formula of me and Chris up with the stand and Slingshots supporting a quick and dirty (armies provided) DBA participation game (can you beat the Society team - and it was close!) ...

(Martin in DBA action with a keen audience)

(DBA challenge ... 'tatty' Romans about to go in ... )

(DBA challenge ... decisions! decisions! ... )

(DBA challenge ... Persians vs Greeks)

This is a simple formula but continues to attract players for a dozen or so games ... easily over half the games involved teenagers or younger which may be of interest to the habitual hand wringers (historical games always go down well with youngsters*)

There were plenty of historical games to enjoy, many of them in our periods - though in keeping with the 2014 trend, much more Medieval than ancient (our DBA games were the main ancient offering)

Wyrley Retinue had their beautiful Scottish Wars battle ... always one to photograph

(worth clicking the image to enjoy a bigger picture)

And this year, the Liverpool club chose a medieval Impetus game from the Barons War and loaded the table with figures ...

(Extra Impetus Barons War open battle)

Just to keep the variety coming, the Lance & Longbow Society were putting Poleaxed through its paces in a version of the small Wars of the Roses battle at Hedgeley Moor (1464).

(Lance & Longbow Society/Poleaxed II ... Hedgeley Moor)

Wow!  What a great selection of games.

And of course, that was just the ancient and medieval fare ... 

I didn't really get too much time for the rest of it but here's a superficial summary ...

I have to include this Pacific Island hop ...

Because it included some big photogenic ships (1/72 planes, you know ...)

(click the picture for the full image)

Gary brought along a little tabletop teaser for the Pike & Shot Society

But it wasn't the biggest ECW game on show

(massive Pike and Shotte Marston Moor game)

('Where Eagles Dare' sequel participation game ... not so icy as the original ;) )

So a great show and a great day out for the many enthusiasts that turned out.

Plenty of youngsters of course, but nice to meet Society veterans Taylor, Tofalos, Webster and Hughes (and former President Phil Halewood, of course) amongst many welcome visitors.

Great show, Spartans Club ... thanks for hosting us.

Speaking of veterans, the Gentlemen Pensioners (veteran Societies show teamers all) stayed up for Sunday (see the Sudan game)

But I think ancient and Medieval enthusiasts will see me next demonstrating the Battle of Northampton at the open day on July 5th.

*  and even better with their parents who clearly see the value of finding out about the Greeks and Romans ..

1st-2nd February, Salford and York

The Gentlemen Pensioners York weekend

Due to the treatment we have received over the years, SoA Shows North no longer supports Vapnartak.   That usually means I would not go to the York Racecourse event.

However, the weekend is also the occasion of one of our reunion gatherings and Steve had proposed a refight of the AWI battle at Brandywine Creek on the Saturday together with an invitation for players to play in the Lance & Longbow Society's Cravant demo game at the show.

So, with two historical games on offer, Friday evening saw me heading North.

Brandywine may not be of interest to all my fellow SoA enthusiasts, but was a great Saturday game, and there are more photos if you want to follow the link (York Weekend Brandywine) ...

Last seen at Salute, Cravant is a visually splendid game, and intriguing as a scenario.  It is set up for Impetus - which I still have not played that much - so I was keen to get some more mileage in.

The battle is essentially an attempt by an Anglo Burgundian army to come to the aid of Cravant which had been besieged by the French in the opening moves of a new campaign in the Hundred Years War.

Henry V had died, and England was in the hands of a minority ... so the Dauphin saw this as the time to break the agreed peace accords and renew hostilities.

Salisbury led the Anglo-Burgundian force, and after a stand off across the river, ordered his troops to ford the Yonne.

For the reconstruction, we had three players on each side ... a compromise between allowing show visitors access to what was going on and sufficient players to simulate the allied nature of both forces - I hope we got the balance right (I am not aware of turning my back on anyone but there is always a risk).

I took the central, but weaker, Burgundian battle.  We were first to get our feet wet.   

The river was waist deep but as on the day proved to be no real obstacle.    The waist-up figures on clear bases added to the spectacle for viewers (though have no game function) ...

(Salisbury's battle crosses the Yonne)

In the (modified) version of Basic Impetus in play, my crossbowmen were significantly less effective than the English archers on either side of me, and a rule was in effect allowing casualty effects to be 'passed back' further hampering my small contingent.

Whilst the English under Salisbury and Willoughby were smashing forward, I was losing the central slogging match ... driven back almost into the river.

(in the centre, the Burgundian contingent were taking a battering)

I was obliged to fall back, but this enabled the victorious English from both sides to come to my aid (without which the Burgundians would doubtless have eventually broken)

Meanwhile, Willoughby had pushed across the bridge and, supported by archers alternately wading and shooting, had secured a strong position between Cravant and the main battlefield.  He too gradually ground the enemy down.

(Willoughby's battle, archers to the flank, the walls of Cravant in the background)

The major French successes in all this were mainly to the far flank, where they broke through the end of the line, pursuing across the river by the mill ... then turning back on Salisbury's rear.

Had the English commander not destroyed the French to his front, this minor encirclement could have been devastating - however he was able to respond and stall the attack and the reverse was really too far from Cravant itself to affect the outcome of the battle.

(Cravant: the siege relieved ... although a major fight is still playing out on the far flank, the English and Burgundians command the approaches to the town and most of the French army has fled)

A splendid game, and one which caught the eye of many a browser.

The battle was played to a conclusion, lasting about three hours, mostly before we took a break for lunch (OK, we probably needed a sign for 'resumes at 2pm').

The York show doesn't change much and remains the same mix of big figure static games, fantasy pulp and shopping.   I got some 15mm Vikings and Saxons, plus some little aeroplanes from Peter Pig, Donnington and Irregular, and some Landsknechts from Museum ... I took my camera with me when I went off duty.

There was very little of interest to ancients enthusiasts ... a Dark Age game by the Falkirk club, participation games of Crossed Lance's (and no, I've no idea why there is an apostrophe), and the Lance & Longbow game - but there was a goodly dose of hot air balloons, Martian walkers and high flying biplanes to lap up ...

(Falkirk's Slaughter of the Danes)

(a Vapnartak quickie ...)

If I can't vote for Cravant, my best of them would be the sprawling ECW display battle ... more for its convincing elaborate terrain and scenic effects ...

The Battle of Justice Mills (Aberdeen) 1644

I didn't see the game being played at all, and but for the numbers, the figures were not outstanding - but maybe every show has room for one of these 'set design' battlefields ... Just one, though, hey, Vapnartak?

York in February.  And no snow.  None at all.

Thanks to the Gentlemen Pensioners for a splendid weekend and two sumptuous episodes from military history.

(eye level eye candy: more splendid ECW terrain)

15th June, St Helens

Phalanx 2013

A good turn out from the wargames Societies saw SoA, Pike & Shot and the Lance & Longbow all pitching in for Phalanx ... for us, that meant Martin C. and his 'Dirty DBA Challenge'.

Staying over in Salford also meant a comfortably early arrival and time for a bacon barm, HP sauce and a strong black coffee.  I appreciate blog aficionados need to know these things.   The Sutton Leisure Centre Café is notoriously unhurried but does offer Northern prices ...

(Pictish warriors take on the DBA Challenge)

'Dirty', of course, as in the expression 'quick and dirty', so an even simpler approach than orthodox DBA.    This year the challenge was to beat the Persians - with a number of historical (and some more generic) opponents.   In a number of entertaining tussles, most failed.

(Dirty DBA Challenge: that Classical Indian box deployment)

From the familiar mix, I enjoyed, in particular, the Classical Indian box gambit.   It worked better than I expected and was one of a number of games that saw us busy for much of the day.

More 25mm over at the Lance & Longbow's stand ... where they refought the Battle of Deepdale - which I understand was the climax of the 1315 Banastre Rebellion using modified Warhammer Ancient Battles.   I'm no expect on this sort of thing but am happy to hand over to Wargames Amateur (who has some of the heraldry up, too)

(Lance & Longbow do the Banastre Rebellion)

Also of interest to ancients enthusiasts, there were a few games played in the Gladiatorial arena (I understand the 'colosseum' was home made), and the Liverpool Wargames Association had a great DBA Romans and Celts game (which looked to me a bit like Boudicca's last battle)

(I didn't get a chance to capture this game in action although it did get played while we were equally busy on the SoA stand)

(28mm Imperial Roman DBA army)

(... and their Celtic enemies ...)

I liked the extra large bases that have been employed here (100mm IIRC) which just gives the 12 element forces an extra chunky look.  Worked well, and together with the SoA games meant newcomers had some helpful stuff to look at.

Out of our period, I was impressed as ever by the big East Lancashire club's 15mm Renaissance table ...



... there was a very convincing Battle of Cross Keys by the Stoke Challenge lads

... the Pike & Shot Society showed off some nicely turned out Baccus ECW Scots

... and there was an excellent Napoleonic display by Garry Wills promoting his book on the 1794 campaign in the Netherlands (more on the Caseshot blog) ...

(worth clicking this one for the larger version)



(detail of the excellent Napoleonic table)

I did a spell on the Pike & Shot Society stand, had a chat to some of the other exhibitors and hardly had time to visit the busy Bring & Buy (where apparently large quantities of books changed hands at bargain prices) ... The day had passed very quickly and we were soon onto take down duties.

Phalanx ticks all the necessary boxes and seemed quite busy this year.   All in all a great little show, and worth queueing up for the canteen.

I will be at Naseby next weekend and then at COW and the Stoke Challenge.

 ('all in all a great little show')

On Sunday we had a big ECW game at Steve's