Society of Ancients UK DBA League 2011

(2011 UK DBA League Champion Colin, flanked by Junior champion Patrick Myers and runner up Martin Smith)

Whilst the Shows Team was at Triples supporting the DBA Northern Cup we were able to present 2011 UK DBA League winner Colin O'Shea with his trophy.

Colin was overseas at the end of the season, but his lead proved just sufficient to withstand the last event, the English Open, at Portsmouth, where the other awards were made.

The Junior category was won by Patrick Myers.

In addition to the awards made at the individual rounds,  the top players recieved trophies featuring a hand-made Legionary shield, Colin had a pick of wargaming titles sponsored by Monarch Military Books, and Patrick a Xyston DBA boxed army sponsored by the Society of Ancients.

The 2010/11 Season (which ran through to a final round at the English Open) comprised 11 tournaments (4, including the Open counting as Premier events).

The Top Ten Senior and Juniors were ...

1st Colin O’Shea - 85 points; 2nd Martin smith – 81 points; 3rd Richard Pulley – 79 points; Scott Russell – 75 points; Robert Dowling – 72 points; John Drury - 58 points; William MacGillivray; Arnaud Marmier; Mark Skelton; Martin Myers.

Junior Champion Patrick Myers - 47 points; 2nd James May – 26 points; 3rd Rob Walker – 26 points; Aislinn Smith – 24 points; Findlay Schofield – 22 points; Justin Wilkinson - 10 points; George Edwards; Gareth Hunter; Juseph Parsons; Mathew Davison

In all 64 players participated in the event.

For more detailed scores: 2010/11 UK DBA League results
For a full line up of events: Society of Ancients UK DBA League events

We are now part way through the second (2011/12) season ... the next event is Sittingbourne on June 10th.  (League Tournaments)

The Society of Ancients would like to thank everyone involved in the inaugural season, especially the organising team at Portsmouth, Monarch Military Books for joining us in sponsoring the League and all the players who supported our idea.

(some group pictures from UK DBA League 2010/11 events)

Slingshot 281

The latest issue of Slingshot (number 281, March 2012), the bi-monthly publication of the Society of Ancients, has gone to the printers.

The contents of Slingshot 281 are as follows

• Editorial: Slings & Arrows
• Guardroom
• The Seventh Crusade, by Keith Hawkesford
• The Role of the Master of Dragons (Part 1), by Jim Sye
• East Roman Cavalry Warfare and Tactics, c. 410-641, Part 3, by Ilkka ‘Ike’ Syvänne
• Ruleset Round Table, Version 2.0, edited by Mark Watson
• The Third, Fourth and Fifth Dynasties of Ur will Emerge Victorious!: the 2011 Victorian Field of Glory Championship, by Steven Neate
• Figure Reviews, by Aaron Bell & David Edwards
• Book Reviews, by Mark Watson

For more information on the Society of Ancients, please visit www.soa.org.uk.

You can join the Society at www.soa.org.uk/store.

Warlord Games joins the SoA Discount Scheme

We're pleased to announce that Warlord Games, manufacturers and purveyors of fine wargaming figures, have joined the SoA Discount Scheme.

A discount of 10% is available from the Warlord store at http://store.warlordgames.com/. To obtain the discount, you need to use a discount code on checkout. This code has been distributed to existing members by email, and will also be published in the March issue of Slingshot. The discount covers all goods available from their store - figures, rules, etc., including the newly acquired Immortal Miniatures ranges and in fact not only for the Ancients period. Many thanks to everyone at Warlord for this generous offer.

For more information about the SoA vendor discount scheme, please visit http://soa.org.uk/memberdiscounts/discounts.php.

To join the Society of Ancients, please visit http://soa.org.uk/store/

Karwansaray Publishers joins the SoA Discount Scheme

We're pleased to announce that Karwansaray Publishers, publishers of Ancient Warfare, Medieval Warfare and Wargames Soldiers and Strategy, have joined the SoA Discount Scheme.

A discount of 10% is available from the Karwansaray store (http://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/shop/). To obtain the discount, you need to use a discount code on checkout. This code has been distributed to existing members by email, and will also be published in the March issue of Slingshot. Many thanks to Jasper and company at Karwansaray for this generous offer.

For more information about the SoA vendor discount scheme, please visit http://soa.org.uk/memberdiscounts/discounts.php.

To join the Society of Ancients, please visit http://soa.org.uk/store/

Back Issues Prices Reduced

Some Slingshot back issue packages have been reduced in price on the website. Specifically:

2010 & 2008 have been reduced to £15
2007 has been reduced to £10

Back issue packages include print copies of all 6 issues published for the year in question.

Worldwide postage is included in the price. The higher prices for 2010 and 2008 reflect the higher size, weight and (therefore) postage costs for the issues in those years.

This is partly to reflect our policy of making back issue packages cheaper, and partly to ensure that all the various quoted prices (notably between the website and Slingshot) are consistent. There are still some inconsistencies with the prices quoted in the January Slingshot. We'll fix these in the March Slingshot and until then continue to honour prices quoted.

Also note, 2009 back issue packages have been unavailable (sold out) for some time, although some individual 2009 back issues may be available at shows. This is because we've completely run out of stock of two of the issues for the year in question.

Slingshot back issue packages are available from http://soa.org.uk/store/store_slingshot/

Slingshot 280

The latest issue of Slingshot (number 280, January 2012), the bi-monthly publication of the Society of Ancients, has gone to the printers.

The contents of Slingshot 280 are as follows

• War Elephant, by Patrick Waterson
• East Roman Cavalry Warfare and Tactics, c. 410-641 Part 2, by Ilkka ‘Ike’ Syvänne
• The Golden Age of the Franks (751-843 AD) Part 5, by Robert Heiligers
• Sound the Trumpets, by David Edwards
• Naval Battles of the Lamian War 323-322 BC, by Rob Brennan
• A Moonlit Night at the Ilian Palladium, by Alastair McBeath
• Do-It-Yourself Transfers, by Lawrence Greaves
• Problems with DBA, by Richard Gill
• Where Less is More: Improvements in the Use of Field of Glory, by Steven Neate
• DBA in New Zealand - Reflections on 2011, by Keith McNelly
• The English DBA Open, October 2011, by Martin Smith
• ‘On they went with loud shouts...’, Society of Ancients Battle Day 2012: Plataea 479 BC, by Richard Lockwood and Daivid Barnsdale
• Rules, Book and Game Reviews

For more information on the Society of Ancients, please visit www.soa.org.uk.

You can join the Society at www.soa.org.uk/store.

Society of Ancients 2012 Committee Changes

The Society of Ancients is pleased to announce the following changes to its governing committee for 2012.

The new president, as of 1 January 2012, will be Roy Boss. Roy takes over from Phil Steele, who has served as president since 2006. Roy is a long time war gamer, who can recall playing at Tony Bath’s house in the 1960’s. He’s also known the author of Montvert’s long out of print, highly sought after volume on Justinian’s wars.

Taking over as editor from Richard Taylor, as of the March 2012 issue, will be Mark Watson. This will be Mark’s second period as editor, in which role he served from 2008-2010, when he oversaw the revamp of Slingshot into a new glossy format.

Finally, also joining the committee will be Rick Priestley, Patrick Waterson and Paul Innes.

Rick Priestley is a long time member of the society and a well known games designer, probably best known for his historical, sci-fi and fantasy rules, which he wrote during a long and successful career at Games Workshop. His current historical rulesets, Black Powder and Hail Caesar, have been published by Warlord Games.

Patrick Waterson has been a prolific contributor to Slingshot over the last few years. He won the inaugural Phil Barker Prize, for his article “Amazed Was I Ere I Saw Zama”, published in Slingshot 262.

Paul Innes will be well known to members as the Society's organiser in Scotland and has been responsible for running the spectacular Scottish Battle Day "embassies" at Claymore over the last few years; Paul has also been part of the Tactica II project. He'll provide welcome representation for the Scottish members of the Society.

The members of the current committee who will remain in place in 2012 are: Richard Jeffrey-Cook (Treasurer), David Edwards (Secretary), Chris Helm (Membership Secretary), Richard Lockwood, Daivid Barnsdale, and Philip Sabin.

The Society would like to thank the outgoing officers for their time and efforts on our behalf. Phil Steele has been a tireless promoter of the Society, and an ever present face at wargaming events up and down the UK. Richard Taylor has spent two years in the post that is the face of the Society to many of us, and has been an outstanding Editor.

The early renewal incentive for 2012 (available to members who renew their membership before the end of February 2012) will be a game called “Call it Quids,” a two player board game of the Battle of Kadesh, designed by former SoA President Ian Russell Lowell, assisted by Graham Evans.