Slingshot 348 is with the printers ...

 

 ... and should be dropping into your mailbox anyday now!  Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.

"You've got to know when to hold 'em.  Know when to fold 'em.
Know when to walk away.  And know when to run."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Society Notices

Politics*, money and elections.  (*Well, the committee.  So not really politics.  More like a friendly scuffle on the steps of the Senate.)

Editorial

The Editor reflects on a year in the chair. 

Wargaming News

News about new figures!  News about new rules!  News about new books!  And Christmas coming up.  So just in time.

Gaugamela - Deployment and Plans Part One by Damien Baxter

The purpose of this article, and I quote: "is to understand the deployments and plans of both sides at Gaugamela so as to undertake a tabletop game" of the battle.  Oh yes!  How does it go?  "Bring me my Bows (8Bw, preferably), my rules unfold.  Bring me my chariots with scythes."  Or something like that.

Adrianople 378AD using Armati Rules (SOA Battle Day 2022) by Roy Boss and Matt Bennett

Adrianople was once held to be a ‘Decisive Battle of the Western World’.  To have introduced the mounted knight to the battlefield.  To have been the levering away of the keystone that held up the Roman Empire and to have been the forerunner of the introduction of a virile Germanic strain to what would become the nations of the West who would go on to dominate the world.  Yeah, OK, let's go with Roy and Matt and take a look under the hood.

Wargaming in the British Heroic Age (A Dying Light in Britannia Part 4) by Dave Hollin

Here is the next part of Dave's series of articles on the Late/Post-Roman period of British History up to and including the death of Cadwallon of Gwynedd (635AD).  Particularly interesting for me as it includes a very helpful review of possible rulesets for the period as brief coverage of the more important battles.

A Society Convention 2023 Battle Report by John Drewienkiewicz

Both last year and this year John and co. ran a knockout Command and Colors Ancients Game at the Society's Annual Convention at Madingley. Not a hugely sophisticated game but one that’s easy to pick up and with results obtained in about 75 minutes.  Read on to find out how it was organised and how it played out.

The Society of Ancients Convention 2023- an overview report by Simon MacDowall

An interesting run through and overview of the various activities going on at this year's convention, together with some very nice eye candy.

Magnesia on My Mind by Chris Hahn

What would a history of wargaming the 190 BC contest between the outnumbered Roman and Pergamene army under Lucius Cornelius Scipio and the outclassed as well as eclectic Seleucid army led by King Antiochus III (sometimes called “Antiochus the Great”) look like? What format or structure would it have? Would it be organized chronologically ... Read on to enjoy this fascinating take by Chris on how the battle has been gamed over the years!

Empire (a Society of Ancients boardgame) - run through game by John Graham-Leigh

Otherwise titled 'Empire, “A very simple game”.  But don't let that fool you.  By recounting a brief, solo play-through, John provides an enjoyable introduction to a very clever and versatile game which is still a frequent purchase from the Society web-store.

Tactica 2 Games - Part 3 - Neo Assyrians vs Neo Babylonians by Simon Watson

Simon and friends continue to rewrite Biblical history with the help of Arty Conliffe's Tactica 2 rules.

Slingshot Book, Game & Figure Reviews 

Including reviews of:

Three Ages of Rome, rules review by Dave Hollin

Peter Pig Parthian Peltasts, figure review by Steven Neate

Lancer Miniatures Greek Psiloi, figure review by Duncan Head

The Trojan War - Tragedy and Aftermath, book review by Jim Webster

The Perfect Sword - Forging the Dark Ages, book review by Duncan Head

Armies of Anglo-Saxon England 410 - 1066, book review by Dave Hollin

And Finally

A postscript from the Editor!

Slingshot 347 is with the printers ...

 ... and should be with you all in the next few days!  Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.

"By Alexander's chamber pot, Antigonos, how  
we ever lost to the Romans when we have such  
long, sharp, pointy sticks I'll never know"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial

The view from the Editor's Chair, including apologies, errata, more errata and "thoughts". Oh, and some news! In summary, "Mea culpa! I think. And, by the way."

Wargaming News

What is says on the tin.

Interview with John Lambshead by Gordon Garrad

From Fall of the West, a supplement for Warhammer Ancients, to One Hour Skirmish Wargaming, John has done some interesting stuff.  So something for everyone.

What are the Chances—Pikes vs Bows in DBA 3.0 by Nick Harbud

Which starts with the claim that "a number of readers requested a further in-depth example of the techniques for calculating (the) probabilities" but don't let that put you off.  This fascinating article looks at what happens when a pike phalanx (Pk) takes on an element of massed bowmen (Bw) under version 3 of the De Bellis Antiquitatis ancient rules (DBA 3.0).  Perhaps the Achaemenid version of a West Point tutorial?

Alexander the Great; The Complete Conqueror by Julian Lorriman

In an idle moment Julian dangerously looked up on the internet who was the greatest military leader of all time. To his surprise, there was Alexander the Great languishing in tenth place. Which was all the encouragement that Julian needed to put pen to paper and set the record straight, with this article on Alexander.  Read how he achieved, perhaps after Genghis Khan, the greatest conquests of any single military leader in history.

Wargaming 4th Century BC Hoplite Warfare using ‘Strength & Honour’ by Richard Speed

Strength & Honour rules are written and designed for the period 105BC to 200AD. So, in true wargaming style, Richard looks at how they might be adapted for an earlier periods, in this case Greek Hoplite warfare of the 4th Century BC.

A Little 2nd Mantineia (6mm) by David Kay

With quite a few Greeks in his 6mm army collection, David thought to have a go at putting on 2nd Mantineia, the subject of this year's Battleday, as a solo effort at home over that weekend and using his own rules.  So let's see whether history was rewritten in his account of the battle.  (Which was always going to be written by the winner, of course.)

Tactica 2 Games Through The Ages Part 1 - Ancient Sumer; Umma v Kish By Simon Watson

Exactly what it says and with lots and lots of eye candy! 

Pleasures and Pitfalls of Writing a Scenario By Ian Piper

In the closing moments of his first SoA conference in 2021 and no doubt overcome by euphoria, Ian courageously (or maybe rashly) volunteered to put on a game in the future. Here he describes how he went about developing the scenario and answering the three critical questions.  What battle, real or fictional?  Did he have the models? (A bit of a nail biter.) Which rule set?

A mini - 15mm comparison follow up by Dave Hollin

A really quick update on the Editor's dark age 15mm figure musings from Slingshot 345.

Slingshot Book, Game & Figure Reviews 

Including reviews of:

Khurasan 15mm, figure review by David Smith  

Essex Nubian and Libu Infantry in 15mm, figure review by Steven Neate

The Macedonian Phalanx, book review by Duncan Head

The Greek Hoplite Phalanx, book review by Duncan Head

The Rise of Persia & the First Greco-Persian Wars, book review by Jim Webster & David Mason

The Galatians, book review by Stephen Brennan

The Battles of Antiochus the Great, book review by Kenneth Bell

And Finally

Coming up in Issue 347!  Just a little taster.

Slingshot 345 is with the printers ...

 ... and should already be winging its way to your mailbox!  (Or possibly even dropping into it as I'm running rather late with this.  Sorry.) Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.

"Do you think that this muscled cuirass makes
me look just a bit like Gerard Butler in '300'?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Society of Ancients Convention 2023 update by Richard Lockwood

The 2023 Society of Ancients Convention (formerly known as the Conference) will take place once again at Madingley Hall, Cambridge, over the weekend 20th-22nd October 2023 and we are delighted that we have been able to hold the prices at the 2022 level. Visit the Conference page at the SoA website for more details.

Editorial and Wargaming News

The view from the Editor's chair plus extras!

Guardroom

Justin and Andreas swap opinions.  (Like Pompey and Caesar at Pharsalus.)

Interview with Simon McDowall by Gordon Garrad

Simon is the author of numerous rules for the Ancient Period including Comitatus, covering the European Dark Ages, and Legio, covering the period of Republican and early Imperial Rome. Simon's emphasis is on the psychological aspects of battle on the behaviour of armies.

If you go down to the woods today by Nick Harbud

Ancient and medieval wargames often start with a flat table upon which players places various small pieces of terrain. For many battles this may be a realistic interpretation of the terrain upon which they were fought. But not always. 

This article is all about the difficulty in wargaming battles where the predomi-
nant battlefield terrain is woods. History is written not so much by the victors as by the literate. Yet even when the literate side won, there is little beyond the general location and what a great victory it was for the commander. The impact of all the greenery is scarcely mentioned. Nick aims to put that right.

Raining Arrows - the debate about the medieval arrowstorm by Anthony Clipsom

Longbow tactics are one of those wonderful subjects that keep on giving for the medieval military historian. Always an audience. Never any certainty. 

One such topic – the arrowstorm - has recently been the subject of  an intense debate on the Society forum. This article results from that discussion.

A Dying Light in Britannia - Part 2 by Dave Hollin

This second part of Dave's article on Roman Britain and its transition to Anglo-Saxon Britain

15mm Figure Comparisons and Wargaming the Dark Ages Part 2 by Dave Hollin

A direct quote from Dave. "I looked at a total of 21 figure manufacturers .. and assessed 22 examples from them .." Now this is my kind of figure review.

2023 SOA Membership Survey by John Graham Leigh

Survey .. of wargames rules.  Twenty years on from the previous published survey, what's changed?  Well, there are a lot of rulesets about, for starters.  Read on to discover more.

SOA Battle-Day Round Up

So the Society’s Battleday was held on the 1st April to great fanfare, or at least a cup of tea and a few hobnobs. This section is devoted to a few of the sights and experiences of the day, incuding ..

Mantinea with Alala Ruleset by Simon MacDowall

Simon plays an interesting twist on an old but classic set of wargame rules, Dark Age Infantry Slog*, to put on a game of 2nd Mantinea at the Society Battle Day.

*Old, because they written back in the '80s by Andy Callan.  Classic because they incorporate mechanisms that have influenced rules writers such as Daniel Mersey and Simon MacDowall ever since. A great choice for an interesting take on hoplite warfare and all embellished with some fabulous photos of beautifully painted, 1/72nd ancient Greeks from the collection of Pete O’Toole.

Mantinea with Spartans and Successors by Nick Harbud

A scenario for 2nd Mantinea at the Battle Day using Spartans & Successors, a set of wargames rules specifically for battles from Marathon through to Raphia, by Graham Evans.

Harry Hudrow Does Battle-Day by Harry Hudrow

Three games of 2nd Mantinea played on a 2' x 4' table on the patio in Long Beach, California by a former lock, tight head prop & drop kicker. Is this society eclectic and international or what?

Hoplites in Messene by Duncan Head

Detailed, thoughtful and erudite.  Thanks Duncan.

Naval Gazing - a Comparison of Naval Rulesets by Mark Wilson

Mark says he has "struggled to find a set of naval rules that are suitable to use and be integrated into a campaign game".  Yep, me too.  Go on then, I'm all ears to hear how you get out of this one.

15mm Figure Review - Peter Pig Midianite Camels by Steven Neate

Specific topic, I've got to say.

Ruleset Review - Hail Caesar 2nd Edition by Jeremy Giles

Jeremy's claim - "an accessible and relatively fast play set of rules, covering a wide time period and for playing amongst friends".  Read the article to get the full supporting arguments and judge for yourself.

Slingshot Book, Game & Figure Reviews 

Including reviews of:

Hail Caesar 2nd Edition ruleset review by Jeremy Giles

A Military Life of Constantine the Great book review by Jim Webster

The Legiones Cannenses book review by Duncan Head

Last Great War of Antiquity book review by John Graham-Leigh

Why does it matter?

A plea from the Committee. Yes, your society needs you to keep the barbarians from the gates and save the Republic from the evils of tyranny. Read on for the full, rousing recruiting speech!

 

Slingshot 344 is with the printers ...

... and should be posted out to you all in the next few days!  Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.

"Romans, stand firm against these barbarian dogs!
Remember, you fight today for your homes, your families
and my phenomenally expensive shield!"

Editorial

The view from the Editor's Chair.  Maybe not one for those of a nervous disposition.

The Society Officer and Committee Member Nominations notice

What is says on the tin.

Refighting 2nd Mantinea using Lost Battles and Legion II by Philip Sabin

Phil Sabin describes two, solo refights of this battle, each of which offers some very interesting insights into the challenges and dilemmas faced by the opposing troops and commanders, as well as two entertaining game narratives.

The Battlefield of Adrianople 378AD by Dave Watson

A short but informative look at the site, in modern Turkey, of this ancient battlefield.

Galloping Horse and Bounding Chariot by Richard Andrews

Following on from his thoughts about Philistine infantry in Slingshot 337, in this article Richard looks at the nature and evolution of Philistine chariots.

Roman Special Forces and Special Operations by Simon Elliott

Simon's article puts us onto the trail of Roman elite forces, describing the typical "behind the scenes" clandestine activities that were always underway deep behind enemy lines. Then as now, their role was to disrupt chains of command and lines of supply, provide vital intelligence, and assassinate opposing decision takers.  Overall, a wealth of neat scenario ideas for the ancient skirmish gamer.

Interview with Neville Dickinson by Gordon Garrad

Neville Dickinson.  One of that happy band who between them brought so many of us into wargaming and so tirelessly popularised the hobby.  The creator of Minifigs, too.  An original.  Nay, a legend!

The Third Battle of The Mandubian Hills by David Kay

In Slingshot 331, Chris Hahn began to explore the problem (aka opened the can of worms which is) how to recreate the operation of a Roman legion in a triplex acies formation.  Here David Kay picks up the gauntlet and provides us with his own take on the problem and what he learned from wrestling with it.

Centrefold Miniature Painting Showcase by Society Members

Eye candy!  A full two page spread of it.  Wallow in admiration and jealousy.

Teutoburger Wald AD9 Evening the Odds by Andy Offen

Now that's a challenge.  I'm going to look forwards to reading this one.

A Dying Light in Britannia Part 1 by Dave Hollin

A Welshman, living in Wales, forces himself to write with sympathy and no little erudition of "Brittania". What a hero!  One worthy of a seat at the table.  The article is pretty darn good too.  (Right, that's enough toadying to the editor.)

Testing My Resolve rules review and battle report by Gordon Garrad

Test Of Resolve cover the Wars of the Roses and claim to deliver “period characteristics without undue complexity”.  How well do they manage that?  Read on and see what Gordon discovered.

Deus Vult rules review Part 2 (Making the rules work) by Mark Wilson

An article all about "how I tweaked the rules".  It's like looking deep into the mirror of Galadriel.  I'm going to keep my therapist's number handy.

Slingshot Book, Game & Figure Reviews 

Including reviews of:

Plastic Soldier Company 15mm Huns, figure review by Steve Neate

25mm Lamming Miniatures, figure review by Dave Smith

15mm Comparison of Celtic Chariot Miniatures, figure reviews by Lawrence Greaves

Alexander the Great, book review by Martin Stephenson

Romans at War, book review by Duncan Head

Deception in medieval Warfare, book review by Jim Webster

Sparta’s Second Attic War, book review by David Mason

Slingshot 343 is with the printers ...

 ... and should be posted out to you all in the next few days!  Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.
 

Hah! Let my opponents tremble for I have with me
my red die of doom, my blue dice of despair,
my green dice of decay and my black dice of death!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Editorial

The view from the editor's chair.

Slingshot contributions advice

What it says on the can.  So now we have one less excuse for avoiding writing that article we always meant to submit.  (Yes, I'm looking in the mirror too.)

The Society’s online forum

Some encouraging words to persuade you to dip in a toe, in case you haven't been there yet.

The SOA 2022 Championship result by Peter Barham

Read all abaht it!  A round up of the 2022 SOA Wargames Championship. 168 games played by 52 members in 5 different countries and deploying, with the inevitable varying success, 197 different armies.  Read it and weep, Caesar.

Still Wargaming in Lockdown by Gordon Garrad

Yes, OK, it's a period piece but hey, that's ancient wargaming.  And anyway there's the added bonus of some thoughts about Mortem et Gloriam.  What's not to like?

Hiccups for Hoplites by David Kay

And here we have an article that offers "a few potential solutions to your more serious problems of fighting with hoplites".  Oh yes! Sign me up.

Invitation to take part in the SOA 2023 Ruleset Survey (and a chance to win some dice!)

Ask yourself, can you afford to be without your "(insert colour) dice of (insert fate of unwary opponent)"?

Deus Vult Ruleset Review (Part 1) by Mark Wilson

That rare beast, a fairly detailed (two page) review of a ruleset by someone who has actually played some games with it.

Interview with Mark Backhouse by Gordon Garrad

Mark has been a frequent contributor to Wargames Soldiers and Strategy magazine and has recently become a published rules author. His "Strength and Honour" rules (which were reviewed in Issue 342) focus on the wars of the late Roman Republic and Early Empire at very large scale, so that players control armies representing tens of thousands of warriors.

DBx - DB’Wildered by Gordon Lawrence

An article that starts with a quote from Les Dawson* and continues as it begins.

 

*You probably have to be a Brit of a certain age to really appreciate the Les Dawson reference but the article itself is a much more cosmopolitan piece.  Honestly.

Home Grown Rules by David Kay

Way, way back many centuries ago long before three, and then four, letter acronyms were assigned to Ancient Wargames Rules, most wargamers created their own rules.  This is a fascinating glimpse into that odyssey.

The 2nd Battle of Mantineia (SOA Battle Day Pack) by Duncan Head

The subject of this year's SOA Battle Day, the second battle of Mantineia was fought in the Peloponnesian district of Arkadia between a Spartan-led coalition and a Theban-led coalition in 362 BC.  This article recapitulates a talk which Duncan gave at the Society conference in October 2022 and will be of use to anyone with an interest in the battle of the war as well as providing the "battle pack" for the day for those who may be attending the Battle Day itself.

Slingshot Book & Game Reviews 

Including reviews of:

SAGA (2022), rules review by Ken Butt

Test of Honour, rules review by Steven Neate

Thracians and Dacians, book review by Denis Grey

Venetian War of 1487, book review by Duncan Head 

Ancient Battle Formations, book review by Andreas Johansson

The Galatians, book review by Stephen Brennan