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Writer's pictureSimon MacDowall

Society of Ancients Convention 2023

After a false start due to local flooding I managed to make it to the Society of Ancients Convention at Madingley Hall, Cambridge.


With great company, interesting talks, and a huge variety of games, this is always a highlight of the wargames calendar.


My Alala! Greek hoplite game, loosely based on Coronea (394 BC) was well received despite the fact that my brain was a bit foggy from too much wine at the dinner the night before. Alala! is soon to be published by the Society of Ancients.


It seems that the vaunted Spartans might also have been drinking too much the night before. Despite their superior drill and discipline, when it came to the crunch, the Thebans prevailed.


Micheal Lane’s Seleucid vs Rhodian naval game was spectacular.


His beautifully painted ships looked stunning


As did his Greek temple.


There were many other games using a wide range of rules and scales, including Richard Speedman’s impressive 2 mil Greeks for Strength and Honour rules. Other games covered Bronze Age chariot warfare, Greeks vs Persians, Macedonian Successors, Late Republican and early Imperial Romans, Dark Ages, the Crusades, Wars of the Roses, and a knock-out Command and Colours competition.

If you can make it to Cambridge next autumn I highly recommend joining in. There is a bit of something for anyone who is interested in Ancient and Medieval wargames and history.

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3 comentários


Ernie Fosker
Ernie Fosker
23 de out. de 2023

As you say Simon, it was a great weekend. Quite apart from the good company, the games (not to mention the wine.....sorry about that, perhaps I won't suggest that we take a bottle, or two,ourselves again 🤣) it's the conversations that one has and the amount of knowledge that is present, yourself on Late Romans, Matt Bennett and medieval warfare, Ian Russell-Lowe and the Hittites and Late Bronze Age warfare, for instance. It really is a cracking experience 👌

Curtir
Ernie Fosker
Ernie Fosker
24 de out. de 2023
Respondendo a

Oh absolutely! The chance to sit and listen to other peoples experiences, opinions, thoughts and points of view is excellent.

However doing it until 2:00am wasn't the best idea 🤣 I was feeling a bit frayed around the edges the following day because I was tired 😴 😂

Your time for toddling off to bed was definitely the better option - I definitely won't stay up that late next time......he says now 😉

Curtir
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