Monday, December 10, 2012

24th - 25th November, Glasgow

Armati League - Phil Rodgers Trophy Tournament

After missing a couple of years I was very pleased to be able to get up to a very mild late November Glasgow for the 2012 running of this evergreen and ever-popular Armati event hosted by the Glasgow Phoenix club.


The main attraction of the event, of course, is to visit one of Europe's finest cities and enjoy some time off with fellow wargame and heritage enthusiasts.   In addition, there is an Armati tournament of pre-set scenarios with all the figures and game components provided by the hosts.

These truly are 'turn up and play' events.

(Before and After: Armati with deployment screens ...)

Format: each table is provided with dice, measuring stick and markers, plus two copies of the appropriate army lists, and the two armies and terrain; the army configuration is fix as listed (no working out to do) - the only decision, where appropriate, being whether or not to dismount (at deployment, of course); players have complete control over terrain placement and army deployment;

Each round is drawn in the usual chess way, then one of the matched players will draw a coin at random from the bag; the coin indicates the scenario/table number and has an 'A' side and a 'B' side - the coin is flipped to decide which player gets which army.  

Once players have had a chance to familiarise themselves with the draw, deployment is from behind screens.

(some of the wide variety of armies provided at Glasgow 2012)

The 'scenario' system means uncompetitive and/or unusual armies can be put into the event (so long as the balance is fair, 'uncompetitiveness' does not matter), and none of the armies needs to be 'min-maxed' for optimum effect.

Thus, my games were ...  Libyan Egyptian vs Midianite; Achaemenid Persian vs Lydian; Ottoman Turk vs Timurid, Umayyad vs Abbasid; Garrison Roman vs Dacian;

(massed Biblical light troops)

(Lydians outflanked: I won from here ...) ...

(Timurids successfully drawn into my trap: I lost from here ... ) ...

All good games, entertaining opponents, beautifully turned out armies and interesting historical scenarios ...

I lacked a good 'High Midlle Ages' game, but otherwise the coverage was good, and most of my games were very well balanced  - so on the margins til the end (but none were timed-out, thankfully ...)..

(a lot of mugs getting shot ... best I say nothing ...) ...

There were no real 'in play' issues, and with plenty of wine and Polish cakes courtesy of big Mark's nuptials, a convivial atmosphere seemed assured ...

(can you see their knees wobbling? ...)

... and entertainment was organised into the early hours of the morning for those with the stamina to do what Glasgow does best ...

(didn't get to play this one ... would have suited me and Pete, I think ...)

The prizes at the end were for the 2012 Glasgow event (the Phil Rodgers Trophy) and the 2012 Armati League ... Presented on behalf of the Society of Ancients by Roy Boss and going to the usual suspects in an order I forgot to write down at the time.  I will link/update to the appropriate XL sheets, and a Society of Ancients News blog will go out as we close off the year's awards tallies.

(Steve Metheringham and Mike Lillie receiving their hardware from Society President Roy Boss)

An enjoyable and nostalgic trip north of the border where the painted peoples live ... Though the weather (and so the travel) was this year exceptionally mild, I stayed the extra evening and enjoyed a leisurely trip home via a rather soggy detour to make sure Hadrian's Wall was still there ... 

Following my recce, I think we might make a day of this on a return from Claymore one year ... (better August than November - though this being the UK, that is by no means assured ..) ...


Phil Rodgers Trophy
GB Armati League



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