Southern League FOG R 2014 at Oxford

[alasdair2204]

They also had 10 times as many men

as ever fun to play against you Tim

we

Cheers

Alasdair

[quackstheking]

Thanks to Bob for a really well organised event played in a fantastic atmosphere. 28 players is a FOGR Southern League record for players including I think two "newbies"! This competition goes from strength to strength.

Oxford (and Clevedon) have set the bar really high in terms of prizes. Six awesomely painted trophies which the winners got to choose from!

I had three great and close games against Ben, Tim and Paddy - my dice against Tim and Ben dug me out of self inflicted holes but against Paddy I thrashed his average Cavaliers two rounds running 5-1 and 5-0 just to watch Paddy roll 3 sixes first round and a 6 and a 10 next round! I was close to shaking hands on a loss at that time and offering a vast sum of cash (at least 50p) to buy his dice!

Great day finished off with a nice scotch and Sauvignon blanc!

Happy days

Don

[martinvantol]

Yes, thank you very much, Bob.
Enjoyed the theme. Had three well contested games against well matched enemies. Definitely like the format of pre-set terrain and three games in one day.
I've hit a run of good dice so far this year. It's more fun that actually having to be skilful!

Martin

[gibby]

Yes, great 1 dayer in Oxford. Fast and furious. 3 great games.
Thanks to all involved.
cheers
Jim

[steads]

Yes thanks to Bob for a very good day and many thanks to Andy Finkel for driving me there and back.

[viking123]

No one should thank me as it is a team effort at the Oxford Club. Ben sorted out the terrain, randomly sorting out the type of terrain, size and location. He also supplied some of the terrain as did Tom and Jerry.
Tom, Ben, Jerry and David set up the tables on Sunday morning. David and Lynda sorted out the tea and coffee.
Very importantly Tom is the Club Treasurer who ensured that we covered our costs.
We are all looking forward to doing it again next year.

Everyone who helped take down the tables at the end of the day also deserve a big thank you.

Bob

[quackstheking]

The full results are attached:-



Some random thoughts:-

1) Jim Gibson winning by 28pts - was he on drugs? what are the drug testing results? Scotch or just a mad scot?!
2) Congrats to my team-mate Mike Pickering getting 7th on his 1st ever FoGR outing after only 5/6 practices!
3) Alasdair 13th? - WTF!!!! (Alasdair's post event comment "I will be back" said in an Arnie voice!)
4) Royalists in every Top 10 spot - how did Charlie lose The Civil War?!
5) Gotta feel sorry for Martin V-T - last two entered FoGR Southern Leagues he has finished 4th (this time on countback)!! So near a podium yet so far! Next time Martin!
6) Paddy -top Oxford player!!! Way to go Paddy
7) 28 players makes this the most popular FoGR Southern League EVER!!!

As Bob says, thanks to the Oxford club for a great event!!

We look forward to seeing you all in London - book early - there are only 20 spots (and I've already got one!).

Don

[nigelemsen]

The full results are attached:-



Some random thoughts:-

1) Jim Gibson winning by 28pts - was he on drugs? what are the drug testing results? Scotch or just a mad scot?!
2) Congrats to my team-mate Mike Pickering getting 7th on his 1st ever FoGR outing after only 5/6 practices!
3) Alasdair 13th? - WTF!!!! (Alasdair's post event comment "I will be back" said in an Arnie voice!)
4) Royalists in every Top 10 spot - how did Charlie lose The Civil War?!
5) Gotta feel sorry for Martin V-T - last two entered FoGR Southern Leagues he has finished 4th (this time on countback)!! So near a podium yet so far! Next time Martin!
6) Paddy -top Oxford player!!! Way to go Paddy
7) 28 players makes this the most popular FoGR Southern League EVER!!!

As Bob says, thanks to the Oxford club for a great event!!

We look forward to seeing you all in London - book early - there are only 20 spots (and I've already got one!).

Don

And I didn't come last.... Oh I couldn't attend . Oh umm

[steads]

Some more (well 2 anyway!) random thoughts.
1] Very tight period. Only 9 army breaks in 42 games. Makes Jim's tally of 3 even more impressive!
2] Jim could have dropped any of his games and still won!
Stephen

[quackstheking]

Yes - only 11 points between 5th and 25th!

Don

[martinvantol]

What did Jim do to get 3 big wins in the comp?
Even though a lot of games didn't finish decisively, they were still interesting.

Martin

[gibby]

Martin
It's funny actually... My 1 practice game was a disaster but I did learn,

I used a version of the Later Roys that had only 1 p & s and lots of 6 pack superior commanded out musket plus firelocks and 5 unarmoured mostly superior cavaliers.

Game 1 against Bob's Scots Roys was tight up until the last 2 bounds where my Superior firepower in the centre had mostly decimated the Irish and one by one went to 50% strength and routed. Multiple tests for the highlanders looking to come through the gaps meant they ended up fragged or disrupted and a few shots at them sent them packing,
The left flank was tied down by one of my cavaliers and the other 4 of my cavaliers where bouncing off the 2 scottish p&s on the other flank.Eventually though the constant charging and breaking off saw them disrupt and then they went.

Game 2 against Geoff was tough against 17 battle groups but I advanced quickly in the centre were I had superior firepower. On the left flank and the only mistake that I think Geoff made was bringing forward his dragoons across a gap between 2 terrain pieces that I threatened with cavaliers which he threatened with some carbine horse but to do so had to leave his cmd shot support. Which meant I got to charge them and then the rest of his cavalry line which just collapsed. 7 units routed and 4 fragged when time was called.

Game 3 against Brian and another 17 bg Parliament monster. Again I advanced my musket only units quickly to shoot up Brian's centre. We both refused to fight on the right flank but that suited me as it meant 3 of my small units tying down about 6 which meant where the fighting was happening on the left flank it was my superiors vs average all the way from the cavalry on the left flank to the infantry in the centre. My shooting was awesome and nearly every 4 pack of horse had a base shot off in the first round of shooting and by the time the melee's started, most of Brian's unit only needed 1 more casualty to send them packing.

So I guess I maximised my shooting strengths in the middle, my foot next to the cavalry attack wing made it a priority to soften up the enemy hinge units and I didn;t mess around , I attacked furiously nearly all the way along the line with 1 flank invariably refusing and my units on the refused flank negating 2 to 3 times there number which let my superior quality fight equal numbers of average. Oh and a good liberal dose of luck. I must thank my 3 opponents though as they were cracking games and no one held back and the fighting proper was almost constant from about turn 2 until time was called.
cheers
Jim

[martinvantol]

I used a version of the Later Roys that had only 1 p & s and lots of 6 pack superior commanded out musket plus firelocks and 5 unarmoured mostly superior cavaliers.

Thanks. Interesting to hear. Lots of us took that army ... I think the flexibility of being able to have lots of shot-only foot was a big attraction. I took two units of 6 superior shot myself, and had the rest as pike and shot. I was apprehensive that there would be lots of highlander types, as well as the usual vulnerability to mounted. Although interesting to see your shot withstood the highlanders.

What was the thinking behind having the cavaliers unarmoured? Cost? (Mind you, I took unarmoured determined horse last year to something and they did ok)

Well done on a convincing win!

Martin

[gibby]

Yes cost. Something had to give.
cheers
Jim

[quackstheking]

All,

You may not all be aware that Andy Finkel from Central London club suffered a mild heart attack on Sunday evening after this event and spent a few days in Hammersmith hospital having had a stent fitted.

I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing Andy a very speedy recovery and return to "toy soldier" action!

Don

[spotteddog]

All,

You may not all be aware that Andy Finkel from Central London club suffered a mild heart attack on Sunday evening after this event and spent a few days in Hammersmith hospital having had a stent fitted.

I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing Andy a very speedy recovery and return to "toy soldier" action!

Don

Crikey - you boys take your wargaming seriously right enough down there. All the best from the FOG R boys north of the wall Andy. We hope you are well soon.

Hunter

[viking123]

Would one of his colleagues pass on the Oxford Teams best wishes to him and our hopes to see him playing again soon.

Bob

[andyfinkel]

Thanks for the good wishes, guys.

I had a heart attack on Sunday night*, but the paramedic and ambulance turned up within 10 minutes, and within 3 hours of the attack, I had had a stent fitted and was in the coronary care unit. They let me out on Tuesday, and I am now recuperating. I will be off work till early June. I hope to be back at the club in June. I don't think I will be available to go to any FoGR tournaments before Warfare, and I would need to negotiate shore leave from my chief of staff to be able to attend. She might take the view that the excitement would be too much for me!

Regards

Andy

*must have been the shock of seeing my red-jacketed carbine-armed Horse unit still on the battlefield at the end of each of my three games on Sunday. I bought them at the end of last year, and in each of their four previous battles, they either died or run away without landing a meaningful blow on the enemy.