Delighted as I am with the endorsement and promotion of The Spotted Dog Honest Bookies Company, I cannot help but feel they have failed to review the current form guide! This is my "return to gaming" event having been out of the scene for the last year having completed only a handful of games. Indeed my Later Swedes ( courtesy of John) will see they're first official deployment under my command on Friday evening!
Looking at the field of "runners", I wish I was again fielding my Samurai! They look like they would have a fair chance especially against all the Later and Eastern armies!
My own aspirations this year are rather more modest than SD's prediction (and anyway as John states you've now jinxed the winners spot!). Looking at the field my own predictions of the podium will be from (in no particular order):-
Jim G - never discount Jim. An experienced a capable gamer who is currently winning all the French competitions! Whether he has mastered the LoA Anglos remains to be seen!
John M - a consistent winner at Britcon; current reigning champion and runner up to Alasdair the year before. When he wins his games, John wins big and that is essential to winning the event. My favourite!
Keith S - a solid if unspectacular and modest player, his Central Sudenese is tailor-made to tear apart Late and Horsey armies! A dark horse outsider!
Hunter - I feel he doth protest too much his incompetence! Consistently improving yearly and grabbed a podium 3rd last year. Is this his year? A practiced army and the endorsement of the wily Scot John suggests Hunter is taking this years assault on the top seriously!
Simon the Aussie - current top ranked player, beneath that jokey Aussie humour is a determined submariner who is hoping to take on the "horse meister" mantle this year. Has he the cunning and experience of Alasdair though to take down the wall to wall shooty late armies he will face?
Stephen S - one of the hardest players to get a win against, Stephen is the archetypal tortoise amongst a sea of hares. Maybe not the winner (his record of winning draws suggests he won't be at the top), with the Hungarian rebellion he will be throwing out a lot of lead which will be tough to beat.
There are a raft of other top players and armies this year too. Later Swedes run by a Swede; Jin Chinese with LOADS of bow plus regimental guns; Matt's Indonesians ( has he gone Impact foot to face the foot armies or Light Spear to face the horses?) and let's not forget Andy K with Later Swedes - another tough competitor with a tough (I hope!) army.
What I do predict with certainty though is loads of great hard-fought games for everyone, lots of laughs and camaraderie and the emergence of a worthy winner come late Sunday afternoon.
Good luck to all, safe journeys and may the dice be fair to everyone!
Don
