Slitherine

Here are the runner and riders. 16 players to test out the variable size format. Some quite interesting differences in how to do the 700 and 900 pt armies. First round draw is by date so you can pair yourselves off from the list.

DAVID CUTNER Greco-Bactrian 200BC
GORDON JAMIESON Indo Greek 1 AD
ALAN CUTNER Bosporan 100AD
LINDA FAIRHURST Palmyran 260 AD
DAVID PARISH Thematic Byzantine 681AD
STEVE MURTON Bedouin Dynasties 964AD
DAVE MORRISON Khurasanian - Samanid 980AD
MARTIN NEIL Ilkhanid Mongol 1270AD
LANCE FLINT Christain Nubian 1277AD
PAUL CUMMINS HYW English (Cont) 1320AD
JON AKERS Catalan Company 1381AD
DAVID FAIRHURST Medieval Portuguese 1389AD
STEVE HAMMOND Tatar 1430AD
IAN MACKAY Later Ottoman Turkish1431AD
AD KITCHER Imperial Med German 1449AD
IAN STEWART WOTR Yorkist Pret 1485AD

Should be fun. See you all there - I am 25mm ing at the time so off to work on those arm muscles a bit more

Si

As it makes a difference ,and you did pull me up on it Simon,the Portugese date is 1389AD
David

Thanks Dave

Luckilly doesn't change a thing

Si

...and my date with the Thematic Byzantines is 681 AD. Which also doesn't change anything hopefully

Dave P

Maniakes wrote:...and my date with the Thematic Byzantines is 681 AD. Which also doesn't change anything hopefully

Dave P

You must be damned good list writer to have made it legal in 461

Thanks. Corrected above.

It looks like we will haev 2 more players joining a well due to the 25mm not now having enough players so 18 in total.

To keep happy those conspiracy theorists amongst, you I have suggested two eras of armies to them rather than given a free choice entirely - given your hands are declared.

Si

Thus I will be joining the happy band with a Swifter the Eagles army - just need to get the lists sorted now

A final set with 2 additions from 25mm. I have slotted them in at the front so it doesn't change the draw at all in the fifrst round. Basically 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4 etc. all the way down.

See you there for 9am at latest.

Si

No Name Army Date

1 NIK GAUGROGER Hittite Empire 1275BC
2 IAN PUDNEY / PETER CROSS Late Carthagianain 250BC
3 DAVID CUTNER Greco-Bactrian 200BC
4 GORDON JAMIESON Indo Greek 1 AD
5 ALAN CUTNER Bosporan 100AD
6 LINDA FAIRHURST Palmyran 260 AD
7 DAVID PARISH Thematic Byzantine 681AD
8 STEVE MURTON Bedouin Dynasties (H of Aleppo) 964AD
9 DAVE MORRISON Khurasanian - Samanid 980AD
10 MARTIN NEIL Ilkhanid Mongol 1270AD
11 LANCE FLINT Christain Nubian 1277AD
12 PAUL CUMMINS HYW English (Continental) 1320AD
13 JON AKERS Catalan Company 1381AD
14 DAVID FAIRHURST Medieval Portuguese 1389AD
15 STEVE HAMMOND Tatar 1430AD
16 IAN MACKAY Later Ottoman Turkish 1431AD
17 AD KITCHER Imperial Medieval German 1449AD
18 IAN STEWART WOTR Yorkist Pretenders 1485AD

I should have checked before I set off home, but - what is the start time for games on the Sunday?

not that it matters as even if i arrive a couple of hours late Im sure my opponents can finish me off before lst bound is called - I managed to lose 2 games in 3 hours of play today!

I'm assuming 9am.

sounds like a good assumption

Thanks to all for a great competition.

I'm well chuffed that my Hittites came 3rd in an open competition despite the fact I'd never used them before

For the record I played Later Carthaginian, Catalan Company, Bosporan and Tatar.

damn good comp - thanks Simon et al

supposedly people took 700 pt armies - but as far as I could see it was a 900 pt comp

Well done to the following on thier trophies at the inaugural REARGUARD competition, held at Rampage 2009, courtesy of Ilford Wargames Group.

• WINNER Lance Flint Christian Nubian
  2ND Steve Murton Bedouin Dynasties
  3RD Nik Gaukroger Hittie Empire

Well done Nik - as he joined late from the 25mm I, and as the armies were already out, I said he needed to pick a biblical army to join ... a fine effort with the Hittites.

In general, the format does bring out different armies as some ar good at 700, others at 900 etc. As the list checker it was interesting to see different approaches to the designs. I think this will develop considerably next year for those who have played this year.

Special metion to Dave Parish for getting the entire list-worth of Byanatine Thematic Cavalry on the table for his 900 pt variant - including all the poor ones as well. Most impressive.

A very good mix of armies and games played in excellent spirit. Some gallant attempts by people facing 900pt armies with 700pts. No-one quite managed the 10 bonus for routing a 900pter with a 700 pter, but one game got very close. Several people had army rout wins with 100pt deficits to claim a 7pt victory bonus.

As far as I could tell the format worked very well and gave new an interesting puzzles. I am keen to get feedback here from the players on the competition and assuming it was liked my intention would be to run it every year at Rampage and try to build the numbers up.

A few questions for people to respond to as players:

Q1 POINTS LEVELS. I did consider doing 6/7/8/900 pt armies but I think the 7/8/8/900 we used is perhaps the best mix of armies. What are peoples views?
Q2 DECLARATION OF POINTS SIZE. After each round I published who had used what size of army. This has the + that it makes the last round quite interesting as you know what you have to do and where the exciting games are; but maybe its better still if it is secret throughout so you don't know. My issue is that if secret then there is a bit fo a market for information going on, hence my current view that it is better above board and transparent.
Q3 DRAW. Do people like the date based initial round?
Q4 BONUS SYSTEM. Is there merit in making the bonus points a bit more sophisticated - e.g. bonus points for nearly breaking a 900 with a 700, or jsut for winning with a smaller army, or survival with a wmall army vs a large (we would need this with 600 vs 900 games). That said simple is always good ...

Thanks to all the players and hosts. Looking forward to hearing the experiences from the different games. Here's to next year.

Si

shall wrote: A few questions for people to respond to as players:

Q1 POINTS LEVELS. I did consider doing 6/7/8/900 pt armies but I think the 7/8/8/900 we used is perhaps the best mix of armies. What are peoples views?

I think the 700/800/800/900 was just right - the possibility of a 600 Vs 900 is just too wide a variation IMO and 600 may end up being a restriction on useful armies whilst I felt 700 to 900 was OK for all the armies I own.

Q2 DECLARATION OF POINTS SIZE. After each round I published who had used what size of army. This has the + that it makes the last round quite interesting as you know what you have to do and where the exciting games are; but maybe its better still if it is secret throughout so you don't know. My issue is that if secret then there is a bit fo a market for information going on, hence my current view that it is better above board and transparent.

Knowing what had been used certainly added to the chatter on day 2 which I think is a good thing. I'd leave it as is.

Q3 DRAW. Do people like the date based initial round?

I tend to think that for an open comp a random draw for the first round is more appropriate - however, I've played a number of comps with date based first rounds over the eyars and haven't had any material issues. I don't think FoG has the "date sniping" issues that DBM did for certain periods. So either way is OK with me.

Q4 BONUS SYSTEM. Is there merit in making the bonus points a bit more sophisticated - e.g. bonus points for nearly breaking a 900 with a 700, or jsut for winning with a smaller army, or survival with a wmall army vs a large (we would need this with 600 vs 900 games). That said simple is always good ...

KISS

Leave as is IMO.

a 200pt difference is damn difficult to overcome. I would like to see a bit more of a bonus for the smaller army even if you dont break them.

The fairest way would be to multiply the score by their Army size divided by your army size. So equal fights would have a multiplier of one for both sides. So 700 v's 900 would have a multiplier of approx 1.3 for the smaller army and 0.8 for the larger.

I'd agree with Nik ,that said I think I only played 800pt armies so I wasn't able to try out anything else,
Great weekends gaming even when my dice took Sunday morning off plus another 4th place,I 'll get it right one day
David

This was quite possibly the best weekend of wargaming I have ever had!

Four cracking games, three of which three went down to the final possible dice roll where either side could have broken (1W, 1L, 1D so a fair outcome I suppose) and the fourth very nearly got to that position.

All swung one way and then the other.

So thanks to all for a fabulous weekend - Simon for organising it, and my four opponentd, Andy, Dave, Peter and Paul for four excellent games.

Look forward to seeing you all again soon

Ian

This was quite possibly the best weekend of wargaming I have ever had!

Welcome to FOG Ian )

Si