Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Slingshot 297 arriving soon

Good news: Slingshot 297 will soon be on its way to subscribers.  This looks to be a cracking issue, with articles by Duncan Head and Jeff Jonas relating to next year's battle day subject, Hydaspes.



 Articles in this edition include:

  • Alexander's Army at the Hydaspes, by Duncan Head
  • The Ancient Indian Army of Poros, by Jeff Jonas
  • Commands & Colors on the Tabletop (2) by Steven Neate
  • Emperors, Elephants and Electronic Discussions, by David Kay
  • The Elephant in the Room, by Mark Fry
  • An Anglo-Irish Urban Militia, by Mick Hession
  • When Caesar's Away, the Gauls Will Play, by Chris Hahn
  • The Classical Indian Archer, by Richard Lockwood

Slingshot is issued six times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.  Membership currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to Society gamespublicationsmember discounts and the Society forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk

The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him through editor@soa.org.uk if you have an idea.

Also, all remaining pre-2011 Slingshots are now available at £5 per year's set. If you are interested in picking up cheap hard copies of older Slingshot bundles, more information can be found here.

For more information about joining the Society of Ancients see our homepage at http://www.soa.org.uk

Note to members: for many of us, membership will expire after issue 297.  If you are not sure when your renewal is due, check the envelope containing your Slingshot. If your membership number starts with the number 297, you need to renew now.  Please try to renew in plenty of time so that you have no problems getting your copy of 298. 

Friday, November 14, 2014

Slingshot 296 arriving with subscribers

We are reliably informed that Slingshot 296 has begun popping up in members' letterboxes, right on schedule, so that's some good news for November!




Here's what we have to look forward to in this edition:
  • Knife through Butter: The Macedonian Cavalry Wedge, by Justin Swanton
  • War, Games and Wargames (4), by Richard Taylor
  • Destrier Rides Again! by Matthew Bennett
  • Slingshot Book and Game Review, by John Hastings, Mick Hession and John Curry
      And there are four reports from the Society's Battle Day, on Montaperti, 1261 AD:
  • using Armati, by Mark Fry
  • using Ironbow, by David Edwards and Andrew Fisher
  • using DBMM, by Peter Kershaw
  • using SAGA, by Tim Parsons and Ross Bigley
Here are some previews of the articles in this edition (click to enlarge).





Slingshot is issued six times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.  Membership currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to Society gamespublicationsmember discounts and the Society forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk

The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him through editor@soa.org.uk if you have an idea.

In other news the second in our series of Classic Slingshot Articles, "Solo Campaigning" by John Graham-Leigh, from issue 192 (back in 1997!), is online here. More articles will follow shortly.

Also, all remaining pre-2011 Slingshots are now available at £5 per year's set. If you are interested in picking up cheap hard copies of older Slingshot bundles, more information can be found here.

For more information about joining the Society of Ancients see our homepage at http://www.soa.org.uk




Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Slingshot 295 on its way

Good news: Slingshot 295 is now with the printers and should be arriving with subscribers soon.



Articles include:
  • A Siege in the Desert, by Nicholas Spratt
  • All at Sea - A Viking Ship from a Toy, by Anthony Clipsom
  • America's Greek Connection, by Mike Haran
  • Visiting Old Sarum, by Peter Barham
  • War, Games and Wargames (3), by Richard Taylor
  • The Crosby Garrett Helmet, by Stephen Ede-Borrett 
  • Book Reviews, by Mick Hession, Karl Heinz Ranitzsch, Duncan Head and Luke Ueda-Sarson
  • Mesopotamian Notelets (5), by Alastair McBeath
  • Magnesia: Modified and Muddied, by Chris Hahn
  • The Stuttgart Psalter, by Roy Boss
  • 1166 And All That (3) - King Henry, by Mick Hession
  • Hands in the Sea - An Interview with the Designer, by Aaron Bell

Slingshot is issued six times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.  Membership currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to Society gamespublicationsmember discounts and the Society forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk

The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him through editor@soa.org.uk if you have an idea.

In other news the second in our series of Classic Slingshot Articles, "Solo Campaigning" by John Graham-Leigh, from issue 192 (back in 1997!), is now online here. More articles will follow shortly.

Also, the Society's Balearic Bundles deal has expired.  But all remaining pre-2011 Slingshots are now available at £5 per year's set. If you are interested in picking up cheap hard copies of older Slingshot bundles, more information can be found here.

For more information about joining the Society of Ancients see our homepage at http://www.soa.org.uk

Below are some previews of the articles in this edition (click on images to enlarge):




Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Slingshot 295 giveaway winners

The winners of our recently concluded Slingshot 295 giveaway were Michael T. Maly of Pennylvania, USA and Vince Cholewa of Carterton, New Zealand.

Emails have been sent to all giveaway participants, but if yours has not arrived, please get in touch with us at publicity@soa.org.uk

Thanks very much to all who entered, and congratulations to the winners!


Friday, August 22, 2014

Slingshot 295 giveaway



To be in to win one of two complimentary copies of the latest edition of the Society of Ancients' journal, Slingshot, simply tell us the name of the Spartan mercenary general who helped the Carthaginians win the battle of Bagradas, 255 BC.  Send your answers together with your name and address to publicity@soa.org.uk by Monday, September 1st (UK time).

The winners will be decided by lot and announced September 2nd.  Good luck!

Articles in Slingshot 295 include:

  • A Siege in the Desert, by Nicholas Spratt
  • All at Sea - A Viking Ship from a Toy, by Anthony Clipsom
  • America's Greek Connection, by Mike Haran
  • Visiting Old Sarum, by Peter Barham
  • War, Games and Wargames (3), by Richard Taylor
  • The Crosby Garrett Helmet, by Stephen Ede-Borrett 
  • Book Reviews, by Mick Hession, Karl Heinz Ranitzsch, Duncan Head and Luke Ueda-Sarson
  • Mesopotamian Notelets (5), by Alastair McBeath
  • Magnesia: Modified and Muddied, by Chris Hahn
  • The Stuttgart Psalter, by Roy Boss
  • 1166 And All That (3) - King Henry, by Mick Hession
  • Hands in the Sea - An Interview with the Designer, by Aaron Bell
Again, all you need to do is send the answer to the question (along with your name and address) to publicity@soa.org.uk by September 1st.

For more information about joining the Society of Ancients see our homepage at http://www.soa.org.uk

Monday, August 18, 2014

Preview articles from Slingshot 295

Here are previews of three of the articles in the forthcoming July-August edition of Slingshot (click on the pictures to enlarge them).


Anthony Clipsom's article on building a viking ship.


Aaron Bell's interview with game designer Dan Berger on his upcoming title, Hands in the Sea.

 Chris Hahn's imaginative Magnesia scenario.
Non-members interested in joining the Society can find more info at the SoA homepage here: http://soa.org.uk or here.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Blasts from the Past: Classic Slingshot Articles online

Justin Swanton and John Graham-Leigh have been putting together a selection of classic articles from Slingshot to be made available online.  Justin has revamped the graphics and images to bring things up to current standards, and we will be putting them up on the Society of Ancients website.

The first article is here: Rioting in Alexandria: A mob action battle report by Ed Mills, from Slingshot 27, Jan. 1970.  The article outlines a clever rule framework for gaming mob clashes in the ancient world.

The second article is here: Solo Campaigning, by John Graham-Leigh, from Slingshot 192, July 1997.  This article looks at ideas for how the solo wargamer can create a campaign background to generate interesting battles for solo or face-to-face play.

We will be bringing you more classic articles over the next few months, so stay tuned!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Slingshot 294 on its way

We are pleased to announce that the latest edition of Slingshot (294) will be arriving with subscribers very soon.


294 contents includes:
  • The Byzantine Provincial Army of Spania 552/5-624 AD, by Rodger Williams
  • A Short History of the Iberian Peninsula - El Cid, by Robert Heiligers
  • Dux Bellorum: Wargaming the ‘Dark Ages’ With Some Style, by Steven Neate
  • Mesopotamian Notelets - More warriors from Mari, by Alastair McBeath
  • 1166 And All That (2) - King Strongbow, by Mick Hession
  • The Western Mediterranean Way of Warfare Debates (2), by Roy Boss & Mark Grindlay
  • Kadesh - What Was Happening?, by Toby Partridge
  • Contributing to Slingshot, by Nick Harbud


Slingshot is issued six times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.  Membership currently costs£24 for six issues and includes access to Society games, publicationsmember discounts and the Society forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk

The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him through editor@soa.org.uk if you have an idea.

In other news the first in our series of Classic Slingshot Articles, "Rioting in Alexandria" by Ed Mills, from issue 27 (way back in 1970!), is now online here. More articles will follow shortly.

Also, the Society's Balearic Bundles deal has expired.  But all remaining pre-2011 Slingshots are now available at £5 per year's set. If you are interested in picking up cheap hard copies of older Slingshot bundles, more information can be found here.

Below are some previews of the articles in this edition (click on photos to enlarge):









Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Slingshot 293 now arriving

The latest issue of Slingshot is now arriving with subscribers.



The articles in 293 include:

- Society Battle Day 2015 - The Hydaspes 326 BC
- A Short History of the Iberian Peninsular - the Start of the Reconquista
- Command and Colours Using Figures on the Tabletop
- Mesopotamian Notelets - Gudea's Plan
- The Age of Augustus, Part 2
- 1166 And All That - King Dermot
- Armati 101 - Hints and Tips
- Society UK DBA League 2012-2013
- Slingshot Game Review - Pax Romana
- Slingshot Book Review - Conquer and Govern
- Negative PIPs

Slingshot is issued six times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.  The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him through editor@soa.org.uk if you have an idea.

Subscription includes access to vendor discounts, Society products and the SoA forum.  You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http;//soa.org.uk

In other news the first in our series of Classic Slingshot Articles, "Rioting in Alexandria" by Ed Mills, from issue 27 (way back in 1970!), is now online here.

Also, the Society's Balearic Bundles deal is about to expire.  If you are interested in picking up cheap hard copies of older Slingshot bundles, now is almost the last chance to do so.  More information can be found here.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Slingshot 292 Giveaway Winners.

We had a great response to our Slingshot 292 giveaway with lots of entries from around the world.  Unfortunately, there could only be five winners, and who they would be came down to the dice gods.

The lucky winners were:

Angelo Gentile
Neil Patterson
Erik Strahler
Martin Stephenson
Jake Tattersdill

Our postmaster John G-L has already put the prizes in the mail, so they should be arriving on the winners' doorsteps very soon.

Thanks to everyone who took part, and we'll look forward to doing something similar again in future.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Slingshot 293 preview

Nick has kindly sent us a few preview pages for Slingshot 293.

First up, another in Robert Heiligers' excellent series on the Iberian Peninsula (click to enlarge the photos) :


Then an article on converting Commands & Colors: Ancients to miniatures:


And our last preview (but not last article!) is by Mick Hession, who is always a must-read author:


It looks like it's going to be a good issue.

The full rundown of the articles in 293 is:

·         Society Battle Day 2015 - The Hydaspes 326 BC
·         A Short History of the Iberian Peninsula – the Start of the Reconquista
·         Command and Colours Using Figures on the Tabletop
·         Mesopotamian Notelets – Gudea’s Plan
·         The Age of Augustus
·         1166 And All That - King Dermot
·         Armati 101 – Hints and Tips
·         Society UK DBA League 2012-2013
·         Slingshot Game Review - Pax Romana
·         Slingshot Book Review – Conquer and Govern
·         Negative PIPs

If you are not a subscriber to Slingshot but would like to become one, you can find more details at this page.



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Slingshot 292 Giveaway



To be in to win one of five complimentary copies of the latest edition of the Society of Ancients' journal, simply tell us the year in which the battle of Crécy was fought.  Send your answers together with your name and address to publicity@soa.org.uk by Saturday, May 31st (UK time).

The winners will be decided by lot and announced June 1st.  Good luck!

Articles in Slingshot 292 include:

  • Battle of Towton, by John Graham-Leigh
  • Reconstructing the English Formation at Crécy, by Anthony Clipsom
  • The Proto-Manipular Legion, by Rodger Williams and Patrick Waterson
  • Tinkering With Byzantines, by Perry Gray
  • The Trojan War - Moved! By Patrick Waterson
  • What happened to the velites? By John Hogan
  • The Age of Augustus (pt. 1) by Paul Burton
  • Optio Battle Report, by Justin Swanton
  • Two Early Dynastic Battle-Scene Cylinder Seals, by Alastair McBeath
Again, all you need to do is send the answer to the question (along with your name and address) to publicity@soa.org.uk by May 31st.


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Slingshot 292 now arriving

We are pleased to report that Slingshot 292 is now arriving with subscribers, and that we are almost back on schedule.



Contents include:
  • Battle of Towton, by John Graham-Leigh
  • Reconstructing the English Formation at Crécy, by Anthony Clipsom
  • The Proto-Manipular Legion, by Rodger Williams and Patrick Waterson
  • Tinkering With Byzantines, by Perry Gray
  • The Trojan War - Moved! By Patrick Waterson
  • What happened to the velites? By John Hogan
  • The Age of Augustus (pt. 1) by Paul Burton
  • Optio Battle Report, by Justin Swanton
  • Two Early Dynastic Battle-Scene Cylinder Seals, by Alastair McBeath

There has been some confusion among members about just when renewal is due. Membership expiry is now noted on the address label you receive with your Slingshot. The formula is last Slingshot number - membership number, so if the first number is 291 this means that your renewal is due after Slingshot 291.

******

Slingshot is issued 6 times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.


Subscription currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to vendor discounts and the SoA forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk


The editor (editor@soa.org.uk) is always interested in ideas for articles, so if you are a member or plan to become one and have a battle report or historical article, a review, rules ruminations, scenario or campaign ideas, or anything else you would like to contribute to Slingshot, feel free to contact him.


The Society also has the 'Operation Balearic' sale on at present.


Operation Balearic offers back issues of Slingshot at the bargain price of six for £5 (£4 for SoA members) plus shipping. That is a year's worth of Slingshots for the price of one magazine.


The bundles on offer are for the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, and for each year from 1996 through to 2010. This offer is only available for a limited time and while stocks last.


To order, go to the Balearic Bundles page in the store section of the Society of Ancients website.


For a summary of the articles in each bundle, see this post on the Society News blog. 


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Battle Day 2015

This just in from Richard Lockwood:

…he was informed that Porus, with the whole of his army, was on the other side of that river…

The twelfth annual Society of Ancients Battle Day, Saturday 28 March 2015

Sycamore Hall, Drayton Road, Bletchley, Near Milton Keynes, MK2 3RR

The Hydaspes 326 BC

Upon this, the drivers of the elephants urged forward the beasts against the cavalry but now the phalanx itself of the Macedonians was advancing against the elephants, the men casting darts at the riders and also striking the beasts themselves, standing round them on all sides. The action was unlike any of the previous contests; for wherever the beasts could wheel round, they rushed forth against the ranks of infantry and demolished the phalanx of the Macedonians, dense as it was.
Macedonians meet elephants in battle for the first time, from Arrian’s Anabasis, found online at http://websfor.org/alexander/arrian/book5b.asp


For our twelfth annual Battle Day, we once again invite you to a unique day’s wargaming.

The battle: The Hydaspes 326 BC  – the invading force of Alexander the Great and his all-conquering but war-weary Macedonians  are met on the banks of the River Hydaspes by the Indian army of King Porus.

So sharpen your sarissas and xystons and prepare to fight one last battle for glory with Alexander, or fight to repel the invaders atop elephants and chariots with the brave King Porus.

The aims of the day remain the same:
·         To have fun!
·         To gather as many ancient and medieval wargamers as possible to refight a historical battle.
·         To fight the same battle simultaneously on many tables, using a different set of rules on each table.

The day will run from 9am until 5pm, with an hour either side to set up and pack away.

Phil Sabin, Professor of Strategic Studies at King’s College, London, but better known to Society of Ancients members as the innovative game designer and author of the book Lost Battles, will be giving a pre-battle introduction to the Hydapes, putting it in its historical context and highlighting the controversial aspects of the battle.

And of course, The Society of Ancients will be awarding a number of prizes (for various criteria, some more frivolous than others) to the wargamers on the day, including prizes for Best Game and Best Terrain.

To offer to stage a game – contact Richard Lockwood at battleday@soa.org.uk or else via his details in Slingshot. But in any case, come along and take part as a player.

The cost of participating in the Battle Day, to contribute towards hire of venue and tables, will be held once again at £7 (juniors free), as it has been for ten years now.

Every year it just gets better and better – this really should be a regular event on your calendar. Don’t miss out – come and be part of it!


The Battle Day is open to both members and non-members of the Society of Ancients.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Battleday 2014: Montaperti

Reports are now coming in on the Society forum regarding the battleday held at Bletchley over the weekend.

Montaperti was the battle of course, and information (Richard Lockwood's battle pack) on it can be found here.


Photo from Phil Steele's Ancients on the Move blog.

From Richard Lockwood, the organiser:

Well that was another Battle Day. I think it was a good day's gaming, we had seven games going, so a little down on previous years but that is probably down to my choice of a (to UK gamers at least) "non-mainstream" battle. So a little self-indulgence on my part this year!

I got the sense that all the games were enjoyed by the players. That may sound a bit of an obvious thing to say, but what I am trying to say is the games seemed absorbing and challenging. So I take from this that the choice of battle was a decent one despite it not being well known.

Many richly-deserved prizes were won - among which Best Terrain was a hard-fought duel between Pete Kershaw's DBMM terrain and Mark Craddock's Armati terrain. This year the prize went to Pete Kershaw's DBMM terrain. Overall Best Game went to Phil Steele's set up, using Impetus rules, beautifully-painted 15mm figures with hand-painted banners, and effective terrain.

I am hoping we get good write-ups for Slingshot - I think the way people approached this battle will be very interesting.

From Duncan Head:

The smaller number of games didn't, to my mind, detract from the experience - and at least there was a bit more room to move around between the tables! Peter's prize for the terrain was well deserved: I loved the detail he'd put into it. 

From Ross Bigley:

Just a quick note to thank all and sundry for making it such an enjoyable day.... It was all jolly good fun which, I suppose, is why we bother! I'd like to echo the previous comments about the terrain on show, top form all round. It really adds to the immersion of the experience when the board looks good.

From Peter Kershaw:

Thanks to Richard and co. for the day. I think it was a good choice. One of our players said it was nice to come to a big battle and not know about it - it gave more surprises. I think it also fitted the whole point of the Battleday - an encounter where there are good but often conflicting sources, with issues of how to deal with various events under different rules. Thumbs up from me

And Phil Steele (who supplied the photo above) has posted pictures of all the games on his blog here.

The battle for next year has also been announced, and it is Hydaspes.  Time to get painting some Classical Indians!


Sunday, March 23, 2014

Slingshot 291



Hot on the heels of Slingshot 290, Slingshot 291 has now gone to the printers.  The publication date is expected to be around mid April.  As readers can see, the contributors and editorial team are working hard to get us back on schedule.

Here is the list of the articles in 291:

Byzantine Armies – A Quick Summary, by Perry Gray
The New Cavalry Formations of the Sylloge Tacticorum, AD 904, by Ilkka Syvanne
Depiction of Horse Archers, by Perry Gray
The Battle of Melitene AD 576, by Ilkka Syvanne
Battle Reports and Wargaming Analysis, by Perry Gray
Anglo-Norman Army: 1066-1181, by David Blanchard
The Alexander Sarcophagus, by Roy Boss & Patrick Waterson

There has been some confusion among members about just when renewal is due.  Membership expiry is now noted on the address label you receive with your Slingshot. The formula is last Slingshot number - membership number, so if the first number is 291 this means that your renewal is due after Slingshot 291.

******

Slingshot is issued 6 times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.


Subscription currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to vendor discounts and the SoA forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk


The editor (editor@soa.org.uk) is always interested in ideas for articles, so if you are a member or plan to become one and have a battle report or historical article, a review, rules ruminations, scenario or campaign ideas, or anything else you would like to contribute to Slingshot, feel free to contact him.


The Society also has the 'Operation Balearic' sale on at present.


Operation Balearic offers back issues of Slingshot at the bargain price of six for £5 (£4 for SoA members) plus shipping. That is a year's worth of Slingshots for the price of one magazine.


The bundles on offer are for the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, and for each year from 1996 through to 2010. This offer is only available for a limited time and while stocks last.


To order, go to the Balearic Bundles page in the store section of the Society of Ancients website.


For a summary of the articles in each bundle, see the Society News blog http://societyofancientsnews.blogspot.jp/2013/12/operation-balearic.html

Monday, February 17, 2014

Slingshot 290



The Society of Ancients is very pleased to announce that Slingshot 290 is now at the printers and will soon be sent out to subscribers.  We are still a little behind schedule with our Slingshots from 2013 but we are doing our utmost to catch up as quickly as possible.

Contents include:

- Ruspina, 46BC, Reconstructing a Battle the 'Lost Battles' way (Part 2), by Gavin Pearson
- A short history of the Iberian Peninsular from 400 to 1100AD (Part 6), by Robert Heiligers
- From the Bastard to the Conqueror, by Gordon Lawrence
- The Campaign and Battle of Sambre in 57 BC, by Ilkka Syvanne
- Army Selection and Gaming Style, by Perry Gray
- Chinese Dynastic Colours, by Duncan Head
- The Battle of Montaperti 1260 AD - Society of Ancients Battle Pack, by Richard Lockwood
- Slingshot Figure Reviews - Bag & Baggage from 4GROUND/Colonel Bill's, by David Edwards

*****

Slingshot is issued 6 times a year to members of the Society of Ancients.

Subscription currently costs £24 for six issues and includes access to vendor discounts and the SoA forum. You can subscribe or re-subscribe through the store at the Society's website, http://soa.org.uk

The editor (Perry Gray) is always interested in ideas for articles, so if you are a member or plan to become one and have a battle report or historical article, a review, rules ruminations, scenario or campaign ideas, or anything else you would like to contribute to Slingshot, feel free to contact him.

The Society also has the 'Operation Balearic' sale on at present.

Operation Balearic offers back issues of Slingshot at the bargain price of six for £5 (£4 for SoA members) plus shipping. That is a year's worth of Slingshots for the price of one magazine.

The bundles on offer are for the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, and for each year from 1996 through to 2010. This offer is only available for a limited time and while stocks last.

To order, go to the Balearic Bundles page in the store section of the Society of Ancients website.

For a summary of the articles in each bundle, see the Society News blog http://societyofancientsnews.blogspot.jp/2013/12/operation-balearic.html

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Slingshots from 1982 and 1983


As you may have heard, we currently have back issues of Slingshot available at the bargain price of six for £5 (£4 for Society of Ancients members) plus shipping, which works out to a year's worth of Slingshots for the price of one.

The Balearic bundles on offer are for the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, and for each year from 1996 through to 2010.

Here is what is in the bundles for the years 1982 and 1983:

1982

Includes series on the Vandals, the Arab conquest of Egypt, the Republican Roman army 218-168 BC, the ancient Ligurians, later Roman forts and Courtrai. 

Contains notable articles on Nicopolis, early Ottoman armies, armies of the Jarls of Orkney, Brunanburh and campaign economics. 

Includes the start of the award-winning series on Charles the Bold’s armies.

Also includes battle reports, wargaming discussions, reviews and many more historical articles.

1983

Includes series on the strategy and tactics of the Hundred Years War, the Attacotti, Ilipa 206 BC, al-Babayn 1167 AD, running a wargames campaign and Egyptian chariots.

Includes notable articles on Saladin’s siege of Bourzey castle, the Hittite army at Qadesh, Crusader Turcopoles and Communal Italian city badges.

The award-winning series on Charles the Bold’s armies concludes.

Again, there are many more battle reports, wargaming discussions, reviews and historical articles.

If you are interested in these or Slingshots from other years, go to the Balearic Bundles page in the store section of the Society of Ancients website to place an order.

Note that if you want to order a number of bundles your best bet may be to contact John Graham-Leigh at psales@soa.org.uk who will help you work out how best to minimise postage costs.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

"Empire" Reprint Available

The Society of Ancients is pleased to announce a reprint of its popular game "Empire: the Macedonian and Punic Wars, 350-150 BC" by Philip Sabin.

Picture shows the western half of the map board.


Using simple mechanisms to capture the broad sweep of history, the game simulates the 200 years from the rise of Philip II of Macedon to the establishment of Roman hegemony in the west.

Up to four players control one or more peoples (Romans, Carthaginians, Macedonians, Persians/Parthians) and conduct campaigns against their neighbours on a map of the ancient world stretching from Iberia in the west to India in the east.  Great captains bring the historical influence of Alexander, Hannibal and Scipio the younger to bear, but revolts may strike at any time.

Combat is resolved by rolling a d6 and applying modifiers.  If players wish the battles can be fought out using a tactical system.

To quote the Society's webpage,

Empire comes in a zip-loc bag, and includes a full colour 8.5” by 22” game map, 77 full colour card counters, and an 8 page A4 rulebook including ready reference charts, an example of play, and extensive design notes and bibliography.

The game is available from the Society of Ancients' webstore for £7.50 + shipping.