Society of Ancients Battle Day, Saturday 3 April 2004

Venue: Sycamore Hall, Drayton Road, Bletchley, Near Milton Keynes The battle: Gaugamela, 331BC – the decisive battle between Alexander the Great's Macedonians and the assembled might of the King of Kings 
Darius III of Persia.

The idea is 

- To have fun!
- To gather as many ancient 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 is likely to run from 9am until 5pm, with an hour either side to set up and pack away. We are also hoping to arrange a dinner in the evening for those wanting a full debrief on the day.

We have already had firm offers from have offered to run their own local games at around the same time. members to run eight different games, and are expecting some more. In addition, members in Ireland and Australia.

We expect that members will be able to participate in any of the following (subject to over-subscription to particular games):

Alea Acta Est in 15mm

Armati in 15mm

Big Battle DBA in 6mm

DBM in 15mm

Politics By Other Means (matrix game) in 20mm

Strategos in 25mm

Vis Bellica in 15mm

DBMM playtest in 15mm

** WAB game urgently needed as Rob Broom can no longer participate ** 
All ideas on how to fill this gaping hole welcome.


There is a possibility that there may be more than one game of the more popular rule sets (eg WAB). However, we are of course reliant on individuals and groups who have offered to stage games being able to fulfill their offers – we hope that we will all be flexible enough to join in other games if our preferred one is unavailable. It may also be possible to dip in and out of different games.

We will also have some additional related features taking place during the day.

We are delighted to announce that: 

Phil Sabin, Professor of Strategic Studies at King's College, London but better known to Society of Ancients members as the innovative game designer of Phalanx, Legion and Strategos fame, will be giving a pre-battle introduction to Gaugamela putting it in its historical context and highlighting the controversial aspects of the battle. 

Martin Charlesworth, formerly Director of the British Institute of Persian Studies (Archaeology) based in Iran, Society member and Slingshot contributor, will give "An Eastern Perspective on Alexander the Great". 

Duncan Head, well-known writer on this period, and remembered by those of us a little longer in the tooth as a former Editor of Slingshot, will answer questions on arms and equipment (and indeed anything else) of the armies of the time. These questions are invited to be submitted in advance and we will pick out the more interesting ones for Duncan to answer.

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.

We are grateful for the generous offers from Vendel Miniatures and Outpost Wargame Services to provide prizes for the day.

If this is not enough, we are hoping to have a website up and running soon covering various aspects of the day.

The cost of participating in the battle day, to cover hire of venue and tables, is £5. Every person paying the £5 entry fee will be entered in a prize draw for a box set of 40 28mm infantry figures from Vendel, either Macedonians, Persians or Greeks to be chosen by the winner.

The battle day is open to both members and non-members of the Society of Ancients. There is still time to offer to stage a game – but in any case, come along and take part as a player.

If you'd like to take part, please send a cheque for £5 (made payable to the Society of Ancients) to me at the following address: 27 County Place, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0RF. Please indicate your preference for which games you want to play, and supply contact email and/or phone number for yourself. I can be contacted at 
soabattleday@hotmail.com

This is going to be a fantastic day, probably the biggest refight ever. Don't miss out – come and be part of it!

Richard Lockwood & Nik Gaukroger

Please remember to mention Wargames Forum when contacting traders!

Return to What's New?    Return to Home Page