Society of Ancients Conference 2021
The Society's Annual Conference will take place at the Cambridge University Continuing Education Centre at Madingley Hall (two miles northeast of Cambridge and one mile off the M11) from the evening of Friday 29
th October to teatime on Sunday 31
st October. The Venue is an Elizabethan Manor House with modern facilities, set in landscaped gardens.
The programme is still firming up, but we can already announce that our Keynote Speaker at the Conference Dinner on Saturday night will be
Ben Kane, the author of many acclaimed historical fiction novels set in the classical and medieval periods. Other speakers include
- Simon Elliott on the IX Legion
- Matt Bennett on How Medieval Commanders learned their trade
- Simon MacDowell on Adrianople (the theme for Battleday 2022)
Games that have already been offered include:
- A giant 28mm Ipsus
- Battle of Montaperti
- Wars of the Roses Game
- Chariot Racing
- Roman vs barbarian skirmish games using the Infamy, Infamy rules, run by the author Richard Clarke
There is still space for several others. If you have a game that you would like to arrange, please contact the Conference organiser, Richard Lockwood (conference@soa.org.uk).
Bookings are now open via the Society website (https://www.soa.org.uk/joomla/conference). Since it is now only two months until the event, the full amount is payable at the time of booking. Packages available are:
- Full Residential Package (Friday supper to Sunday teatime): £326
- Main Conference Residential Package (Saturday coffee to Sunday teatime): £221
- Saturday day rate (non-residential) (Saturday coffee to Saturday teatime): £50
- Sunday day rate (Non-residential) (Sunday coffee to Sunday teatime): £50
As in earlier years, Members aged 25 and below will receive a
£50 discount.
Be a part of it - book your place now!
Booked.
Booked
It is also possible to pay by cheque (payable to the Society of Ancients) to Mabar, Blackheath Lane, Wonersh, GUILDFORD, GU5 0PN.
Richard
And another - that was easy to do from the link provided :)
Just a reminder to anyone thinking of going to the Conference that this (http://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=5470.msg72556#msg72556) is on nearby, as well. Bob Robertson and I are planning to drive to Cambridge on the Friday morning, catch the exhibition in the afternoon, and then proceed to the Conference for Friday evening. Could be worth the diversion if early nomads are among your interests.
That exhibition is a good call Duncan - i am going to try and see it myself on the Friday morning.
Meanwhile, bookings for the Conference are coming through thick and fast.
Just a few more lines on the games lined up so far:
- David Knight will be running his Test of Resolve rules for Wars of the Roses (David - feel free to give us a few lines here on the forum on the philosophy of the rules to give your games a good old plug!)
- The giant Ipsus game will be run by Simon Miller aka Big Red Bat with his To The Strongest rules - I am sure many of you have seen his massive 28mm Ancient games at Salute and other shows - he promises more pike than ever before - let's hope Madingley Hall's foundations are up to it taking the weight...
- Simon MacDowall and I are running a prelude to Adrianople game refighting the Battle of ad Salices (aka Battle of the Willows), to ghet us all in the mood for next year's Battle Day
- The Montaperti game is that which won "Best Game" at the Battle Day a few years ago - run by Phil Steele using Impetus rules. It is one of my favourite periods and battles (yes, choosing it for Battle Day was a little self-indulgent!) and Phil's terrain and beautifully-painted figures never disappoint.
- The chariot racing is for the Friday night "after dinner games" - Jeremy Giles promises a fun game with all the thrills and spills of Ancient Rome.
- We also have a Big Battle DBA game in the Hellenistic period run by Conference regular David Dickinson
and probably some more that I have momentarily forgotten!
More updates soon...
I will post some Test of Resolve stuff later.
This is my first conference so I wondered what the structure of the event is - how I get people to play my game and how I get to join in others?
It will be great to meet you all - I think the only person I will have met before is Richard Clarke having played in one of his games at a 'Lard' event.
Don't worry!
Friday evening tends to be dominated by people bringing out their favourite board games. The rest of the weekend tends to fall into a pattern where everyone
- Absorbs presentation, as advertised above
- Joins in one of the organised games, including your own
- Retires for post-morten discussion and beer at the bar
- Repeat
Obtaining participants for one's game is not usually a problem. Indeed, you may wish to come equipped with a stick in order to keep the mob under control. Stick is also useful for obtaining a good seat at someone else's table.
Hope this helps. 8)
Really looking forwards to this. Be great to get out and meet up with other wargamers. I shall be bringing "Spartans and Successors" https://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/p/spartans-and-successors.html (https://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/p/spartans-and-successors.html) a card driven system for classical Greek refights (that isn't "To The Strongest"), and also "Dicing With Death", a gladiator game for after dinner.
Nick,
Do you know how early we can check in on Friday afternoon/evening? Not that I am expecting to be especially early, but just for info....
Quote from: Duncan Head on October 22, 2021, 02:10:46 PM
Nick,
Do you know how early we can check in on Friday afternoon/evening? Not that I am expecting to be especially early, but just for info....
Be useful to know. I'm intending to put some easy to play games in the boot, like Call it Qids or Elephant in the Room. Be good to play some of those over a cocktail or even afternoon cup of tea if it opens early enough.
I anticipate that either Richard or John will send out a list of joining instructions and other useful information in the near future.
8)
That would be useful.
As another first time attendee I have just started to think what I might pack. From the photos of previous events it looks like a fairly relaxed dress code, but the venue looks so smart I feel the urge to pack a jacket and tie, any advice?
Ian
Generally relaxed, yes.
I tend to wear a jacket for Saturday dinner, though not a tie - some people are be-tied, but there is no real "code".
Sounds like good advise.
I think I will go with military base protocol - working dress (i.e. very casual) for day time and smarten up for evening.
Cheers,
Ian
It is a proper sit down affair so you can't go wrong with a jacket and tie.
Best
JohnDZ
Secretary
Quote from: holdfast on October 25, 2021, 04:17:43 PM
It is a proper sit down affair so you can't go wrong with a jacket and tie.
Best
JohnDZ
Secretary
Depends on whether there is soup.
Quote from: Trebian on October 25, 2021, 08:01:16 PM
Quote from: holdfast on October 25, 2021, 04:17:43 PM
It is a proper sit down affair so you can't go wrong with a jacket and tie.
Best
JohnDZ
Secretary
Depends on whether there is soup.
Well I was thinking of bringing one of my CCF kipper ties but now you have me thinking of breaking out one of my nice bow ties - very useful for not getting burned by the Bunsen burners etc. in the lab and equally for not trailing about catching soup - or worse someone's most precious model on a battlefield!
Ian
Quote from: Ian61 on October 26, 2021, 04:27:36 PM
Quote from: Trebian on October 25, 2021, 08:01:16 PM
Quote from: holdfast on October 25, 2021, 04:17:43 PM
It is a proper sit down affair so you can't go wrong with a jacket and tie.
Best
JohnDZ
Secretary
Depends on whether there is soup.
Well I was thinking of bringing one of my CCF kipper ties but now you have me thinking of breaking out one of my nice bow ties - very useful for not getting burned by the Bunsen burners etc. in the lab and equally for not trailing about catching soup - or worse someone's most precious model on a battlefield!
Ian
It's a wargames conference, and people are concerned about the dress code.
My, how things change.
You would never have caught Charles Grant without a jacket and tie. And under that regime the Society had almost twice as many members. Perhaps the decline in membership was triggered by the decline in standards.
did you have any specific member in mind, when you tarred us all with the scruffy oik brush?
Quote from: holdfast on October 28, 2021, 10:24:01 PM
You would never have caught Charles Grant without a jacket and tie. And under that regime the Society had almost twice as many members. Perhaps the decline in membership was triggered by the decline in standards.
Ah, but correlation is not causation.
Quote from: Mark G on October 29, 2021, 07:06:33 AM
did you have any specific member in mind, when you tarred us all with the scruffy oik brush?
I resemble that remark!
My lady wife pointed out that it could be nearly two years that I last wore a pair of trousers that didn't have 'SITE' embroidered on them :o
Well, I didn't want to assume he was talking about you , Doug.
Thanks to Richard and John Dz for organising another excellent conference.
Excellent presentations on Rome's Lost Legion, Adrianople and Medieval Military Leadership.
A good choice of games in different rule sets - thanks to everyone who put on a game.
A great dinner speaker, Ben Kane.
Excellent food.
My speciality for the weekend was playing a Goth and charging down my opponents - sorry Ernie!
Richard
Excellent weekend. Thanks to Richard & John DZ for organising.
It was indeed a fine weekend. Thanks and congratulations to Richard, John, to all our speakers and to everyone who put on games - my only regret is that it wasn't possible to play EVERY SINGLE GAME on offer.
I'd wish to echo all the congratulations and praise for the Conference. Very heady wine after the dry months of Lock-down and Pandemic restrictions.
Can I please echo both above.
As a first timer I thought it was a very good experience.
I had not expected the old hands to be quite so welcoming.
I really enjoyed the wide mix of personalities and expertise present.
I am already looking forward to other events.
Ian