Just a heads up that the SoA is experimenting with opening some of its forums up for guest viewing. Non-SoA members can't post, but are able to view the discussions.
At present, the open boards are Army Research, Shows and Events, Ancient and Medieval History, Players seeking Players, Battle Reports and Selling.
With knowledgeable folk such as Duncan Head, Anthony Clipsom, Alistair McBeath, Patrick Waterson, Roy Boss, David Karunanithy, Jim Webster, Phil Steele and others regularly contributing there is some good stuff there.
soa.org.uk/sm
At this stage the full boards are not open unless you are a paid-up Society member, but there is talk of rotating through different ones every few months. Could be useful if you're researching a particular army / battle / troop type to have a quick browse to see what's available.
Cheers,
Aaron