… and should land in SoA member's postboxes in the next few days! Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article , or go to the SoA news page. (If you aren't already a member of The Society of Ancients , you can read about and join the society here.
Editorial
The view from the editor's chair including news about the virtual conference weekend, the Battle Day and the (real) annual Society Conference!
Guardroom
Extras about archers and some corrections about Teutons. Oh! and actual details about the Battle Day. No, really.
Roman Britain's Lost IXth Legion – by Dr Simon Elliot
So what really happened to the Ninth? Simon Elliot puts forward four plausible hypotheses: the legion was lost in Scotland; it was annihilated/disbanded in a London revolt; it was destroyed on the Rhine or in the east. He examines the evidence and one hypothesis emerges as most likely…
When the Rules Don't Work – Wargaming Hoplite Battles With Hail Caesar – by Gordon Lawrence
Historical inaccuracy is the eternal bugbear of rulesets and Gordon Lawrence digs up quite a few of them in Hail Caesar, such as fixed unit sizes, Greek hoplite support lines, different parts of a phalanx moving at different speeds, and so on. Answer? A little rules tinkering…
The Morale of the Armies at Cannae – by Andrew Parrock
Everyone knows that morale is one of the most important elements in an army, but what exactly morale is and how it affects the different aspects of a unit's cohesion and fighting ability is something that needs a closer look. Andrew Parrock does some close looking.
Computer Wargaming – by David Mason
Covid lockdowns have curtailed over-the-table wargaming to a great extent, with the result that internet gaming has become much more significant. David Mason examines computer wargaming and reviews the more popular Ancients and Mediaeval PC games.
A Quick Trawl of the Net – by Retiarius
Retiarus helps fellow lockdownees find a couple of the more useful websites that deal with pre-gunpowder wargaming, with the promise of more to come.
Timoleon Brings the Thunder – by Chris Hahn
Chris Hahn takes a close look at the Battle of Crimisus from the historical perspective in order to fine-tune the composition of the armies of Carthage and Timoleon as well as devise scenario-specific rules for the battle, to be played with l'Art de la Guerre.
The Second Punic War in the Classroom – by Dr Max Nelson
One good way to motivate students to study military history is get them to play it. Dr Nelson tries Professor Sabin's Second Punic War simulation on his own class, with great success.
Test of Resolve – Wars of the Roses – by David Knight
Test of Resolve – Wars of the Roses is a newly-released ruleset designed specifically for that era, with careful attention paid to historical accuracy as well as playability.
Wargaming through Lockdown – by Gordon Garrad
Quite a few Ancients and Mediaeval wargamers have taken to using video conferencing software like Skype, Facetime and Zoom to play games. How does it work? Gordon Garrad describes how.
The Sui-Eet Chinese Range – by Steve Neate
Outpost Wargames and Essex Miniatures have a very impressive range of 15mm figures for the Sui and Tang Chinese dynasties, as the photos supplied by Steve Neate demonstrate.
Singshot Book & Game Reviews
Including reviews of:
The Army of Maximinus Thrax: The Roman Soldier of the early 3rd Century AD by Dr Jan Eschbach;
The Goths From Berig to the Battle of Adrianople by Micheal Fredholm von Essenn.
