Canadian Wargamers, the unknown quantity, where do you find them and what are they doing? In a hobby where communication is at a minimum we suffer from the ' problem of great distances between clubs and from problems in finding opponents. It is our objective in forthcoming issues to bring to this column some of our problems, solutions, ideas, comments and experiences in wargaming.
As part of this we hope to provide "exposees" on gaming and clubs across the country, including battle reports, convention reports and items of general interest. Conventions are few and far between, as can be seen by Canadian involvement in American conventions (the Origins 79 ancients champion is a Canadian). We hope that others will use this column as a vehicle for interaction and a forum for dealing with issues facing wargamers.
Both Peter and I have been active in wargaming for many years, Peter being a founding member of the Montreal Wargamers Association. Previous to my own involvement in this club I was a solo wargamer for many years, from lack of opponents and not by choice. It is our hope to involve wargamers from many clubs in this column. With their help we will be reporting on upcoming conventions in Kitchener- Waterloo Ontario, September 15th, and in Halifax Nova Scotia, October 6, 7 & 8th, and a mail campaign. Shogun Japanese run by the Halifax club with participants from Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.
Perhaps the largest convention in Eastern Canada is Can Games held in Ottawa in May. As with all major conventions for the hobby it was set up to cater to the boardgamers, however the involvement of the miniaturists was substantially more than planned, which augers well for next year. Several tournaments were held, WRG Ancients, WGR Renaissance, skirmishes and involvement demonstrations. The Ancients tournament, 25mm armies of 1000 points, was won by the Seieucid army of Richard Wilson from Toronto who defeated Gary Goddings Ptolemaic army from Ottawa in the final.
RENAISSANCE TOURNAMENT
The Renaissance tournament, 15mm armies of 1500 points, was won by the Moghul Indian army of Keith Beardsley over the Scots Royalist army of Terry Collins in the final. Eliminated in the early rounds were the Imperialists 30 Years War, Swedish 30 Years War, Scots Covenanter, Spanish Imperialists and Persian Armies. The rules used were WRG Renaissance, 2nd Edition.
The Royalist Scots objectives were to silence the artillery and to secure the town to use it as a fire base against the cavalry. The Moghul general massed his cavalry on the flanks while using the infantry to deny control of the town until the cavalry could be effectively used.
The initial moves saw both sides making general advances towards their objectives with the Royalist unit (E) moving on the guns (15). This was followed by the Moghul cavalry units (3, 4) quickly getting into action against the Irish Musketeers (B) in an attempt to slow their advance. The cavalry was thrown back by the two-handed axemen and the disordering salvo fire of the supporting unit (C).
In the ensuing period (the third) the ghazi fanatics (14) launched an unpremeditated attack and drew the sub- general and light cavalry (11) into the conflict against the highlanders (F). The Moghul infantry secured the town in the centre while the Mansabdari reserve (units 5, 6) led- by the General attacked the Irish Musketeers (B) who had not yet rallied after beating off the last charge. In the ensuing melee both the Scots (F) and the Irish Musketeers (B) broke precipitating a retirement by the Gordon Horse (J) and the Scots support unit (G).
In the fourth and last period, other than the minor success of capturing the Moghul artillery (15) on the right flank, the continued retirement of the left wing caused the Scots to concede the game.
The Moghuls tactical plan of bringing his cavalry into contact as soon as possible was his only chance of success for if the Scots infantry had succeeded in reaching the town they would have forced the inferior Moghul infantry to retire and decimated the cavalry with superior fire power. The Scots general surrendered any advantage he had by his concentration in a deep formation which effectively screened his superior fire power and allowed the cavalry to concentrate on individual units at superior odds.
THE MONTREAL WARGAMERS ASSOCIATION
As part of this column we intend to provide a little background information on the clubs and organizations available to the wargamers in Canada. In initiating this, we felt that we should probably introduce our own group. The Montreal Wargamers Association has grown from a small group meeting every second Sunday at Peter's apartment to a club of approximately fifty members. This total includes about twenty miniaturists.
The increased size of the club has led to the establishment of a permanent facility which is available at any time, for the convenience of the gainers. A brief breakdown of the gaming periods and the rules used is as follows: Ancient - 17 armies (25mm) - WRG 5th ea.; Medieval - 4 armies (25mm) - the rules were developed within the club; Renaissance - 12 armies (15mm) - WRG 2nd ea.; Napoleonic - 11 armies (15mm) - WRG 1685 to 1850; ACW (20mm) - Stars and Bars; Colonial skirmish games (25mm) 1850 to 1900.
While we have experimented with various sets of rules these are those most frequently used. Most games pit individual members against each other in one to one ratio but we also fight multiple battles and have staged several historical refights. Other club activities include ongoing campaigns in Ancients, Crusades and Napoleonics.
The club has recently instituted an award for classical moments in wargaming. While this was originally to be an in-house trophy it is now going to be made available to all. The first recipient of the uncoveted "Dollard des Ormeaux" award is Benny the Bow (Charles Makad of Montreal). More on this in the next issue. For this Column to be successful as a communicative forum for Canadian Wargamers, their participation is not just required; it is essential. Keep this in mind.
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