At the SIMCON XIV Convention held in Rochester, New York in March 1992, one of the miniatures events was a 15mm ancients tournament hosted by SAGA and umpired by Scott Holder of NASAMM; The rules were Wargames Research Group (WRG) 7th Edition, including the new interpretations recently reported in SAGA Newsletter (Vol VI, No..1, Feb-Mar 1992). Each of the 21 players had a 1600-point army under the WRG cost points system. The tournament had four rounds in round robin style, with the highest point scorer the winner. The tournament point system was somewhat complicated. Each player could earn from 1-5 base points p'r round, depending on both the margin of victory and the number of enemy destroyed. At the end of all four rounds, the player was given a bonus which was a percentage of the base scores of the player''s various opponents (the theory behind this formula appeared to be that if someone drew tougher opponents--as shown by their base scores--the person ought to be given a break).

Brian Lewis used Teutonic Knights and took first place with 41.8 tournament points, edging out Jamie Fish who used medieval Scots Isles and Highlanders and had 41.6 points. Frank Gilson, who used Theodoran Byzantines (late, 1204-1453 AD), took third' place with 40.8 points. I finished down in the pack with my medieval Ethiopians (WRG List 101, Abyssinian). Other armies included Seleucids, Lysimachids (another of Alexander''s successors), Prefeudal Scots (around 1000 AD), Anglo 0ormans (around 1100 AD), Italian condottiere, Patrician Roman (late, 5th century AD), Comnenan Byzantines (around 1100 AD), Sultanate of Dllhi (medieval Indian), Early Imperial Roman, Japanese samurai, Timurid (the army of Tamerlane, around 1400 AD), Ancient British, Chin Chinese (3rd century BC), Marian Romans (about 1st century BC), Palmyrans (3rd century AD), and Incas.

Except for 1 unit of light infantry (LI) foot archery, my Ethiopians were armed with javelin and shield. I had 2 LI units, 2 LC, 1 of EHC. All of the cavalry were of good irregular B morale. Finally, I had several large and small units of light medium infantry (LMI), some average Irregular C morale, and some fanatic Irregular A morale.

First Opponent

My first opponent was the Marian Romans of Vic Fitzpatrick. This version leaned heavily on auxiliaries with only a relatively small number of legionaries, and even included elephants. I got off to a bad start when both my LC units charged a single Thratian LC unit which was able to fight in the wedge formation that is superior in WRG combats. The Thracians beat both units, caught them when they tried to break off (as light cavalry have to do generally when they lose a round), and routed both units; on the west flank.

Some LMI of each side struggled in a center woods and I eventually destroyed one small unit of Thracians. In the east, the Romans moved-up a unit of Syrian horse archers to slow down my main LMI advance. However, the Ethiopian Javelin LI unit Querban Heywate (Living Sacrifice) 'worked' around behind them. As a result, although the speedier horse archers could always escape without contact, they continually took Javelin volleys, and eventually failed enough waver (morale) tests to rout.

This caused one Roman elephant unit to take a waver test, which it failed, and fell-to the intermediate state of "shaken." Querban Heywate was then able to charge the elephants, causing them to take another waver test as charged when already shaken. The elephants failed, and routed. Meanwhile, however, the Romans had exploited the weakness on the west flank and wiped out the other two Ethiopian LI units, before the game's time limit ran out. The results showed the difference between game and tournament points, as the Romans won in the field by 257;5-lost for them to 400 for the Ethiopians, but for tournament purposes that was a 2-2 draw (the Romans just missed--if they had destroyed 8 more game points they would have had 1 tournament point more for each of enemy destroyed end margin of victory, and a 4-2 win).

Second Opponent

My next opponent was Jevon Garrett with the Sultanate of Delhi. One Indian unit of LMI was force marched to the center of the board where it held up and disrupted parts of the slow-developing Ethiopian army. A sweep on the east flank eventually managed to destroy the other LMI unit and a unit of foot archers. This was more than counterbalanced in the west center, however. A screen of Delhi LI armed with bqws and handguns did firing damage to, but evaded rules-required charges of the two crack Ethiopian Irregular A LKI units, Takuela (The Jackals) and Sellbe Nayle (The Trinity Is My Strength).

Some Delhi elephants and HC then came up, charged, and eventually destroyed both LMI units. The resulting waver tests caused one Ethiopian LC unit, Gojjam (a geographical area), to fail and fall to shaken, then rout when charged by enemy LC. If exploitation then destroyed' the lone Ethiopian LC unit, . Abrigime (another geographical area). At the far west end, the other Ethiopian LC unit, Sawaryana Warmat (Carriers of Spears), managed- to charge and rout an enemy LC unit, but was in turn driven off the board while evading a charge of enemy HC (under WRG, the Ethiopians had-to roll each turn to return, but did not do so in the limited time remaining, and counted as half lost). The final totals were 284.5 game points lost for the Sultanate to 673.5 for the Ethiopians, a 5-2 tournament point victory for Delhi.

Third Opponent

My third and final battle that day was against the Seleucids of Greg Heuser. On the west flank there was mainly some skirmishing, although the Ethiopian LI unit Balel Kabraq (Lightning in Victory) destroyed an enemy LI unit. The main Seleucid attack was pressed in the east center, directly against the Irregular A LMI units Takuela and Sellus Heyle, by a first wave of cataphtacts and a second wave of scythed chariots. In WRG, the cataphrects are classed as superheavy cavalry (SHC), which makes them expensive, but inmelee they are impervious to javelins, represented by dropping the javelin bonus that troops such as the Ethiopian normally get.

Scythed-chariots are classed as Irregular A "expendable elements" which can cause damage but are generally destroyed in combat unless they achieve a spectacular result such as routing. They charged and pushed back, but did not rout, their opponents.

In the second round, the western cataphtacts were aided by a charge of two chariots, causing Sallys Heyle to roll a waver test. It had passed when charged by the cataphracts. but failed this time with a roll of 1 on a 6-sided die. The unit was wiped out on that turn. Takuela, although beaten again. escaped. That was because the Irregular C LMI unit Wej (a geographical area) came up and charged the second cataphraot unit in the flank. They did not do much damage, but forced the cataphracts to turn.

Wej was then charged by a third chariot, passed the waver test (needing a 4 or better), and survived, causing the chariot to disappear.

Meanwhile the other two chariots were charged at short range by the Ethiopian HC unit Abrigima, so were unable to use their Pcpthas, and were destroyed. The cataphract unit moved off, caught up with Takuela, and this time destroyed them. Meanwhile, the Laellus Hayle unit caused two Ethiopian units of LI and LMI in the center to take waver tests, wkich they failed, eventually causing their rout at the hand of the Seleucid center.

Near the back of the board, a long looping Ethiopian flank march by uuerban Heywate was checked by a Selercid EHC unit, which charged and effectively destroyed the LI- However, the Ethiopian EHC unit, Giyorgis Hayle (Strength in Saint George), also coming up , charged the Seleucids in the flank and routed them off the board The pursuit took Giyorgis Hayls off the board. Under WRG, they were considered to have looted the enemy camp, a 150-point loss for the Seleucide but a half-unit (52.5 points, in this case) loss for the Ethiopians. The final totals were 345 game points lost for the Seleucide to 610.5 for the Ethiopians, a 4-2 Seleucid victory in tournament points.

The final round began the next morning. My opponent was Nelson Rumley with Chin Chinese. He set up with 2 LC horse archer and 1 LI unit on each flank, reserves including 1 unit each of heavy cavalry and 4 horns heavy chariots (ordinary, not scythed expendables), and in the center a mixture of heavy infantry (HI) and one special unit of light heavy infantry (LHI). These counted as good Reg B morale, double armed classifies as two handed cut and thrust (2HCT). The HI were organized In two ranks in weapons combinations that varied with the units, the back ranks of javelin or crossbow and the front rank of 2HCT or pike.

I put my LC on the east flank and charged his horse archers immediately. Sawaryane Kirmat caught their foe and routed them: This could not be exploited completely, however, as he brought up the heavy chariots to block the flank and Gojjam and the other Chinese LC unit traded indecisive charges and a hooting. Later, my LI unit Badel Mabraq destroyed his LI unit in the east. On the west, his lights slowed my LMI advance but did not do much damage. That left the center, where two Irregular C LMI units Wej and Zin Amore (Lord of the Vultures), and my small Irregular A LMI unit Badel Ssbraq (Sun in Victory) charged in an "impetuous" style that under the WRG rules forced the regular Chinese to receive them standing. Nevertheless. Hadel Sabraq relieved only mild success in the east canter, pushing bnck but not routing a larger foe, while the large LMI unit Zan Amora, facing the LHI plus 1 HI unit, did so poorly that after several rounds the unprotected LMI were destroyed on the field. It was Wej in the center that won the game for the Ethiopians. It pushed back its HI opponent.

The Chinese brought up the LHI to shoot from one flank while the reserve HC charged an exposed element (stand) from the front. Wej passed the waver test for being charged (a 50-50 chance), beat the cavalry, and routed the HI on the last turn before the game's time limit expired. Several nearby Chinese units including the HC, the LHI, and the HI opposing Hadel Sabreq all failed their waver tests and fell to shaken, counting as half value. The final score of the final game was 133 game points lost for the Ethiopians to 446 for the Chinese, a 5-1 Ethiopian victory in tournament points.

[Ed. You got snookered, Dave. When your LHI are involved in a melee, they cannot RESPOND to a counter attack, therefore. you do not hare, to take a waver test when charged by then.]