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My return to the Art de la Guerre (ADLG) competition circuit saw me travel once again to Eccles on a cold Sunday morning for the final round in the 2021 Northern League. My last competitive game was in Nov 2018!
I'd agreed to share the journey with Gareth Jones which added a welcome social aspect to the day. We had breakfast enroute and the post-mortem on the return journey was most enjoyable. All that was missing was a hour in the pub.
I'd been building up to this competition since June when I described myself as essentially a former wargamer. Since then I have slowly eased myself back into wargaming with a series of seven friendly games starting in July.
In the friendly games I used basically the same army list because I wanted to focus on re-learning Art de la Guerre (ADLG) and adjusting to the new version released in the summer. I also resolved to learn to play from the official quick reference sheet if at all possible. In the four months prior to the competition I felt like I was making process but I remain slower than I would like.
Using the same army list was beneficial. It offered numerous opportunities to tweak the list but in the end I only made one and that was after the first game in July. However, before the competition I made a few tweaks sacrificing army size for a few better quality troops and a few with more "punch".
The essence of my list (see below) is the ability of the two Ilkhanid commands to frustrate the opposition as almost everything can shoot and evade. I frequently use the ally command to hold a large part of the table, often in the centre, but I have a terrible habit of rolling 1s making them unreliable. In some games they have been inert throughout so I have learnt to be very positive with the two Ilkhanid commands.
| Date | 07 Nov 2021 |
| Rules Version | 4 |
| Status | Northern League 3rd Round |
| Venue | Eccles, Manchester |
| Army | Ilkhanid Mongol with a Cilician Armenian Ally |
| Army list | 270.0.05 |
| Army number | 270 |
| Army date | 1260 AD |
| Results | Official results grid |
Overall I enjoyed the competition. I finished seventh out of twelve with what I thought was respectable 143 points from three draws. I was ahead on points in two and marginally behind in the third. All the games went to time and I think I was the last to finish in all three games. The army's ability to shoot & evade made it extremely difficult for my opponents to pin it down.
Here's a few more shots of the event. Notice how many people are wrapped up against the cold. I kept my hat on all day (wrinkly stylee)!
Read on for photos of my opponents, game details, and the results.
Game #1
| Opposition | Paul Woolerton |
| Army | Feudal Spanish |
| Army number | 190 |
| Army date | N/A |
| Initiative | Lost |
| My Posture | Attacker |
| Terrain | Mountains |
| Game time | 02:20 |
| Attrition Scores | 10/22 to 21/25 |
| Decisive | No |
| Points | 52 - 40 |
| Result | Winning draw |
Paul had medium knights, lots of spear and El Cid as a strategist! What an opponent for my first competitive game in three years. To cap it all, my ally was unreliable and stayed that way for most of the game. In these circumstances the result was better than I expected.
Game #2
| Opposition | Bob Middlemist |
| Army | Condotta |
| Army number | 235 |
| Army date | 1430 AD |
| Initiative | Lost |
| My Posture | Defender |
| Terrain | Plains |
| Game time | 02:20 |
| Attrition Scores | 13/22 to 14/20 |
| Decisive | No |
| Points | 49 - 43 |
| Result | Winning draw |
Bob had two unreliable generals and a strategist. My ally was unreliable and stayed that way: surprise surprise! His unreliable generals soon became reliable. Even so my two Ilkhanid commands danced, delayed and chipped away at his commands; even those with heavy knights. Bob took pity on my inexperience; he was patient, helpful and a true gent throughout.
Game #3
| Opposition | Andy Mckay |
| Army | Medieval Hungarian |
| Army number | 249 |
| Army date | 1442 AD |
| Initiative | Won |
| My Posture | Attacker |
| Terrain | Steppe |
| Game time | 02:20 |
| Attrition Scores | 9/22 to 8/21 |
| Decisive | No |
| Points | 42 - 45 |
| Result | Losing draw |
Lots of spear, heavy knights & another strategist. I kid you not. It was that sort of a day. By now I was well practised in holding off a wall of heavy knights with my heavy cavalry. I was pleased that the ally wasn't unreliable and played an important part in the game. I was particularly pleased to work a dominant flank attack against the Hungarian spear. This game was always destined to bea draw: we could have played on for hours before we got a result.
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