Gaznavids go to Glasgow......
It’s March so it must be time for Schiltron, George Dick’s traditional Scottish 15mm Fog ancients wargames competition.
This year the defending champion took along top gamer Ian Stewart from down south and aspiring general Robert Taylor from Bradford.
Getting to Glasgow was easy for us traditionalists who use a road map but then panic set in with Ian and Robert when it was discovered that Ian’s sat nav couldn’t get a signal. Relying on old fashioned technology (talking to taxi drivers) we were able to locate our hotel and settle in. McLay’s hotel is ideally situated in the city centre, next to a night club, which means anyone wishing to sleep during the night might wish to avoid this hotel until after 4.30am !
Competitions shouldn’t be too serious so as twice champion I took along a fun army- Gaznavid. When I last checked the gates of Gazni were in the Taj Mahal !
This 11 century Afghan army is a bit of a pick n mix army, with lots of fun options. Its bursting with elephants which are ideal for taking on mounted opponents or even for just lurking at the back looking threatening. There’s some impact foot who enjoy charging straight ahead- ideally at other foot troops. Add in bow armed light horse and cavalry along with some lancer light horse and cav and you have a force which may not be the perfect competition army but at least can hold its own against most things.
The downside of course is that it’s not a shoot n scoot army nor is it a close your eyes n charge type either. The elephants have to be used cautiously otherwise they tend to trumpet and collapse in front of your eyes at the vital moment. The impact foot are a risk too but either win well or collapse also.
With this army the key to victory is to ensure that if the elephants and foot get into combat then they all arrive at the same time in a nice straight battle line. Unsupported attacks dont tend to succeed. The lancer cav also have to be husbanded carefully to stop then charging off into the distance at exactly the wrong moment!
See the Schiltron pages on rhs for battle reports
