24th to 26th January 2004 - Canberra, Australia |
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As Umpire for Cancon 2004 Ancients, I had the privilege of seeing some 82 gamers compete for the title of Australian Champion. For this I would like to thank the SAAW committee for giving me the opportunity to give back a little of the enjoyment I have gleaned from countless tournaments. As a gamer, its always been the holy grail of wargaming to compete at Cancon. I found it all the more illuminating to see the incredible effort that goes into making this three day event happen. As a very very short mention I would like to highlight the incredible work done by the following people, noting that this is not an exhaustive list;
One thing that needs be noted – and entirely my fault – was I didn’t allow for how hard it is to project my voice to over 40 tables. In one round, time was not heard to be called properly and this extended games to a very small degree on some of the lower tables. Perhaps a horn or hooter or whistle would be worth taking next time. It was interesting to note the differences in the way tournaments are run. Its been my experience in running tournaments in Queensland that time is called without warning at the end of a game on a random whistle stop. I was corrected by some players that tradition south of the border is to give notice when three and a half hours have passed. This was not something I was used to doing but was no problem to adhere to. Overall the competition was notable in my mind for being a very friendly occasion with very very few complaints about opponents lodged. In total there were six complaints regarding time taken by players and my opinion the majority of cases due to factors other than stalling. Likewise, no complaints were lodged about corner sitting – none in more than jest ! (I didn’t see anyone interested in voting for the King of the Corner trophy) Except for the game between Doug Melville and Troy Adlington there seemed no animosity in the games and in that one case I can excuse it after a hard night on the turps for both players ! Dice seemed to pose no major issues with complaints about wild fluctuations in rolls not being more than I am used to hearing in a tournament. Numerous (including some very seasoned) players experienced issues with the IWF clarifications in some small areas. Chief area of uncertainty for many players was that of intermingling of commands where baggage is concerned. This I had to rule on many times though the diagrams helped immensely. Some confusion also arose about flank attacks on columns and mounted troops engaged by foot in difficult going. In most cases, encouraging players to read the rules carefully and aloud helped solve the situation. Oddly, several players were caught out by the effects of hostile boats interpenetrating waders. Somehow I suspect boats in rivers are not widely used in regional comps. After some coaching I found players picked up very quickly on the 32-0 scoring system with absolutely no antagonism once the chart was explained. In total, only one player expressed any disliking for the two list format. Others indicated they didn’t see the need to change a system
that has worked for many years. I had the strong feeling that most players had no feelings either way on the subject. This surprised me as some lists really came into their own with the choices
offered by two lists. I found it best to explain to players that the best outlook is to go with what is run internationally. This gives Oz players the best grounding possible when competing
internationally in my opinion. On the subject of lists, a minor discrepancy was brought to my attention. If a player was late in entering – for whatever reason – their
list was posted on the wall of the venue for all to see. This seemed fair until it was mentioned that players should not know what list of the two possible was chosen. The solution was suggested
that the late entry player should instead write down their choice of lists taken for a particular game be written down and given to an umpire or similar. This makes sense in not penalising a
player twice, while still giving the player a penalty for late entry and undue hardship to list checkers.
To me, one of the highlights of the weekend was catching up with players I see very rarely. Even more interesting was meeting people who til now have only been names on the DBM (or AncMed) lists online. Sadly I was too busy to take time out to discuss the hobby with these gentlemen as much as I would have liked. As an conclusion I would like to thank the players for being very sporting and cheerful in accepting an umpire who hadn’t run a comp of more than 20 players before. Thanks to all the guys for their friendly approach to each game and their opponents. Garry Wait Further Acknowledgements: (Scott Nicholas) On behalf of the players I'd like to thank Garry Wait for accepting the job as umpire. Considering he hasn't been to Cancon before it was a big responsibility to take on. We must also acknowledge the volunteers that painted all the Trophies (13 total); Martin Morgan with assistance from Ian Sharp (Two Foot Figures.) These guys did a thankless task, both were lucky enough to take a few of them back home. Other helpers in the background were Dean Bedlington and Craig McGarty. Photographs; many thanks to Mark Robins and Garry Wait again for taken the snaps and sending them in. To our sponsor; Miniature Work Maker, Black Trees Designs, Essex Minatures, thanks for your continued support. Until next year! .......................................
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