Madaxeman.com is delighted to bring you the second edition of the The Kegworth Codgers Midweek Challenge L'Art de la Guerre Competition.

Following the success of 2024's open-armed embrace of the ongoing demographic shifts sweeping gently through the world of Ancient Wargaming, the idea of running a competition during the week for retirees, part-timers, and those with far too much holiday allowance on their hands is now a proven concept, and last year allowed over 30 brave souls to play some ADLG without having to eat into any more of their weekends (which of course are better spent with loved ones / watching sport) (delete as appropriate).

The venue for 2025 will again be The Kegworth Hotel & Conference Centre, is perfectly located just moments from the M1 Junction 24 in a quaint and historic Leicestershire village with at least 2 decent boozers and a great Indian restaurant where we will hopefully all be going again on the middle night of the event fora slap up feast. 

For any newcomers, The Kegworth Hotel & Conference Centre is a little more "East Midlands-based Underlay Wholesaler's quarterly sales meeting venue" rather than "Where the Leaders of the G7 Nations choose to stay when attending Davos.." making it an absolutely perfectly priced and located hotel venue for a wargames "non-weekend" event in location, facilities, and cost.

Having deeply researched the extensive history of Kegworth using Wikipedia and at least one other website means each year we will look to somehow precariously hang a theme on one of the abundance of hooks relating  to the history of Kegworth.

2025 Theme:

With loads of Kegworthian history to choose from the 2025 event will go all ecclesiastical and take its theme from Kegworth's Grade II listed CofE Parish Church of St Andrew's, the oldest surviving part of which Wikipedia assures us was started in the 13th Century around the time of the Crusades. 

That leads neatly onto a theme of "armies of Christianity and Islam valid in the period 1200-1299", with the following armies allowed:

• 135 Arab Indian
• 140 Central Asian Turkish
• 156 Irish
• 158 Slav
• 166 Christian Nubian
• 167 Beja
• 182 Feudal French
• 183 Feudal English
• 184 Feudal Scots
• 185 Feudal Welsh
• 186 Feudal Anglo-Irish
• 187 Scots Isles and Highlanders
• 188 Kingdom of Sicily
• 189 Communal Italian
• 190 Feudal Spanish
• 191 Feudal German
• 193 Komnenan Byzantine
• 194 Cilician Armenian
• 196 Later Crusader
• 197 Frankish Cyprus
• 198 Eastern Latin Empire
• 203 Seljuk Turks
• 205 Syrian
• 206 Ghurid
• 207 Ayyubid Egyptian
• 208 Khwarazmian
• 209 Sahelian Empire
• 210 Tuareg
• 211 Berber
• 213 Feudal Polish
• 214 Feudal Hungarian
• 215 Georgian
• 216 Feudal Russian
• 217 Cuman
• 218 Feudal Scandinavian
• 219 Prussian and Estonian
• 220 Teutonic Knights
• 230 Granadine
• 231 Swiss
• 243 Low Countries
• 248 Lithuanian
• 250 Muscovite Russian
• 251 Medieval Scandinavian
• 256 Serbian Empire
• 257 Second Bulgarian Empire
• 258 Later Byzantine
• 259 Mamluk
• 260 Turkoman
• 261 Ottoman Turkish
• 269 Islamic Persian
• 270 Ilkhanid Mongol
• 275 Delhi Sultanate

All lists must be valid from 1200-1299 inclusive, and allies can be drawn from any list. 

The event will be played in 15mm, with all the usual standard rules, any FAQ extant at the time and that general sort of malarkey. Lists to lists@madaxeman.com by the 26th September please.

Timings:

The format will be civilized and sympathetic to those of advancing years, or put another way the timings will be a bt later than usual:

Tuesday:

• 09:15-11:45
• 12:45-15:15
• 15:30-18:00
• Evening - curry in the same place as last year

Wednesday

• 10:00-12:30
• 13:30-16:00

We will again be looking to sort out some sort of lunch deal with the hotel for both days of the event, and with the benefit of hindsight will hopefully manage to pick slightly better options from their menu this year too. 

Onsite Accommodation Deal: 

You are politely encouraged to book rooms in the venue hotel, on the basis that they have offered us some really great rates, the more of us stay there the happier they will be to welcome us back in future, and also as it just makes it easier for us to round up anyone who might have spent too long in the onsite bar on Monday or Tuesday night.

The booking code to use on the Kegworth Hotel and Conference Centre website is: "BHGS"

If you use this code then you will be able to secure room rates for Monday and Tuesday evenings of just:

• Single person £60 room only / £70 bed and breakfast
• 2 people double or twin / £75 room only / £85 bed and breakfast.

Venue Address:

The Kegworth Hotel & Conference Centre
Packington Hill, Kegworth, DE74 2DF
Tel: +44 (0) 1509 672 427