ANST - Past GW stories -- GW I

[Mark.S Harris]

Amy Forsyth wrote:

> For one thing, of the Gulf Wars that I've been to, it's still my favorite.

Well, it was the one I remember the best, that stands out the most.

> The broad, flat field where the merchants are located now was the melee
> field.  Pavilions were set up along the back side of the field where the
> road runs.   The Ansteorran encampment was in the area of the cabins ---
> and it wasn't crowded by any means.  

Yes, for the first few wars there really weren't very many merchants.

I believe the original estimate for attendance was around 300. Even the
first Gulf Wars exceeded that with around 500.

Not too bad, considering Pennsic didn't surpass that until 4 or 5 or
later.

> For the most part, the days were very hot and very dusty, and the nights
> were cool and humid.

I don't remember the nights being that cool for I remember skinny-dipping
after dark at the pool. And a gaggle of folks standing around watching the
skinny-dippers.

> The one thing that everyone talks about from GW I is the woods battle and
> how the woods won.  The woods battle took place behind the Ansteorran
> encampment.... most of those woods have now been cut down.

THAT, I do remember. Ansteorra started off great, marching in order, two
by two into the woods. But it soon became less orderly as the double file
disintergrated as people dropped out. I remember marching over hill, down
into a valley and over the next hill, down into the next valley etc. etc. 
I don't know if the Ansteorra strategy of marching worked better or the 
Trimaris one of sitting down and waiting for the other to come to them was 
better. The two major armies never meet. Perhaps an organized scout system 
such as is used in the Pennsic woods battle would have worked better.

As it was, the woods battle was the first battle of the day. More were
planned to follow. I had originally planned to participate in them. When
I finally made it back to camp, I didn't leave it until much later.

Are you saying the woods battle was near the cabins? That walk back
from the woods battle sure seemed much, much longer than that.

This may also have been the Gulf Wars that had the long, long, long
Meridian court but perhaps that was Gulf Wars III. There was only
one combined court of all the kingdoms and not the seperate kingdom
courts and then a grand court as now seems to be the practice.

Lord Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net
(who has now attended every Gulf Wars but number 2)
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