1. 14th Annua1 SYWA Convention in 1997 will be held once again at the Holiday lnn Downtown in South Bend, Indiana. This year the convention has been moved back several wecks due to the fact that the Easter holiday falls on our traditional end of March convention slot. This year's convention dates will he Friday April 11 and Saturday April 12, 1997. Given that we are paying for the room for the whole day, this year's convention will begin at 8 A.M on Friday with a number of games allocated to Friday afternoon and evening. It seems that a growing number of members are already taking time off to attend the convention, so we thought that we would accomodate the membership by providing a full day of gaming on Friday. So mark your calendars and plan to drop in early.
Once again, our featured guest will be Dr. Christopher Duffy, who will give a presentation on Frederick the Great's tactics on Friday and follow up with an analysis of the Austrian victory at Maxen. We also hope to encourage Dr. Duffy to pick up some dice and give the "Bad Guys" (Prussians) a sound thrashing on the wargame tables.
Anyone with an interest in running a wargame should contact Paul Petri, who along with Brian Vizek, Dean West and Herb Gundt, are the volunteers who are responsible for putting the convention togeather. You can reach Paul via e-mail at Ziethen@aol.com. Additional details about the convention can be found in the next issue of the Journal (which will be mailed in February 1997) or by checking out the SYWA's web site on the internet at http://www.erinet.com/bp/hist.html
2. Re-enactment of the Battle of Kolin (October 19, 1996) Your editor will be hosting a large scale refight of the afore-mentioned battle at the Emperor's Headquarters on Saturday October 19, 1996. The address is 5744 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60634. [Phone No. 312-777-4828, ask for John Brewster] You can also send me an e-mail at JPURKY@aol.com to reserve a place in the game or to get additional details. The game will be played using 25mm figures and my own Alte Fritz wargame rules. These are user-friendly, easy to learn rules so you don't have to be an expert to play in the game. I have been busy adding units to my Austrian forces, which now include a number of Old Glory units as well as a smattering of Guernsey Foundry figures. So even if you don't care to play, feel free to stop in and watch and meet some other members of the Association.
3. Tricon 18th Century Military History and Wargames Convention November 2nd and 3rd, 1996. SYWA member Byron Champlin and friends have done an outstanding job of organizing a first class wargame convention to be held at the Masonic Temple on Monument Square in historic Concord. Massachusetts. Registration will open on Saturday morning at 7 PM and at least 30 games and 6 historical lectures are on the schedule. When I say lectures, these are not your ordinary run of the mill lectures; the lineup includes Brent Noseworthy's lecture on Frederick thc Great, Mark Mocarski on the Jacobite Army, Robert Mulligan on Braddock's Campaign, William Keyser on the French Revolution and Jeffry Miller on Fort at No.4. The convention concludes on Sunday with a battlefield tour of Minuteman National Park (Concord Battlefield) led by park historian, wargamer and re-enactor Mark Nichipor. Wow!
A brief look at the roster of convention games indicates that the 18th century is well-covered from the Great Northern War and the Marlburian period, the Jacobite Rebellions, Clive in India, numerous SYW actions (including Bergen, Zorndorf, Kolin), the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and Anthony Wayne's Fallen Timbers campaign in the 1790's, and culminating with several actions from the French Revolutionary Wars in the 1790's. It looks as if everything in the 18th century is covered from A to Z. Again, Byron Champlin deserves a standing ovation for putting this quality convention togeather. The convention is sponsored by the Seven Years War Association, Wee Bee Publishing and North Road Diagnostics.
If you have any questions about the convention, please feel free to check out this convention's web page on the internet (what a great idea) at the following address: http://peasel.sr.umh.edu/l/tricon or you can contact the convention organizers via e-mail at tricon@pease1.sr.unh.edu The cost for the convention is $10 plus an additional $2 fee for the battlefield tour on Sunday.
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© Copyright 1996 by James E. Purky
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