Arcon 21

We never cease to be amazed by the dedication and effort that go into making a successful convention. Archon 21 was no exception. Primarily a sci-fi/fantasy con, we were pleased to find a cadre of hard core gamers around the Battle-Table at all times. Our players were a mix of 40K gamers, Battleground fans, and historical garners new to Battleground. Every one bad a great time, Brad, Devin and I most of all.

We played two traditional scenarios, and two not so traditional. Guns to the Sky, taken directly from Red Devils in the Night, was the epitome of Double Blind night time chaos. Karl, as the German flak battery, ate my little brother and Jean (of Battlewire 2 fame) for lunch. It was fierce. Add in a small group of Maquis that accidentally fire on the Paras, and the Red Devils had a tough fight. Bloody Bocage was holding the the US down in the beginning, but by the end the Germans had two Tigers back to back blasting away and pulled their chestnuts out of the fire just in time.

Peenumude was a hit with the Archon Crowd. This late war comrnando raid was as wild as always. The commandos actually tried to stop a JSII tank by ramming it with a kubelwagon. Every time "the pilot" found a plane that could carry the load, another commando would blow it up. The raiders had a time of it that's for sure.

Lastly, was Escape from Berlin, yet another scenario the history boolcs won't tell you about. Although most of this scenario is classified, we can tell you that the Germans were VERY surprised when they spotted the Russian forces. The battle was a bloody slug fest, characterized by the extensive use of flame throwers and infantry AT weapons. The scenario climaxed with a Tiger II rarnming a captured Sdkf 251. Despite valiant effort by all sides, the only victor was death.

Border Wars

Still exhausted from our trip to Archon 21, we returned to St. Louis for Border Wars. Another fabulous con, thanks to all the organizers. The best part of Border Wars is seeing all of our old friends who attend all the HAHMGS events. We ran three games at Border Wars, and had the chance to game ourselves for once!

Devin's Red Line scenario was another exciting dash by Italian armor and motorized infantry against a British posidon, this time just outside Tobruk. The Italians pierced the wire with ease and overran the British, despite the arrival of British armor. Pete was the star of the sbow though, when he dropped his L3 tankette IN the British trench and took off firing and ramming at the hapless victims. He literally couldn't miss. Oh, that's why trenches zig-zag!

Our surprise game for Border Wars was Brad's Kursk scenario. This scenario featured a German armor company from the Grossdeutchland assaulting a Russian front and supporting trenches full on. Although it was bloody, and a couple of Tigers died early, (one to a side hit, and another to an automatic penetration) the mass of armor was too much. Russian infantry scampered for their lives instead of throwing molotovs, and the opening move of Zitadelle was a success.

Our evening game was Bloody Bocage. Mike placed Barkman and the Panther on the extreme front line and just couldn't miss. The Americans bogged down in a traffic jam in full view of Barkman's lethal gun. The Tiger commanders were demanding targets be saved for them as they maneuvered against the US flank. Fires raged as the Americans were stopped cold. Despite the one sided outcome, the scenario was one of the most fun I've ever run because of the fun and attitudes of gamers on both sides. I would have expected nothing less.

As I said, the real joy for us was playing other peoples games. We enjoyed Blue Max, Crossfire, Three Musketeers, and SUTIC. The experience of playing and not running was very rejuvenating for all of us. It was inspirational to see all these excellent scenarios and insights.

Skirmishes 97

Although it seems an age ago, we can't forget the con that started this season off for us. Skirmishes '97, in early July, was our warm-up to Historicon and the fall season. We ran a number of fun games including our Escape from Berlin - which won Best of Show. Skirmishes is held in Grandview (near KC MO) each year. Skirmishes is a great con to go to, it has a very wide variety of games and is one of the best run cons we attended.

Hurricon 97

I took a nice long trip to the South for Hurricon 97. Although the logistics were burdensome, having to ship terrain down and back, arrange airfare, airport pickup et. al, the con was a blast and well run. Especially appreciate Bill, Craig, and Henk for all their help with the logistics. I only ran two different games. Guns to the Sky went well. Although the Germans won, the Paras did very well and almost pulled it out of the fire by using the 2" mortar. I also shipped the 3D Bocage terrain down, and ran several scenarios.

We played the Bloody Bocage 3 times, and all three were hard fought. Although there were a variety of epic moments, two stand out. In one game, an American bazooka loader went 'Medal of Honor,' after his gunner received Gory Death. The Hero grabbed the tube and went cat hunting. Sadly when he finally found a Panther, he missed with a 19 and was gunned down like a dog.

In another game the German mortar actually struck the top of a Sherman tank and knocked out the main gun! The crew then quit the field in the tank. Thanks again to everyone who helped me out during the Hurricon trip and especially to all who gamed with me.