ED NOTE. we have received several antonymous opinion essays all signed Paladin. He/She promises more of the same. We do not ordinarily publish anonymous correspondence, but these may prove interesting -- sort of a wargamer's Federalist Papers. The question arises, again and again, regarding participation in various conventions by H.M.G.S.. Among the justification for such participation is always the idea of recruiting fantasy and/or boardgamers to the historical miniatures gaming hobby. There seems to be no question as to what the function, the primary function of H.M.G.S. is: to promote historical miniatures gaming. On this all (or at least most of us) agree. The problem is therefore not what but how. We must realize by now that H.M.G.S. is not a union of historical miniatures gamers but, rather, a confederacy of small groups and individual miniatures gamers. And while H.M.G.S. can agree to participation by the members, it cannot hold the members to such a commitment. I have long held the opinion that, while participation in conventions outside of regular H.M.G.S. events will perhaps expose some individuals to miniatures gaming, it will be to no avail unless such exposed individuals can be nurtured, aided, and encouraged in their local area on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Here then is the true need, the area of focus which we must address if we want to realize the primary goal of H.M.G.S. How to help local groups and individuals recruit and train new prospects. Other than somehow encouraging existing miniatures gamers to stay in the hobby, H.M.G.S. has no greater task. Understanding that the confederacy concept makes our task more difficult, we must look to those areas which H.M.G.S. as an organization can best be used to help the local groups. Some areas immediately stand out: H.M.G.S. as a central clearing house to direct interested parties to local groups and individuals; National advertising, and yes, participation in general gaming events. And the continuation of miniatures-only conventions to solidify the ties between current miniatures gamers, expose them to new and revised ideas, products, techniques, and to encourage the expansion of the hobby. Were I to start a project to expand historical miniatures gaming, I would probably concentrate my efforts in the following areas: 1. Develop a master list of groups and individuals, with data relevant to their gaming (gaming times, periods of interest, rules used, contact person, etc.), who are willing to assist new prospects in their geographical area. 2. Develop and publish a piece of literature (flyer) which describes historical miniatures gaming. This should be a professional looking piece, in color, with a couple of good photos, etc. and a place on the back where a local group could stamp the name and address of a local contact. It would also include a national address for H.M.G.S. in the event that a local contact was not available. 3. Workshops at H.M.G.S. events for various local groups and individuals to discuss their recruiting ideas and techniques, local rules, etc. An organization with the many talented individuals which H.M.G.S. includes in it's membership can surely meet the challenge. More Courier Dispatch News About the Hobby. NY State Attempt to Ban Lead Figures Fails Product News Publications Received Paladin's Opinion about HMGS HMGS News Back to Table of Contents -- Courier #60 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com