With over 3000 participants, Historicon '95 set a new record despite all doomsday predictors of a fall off in attendance due to Origins being in the same area a week before. There were 690 pre-registrants also a record despite the pre-registration form being mailed somewhat late. There were 218 scheduled games and seminars (18 by The Courier Staff and friends) with 35 - 50 more late entry games. (Usung heros of the convention were Leo Walsh who put on 8 games and William Keyser who put on 6. Five people put on 4 or 5 each, while 10 people put on 3 games each and many put on 2 games).

There were 8 - 10 Ancient Tournaments (depending on how you count them) held in the Tennis Court building along with the flea market. The Tennis Court bldg has the best lighting in the Lancaster Host Resort - add some air conditioning and it would be the ideal gaming area. This is the area that held most of the "pick-up" games as well. 70 '+' dealers were available to relive you af your rent money. I say '+' as several dealers, obviously last minute entries, were found in various nooks and crannies around the dealer area and not listed on the dealer list. One dealer even sat astride the staiwell going down into the dealer area!

There were the usual mix of games with Napoleonics and American Civil War leading the pack. There were, however a surprising number of naval games of all periods as well as many air games. I noted a marked increase in the number of Skirmish games. Leo Cronin put on a "Sand Pebbles" game 3 times using a beautiful 25mm scale model of the San Pablo built by Bill Greenwald. The Chinese coolies won two of the three games. I participated in an introductory game of Art Conliffe's new WWII game "Spearhead". It works very well and I had a lot of fun keeping the Americans off the beaches in this island attack scenario. It would seem that one can run very large forces with this game, perhaps brigades, in games taking only 3 hours.

Finally I was involved in a Keith Leidy Old West game based on the movie "The Professionals". There were some ten teams, each run by a player. My team was the Professionals trying to rescue the "captured" young lady from the banditi.

HMGS -EAST BUSINESS MEETING AND ELECTION

The HMGS-EAST meeting was attended by 45 members where a quiet discussion of various issues took place. Bill Gray reported that HMGS-EAST had an authenticated membership list of 1091 members with a mailing list of over 5000. The treasury balance before the results of Historicon 95 were tabulated was $60,711. Bylaw revisions were promulgatecl, to wit: A quorum of 40 (no proxies) was needed at meeting to conduct business, Proxies would be allowed for votes during the iZ meeting; The meeting could call for a referendum of the membership to override any action (or inaction) of the board; 1/2 of the board would be elected each year, each serving 2 years. To allow for the transition from the old method, the three members receiving the lowest vote count in the current election would only serve for one year this time only.

Todd Fisher, representative on the HMGS National Board reported on attempts to put together a professional video on the hobby in partnership with Cromwell Films limited. They are the firm that has produced the video series Campaigns in History. Our cost would be $20,000 assuming that script, editing and other functions are done by people in the hobby probono with experience in the video/film field. Todd also suggested the need for a HMGS sponsored National Magazine as The Courier was going out of business (!) Dick Bryant rose to assure the meeting that The Courier was in excellent shape and planned to publish well into the 21st Century.

Pat Condray discussed a new award, The Legion of Honor which will recognize individuals contribution to the hobby. The Scruby award will stay in place and recipients of that honor are automatically in the Legion. The first inductees were: Scott Bowden, Dick Bryant*, Frank Chadwick, Bob Collins, Pat Condrayi, Don Featherstone*, Todd Fisher, Jim Getz, Johnson Hood, Ed Mohrman Wally Simon, Duke Seifreid*, Dick Sossi, and Charles Sweet. Hereafter 2 additional people will be added each year. They will be selected at Cold Wars and announced at Historicon. (*) indicates Scruby Award Winners.

Elections: Some 190 members (0f 1091!) voted. The electees and the post they were assigned in a meeting of the new board is as follows: J. T. Thomas (President), Bob Watts (Vice President), Bill Gray (Secretary and Newsletter Editor:), Dick Sossi (Treasurer and representative to the National Board),Toby Barrett, Bob Giglio, Scott Holder. There was a dead tie vote between Toby Barrett and Tom Desmond, Tom graciously stepped down rather than have HMGS have to come up with some method to resolve the tie.

HISTORICON 95 PAINTING COMPETITION

Best Of Show:	25mm Greek Hoplites	Stan Berry
Under 15mm Best Unit:	Malta 1940	David Stanock
Under 15mm Best Army:	Carthegenian Army	Keith Sullivan
15mm Best Unit:	Napoleonic Bavarians	Matthew Bickley
15mm HMention	Hittites	Wayne Downey
15mm Best Army:	Spanish Renaissance	Don Manser
25mm Best Unit:	French Napoleonic	David Bonk
25mm Best Naval:	Imperial German Navy 1916	Jim Moffet
MASTERS Under 15mm Best Unit	CSA Infantry	Paul Bernardino III
MASTERS Under 15mm Best Unit:	KGL Hussars	Henry Cotsalas
MASTERS Under 15mm Best Army	French 1814	Timothy Wright
MASTERS 15mm Best Unit:	Austrian Light Brigade	Jan Wantuchowicz
MASTERS 15mm Best Unit:	Union Cavalry	Wm. V. Lewis
MASTERS 15mm HMention:	Saxon Cuirassiers	John Spiess
MASTERS 15mm Best Army:	War of the Roses	Greg Skelly
MASTERS 15mm Best Army:	French Army	Andrew Simpson
MASTERS 25mm Best Unit:	Greek Hoplites	Stan Berry
MASTERS 25mm Best Unit:	French Infantry	Gregory Skelley
MASTERS 25mm HMention:	4th Texas	Chris Hughes
MASTERS 25mm Best Army:	Crusaders	John Spiess
MASTERS 25mm Best Army:	Burgundian Ordnance	Scott Holder
MASTERS 25mm HMention:	Pirates	Joe Miceli

Scott Holder reports that at least among the 7.5 players (WRG 7th + edition - ED:), he cannot recall a weekend that was as low key and where everyone had a good time. The Ancient Toumaments were in the Expo Center (indoor tennis courts) at the Lancaster which was huge and well lit. The toumament was not cramped with people having to walk around half the room to get to the other side of the table. It also resulted in a lot more "foot traffic" by people wandering by to see what the ancient gamers were doing.

The airconditioning has to be improved for Historicon 96, however. 200 players filled 250 tournament slots using 57 tables! The Crusader Theme was well attended and based solely on the foot traffic passing by the games, it would seem that theme events are a great public relations gimmick. Not to mention everyone gets to play historical for a change. 25mm armies had a strong showing. The 25mm armies, while expensive and heavy to lug around really sell ancients. Again the roominess of the Expo Center helped

Out in this regard since there was a nonstop flow of people marveling at the armies. This extends to 25mm DBA as well. It filled up (16 slots) on the first day. The midnite DBA tourne (16 slots) also filled up on the first day. Turnout in the Sunday period events was a bit lighter than expected with "only" 3 showing up - 50 can be accomodated. Finally, the first real Armati toumament attracted 10 gamers playing in 4 rounds. It is hoped that this one takes off since there are two umpires who are very committed to running and promoting the system in a tournament fommat.

The coveted Sportsman (or in this case SportsMEN) award again went to a DBM team, Tom Downs and Rich Murzin.

As always, sponsorship was high. The businesses that graciously donated prizes for the ancient events are: Ral Partha, Silver Eagle, Quartermaster, Pass of the North, Military Miniatures of Texas, Gladiator, EHQ, Wargames, Minifig, Old Glory, Falcon, Pendragon, Armory, Viking Forge, Simtac, Pharoah's Arms. Apologies to anyone missed.

Ancient Tournament Results

Sportspersons:	Tom Downs and Rich Murzin
25mm NICT	Tim Brown	Late Romans
15mm NICT	Todd Kaeser	Aztec
l5mm 7.5 Open:	Andrew Reibman	Kushan
25mm 7.5 Theme:	Derek Downs	E. Ottoman Turks
l5mm 7.5 Theme:	Ewan McNay	Late Crusader
Mini:	Andrew Reibman	Nubian
25mm DBM Open:	Tom Ellsworth	Late Hebrew
l5mm DBM Open:	Gary Dziatko	Mongol Conquest
DBM Team:	Kinner/Applegate	Late Roman
DBM Theme:	Harvey Harmon	Komenan Byzantine
Armati:	George Soika	Cathaginian
25mm DBA:	Mike Guth	Hussite
Midnite Madness DBA:	Craig Caton	Hussite
DBA Biblical:	Jim Mzik	Neo Babylonian
DBA Classical:	Kris Kelley	Late Roman
DBA Asia:	Mark Crotteau	Tibetan
DBA Dark Ages:	Erik Shinn	Gepid
DBA Medieval:	Ed Dowgiallo	Sicilian
l5mm Best Painted:	Dave Dietrich	Indian
25mm Best Painted:	Stan Berry	Late Hoplite
Best Terrain:	Andrew Reibman

DUKE SEIFRIED IS SCRUBY AWARD HONOREE

Every other year sees the selection of the Scruby Award Honoree. The Award is given to a person who has a made contibution to the hobby on such a level that it would not the same if the honoree had not been part of it. This year Duke Seifried joined Don Featherstone, Dick Bryant, and Pat Condray in that illustrious club at a dinner given at Historicon '95. After a mild roasting and recognition of his contributions to the hobby by Don Featherstone and Jim Getz, "Uncle Duke" was given the beautiful plaque which lists on one side the major contribution by Jack Scruby whom the award is named after and on the other it details the contributions of the honoree.

Don Feathertone composed a poem that he delivered at the dinner:

This weekend is called the Feast of Historicon
The HMGS Summer Gathering
He that outlives these days and comes safe home
will stand a tip-toe when these days are named and rouse him at the thought of Lancaster.
He that shall live these days, and see old age,
will yearly in July return, bringing his armies
and say...tomorrow is when wargames start.
Then he will unpack his figures and show his scars,
saying...these wounds I had at last years Historicon
with more to come today.
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, but well all remember with advantages what games we played this day. Then shall the names familiar in our mouths as Forrest Gump
and O. J. Simpson James Thomas and Dick Sossi,
Bob Coggins and Pat Condray, Todd Fisher and Duke Seifried, and others too many to name
be in their flowing beer cans freshly remembered.
This story shall all wargamers tell their sons,
and Historicon shall neer go by
from this day to the ending of the world
but those in it shall be remembered.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,
For he today that throws his dice with me
shall be my brother. Do he cheat and rave,
this day shall gentle his condition.
And gentlemen in America, now abed shall hold their manhoods cheap
while any speaks, who wargamed with us at Historicon, in 95.
(William Shakespeare, with apologies from Don Featherstone)