HISTORICAL MINIATURES MINI CONVENTION #3 Report
At right: 15MM CLS ON TERRAIN MODULES
ED. NOTE: Much of this report was taken from the AFTER ACTION REPORT of the Historical Miniature Gaming Society as written by Pat Condray, the major organizer and hardest worker of and for the convention. The Ancients report was written by Kruse Smith, our Ancient Editor and event organizer.
At the risk of being monotonous about it, many garners in attendance at our Third Annual Historical Miniatures Mini-Convention (HMMC #3) told me that it was the best ever. It wasn't quite our biggest ever - less than 700 were in attendance best we can tell, while between 800 and 900 attended HISTORICON 84. But while we missed some of our traditional events and some good friends who were ill, saving airfare for ORIGINS 85, or called to duty with the active or reserve components of our national defense establishment, the biggest difference in numbers seems to have been the non-garners who were attracted by the news media to HISTORICON. We welcome such visitors, but it is the garners who make our conventions what they are, and you were there in force.
To some extent I am going on heresay - having run four demonstrations and spent a certain amount of time doubling as a vendor, but everyone who dropped by to comment seemed pleased with the turnout, the events, and the facilities.
In contrast to HISTORICON 84, where thirty gaming tables in an unusually large (19,000 sq. ft.) facility left a lot of open space at all times, it was often a problem finding a free table for open gaming at HMMC #3 on the twenty-four available tables. Of course, the rows of tables set aside for WRG Tournaments are excluded from both sets of figures. In those events there was some concern over space for the ancients, whose hard-fought contest took us all the way down to the wire. In fact, Johnson Hood and Steve Herndon's troops were locked in combat as the room was being cleared, and the game was called. On the whole there seemed to be just enough room with more or less full time gaming and 32 vendor tables doing a good business for long hours each day.
MEDIEVAL SIEGE GAME
Air wargames were more in evidence than usual. Not only the poorly announced "Wings" debut, but yet another WWI biplane extravaganza with elaborate and very nicely done mountings for 1/72nd models made an appearance. Except for a couple of photographs... I don't know very much about either game, but they looked good and the players seemed interested in what was going on. Not much was done on WWII aviation, but the micro-armor WWI II scenarios showed helicopters and some late model F-15 fighters, and there was a rather elaborate Vietnam era action featuring large models of "huevs" and attractive Indochinese buildings.
Although one ACW naval game was cancelled prior to the convention, there were 3 scenarios of ironclad Battles in 1/1200. The participants seemed to get very involved in the efforts of Confederate and Yankee shipping to avoid shallows, chains, torpedos, and each other on a table top Mississippi. My own southern sympathies were offended when, -in the only game I was able to watch for any length of time, some scallywag of a torpedo boat skipper in the Confederate Navy managed to ram C.S.S. Texas, but needless to say, this unpleasant incident brought delight to the no-account Yankee players all evening.
Another new item putting in an appearance was a rule book by Jim Arnold called "Generalship - The American Wars". Rumor has it that some chaps from eastern block embassies were planning to infiltrate our convention. If so, they were no doubt gratified by Jim's celebration of our war-mongering past. For those interested, Jim managed to invade Canada and storm Mexico City on different tables Saturday night. I didn't take much notice of the ambush in the north woods, but Scott's veterans were impressive as they formed square against the Jalisco Lancers and the Hussars "Guardios de los Potestos Supremos".
More conventional favorites were certainly not lacking. The ancients tournament is discussed below. The Renaissance period tournament had to be cancelled because of illness in the family of the tournament organizer but Will Chin was able to fill in the gap with lively demonstrations of his Italian Wars rules "Verlorene Haufe". These rules have made some inroads in the New York/New Jersey area against the WRG Renaissance rules as they are believed to be easier to play and faster moving. We expect them to be on the market in the near future after being playtested for about 3 years. Koenigskrieg, Frederick The Great, and a new set of "Grand Tactical" Seven Years War rules were shown as well as my own new rules for Marlborough's Wars, and all the major Napoleonic systems (and some of the minor ones). The T.S.S. boys put on the Napoleonic version of OTR, Rudy Nelson staged Gard du Corps epics, and Mark Blackmon of Empire Products gave a well received seminar to reinforce the large number of Empire III games presented. Dick Bryant of THE COURIER and OCW put on one of his infamous Old West skirmish games with Carl Olson winning the day as the Marshall. Things went bad when the local proprietor of Bertha's Bawdy House & Palace of Exotic Entertainment was shot by one of the Sheepmen's Association boys. A glutton for punishment, Dick is going to do it all over again at Origins '85.
At the time of the last pre-convention mailout it looked as though naval gaming was going to be very sparsely represented. This changed suddenly when a group from Southern New Jersey called shortly before the convention and asked for space to play "Cruiser Command" and some age of sail games. I don't know who was running what, but during the convention I noticed ships of the line tacking to gain the weather gage and squadrons of American cruisers steering frantically to comb the tracks of Japanese "Long-Lance" torpedos.
Our first experiment with "non-historical" events passed without too many complaints from purists. I was, however, taken to task frequently, not only by the host, Michael LaBruno, but by my own sons and several other people for confusing "Starfleet Wars" with "Starfleet Battles". After many explanations it is beginning to sink in that they are two entirely different games. It seems that Starfleet Wars, which was presented, is based on Star Wars levels of technology, more or less, while Starfleet Battles relies on the much more sophisticated Star Trek devices. This is indeed a very great difference, since the Trekkians can apparently, if not interfered with, pretty well neutralize a planet with a mere battlecruiser, while the other bunch needs great big lunky "Death Stars" as big as an asteroid - which are always being blown up. Anyway, it isn't as though it were Orcs and such...
All things considered, HMMC #3 was a splendid sendoff for what appears to be a big convention year for HMGS. Already committed to ORIGINS '85, for which 45 miniature events will appear in the pre-registration form, not including the 20 or so Bob Coggins lined up at HMMC #3, we also agreed at the HMGS meeting to line up solidly behind "Little Wars" in Palatine Illinois near Chicago. ORIGINS '85 is at Towson State College near Baltimore, as you should know by now, and Bob Coggins is our man in charge for HMGS.
THE ANCIENTS EVENTS
I look forward to traveling to the Northeast and attending events put on by the HMGS people, and HMMC #3 was all I had expected. There was plenty of room for gaming, most of the National figure dealers were in attendance to help me spend my money, and many of the regional hobby shops were there with, among other things, boxes of old figures to pick through to find those figures that add variety to my armies. The weekend started off with a Friday Night Seminar covering6th Edition rules interpretations that would be in use for the tournament and any rules problems the players might be having. 7th Edition came up and was discussed in some detail. With Saturday came the WRG Ancients tournaments. There were 4 of them this time: 15mm and 25mm heats for the National Championship, and 15mm and 25mm L.I. (Less Intense) tournaments. I was the senior umpire for the tournaments with Steve Roper doing his usual outstanding job of assisting. Johnson Hood (TX) won the 25mm heat using Seleucids, and Bob Andriola (NJ) won the 15mm heat using Late Romans. The L.I. events were won by Daniel Burkley (25mm) and Adam Weitz (15mm). Adam bears watching because he is only 13 years old, and is easily the youngest person I have ever seen win a major tournament. His father is Dr. Daniel Weitz, noted historian and Thracian player.
In addition to the tournament champs, there were several other winners at HMMC #3. Ben Pecson (MD) and Ricardo Gonzalez (NJ) won the 25mm and 15mm Best Painted Army prizes respectively. Larry Chaban (PA) won the Best Terrain Award (Sunday Larry also put on an Ancients Demo game using some of the best terrain I have ever seen), and Tom Foller (PA) won The Courier Best Sportsman Award.
Prizes were donated by Alliance Miniatures, Mikes Models, RAFM, Ral Partha, and Wargames (Dallas). I thank them for their support.
I was pleased with the fine job the HMGS organization did in putting on this convention. Origins will see the HMGS guys and myself teamed up again for the WRG Ancients events, which include: A Firday night seminar, the U.S. National Championship Finals (12 to 16 players), and the usual Origins WRG Ancients tournaments in both 15mm and 25mm scales. Good Times should be had by all.
TOURNAMENT WINNERS
EVENT : WINNER : PRIZE DONOR
WRG ANCIENTS
- MASTER'S TOURNAMENT
15mm 1st Place Bob Andriola Alliance/Essex
15mm 2nd Place Ricardo Gonzalez Alliance
25mm 1st Place Johnson Hood Ral Partha/Essex
25mm 2nd Place Steve Herndon RAFM
Sportsmanship Tom Foller The Courier
INTERMEDIATE TOURNAMENT
15mm 1st Place Adam Weitz Alliance
15mm 2nd Place Curtiss Wright Alliance
25mm 1st Place Dan Burkley Ral Partha
25mm 2nd Place Scott Pourier RAFM
BEST PAINTED ENTRY
15mm Ricardo Gonzalez Alliance
25mm Ben Pecson Ral Partha
Terrain Larry Chaban The Courier
KOENIGSKRIEG No Winner Selected
BATTLE OF NATIONS John Grimes Mike's Models
PRUSSIA VS. NAPOLEON John Desmond Mike's Models
FUENTES d'ONORO Richard Bartlett and Bob Schramm Empire Products
RAAB Nat Wigenton Empire Products
TSATF I John Manning Greenfield Hobby Distr.
VARUS' EAGLES Cpt. Fred Ellsesser Mike's Models
RENAISSANCE GAMER William Chin Mike's Models
MAAS RIVER APPROACHES Steve Walborn Quality Cast
WWII IN EUROPE Chris Courrell Little Soldier
WWIII IN EUROPE Not Reported Little Soldier
RIDE ON NORTHERN FLANK Ronald R. Rothmund (NATO) Tom Gay (Soviet) Viking Forge
INVASION OF CANADA Not Reported H.I.M.
STORMING OF MEXICO Not Reported H.I.M.
ON TO RICHMOND I Dave Waxtell Stone Mountain
PAINTING COMPETITION WINNERS
5mm Unit James Baker (Napoleonics) The Courier
15mm Unit Jim Arnold (Mtd. Celts) H.M.G.S.
15mm Army William Chin (Renaissance) H.M.G.S.
25mm Unit Francisco Vando (Hoplites) H.M.G.S.
25mm Army Ben Pecson (Russians) H.M.G.S.
The Courier Dispatch News of the hobby.
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