Bleycon 86
A Convention Report

Courier Dispatch: News of the Hobby

by Mike Reese

BLEYCON 86 was another successful minicon held at the same location as last year. Last year saw a 15mm Napoleonic game, an 'lronclads' miniature game, a WW2 1/200 armor 'Battle of the Bulge' game, a 1/2000 Napoleonic miniature , WS&IM' game, and a WW2 miniature skirmish game. This year's con was planned to be more of the same.

On Friday a 1/2000 'Ship of the Line' Frigate action took place between the USS New York (32), USS Philadelphia (38), a Brig of War, and a French 44 and 36. The American superiority in crew quality helped offset the French's better captains and ships, but at the end the French 44 was gaining the upper hand. Friday's second game was a 15mm Napoleonic cavalry action pitting French against Austrians, with the Austrians carrying the day. Friday's third game was the start of a 15mm ACW reenactment of the Battle of Cherry Orchard. This battle was continued the next day with heavy losses on both sides. The Confederates managed a close victory but most of the players conceded it was a draw.

After the ACW game was finished two WW2 actions were fought. The first was in Belgium, 1940 with the recon battalion of an SS Mot Rifle Division against a Recon Battalion of the BEF. Hard driven SS troops squeezed through a hole in the British defenses and the British counterattack was halted by the German panzerjager battery giving the Germans a decisive victory. This was offset by the second game set in Jan 1943 in Russia where a German Panzer Kampfgruppe met a Soviet T34 tank battalion and were defeated in a hard fought bloody contest.

The last game was on Sunday. A 15mm 'Traveller' universe skirmish game found a 'company' of lift troops and two grav tanks in support landing on an enemy held planet in a recon in force. Who or what was the enemy? They found out and fought their way back to report.

BLEYCON is the yearly Monona Wisconsin gamefest hosted by Dale Bley and gamemastered by Dale Bley, Mike Reese, Bob Zobal, and Jim Harkonnen. Attendance is by invitation only. For a taste attend MICHICON GAMEFEST 87, June 13-14,1987, Southfield Civic Center, Southfield, Mi. For information write METRO DETROIT GAMERS, P.O. Box 656, Wyandotte, MI 48192. Please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The 'BLEYCON' group will be running a WW2 Pacific Naval, two WW2 armor games, one vs. the Afrika Korps, a modern NATO action with the 4th Canadian Mobile Brigade Group, and a 5mm 7 Years War game; see you there.

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