Origins

Since Europafest I (held at Eau Claire, Wisconsin), all Fests have been held in conjunction with Origins. As a result, their success has depended partially upon the general ambiance of their bigger brother. That is, after all, why we hold the Fest jointly with Origins: we want to provide our attendees with a focused Europa experience against the backdrop of a bustling gathering of adventure gainers.

Happily, I can report that this year's Origins in San Jose, California was a generally well organized and fun event. The convention facilities were clean, well-appointed, and conveniently laid out. The Origins staff did an outstanding job of handling both pre-convention and on-site registration, and as a result everything ran smoothly. All the major game companies appeared to be on hand in the Exhibitor's Hall (despite unfounded rumors that some of them had gone belly-up), although not all the booth space was rented.

San Jose provided the usual attractions one expects to find at an Origins, such as reasonably priced game auctions, interesting military history speakers (Jack Radey, for one), and knots of role-players decked out in decorative garb. In contrast to some other recent Origins, there were plenty of tables and chairs in the 24-hour open gaming area.

Attendance was up compared to last year, but I must confess that the convention hall never really seemed crowded. From a business perspective, GR/D did okay, in that we covered our expenses. How other companies fared I have no idea, although more than once I overheard the familiar refrain that Origins is all "PR" and no profit.

The Europafest room quickly became the focalpoint of Fest activity.

The Europafest Room

We had our own exclusive conference room in the Hilton Hotel, which quickly became the focal point of Fest activity. For those who did not immerse themselves in gaming, the Europafest room provided an oasis to park their merchandise and weary rear- ends while awaiting the next attraction. For those of us who came to game, well... there is nothing closer to heaven in my mind than a lively Europafest room, with dice rolling and wargamese being spoken on all sides.

After an initial scramble to secure more tables and chairs, things settled down to nonstop Europa. Several small games such as Balkan Front and First to Fight were being contested around the fringes of the room. However, it was the two monster games occupying center stage that drew the most kibitzers. The first was a game of Fire in the East, using the Sudden Storm variant published in issue #35. The other monster match was a historic event: the first public playing of the long-awaited Second Front. Both games are covered in detail elsewhere in this issue.

So many unique Europa sights could only be found in a Europafest room. Eric Pierce was running a mini-demo game to display his proposed World War I series. He put several gainers through this training exercise (the Dardanelles campaign), and all participants gave the project high praise. Near the door, John Astell battled first Gary Stagliano and then Arthur Goodwin in a game of A Winter War, maneuvering the counters over a beautifully blown-up color photocopy of the map.

Mounted on the wall was a Europa-scale map of China. Rumor has it that Mark Royer (designer of #30's Weserubung scenario) is working on a game simulating the Japanese invasion of China, a demo version of which is slated for publication in a future issue of Flavio Carrillo's Combined Arms. Bill Stone of ETO fame was there, chatting with interested parties about his new order of battle software (advertised elsewhere in this issue). Throughout the Fest, other Europa luminaries past and present also popped in: Winston Hamilton, Frank Chadwick, Ben Knight, Ray Kanarr, Harald Hansen, Mark Swenholt, and Joe Youst to name a few.

The Seminars

There were five two-hour seminars given during the Fest. The lineup of speakers consisted of me, John Gee/Jeff Millefoglie, Arthur Goodwin, John Astell, and Winston Hamilton. I am not going into any detail on my, Arthur's, or Winston's talks-anything important we said has likely been repeated in the last two issues of the magazine. I would like to report on the John Gee/Jeff Millefoglie and John Astell sessions, however.

I always take notes at John Astell's seminars, so that I can find out what is going on inside Europa. That may sound strange coming from the editor of TEM, but you must remember that the GR/D staff is spread all over the nation, and since John and I are always under the gun to meet some missed deadline (the magazine for me and the next game for John), we don't get to talk to each other very often. Let's just say I always find John's little lectures informative.

As might be expected, Second Front dominated John's seminar this year (and I must report that Mr. Astell had the glow of a proud father as he held up his latest design). John assured us straightaway (as if we had any doubts) that SF was a complex game, and not for the fainthearted. Its complexity lies in its three dimensional nature, emphasizing air, naval, and ground interaction to a degree never before seen in Europa.

In John's assessment, SF is 2/3 game and 1/3 administrative exercise, with the Allied player in particular having to devote substantial effort to planning. Although the Allied player has overwhelming resources, he must use them effectively and efficiently to obtain the desired results (i.e., crush Nazi Germany) in the time available. This requires careful thought and a thorough understanding of the rules, so the more experienced player should probably take the Allied side until both players gain familiarity with the game.

Despite the abundance of charts in Second Front, John said that additional play-aids would be made available through the magazine. He mentioned an air mission summary; Axis and Allied replacement tracking sheets (fresh versions of the one published in TEM #28); an invasion check list; and detailed strategic air orders of battle. He also alluded to the fertile new ground existing for Europa scenarios, and stated that he was contemplating a double-barreled "Invasion of Switzerland" scenario, as Germany and Italy both had such plans in their files.

As a subsidiary benefit of SF we now have complete orders of battle for all armies except a few Balkan states. Armed with this information, we can forge ahead with the first Grand Europa scenario: the entire war in Europe (except the Balkans) starting on Jul I 43. This is the "double-issue" magazine scenario previously advertised and due out late this year. Next year we will finish work on an Apr I 43 scenario that will include the Balkans. John is working on this project now, but has not yet decided how and when it will be made available.

While talking about Grand Europa, John mentioned that the production and economic stuff would be the last component addressed. Do not look for this anytime soon! He did mention his - belief that the best way to handle the issue of conditional reinforcements might be to create a small computer program. As I envision it (and I may be dead wrong!) the program would establish a schedule of possible builds based on a nation's territorial possessions and other considerations, with a mild degree of randomness thrown in. Very intriguing.

When John opened the floor for questions, the first asked (predictably enough) were: "Now that Second Front is finished, when will Fire in the East/Scorched Earth be revised?" and "Can we use the Second Front rules to play FitE/SE?" John replied not to expect the Collector Series version of the East Front games before 1996, at the earliest. Meanwhile, if anyone wants to work out for themselves how to integrate the SF and SE rules, they may do so. (This is something that GR/D must address soon to complete the Jul I 1943 Grand Europa Linking Scenario).

John did share some of his current design thoughts with the East Front fans in the crowd. He stated that the German trucks will go away; overland supply lines will be adjusted accordingly, and varied by country. Unfortunately, he did not offer any specifics on the adjusted rates. He also strongly suggested that players implement the SF out-of-supply treatment in Russia: the phasing player does not halve the attack strength of a unit in its first turn out of supply unless it is also isolated. This rids the most serious "ant" abuses, and makes unnecessary The Urals airdrop supply restrictions (Rule 25F).

John Gee/Jeff Millefoglie

You would be hard pressed to find two more irreverent, jovial Europa devotees than John Gee and Jeff Millefoglie. You would be equally hard pressed to find two with a wider breadth of historical knowledge and game expertise. Their talk, not surprisingly, was on the upcoming For Whom the Bell Tolls, the Europa game on the Spanish Civil War. John and Jeff have generally split their duties such that John does most of the historical research and Jeff shoulders most of the detail work on the game, and their lecture reflected this division of labor.

John Gee gave a historical sketch of the conflict, highlighting the important features of the conflict and how they are reflected in the game. For instance, he explained the tendency of both sides to commit their best units to the important battles, so that the same elite outfits clashed with each other repeatedly all over Spain. In game terms: with very few powerful divisions, one would have to mass them for any successful offensive or shuttle them rapidly to plug gaps when the enemy breaks through.

With most units on both sides unsupported, the few artillery units take on added importance. The heavy weapons supplied to the Nationalist Army by Germany and Italy serve to turn the tide in their favor. The Loyalists, in contrast, suffer at the hands of the on-again, off-again attitude of France. When the border is open, material (much of it from Russia) flows in and the Republican Army is able to build up; when it is closed, resources dry up rapidly. This will be reflected in the game by political rules and a random events table.

The presence of foreign units is a defining facet of the Spanish Civil War, and much of John's talk focused on these. Despite the idealistic fervor of the Loyalist contingents, it is the Nationalists who benefit most from foreign intervention. The most active party to this intervention is Italy. Given such lightly armed combatants, the usually outclassed Italians are behemoths in FWTBT, due to the relative lavishness of their armament (although they didn't fare well historically). Perhaps the most important contribution of Italy, however, was turned in by her navy. It waged a covert war against the Spanish Republic almost from the beginning, and made it difficult for the Spanish Republic to receive aid from the USSR (despite turning over to Stalin the bulk of Spain's gold bullion reserves).

John had the crowd chuckling when he wryly recounted how the Anarchists fit into (or rather didn't fit into) the Republican Army. Could a political group advocating the renunciation of all authority really be expected to fit into a disciplined military organization? True to their nature, they cooperated little. In fact, many elements of the Loyalist forces functioned largely as private armies, with little or no coordination. Incorporating this element of chaos into the game is one of the greatest challenges facing the designers (and the producers, given the large spectrum of color schemes the designers have requested!).

Jeff Millefoglie then took over and riveted the crowd of 40 or so with three mounted, full-color displays of the game, showing the positions of the warring units at three critical junctures: the start of the war in 1936, the mid-war period of 1937, and the end-war position of 1938-39. The handmade maps and counters hinted of untold hours Jeff and John have devoted to FWTBT.

Jeff went on to explain that the rules are pretty well set, and need only be compared to the new Second Front rules for overall Europa compatibility. This should be finished by September 1. All those attending left with the assurance that For Whom the Bell Tolls would be ready soon, and would be done correctly.

The Party

I'm not much on social functions, but recognize good food and camaraderie when I encounter them, and there was plenty of both in evidence at the Europafest party Saturday night. Other attendees with higher social awareness than my own assure me that the party was a smashing success. One fact was clearly in evidence: with the heavy burden of Second Front lifted from their shoulders, the staff of GR/D was finally able to unwind and relax, at least for one night.

At the End of the Day

The veterans of prior Europafes ' ts were unanimous in their belief that this was the best Origins-related Efest ever. It may not have surpassed Europafest I in Eau Claire, but since I did not have the opportunity to attend it, I do not have a basis for comparison. Be that as it may, many people who attended this year's Fest took the time to call up afterwards and express just how much they enjoyed themselves in San Jose.

My only regret is that I did not spend more time visiting with my friends there, particularly John Gee, Jeff Millefoglie, and Peter Robbins. I guess that's the one problem with Europafest-- there just isn't enough time to do everything!