The Board of Directors met on Feb. 6 at the Bob Evans on US 35 and I-71. Present were Matt Davidson, Ray Garbee, Scott Savory, and Darryl Smith. Absent was Doyle. Also present was Mike Demana at the invitation of the board.

Old business consisted of the treasurer's report, a mention of thanks for Demana's efforts regarding the newsletter, a secretary's report, discussion of a permanent HMGS National Board of Directors representative to take Doyle's place, and discussion of a dealer representative as well.

On the National front, Davidson presented a paper regarding the fate of the National Board of Directors. As has been mentioned in the past, a survey was sent to the other chapters regarding the status of the National Board. The question put forth was whether or not to terminate the current national board and replace it with a different ruling body. Eight chapters voted for disbanding the current organization, with two chapters voting against, and one chapter had yet to respond. Therefore, it appears that a new national organization will take the place of the current body. Smith brought forth the issue of not disbanding the board until a new structure has been set up to take its place. Davidson stated that further work will be done to come up with an organization to fill the role. The fate of the National treasury also has to be resolved, with most chapters favoring a partial or full refund.

It was decided by the board to allow Smith to continue as dealer representative for Advance the Colors'99 to maintain continuity, as opposed to seeking a permanent representative this year. Smith outlined proposals on the dealer selection process, as well as suggesting some dealer policies that need to be in place. This includes payment in full by a certain date, as well as a cancellation policy. Smith will further outline and develop dealer practices. Smith also provided a listing of the dealers who are located in the region, separated by desirability.

New business was focused on conventions. First, Smith presented information that was forwarded to him by Jim Thomasson about "Drums Along the Maumee" (formally known as War Party), the convention that the board and the Colby Street Irregulars are working to establish for Spring of 2000 in the Toledo area. Thomasson had provided information regarding a particular site with cost estimations. Drums Along the Maumee will start as a one-day convention, with its focus to support gamers in the northeast area of the Great Lakes region (i.e., Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio). The board will need to send a representative to visit the site and iron out the details, but the intention is to shoot for May 20, 2000, as the convention date. Further details will be announced as they are known.

Garbee brought forth to the board a second possible convention, known as War Party, to be held in Cincinnati the winter of 2000. There are two possible sites located in the Hamilton County Park District that would suit the needs for a one-day mini-convention for gamers in southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southern Indiana. Both Garbee and Smith will continue to work on the details on this convention. The board would also like to establish a one-day convention in the Cleveland or Pittsburgh area. However, we need to have a member who lives in either area be the coordinator and take on the responsibility for locating a site. If this can be achieved, then we could also hold a convention that would serve gamers in the northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania areas.

As usual, Advance The Colors was the hottest topic on the agenda. As Smith will be acting as dealer coordinator for ATC'99, he is coming up with a plan on how to handle the dealers, giving priority to those dealers who have attended in the past. The Board spent a great deal of time on the subject of a preregistration book and/or a postcard mailing. There appear to be numerous avenues that can be pursued:

Preregister only members (as a continued part of their membership benefits), sending a postcard notice to other, non-member garners.
Preregister members and past attendees only, using a postcard for the rest.
Preregister the entire mailing list (1,000+ names), which would include members, past attendees, and all other gamers we know of in the region.
Send a postcard or event listing only.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all of the above. With the cost of ATC'99 rising slightly over last year, the board will have to make the best decision to get the word out without incurring unnecessary costs.

Secretarial Reminder: As you are well aware, The Herald is being mailed bulk rate. This means if your address is incorrect or has changed, you will not receive the newsletter. It is imperative if you have changed your address to please notify me as soon as possible.

HMGS Great Lakes Web Pages Move New Sites

Next time you're surfing the web, check out our chapter's new web sites. The Great Lakes Main Page has been redone, and is at:

http://www. hometown.aol.com/garbee/hmgsgI/Main.html

Matt Davidson's Photo Gallery and miscellaneous information is at: http://www3.your-net.com/~jmd/