The convention went pretty well. I played in a 1/285 Command Decision game Friday night. A meeting engagement in 1962 in Europe, the result of the U.S.'s interference with the Soviet insertion of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Science Fiction, you might say. I think the Americans held the Soviets pretty well. I did quite well even though the judge refused to let me fire my artillery for three turns (two 155mm, one 175mm and one 8" battalion) on the bunched up Soviet tanks).

Chuck Scholti's Pirates event at Drums 3 and Michicon, photo by Mike Reese

Saturday morning was a Colby game where my Terran Marines hunted Rat Raiders in a refinery and the ruins of a small town. Lots of rats. Lots of casualties on both sides. Much fun. As usual, I did pretty well in this game.

The afternoon game was "Dancing with Jack Ketch." This is one of the best looking games run at any convention. It was a big hit at Drums 3 and a big hit here. I managed to have the lowest point score, actually probably the lowest ever received -- 15 points -- versus the winner with 1,800. I had the Spanish Galleon sitting under the guns of the fort. All I had to do was capture/kill the pirates, locate and return the treasure due to ship back to Spain, arrest the Governor if the bookkeeper could provide evidence of his skimming the King's gold, etc. The fort's commander and I made a deal to pay him to help me get the King's gold. He also sold one of his cannon to the Pirates. Very resourceful. I caught the pirates in a small boat right under my guns and managed to have a misfire, miss, and only one hit with grape. It took out Blackbeard, the leader. I was then boarded. All of my marines were ashore, so at the end of the game, it was a real question of who really held the ship.

Photo of Jeff Love's Battleground World War II game, by Mike Reese

Saturday night was a Spearhead game on the Russian Front. The German players obliged me by driving half of their force into the kill zone I set up and my sub-commanders proceeded to smash the German force. We lost, "technically," because some Germans were within 15" of the town, but then it wasn't Turn 18 and the end of the game either.

Sunday, I was feeling ill, so I guess it was good only one of the three players who signed up for my game showed up. Home for a four hour nap.