Friday, November 28th, 2003 5:00pm Stuffed with leftover turkey, I look at the calender and realize that in three days I will be the new President of this chapter of HMGS. Wow! I would like you all to know that although I ran unopposed in this election (meaning no one else wanted the job), I am proud, and excited by this appointment. I have been a member for a little over a year, and now I have the opportunity to put up or shut up. I've tossed around a lot of ideas, and made a lot of "campaign promises" that I intend to keep come Hell or high water. With the support of my good friend & new Vice President, Don Hubbard, we are already working hard to increase the presence of this chapter within our own gaming community, and the extended environs that "technically" fall under the definition of Pacific Southwest. This year, you are going to see many changes in our chapter changes that will increase our membership, our exposure, and generally make this chapter the best way to play historical miniatures games anywhere on the West Coast. Here's just a sample of what to expect: 1. $5.00 Guest Badge at HMGS-PSW Events: There is absolutely no reason that a nonmember should have to pay the $20 membership dues just to game with us. Gamers these days want to take the proverbial car for a test drive before they buy it. Thus, we're offering a $5.00 One Day Guest Badge at our quarterly one/two day conventions, and if a guest has a good time and decides to join our chapter, the $5.00 will be applied toward a full membership on the spot. Now there is even more of a reason to bring a friend! 2. New Event Locations: Trust me, we're not leaving Burbank for good, but there are just so many members of our organization that do not attend the Burbank events because it's a long drive. Thus, starting at our January event, we will be holding our quarterly events at locations that represent ALL of our membership, not just the San Fernando Valley. Let's not forget our friends in San Diego, Orange County, San Bernardino, Riverside, etc. And I am proud to announce that we are currently working on expanding our area of influence to include Las Vegas, NV & Phoenix, AZ. 3. New Conventions: By the end of 2004, the greater Los Angeles area will be the host of 10 game conventions... January Winter Quarters (HMGS-PSW) February OrcCon (Strategicon) April Games University (Ultra-Violet Productions) April Spring Campaign (HMGS-PSW) May Gamex (Strategicon) July Summer Offensive (HMGS-PSW) September MondoCon (?) September Gateway (Strategicon) October Fall Campaign (HMGS-PSW) November/December GenCon SoCal (GenCon LLC) Whew! That's a lot of gaming, and a lot of great opportunities for us to bring in new members, and foster a community of new, young, energetic gamers that share our passion for historical miniatures games. Let's face it, we NEED to own the miniatures room of any L.A. area convention. It's time for all of us to break the "don't touch my lead, kid" mold, and host/sponsor games at all of these conventions. Well, I suppose that's all for now. This is going to be the first of many great years for this chapter. Make time to game, and enjoy it! Back to Table of Contents The Messenger November 2003 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles covering military history and related topics are available at http://www.magweb.com