As a card-carrying member of HMGS Pacific Southwest I am saddened to read your letter and hear of your experience at one of our conventions, I assure you that this is not the norm at our cons. We are not a very large organization like some of the back east clubs and our cons due tend to be smaller. This can give the appearance of a bunch of small cliques as people break off into groups according to their interest. Most of us spend a lot of time trying to get new people into the hobby and we certainly cannot afford to alienate those already in it! I myself have seen the "Cold Shoulder" at cons before, even at "Historicon." It is usually a group of "buddies" who have basically just moved their game to the con so that the can "qualify" for passes and get in for free. Sometimes it is because the game has been pre-registered and is "full" or requires a previous knowledge of the game, I myself have put on games like this. In these cases the "Gamemaster" should put up a sign or poster stating the requirements of the game for potential players. It will save them having to explain the basics to the 35 passerby's while they are trying to setup the terrain. I really hope that you have not quit the hobby, as we need all the players we can get. You mentioned that you live in "Palmdale", CA". Well I live in "Castaic, CA" so we are only about an hour away from each other. We hold games at my house as well as our "Dogs of War" clubhouse in "Burbank." You have an open invitation to both! We recently re-modeled the clubhouse, 5 tables, new carpet, lights, cabinets, air conditioning, TV, VCR, stereo, Refrigerator, microwave, and much more! We game there every Saturday and other days can be arranged. We do Ancients, ACW, WWII, Napoleonics, and every thing in-between. We have 100 plus armies to choose from so troops are never a problem. I will also be doing a W.W.II game at our upcoming HMGS PSW "Fall Campaign" in Glendale, CA. and possibly a "Johnny Reb II" game the second day. I promise no cold shoulder. We gamers are basically a social group since it takes two to tangle, but we do tend to develop clicks or groups, its natural. We do however need to put our best foot forward at conventions! It is often there that a new player embraces or rejects our hobby. I have put down a couple of thoughts on running and playing games at a convention. Have your game setup and ready to run at its listed start time, or beforel Nothing is so frustrating as waiting to play in a game while the host unpacks, sets up terrain, goes back to the car for more stuff, updates rules changes, bases figures! Etc... etc... Give a quick concise explanation of the rules. Deal with details later as they confle up, many things may not come up at all. Most players will quit listening or hearing you after about 5 minutes anyway. Do not attempt to do overly complicated "Open" games at a con. Some rules just cannot be explained in a couple of hours. Fast, simple, games with lots of action and little rule searching are the way to go at the cons. You and your players will both have a much more enjoyable time. If you do a game that requires previous knowledge of the rules or has other requirements say so in the PEL and on a poster on the table. Have a signup sheet so that you will know who and how many want to play in your game. It will also help to pick replacements if you have no shows at game time. If you are playing at the con there are a number of things that you can do to make your "Host" job easier, First show up on time! And ready to play! Bring the standard items you need to play most games, I always bring tape measure, "Bag o Dice", pencil, and a copy of the rules if I know what I am going to play (I love to bring my own troops if possible, Always intimidating when your opponent at a co is unpacking his "own" troops!). Come.Watered, Washed and Rested! I have had more than one participant tell me 3 0 minute into a game that he would be right back as he was hungry and was going out for a burger. And what's up with some gamer's hygiene? I rarely reject a player from my games but poor hygiene will not cut it with me. Be kind to your host and fellow gamers, take a shower and use some mouthwash. Also try and get some sleep the night before, you'll do a lot better (Unless you are playing a union commander, then have a couple of stiff drinks just before the game! A haha!) When your host is trying to explain the game have the courtesy to be quite and listen. Its very frustrating to explain things several times to people because they were talking about a movie, last weeks game, or the current price of a dozen warhammer squats! If the host is providing the figures for you to run RESPECT them! Treat them gently, and wipe the pizza grease off your hands. At the end of a game be courteous whether you won or lost a handshake with your opponent is a nice gesture. Also remember to thank your host for the game and you might want to ask if he could use a hand picking up or to carry things out to the car. It's a lot of work to Put on a good game at a con, planning, building, and transporting all the stuff to the coil. To be rewarded with a "Well, I'm off to the dealers room!" at the end of the game by the player who didn't bring his dice or tape measure is a bit maddening. We all need to do our best to keep the hobby healthy, to bring in new "blood", and to keep the "Old Grey Guard" coming back! We must above all remember that it is just a game, win or lose, have fun! Enjoy the camaraderie. If you spend as much time insuring that you fellow game is are enjoying themselves, as you do in trying to win you will be a winner all the time. I know how a bad experience at a con can leave a bad taste in ones month for a long time. I flew back to "Historicon" several years ago, my main desire to enter the painting contest with the "Big Boys" on the East Coast. I had won most of the West Coast events and really wanted to see what I could do there. I took some of my best pieces in a specially made box and flew the 2000 miles to "Historicon" Well I have never been so disappointed in my life! The contest was held in a dark walkway above the dealer's room. You had to squint just to see what period the figures were from. The judges ended up using hastily purchased flashlights to judge the figures--I'm not kidding. Well despite this I took home four or five silvers, and a couple of bronzes. I looked around for the "Gold's" to see what my competition was and could not find any? I was then told that since the .judges had a hard time seeing the figures they could not tell the difference between the gold and silvers so they lumped us all together with silvers! I have not been back to "Historicon" since. Maybe I'll give them a second chance next year, anyone know if they got some lights? Back to MWAN #109 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com