As I did just one so seemingly short year ago, I secured time off from work in order to attend Little Wars 2002. Granted a five day weekend (Thursday through Monday), I set about finalizing plans for my participation in this annual convention catering to gamers of the Midwest region. (The timely arrival of the latest issue of MWAN (Issue 116) certainly helped to fuel the fire of my enthusiasm for driving up to Lincolnshire on Friday and Saturday.) Well, I didn't really have anything else in mind except to enjoy the time off, go to the gym, get in a few wargames and try very hard not to spend too much money in the vendor area.
Okay ... so two out of four isn't that bad.
Within a couple of hours of arriving at Little Wars 2002 on Friday afternoon, my money clip was holding significantly less currency. About a week before the Convention and the arrival of Issue 116 of MWAN, I had been giving some thought to making a purchase of the Battlefront WWII Rules. The long-time reader may recall that I "cut my wargaming teeth" playing WWII games with 1/76th scale vehicles and figures. (Anyone remember the Airfix figures that were sold by the box? Thirty plus figures for a dollar and a quarter. Sigh ... Those were the days.)
The thought was transformed into action on March 15, 2002. I paid the registration fee for the weekend, pinned on my badge and, program in hand, headed down the stairs to table upon table of wargaming and wargaming "goodies." I was quite surprised to see a nice table of snacks and bottled water and soda just to the right as one comes onto the convention floor via the entrance/exit. All the more delicious a sight, as there was a lovely young lass from Liverpool, England "standing guard" over a selection of candy, cookies and fresh fruit. I chatted with her briefly (as I do so love the English accent) about how she liked working over here and about how I had a number of pen-pals in the UK. Ending the conversation with a purchase of a bottle of water, I carried on with the mission at hand.
I made a quick circuit of the gaming area, checking out the games in progress and those that were just getting set up. While walking through the "maze" of tables and looking at the games, I kept one eye on my program, checking to see what games peaked my interest for that afternoon, evening and on into Saturday.
Twenty minutes later, I made my way over to the considerable vendor area. It appeared to me that it was larger in total floor space occupied than it had been in 2001. That's fine by me, though. Just that much more to drool over - I mean look at admiringly and sometimes, even in awe. Twenty more minutes passed, and I had a copy of the Battlefront WWII Rules as well as a supplement pack of the Late War Cards.
I spent some time at The Last Square, thinking of how nice it would be to have one of their historical prints framed and hanging on the wall of my cubicle at the office. (I spent a few more minutes there, dreaming of how nice it would be to have more than one of those prints.) On the way over to Emperor's Headquarters, where more time and money were expended, I stopped at a table covered with trays filled with all sorts of dice. I picked up six 10-sided dice as I had read a review of Battlefront which related that like Fire and Fury, Battlefront made use of the 10-sided die. Anyhow. Over the course of the next two days, I would pick up no less than six back issues of Wargamers Illustrated at the EHQ booth. At just two dollars per issue, I simply could not resist. To be certain, as the issues range from 2-plus to almost 12 years ago, I will not find any "hot topic" in these pages. These issues were selected as they contained articles relating to my current area(s) of interest. I may also discover some article or idea (however out of date) that will foster an idea or germ of same within me. In my personal opinion then, a solid investment of 12 dollars.
My few purchases having been made, I placed them under the front seat of my car so that I wouldn't have to lug them around with me for the rest of the day, and risk their possible misplacement or even loss. This brief break gave me a chance to get some fresh air, too. While the rear door of the convention floor entrance was sometimes open, the weather was still a bit too brisk. And then, there was the second-hand smoke (by no means overwhelming, but noticeable) that would waft through this sometimes open portal.
Registration for particular events was conducted differently and much better, this year as opposed to previous years. (This is my third consecutive Little Wars.) Instead of four and more deep lines at the registration table to sign up for particular games, there was a peg board listing the times of the events and hanger hooks arranged next to those starting times. On the hanger hooks, tickets for each scheduled event. The tickets were handed out and then presented to the game judge or umpire. When all the tickets were gone, a "filled" marker / ticket was placed over that event.
A very clean and much simpler way to track scheduling and participation in games, I think. Kudos to the committee for putting this process into practice!
Before relating more of my personal adventures, I would like to take a couple of paragraphs and detail the events and schedule of the Convention.
A review of the program shows that there were approximately 34 events / games scheduled for Friday. Saturday, of course, bore the brunt of gaming activity, with no fewer than 78 events / games on tap for the attending hobbyist. As the convention wound down on Sunday, the avid gamer still had 19 events / games from which to choose. These totals do not represent distinct and separate games, however. For example, the esteemed Mr. George Knapp, reprised his excellent AWI games (Lexington & Concord, Bunker Hill) five times on Saturday. On Sunday, a day I could not attend as there was a previously arranged family commitment (birthday), Mr. Knapp was scheduled to run a few games of Pirates! I can only figure that this home-grown game was developed along the same lines, and as much fun as his AWI contests. I regret having missed the opportunity to wear an eye-patch, have a parrot on my shoulder (house broken, of course!) and swash-buckle with other attendees.
In terms of variety, I believe I can safely state that there was a little something for everyone. The spectrum of wargames ran from Ancients to Modern. One of the more interesting modern games, if from an "interesting" terrain perspective, was a scenario set in the Middle East. The terrain was simply comprised of white poster board with country names, oil fields and major terrain pieces drawn on in black (or color) magic marker. In some views, this might be considered "primitive," but others might well argue that it served the purpose and so, was entirely effective.
This year was a first for Little Wars in a few respects. To start with, there was a theme to the convention: "Warfare in the Colonies." Initially, I thought this might mean that an emphasis would be placed on the War of the American Revolution. Once again, I was mistaken. The theme applied to Colonial Warfare in general. And so, conflict was represented from the period of the French & Indian War all the way up to efforts by the Italians to cement their interests in Africa during the early part of the 20th century. In terms of numbers, and here I count F&I games, AWI games as well as "pure" Colonial, there were about 30 events scheduled over the three day weekend. If I add naval variants to this total, then I arrive at a figure closer to 35 events. U /
With respect to popularity - meaning those periods which were best represented - WWII and ACW (land and naval) were right up there with the Colonial wargames. Perhaps not so surprisingly given the theme of the convention, Napoleonics made a small showing at just four scheduled events.
"Fringe" events (for lack of a better term - and certainly, no disrespect intended by the label) included several Sci-Fi / Fantasy games. There was one based on the premise of some sort of Haz-Mat situation and people turning into zombies as a result. The action was fast and furious ... and a little gross (lots of head shots, but then, that's the only way one could be sure to kill the walking dead!) The terrain was pretty impressive, too. The umpire had built in a lap top or min-video screen on the board to recreate a drive-in theater. What was on the marquee? Night of the Living Dead (of course!) and another classic - the name escapes me at the moment. There was also a running tournament of electronic football. Yes, that's right - I typed "electronic football." Mr. Paul Petri had purchased a rebuilt and rewired electric football game that some readers may remember from the early to mid 1970s. One would set up little plastic football players on the metal playing field and flip a switch. The field would vibrate and the "men" would "run," "block," and even "collapse" in the attempt to advance the ball down the field. Paul's game was much better, as the size of the field was increased by at least 50%. There were also bleachers, lights and painted figures in the mix. (The only thing missing was paying 4 dollars for a beer, long lines at the urinals and wishing (or is that cursing?) that the Bears would have a two-dimension offense. I did not play in the game, but I certainly heard the crowd noise throughout the weekend! While taking pictures of Paul's effort, I noticed many smiles of recognition and nostalgia on the faces of gamers as they walked by. (The majority stopped and talked with Paul.)
I noticed a lot of smiles too, on the faces of the children in attendance. Compared to the previous two years, I think the number of children at Little Wars 2002 was a record. Again, kudos to the organizing committee for making parent-child games and child-friendly games more available this year. During one of George Knapp's Saturday Bunker Hill games, I noticed (and guessed) that, of the four generals commanding at his table, three were under the age of 14. I also noticed a large number of the "junior" gamers making the rounds through and making purchases from, stands in the vendor area. I think the best instance of parent-child "bonding" occurred during the first run of the huge and very impressive Boxer Rebellion game. Though sons and daughters didn't play directly in the game, they were a party to the spectacle of their dad wearing an appropriate "costume" depending on whether he was a leader/member of the besieged Western Legation or member of the Boxer masses attacking the lines.
By "costume" I am referring to the hats worn by participants. It was something of a surprise and a little humorous too, for there I was, concentrating on what was happening to my country in the SYW board game (more about this, shortly) when a line of grown men wearing pith helmets with green, orange or yellow feathers in them; a US Cavalry (Marine) hat and representative head gear from the other Western nations, marched past my table. They were heading off to a pre-game briefing, it turns out. The Boxers remained around the table, dividing up their bands and planning their own strategy. How could I tell they were Boxers? Well, just as with the Western "officers," these gentlemen were wearing straw peasant hats or very colorful (and again, comical) beanies. I know that's not the right word for it, but that's the closest thing that springs to mind. (All that was missing was the propeller!)
I saw more than several impressive games during my two day visit at Little Wars 2002. If pressed for a choice of best of show, taking in figures, terrain, and all the other factors that contribute to the experience of a wargame, I would have to choose the aforementioned Boxer Rebellion game. The walls of Peking were just amazing! They looked just like they did in the movie. The figures were excellently done as well. An added nice touch was having the flags of several nations draped from the additional lighting around the table. A great job by Mr. Cosentino, Mr. Pinelli and Mr. Barsanti.
Duke Seifried offered an excellent game as well. His "Northwest Frontier India - 1879" game was just as impressive as the Boxer scenario. With respect to terrain, it looked as if Uncle Duke had literally taken a 4 by 2 miles section of India, shrunk it down to 25mm scale, and had it airlifted to Wisconsin so he could transport around to any number of conventions within his reach. Words really can't do his talent for terrain justice. Pictures come pretty close, but they don't come that close to revealing the attention paid to detail.
There were several well done WWII games. I understand that there were a couple of very large Battlefront games run. I saw the terrain lay out for the first during the afternoon on Friday. I think the playing surface measured something like 20 by 8 feet. Ideally, I would have liked to see a Battlefront game in progress, as I had just purchased the rule book. There were a couple of Battleground games played, too. Form what I could gather, this approach to WWII is at a smaller scale than the rules previously mentioned. Terrain for these games too, was very well done. Finally, I could not fail to notice a WWII game staged by Frank Chadwick and Tom Harris. This game was presented in 54mm scale. The figures were mostly conversions, from what I understood. (There was quite a crowd around the table.) And again, the terrain for this particular wargame was very well done.
A couple of other wargames that merit at least a mention, would be two of the naval wargames. The first was one staged in SYW, I believe. The sailing vessels were just beautiful. The terrain, while simple as one might expect with a naval action, was still very well made. I also liked the easel with large poster board set off to the side. This served as an excellent visual aide to the battle taking place on table top. The next wargame that peaked my interest was an amphibious Ancients game. It looked as if Romans were landing on a Celt controlled beach. (Saving Private Romulus?) The triremes and other vessels were very well done. I now wonder though, what kind of rules were used for disembarking from the "landing craft?" I mean, it can't be easy to wade ashore carrying sword, shield, pila and wearing God only knows how many pounds of armor.
Yet another "difference" in Little Wars this year, was the addition of two "War College seminars." Unfortunately, I was not able to attend either class. These were, from what I can deduce from the program, informal lectures on subjects related to the hobby. Greg Novak (Convention VIP) spoke on the War of 1812 on Friday evening. Frank Chadwick (another VIP), spoke on terrain and its effects in Ancients battles on Saturday morning.
As I mentioned early on, my intentions over this extended weekend were four in number. I succeeded in completing only two. I spent more than I had budgeted / allowed in the vendor area. I was also able to participate in only one wargame. (Sleeping a little late and going to the gym on Saturday translated into a late arrival and by that time, all game tickets were taken. I have already explained why participation on Sunday was out of the question.) The "purists" in the hobby will object to my use of the term wargame for the game I did enjoy on Friday afternoon, as it was a board game called Soldier Kings. Instead of painted miniatures, lovingly made terrain and home-grown rules, this game used a world map (circa 1750), counters, dice and a modified deck of playing cards.
With the reader's permission, I should like to conclude this "review" of Little Wars 2002 and my experiences at same, with a narrative and commentary on Soldier Kings. (Produced by Avalanche Press, Ltd. and available in April, I understand.)
I was a last minute entrant into this game. I decided to play as it was the only game with space available (I got the last ticket) and it would serve to "fill time" until I could watch the Boxer Rebellion game later that evening. Arriving at the table as Mr. Doug McNair was making a brief introduction, I "bumped" the gentleman who was without a ticket (apologies!) and assumed the role of the King of Holland. (The post having been very recently vacated. I guess I really should work on my punctuality!) Anyway. It turned out to be a most enjoyable afternoon and early evening of "filling time."
Soldier Kings is a board game treatment of the Seven Years War. The map is fairly large and represents the entire world at that particular time in history. From 2 to 8 players may play, and Doug had his hands full teaching the basics of the game as well as answering the questions posed by all the heads of state in attendance. Everyone seemed a quick study however, and soon the event cards were "flying," alliances were being made and as readily broken and armies and navies were marching and sailing to and fro, mixing it up with regular abandon.
Not knowing the game at all, not having that great an interest in the SYW and certainly not having any real talent at politics - which is what a large part of this game is - as the tiny country of Holland, I did fairly well at the beginning. In fact, in just a few turns, I was this close (thumb and finger are about an inch apart) to reaching my "captured territory is worth so much money goal." However, while I did well in India and in the South China Sea, the wheels of my advance quickly came off when I tried to "mix it up with the big boys" on the Continent. Having been assured by another Chris (he, the King of England - or at least Foreign Minister) that I would have support / protection on the Continent - especially from France - I made an aggressive advance into the unoccupied Austrian Netherlands. Of course, this could not help but draw the attention of the French, and I was soon waging war with the King of France. (We knew him by his first name. Roger.)
I was able to give his troops a bloody nose and kill his general, but his numbers were too great and I was forced to give up the Netherlands and retreat to my homeland. Stinging from this behavior, Roger (sorry - The King of France) launched an aggressive and fairly successful campaign in India. He wrecked no little havoc with his Sepoy troops on British and Dutch possessions there. At one point, Roger played an event card (players can play these at any time during a turn ... it's quite fun but it can be disconcerting if you thought you were in good shape and suddenly one of your armies develops scurvy or some such similar condition) which "suggested" that one of my armies in India received some false information and as a result, marched to the closest British area and attacked it! This did not go at all well, for Chris and I were allies. Or so I thought / was led to believe. Looking back on the game now, some days later, when I was assailed by the French and pushed out of the Austrian Netherlands, the British didn't lift a cup of tea in response. In a series of reverses then, I found myself back in the pack of nation-states, grappling with the other Soldier Kings for an advantage. Any advantage.
Fortunately, the winter turn arrived and everyone was able to rest and plan on how to spend their "taxes" and where to put newly raised armies and fleets when the next campaign season arrived. At this stage, we were dealt new event cards and allowed to have a second session of diplomatic discussions with any other "king" or head of state, that we wished to. I tried to reaffirm my ties with Britain. As a plan B, I renewed my alliance with Spain and then made overtures to France, enticing him with a split of India if he would assist me in ousting the British completely. "You can have all of the north of India" I told him, "all I ask is that you leave my Dutch ports alone. If we combine our navies in the area and you attack him from the land side, our victory is assured!" On that note, Doug declared it was time to start the next game turn - game year.
If the wheels "came off" for me in the last turn, the car analogy continued, this new turn witnessed the disappearance of a side panel, windshield and everything I had in the trunk! Britain had allied itself with Prussia, and Prussia got Britain's permission to walk through (was it Denmark?) and knock on the "back door" of Holland. If I was outnumbered by the French in the Austrian Netherlands, here I was more than outnumbered! Of course, it didn't help matters any that I rolled abysmally and that Scott, playing the role of Frederick, rolled a six on what seemed like every other die. Holland quickly fell under the Prussian boot.
In a last gasp then, I played an event card that reduced a British garrison in the North American colonies. France and I "ganged up"on the lone British enclave in India and succeeded in putting the English fleet to flight. On the land side, the Sepoys besieged the fort. I then played another event card, this one "providing for" a monsoon in the Indian Ocean. Any fleet caught at sea would suffer a step loss (reduction in strength). The British naval presence off the coast of India was ended on this card. Spain and France were more pleased with the result than I. It was simple retribution on my part. Britain may well have conspired to "take me out" of the competition, but if I was going to go down, I was taking a little bit of merry ole England with me.
Military and political action was just as lively, if not more so, with respect to other players. Tony, playing the Czar of Russia, was involved with Turkey (commanded by Joe) and Prussia. Turkey, in turn, attempted to secure territory in the Tyrol, Naples and other regions near the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, Joe did not meet with much success. Rick, as King of Spain, did quietly well. He stayed out of things on the Continent, but he really tangled with Chris (Britain) in the Caribbean. Rick also ventured into America, catching a bothersome British fleet between a rock and a hard place when he combined with a French naval force in and around New Orleans and the entrance to the Mississippi.
Time constraints forced a premature end to the game. A number of Soldier Kings had signed up for other events and the start times for these were fast approaching. To the last however, each player had positive comments about the game and game mechanics. I think about half of us expressed a direct interest in ordering the game right at the Convention, or getting Soldier Kings when it comes out commercially. As I'm primarily a solo wargamer, I cannot see myself making the purchase. I do know however, that I would play the game again. I would even take Holland again, now that I know not to be greedy on the Continent and, now that I know not to trust the English.
Hindsight always being the more perfect vision, it would have been nice to see an even larger map. It can get a little crowded with eight bodies and 16 pairs of hands flipping cards, rolling dice, moving armies and fleets. It would have been nice too, if instead of the usual board game counters (those things are "fiddly" sometimes and subject to the terrors of an errant die roll), cards were used a representations of armies, fleets and leaders. I think this would have been more colorful and more easy to handle with respect to information and identification. Other thoughts about mechanics of the game include: some kind of identification for the players. In the environment of the Convention, it was difficult to keep track of who was who. Jokingly, I suggested to Doug that the players should have baseball caps with a small flag of their country sewn or pinned to it. Then again, how about getting a number of those paper crowns from Burger King and modifying them to indicate that the wearer of said crown was the King of France, Spain or whatever? Coincidentally, not too much later, I witnessed the Western commanders of the besieged Legation walk by in their decorative head gear.
In summary, Soldier Kings is a very good game. It's also a very good time. I strongly recommend it to gamers interested in this period. (Doug had another full house on Saturday and it looked like the game was just as well received.)
In overall summary, though my time at Little Wars 2002 was shortened this year and through poor planning I was able to play in just one game, Little Wars 2002 was a very good time. Again, kudos to the organizing committee and everyone else involved in making the Convention, at least in my eyes, a success.
All right then, I've got six back issues of WI and the Battlefront WWII Rules to read. I better get to work!
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© Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum
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