I arrived at the Chancellor Hotel in Champaign, Illinois, at about 11:15 AM February 2nd, 1996. Eric Johnson, an old friend living in Champaign, met me there and after eating lunch and getting in my room, we registered for the 2:00PM games. Eric had done some role playing in the past but had never attended a con before, so he signed up for the weekend and attended every day.

Friday afternoon, I played in a really enjoyable Spanish Civil War game run by Chad Anderson, who used a commercial rule set and some great plastic conversion figures and some kit vehicles. I commanded Franco's forces facing the famous American volunteers under Chris Reagle. My mission was to hold the command bunker on the fortified hill and then counter-attack and take the village close by. The Republicans were to take the hill.

I stayed on the defensive and did my best to break up their attacks. I managed to take out their armored car and tank, but not before they wasted my 37mm AT gun and one of my two Italian tankettes that came in as a reserve. The Americans reached the trench line and then the game resembled PACKMAN. I fed in troops as they advanced up the trench line. It was a lot like a WWII game. I finally retreated with two MG sections, the Spanish and Italian officer stands and my reserve Italian infantry company.

Friday night I ran an early war Iran-Iraq War scenario using Micro-armor and infantry and BATTLE CAPTAIN rules. The Iraquis had to secure a village and its bridge besides a pontoon bridge and a fuel storage plant. The Iranians had to hold as much as they could keep. Deployment was slow and the Iranian RPG men binerly held their end of the village bridge. The Iraquis were just crossing the pontoon bridge under 81 mm mortar fire when we called the game. It was a strong Irannian victory!

Saturday morning after the excellent continental breakfast I arrived late to the 8:00 game. Tom Wirsing was running an ACW scenario based on a segment of the Seven Days Battle using FIRE AND FURY rules. We attacked the Yankees from across a stream without making much headway. By the time we were pushing them too many Union reserves had come up so we lost. The game was good practice for the evening game as FIRE AND FURY rules would be used in it.

Saturday afternoon. I played in one of Alan Cockrell's infamous Sci-Fi Star Trek infantry games. Urok Burhas, Klingon Commander was leading the Empire forces against the local natives who had the nerve to not want a Klingon fortified outpost on their planet. The natives attack as a horde with spears, clubs. troches, axes, etc while weapons were six hand disrupters and trifork knives plus 14 friendly construction workers with clubs. We held the wall, firing while some climbed up and others went through the door we opened for them. Once they were in, we dropped the door behind them and the grand melee ensued. Urok Burhas died leading a charge but Tuluk, my second in command lead the Klingons to a victory wiping out the initial native attacking force holding on the 12 turns till relief arrived.

Saturday evening was the ego highlight of the con for me. In a FIRE AND FURY Franco-Prussian variant game run by Rick Taylor and Dean Spitzs, I was elected to cover all French command with a Father and Son team as my co-commanders. We were on the defense with terrain (some of it in our favor) ordered to keep the road running along our position open. We held off a very determined left flank attack with the Prussians losing a divisional of ficer and just being held. They then attacked our right flank turning it, but still being beaten back. We now attacked with some of our troops on the last turn. Victory was ours with eight points to their two! I never get to fire the mitrailleuse battery.

Rich Nelson, Russ Heartly and I split a room Saturday night which helped to cut my expenses down and got me another free breakfast Sunday morning.

Sunday I got my Later War Iran-Iraq War game going by 9:30. We fought almost nonstop till after 1:00. The Iraqui were moving up to rescue a pocket of NLA troops from the Iranian government forces. This was an infantry, armor, artillery and air (ground attack) battle. One poor Iranian squad with captured Saggers was pinned by surpression fire every time they shot. A successful air strike napalmed three T-62's but didn't quite block the NLA's exit. The NLA got 58% of their force away so the Iraquis won. Very active game.

BATTLE CAPTAIN is a very interested set of rules and much simpler than it first appears. I will do some modifications but will play them mostly as they stand. Bruce Conrad gave me good order service and even sent me another table for the game and an interesting letter aRer I requested more information.

WINTER WAR XXIII was a hit. Around 400 attended despite failed batteries and putting "heat" in one's gas due to record cold. I hope to be back in 1997.