Greetings, Wargaming Bruthas. At the time of this writing, if you're anything like me, you're on your second or third viewing of Saving Private Ryan and you're well on your way to plotting just how you're going to wargame that battle for the bridge. Yupper, sales of the new 25mm WWII figures are gonna skyrocket 'cause of this one. First company that manages to come out with American paratroopers wins, eh? You all know I'm right, too. Every good war movie that comes out inspires oodles of new wargames brought forth on our tables. Wait and see how many US - German WWII skirmish games will hold forth at the next few conventions with a theme from the movie. Some will even be called Private Ryan. Over and over again frenzied wargamers will attempt to get Ryan home. While this is all well and good for us as wargaming bruthas, I wonder if we might be missing a very excellent window of opportunity to present the hobby in a favorable light. It seems that right now, for a short time like it was with the Titanic, people are interested in WWII because of Private Ryan. That's no great revelation, it's always the case with any popular movie. Short news bits are devoted to people's reactions and their opinions. Veterans are being interviewed for human interest stories. People want to know more about WW I I And that's nothing but good for the sake of their general knowledge of the event, as an aside. Like me, have you been amazed by the questions people with no interest in history, military or otherwise, have been putting to you about WWII now that they've seen the movie'? Let's see. were we fighting Germans then? What year was that? Well, why were we invading Europe? Questions like that from other people make me glad I take the time to read. In any case, you get the picture, the public is interested now, but it won't be for long, so how do we further ourselves as a hobby whilst the hour is upon us? This is my battle plan. I'm going to have a Veterans' Appreciation Day, and with all the other gala activities, I'm going to throw one or two wargames into the event as well. Yes, I am corny enough that I sit around daydreaming projects like this, but I do it for a purpose. You see I'm also the kind of guy that gets gently roped into being the local cubmaster, once his son comes of age, and as a result, I spend a fair amount of time thinking of events to educate and entertain around 30 young minds, while trying to focus on "orthy. traditional types of things like an appreciation for America and it's history. I'd long wanted a reason to put the scouts into contact with veterans, and Private Ryan provided the catalyst to do so. Right now the plan is to set a day at the local veterans' hall where the scouts will show appreciation to our veterans by providing a simple lunch for those members wishing to attend. and we'll also have each pack put on a skit with a veterans' appreciation theme. The skits will have the added benefit of making the scouts research the history of WWII. For reciprocity's sake, a few of the veterans will make themselves available to the cubs to tell of some of their experiences, as well as show off any mementos they may want to share. As mentioned, I also plan on having one or possibly two WWII participation games. I'll use the new 25mm WW I I figures and vehicles with Arty Conliffe's new Crossfire rules, which should be fun, as the rules seem to provide for quick, exciting games. Naturally we won't miss the chance to try and make it as visually attractive as possible. Finally, an acquaintance who happens to be a WWII re-enactor does an American paratrooper impression, and he's volunteered to be on hand with his gear so the cubs and veterans can inspect it. That's about it. I doubt that it will be a big event, but I'm excited about it, not only for the opportunity to show off a bit of the hobby. but for the chance to educate the cubs and actually say a small thanks to the veterans as well. If all this sounds too good to be true remember I've figured out a way to be playing with toy soldiers when I should be supervising kids. I'll let you all know how it turns out, and I'd love to hear your opinions on this - or see what other ideas you may have. Till next time, Wargaming Bruthas. Back to MWAN #96 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1997 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