This Labor Day weekend, September 3, 4, 5 and 6, 2004, we will be having a small get-together in the mountains of West Virginia, to take time out to consider some important questions about the illusion and reality of wargames. "Strategy," for Napoleon, meant arranging his forces to take advantage of chance and changing circumstances. Chance is the most important part of these games, and is probably also the most realistic of all game mechanisms. Yet, if you search the rules folder for Seven Days of 1809, do you think this word appears? Not once. The word "change," so important to all stories, occurs one time. The word "strategy" appears twice in the Historical Notes. I do not think these games are truly aware of what they are, and as a result they do not present themselves in their true guise. The modern world is conditioned to buy-in to illusion; it has become second nature to us. Our whole economy and politics are based on it. Creating an illusion is also an important part of our games. Yet, if there is something besides illusion that we are packaging, one would have to be very cautious about characterizing that as historical accuracy. This small gathering will take place in Thomas, West Virginia. We'll be staying at the B&B next door to the Purple Fiddle, a hippie restaurant and bluegrass music venue. If you want to bring the family, there are two state parks, Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley Conference Center with accommodations available in Davis, no more than 10 miles away. Registration fee - $15. You'll be responsible for making your own room reservations - $45 per night in the B&B, or in the conference center $90 or $100. If you wish to attend, please email me first and I will forward the contact information. This will be fun, the area is beautiful. I hope you can join us. Back to OSG News May 2004 Table of Contents Back to OSG News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Operational Studies Group This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com