I must admit that I read with great interest the article by Dr. Brian Dewitt about convention gaming. The good doctor is a champion at both playing and running convention games. During one Historicon he played in 11 games by Saturday night, and I watched him put on 4 more. When "the guys" got together to eat, Brian was always starting a game or hoping to get in one. There are rumors that he ate, slept, and even went into the dealers area, but those who believe those rumors are few and far between. As a result, I went to Cold Wars eagerly anticipating seeing the master in action. Before I start talking about Brian's article and Cold Wars let me digress to make a minor point. Although I agree with almost every thing Brian wrote, I disagree about only spending 5 minutes going over rules. I have seen too many, "oh by the way, you are allowed to do this" (OHTW) happen to people in convention games. I think that the basics should be covered in 15 minutes or less in order to avoid the OBTW sunrises that can occur for many people who do not know the rules. I have spent a number of occasions when umpires took over an hour on the rules, putting people to sleep, while including every nuance of how to echelon your troops in the best way to avoid flank attacks. Since everyone sleeps through this monologue,, the OBTWs still happen. The essentials should be covered, and this can be done in 15 minutes or less on almost all occasions. (Note: The editor's rules are an exception, for it takes years of continual study to be able to play one of his award-winning rulesets and achieve historical simulation.) Now for some suggestions that Brian seemed to leave out. Get someone else to transport your materials to and from the convention. This frees up more space in your car so that you can bring back more stuff. The added advantage is that the someone else can end up running your game if you feel a little ill or decide you found another game in which you are more interested. Always wear an Ohio State T-shirt or sweatshirt because many of the most courteous and benign wargamers tend to flock around such a banner. It also helps keep your game free from undesirable elements (like those people from Michigan). At Cold Wars, Dr. Dewitt managed to put into practice suggestion #4 and left me stuck with his troops and many kids waiting for him to show up to run the game. In the end, seeing the poor kiddies with tears streaming down their faces, I felt compelled to step in and run Brian's game for him. I missed the master at work, but at least the kids were happy. Back to PW Review April 1995 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 Wally Simon 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