Schlegel's Ferry
By Ted Poltorak

The French and Indians return to Schlegel's Ferry in this game, sponsored by the HAWKS, at Cold Wars. I played in this game last year and signed up again because I had a great time and the HAWKS (Harford Area Weekend Kriegspeilers) always put on a good game. The rules used were the French and Indian War variant of Brother against Brother.
The French and their Indian allies massed for an attack against the ferry. A fort was nearby to help defend the site. As the French approached the civilians and some provincial troops garrisoned the fort. Nearby other provincial troops as well as some British regulars in the form of grenadiers also converged on the site. Deep in the woods a Ranger contingent commanded by yours truly scouted around looking for Indians.

The French approached through the open fields near the ferry and the Indians moved through the woods from two directions. The Indians proceeded to burn some buildings. The Rangers suffered some losses when they were caught in the open. They quickly went back into the woods. As the French regulars approached the fort the British grenadiers met them. In some of the best die rolling I have ever seen the British mowed down the French with withering fire. Two volleys and the French were gone.

The Indians approached the fort and were equally roughly handled by the provincials and the civilians in the fort. The Rangers generally made a nuisance of themselves and diverted the Indian's attention. In fact one whole group chased down the Rangers instead of going for the fort. The French attack fell apart and the Indians lost heart. It was pretty much a cakewalk for the Americans and the British. The game master, "Buck" Surdu, commented that this was the first time that the French had lost this scenario. Indeed, when I played last year the Indians actually scaled the walls of the fort and made it inside.
This is a neat little game and a neat set of rules. Playing the game made me want to get off my butt and start painting some of my French and Indian War figures. I hope to run a game at a future Game Day.

PEL Problems
Editorial by John Burke

Now that Cold Wars 2001 is over it's time for some analysis. My biggest criticism is about the disaster that occurred with the PEL and Pre-Registration forms. The HMGS East Board has to fix this problem to avoid further hardship to the hobby. Never again should anyone receive their PEL in the mail just days before the convention. I was fortunate to receive my copy two weeks before the event. One member of our club received their copy just one week before the convention.

This is obviously a major screw up, to put it bluntly. Everyone should have their PEL at least two weeks before the convention so they have time to choose their games and send in their registration. I personally think that twenty to thirty days in advance would be better for everyone. In fairness I have to say the man in charge of the pre-registration, Chris Johnson, was very cooperative and sympathetic to the problems faced by attendees. Chris told me that the printer or mailer caused that problem. If this is the case I hope the Board will replace these firms with companies that can do the job competently.

But that's enough of my ranting about the PEL. The Theme for Cold Wars 2001 was "The American Revolution." I think that the HMGS East Board's decision to devote a full year of conventions to this time period is an excellent idea. Despite the PEL problems I had a great time at the convention.

Long and Winding Road
By John Burke

My first game at Cold Wars was a Vietnam scenario called "Long and Winding Road." The rules, called Desperate Land Skirmishes and designed by Michael Sarno, have not yet been published. The scenario consisted of an American platoon out on patrol in "Indian country" when they receive a radio report that their firebase is under attack. The platoon has to cross the board at least three times to get back to their base. Of course Charlie has no intention of making this an easy trip. The game designer ran the Viet Cong.

The rules had several aspects that I liked, and some areas that need improvement (particularly regarding casualties). I would try Desperate Land Skirmishes again if I had the chance, if only to see how they play a second time. I wish Michael Sarno good luck with his rules.

Trois Rivieres
By John Burke

On Saturday morning I played a Revolutionary War game using Patriots and Loyalist rules. The scenario was called "Trois Rivieres." The battle of Trois Rivieres took place in 1775 when the Americans attempted to invade Canada and turn it into the fourteenth state. Historically, the attempt was not successful. But our hobby allows us the opportunity to change history. In our game the Americans were successful and Canada became a part of the United States. I enjoyed this game so much that I purchased a copy of the rules.

Tom Gallagher, another SJCW wargamer, also played in this game on the side of the British. Of course this afforded us the opportunity to trade good-natured insults during the battle. However I did move my command to a different location so someone else could have the pleasure of battling Tom. I recommend Patriots and Loyalists as an excellent system for battles during the American Revolution. Try out the rules for yourself at the next convention.

The Battle of Quebec
By John Burke

Saturday night Charlie Keller and I played "The Battle of Quebec" using Ross Macfarlane's With MacDuff to the Frontier. Charlie and I agreed that this 54 mm skirmish was a lot of fun. Both of us chose to fight for George III and defend Quebec from those ungrateful, insolent, rebellious Americans. This is how they repay the Crown? Damn all rebels, and God save the King! During this game I was also delighted to meet 54 mm enthusiast Charlie Eldsen. Mr. Eldsen commanded the American forces and "sir" Charles Keller was the commander of the British garrison.

Our plan of defense was successful despite the aggressive and well led American attacks. Their assaults were repulsed and heavy losses were inflicted. Quebec was preserved for His Britannic Majesty George III. Everyone had a great time. I am looking forward to playing another game with these rules and 54 figures. I hope Ross hosts another game at the next convention. Charlie Eldsen is welcome to a rematch anytime he wants it. Later Charlie Keller and I ran into Mr. Eldsen while he was running a 54 mm English Civil War battle using his own rules, Stand and Deliver. Mr. Eldsen lives in Brooklyn and we talked about the possibility of getting together in the future for a game.

The Invasion of Malta
By Ceasar Bennett

On Friday I played "The Invasion of Malta 1942" using Small War at Sea Task Force rules. On Feb. 18th German and Italian airborne troops captured a toehold at three small ports in Northern Malta. At the same time an Italian invasion fleet steamed south towards Malta. British convoy escorts turned toward to defend Malta from the Italians. The 21st was a bright sunny day as the two great fleets found each other. Both fleets raced towards each other, closing the distance rapidly. Soon the deck guns would be blazing away; kill or be killed.

I commanded Italian's second destroyer group, which included a cruiser and three destroyers. An identical group sailed in front of me and I was flanked by battleships and cruisers on my right. The British fleet was set up along the same lines as the Italians. Light cruisers and destroyers hammered away at each other while heavy cruisers and battleships fired over the destroyer screens. Many ships were hit; several were soon dead in the water or sinking.

Later in the game my group turned to hunt down the fleeing second British destroyer group. This brought down the wrath of some of the larger British ships on my group. May cruiser and one destroyer were soon on their way to the bottom of the Mediterranean. By the end of the game both sides had been bloodied, although the British came off better in the exchange the Italian invasion fleet and their escorts had not been touched. They were still steaming towards Malta.

This game lasted three hours, and half way through most of the players had mastered how to run the tables. I like the rules because you don't have to be a math major to understand them. When a ship sinks you roll to see how long it takes to go to the bottom, a rule I liked. I am not an avid naval wargamer, but I would gladly play these rules again. I had a good time.

What Tax Money Leonardo?
By Ceasar Bennett

The second Cold Wars game I played in used Leonardo Plus rules. The idea behind the game is that the war machines sketched by Leonardo are actually built. It was late fall when the people of Murkwood rose up against the Imperial Tax Collectors. Refusing to pay their outrageously high taxes, the villagers tarred and feathered the tax collectors and ran them out of town. They didn't have to wait long for a response.

Lord Weigle's knights were the first to ride into sight, followed by gunmen, pikemen, and the cannons. The villagers rushed to defend the walls of the village, gripping their weapons and shouting in defiance. The knights charged towards the entrance of the village only to be blocked by a round tank that resembled a house. The villagers fired at the gunmen and crossbowmen, ignoring the pikemen for the moment. Then out of the sky came the airplanes, dropping bombs on our villagers. We retaliated with our gyrocopter and managed to shoot down one of the enemy planes with a volley of crossbow bolts fired from the tower.

My flame tank swung around from the far side of Murkwood and went after two Imperial tanks. My crossbowmen followed, firing at any Imperials foolish enough to come within range. In the end the Imperial Tax Collectors flooded over the walls and rampaged through the village, but it was a costly victory. Well into the game I was starting to learn how to run the tables and play this game. I enjoyed myself and had a lot of fun playing this game. I look forward to playing these rules again.

The Ruins of Stalingrad
By Ceasar Bennett

The last game I played at Cold Wars was a battle set in the ruins of Stalingrad using Crossfire rules. The set up was great! Two and three story rubbled buildings dominated the board. Many of the buildings had partial floors. I was looking forward to firing from the windows and fighting room to room. But I soon learned that the buildings were just for decoration. Everything really just represented piles of rubble and we had to move from pile to pile. Under the rules when you have initiative you continue moving and firing until you lose the initiative. I was on the winning side, but did not like the way the rules work. I do not look forward to playing them again.