A severe ice storm coated Connecticut the day before the convention, but the sun was up and out as we drove northward through New Jersey and New York on the way to convention. Registration was smooth and we quickly set up the MagWeb table (our monitor peeks out on the right of the photo) in the "ballroom", which also hosted a variety of miniature games.

Dealers lined the walls, and the gamers filled in the center. At left, Scott Ippolito of On Military Matters, a book dealer.

The show is not large, and the center runs lengthwise quite a ways, but for the 200 or so enthusiasts that appeared, it was at times a crowded affair, and I can see how this could be an even larger convention once people drop by and see it once.

In a far room, the WRG tournament was in full force. Todd Kaeser ran the event, and what was surprising was the number of teenagers pushing ancients around the tabletop--in addition, of course, to some older youngsters (like those at right).

Miniatures Painting Competition

The competition was fierce in a variety of categories. As always, I marvel at the quality of the work. I do not know the winners' names, as the painters info was turned upside down. Overall, for my vote, I picked the 25mm War of the Roses unit of several dozen figures on terrained bases. The (1/144 scale?) WWI aircraft had all the right patterns and was runner up. Some wag included a single cow--and let me say what a wonderful bovine it was. There was some Warhammer alien-or-other that was an absolute riot of color.

On the miniatures front, some excellent terraining went on. The WWI trench system was quite good (see photo to right).

Large WWI Photo (181K)

Meanwhile, William Keyser, designer of From Valmy to Waterloo Napoleonic miniature rules, brought out his 5mm French and Austrian armies to do battle yet again. In the photo, Keyser (left) points out a tactical tour de force to a player.

A section of a large Wild West town (at right) provided plenty of six-gun opportunities, just as a stagecoach and some wagons pulled into town.

On a more science fiction note, Mark McLaughlin, designer of Princess Ryan Star Marines (which I will always know as Princess Ryan's Space Marines), ran a number of his games, as shown in the photo. Mark is on the right, advising the player holding the cards.

Critical Hit magazine ran a number of Squad Leader boardgaming events, plus there was quite a few people hosting a number of other games from all eras--Napoleonic, American Civil War, WWII, and more.

All in all, it was a terrific little convention that shows incredible promise for being a post-New Years mecca.

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