Summer Camp Con Report - Ft. Leavenworth Hunt Lodge July 25-26, '03

The "Summer Camp" convention was held at the Ft. Leavenworth Hunt Lodge for the benefit of the Frontier Army Living History Association! The base security was on 100% Inspection Alert but all con attendees (players & vendors) made it thru to the convention location. Entry fee was $7 for both days of gaming - a great deal! The convention opened on Friday July 25th at noon with 4-5 main gaming tables. The Hunt Lodge was air conditioned with ceiling fans and was "comfortable" all during the two-day con! Foodservice was available also at the site with proceeds to the benefit!

Vendors at the convention were George Knapp's Books & Figs (Mwan's & painted figures), Harold's Old Games ( SPI/AH boardgames & books) , Hardtack Hobbies from Arkansas ( Eagle Games line), Laden Swallow Hobbies from Jackson Mo. (south of St. Louis) (15mm and N-scale tanks & figs), and Titan MMP with their great new line of American Civil War Ironclads and rulesset "Raiders & Blockaders"!

Some of the games presented Friday were: Civil War Ironclads in the Mississippi River, SAS Raiders in a desert raid on a German North Africa supply column, " Homey's Turf" - a modern getto gang war in downtown anywhere ( a modern Western Gunfight complete with "drive-by shootings" and street corner fist-fights, "Saltillo" - the other battle up from "Buena Vista" - Amer. militia guarding the U.S. supply wagons defend a river crossing against a whole Mexican Cav.Division while the "Buena Vista" battle happens just down the road off the table - I played in this one and it was a great fight with 1000's of dead on both sides with the Mexicans squeezing out victory by the narrowest of margins ( 1 horse figure representing 20 riders!). Boardgaming was presented with "Napoleon in Europe" (Eagle Games) and AH "Raid on St. Nazarine"! The evening games were 54mm WW2 Squad Combat & Mike Machell's great looking Western Gunfight game with 15 players in this one! The head-count on Friday was about 35 people there!

Saturday opened with a "Silent Auction" with 3 tables of stuff and a "DBA Tourney" with 7 players. Alexander Gerges was the DBA Champ winning a 20.00 gift certificate from Laden Swallow. Boardgaming was presented with "War of Imperialism" (Eagle games) & "Eastfront" - that WW2 "block-game" with the large hex-map. Miniature games presented were: WW1 Tanks at Cambrai with trenches and wire and artillery and lots of dead infantry and tanks, 25mm Medieval Castle Seige with "individual figures" for each player, Tom Day's Amer. Civil War in 15mm using his "Stonewall Jackson's Way" rules on geo-hex terrain, more "Homey's Turf", more 54mm WW2 Squad Combat, and my own "Battle of Mobile Bay" (Civil War Ironclads) using my "scratch-built" forts (2) and ships (25) - the Union players sent their ships across the sunken poles guarding the bay mouth between the forts (this was the first time anyone tried this to a large extent - for their effort they lost 3 of 6 ships sent across including 1 of their 4 iron-clads) - as the rest of the Union fleet entered the bay the South fleet waited in a line across the on-coming Union and as the Union got in range the South deliveried lots of canon fire to the leading Union ships - the South also attacked with the "spar-torpedo" steam launches and blew-up the leading Union ship - all near ships (mostly Union) had to take "critical damage rolls" which damaged more Union ships - it had become a Southern rout and the Union team conceded thewin to the South players!!

Later games presented were: more Amer. Civil War in 15mm, more "Homey's Turf", and more Civil War Naval action in the Mississippi River, and Mike Machell's South American Napoleonic Battle between the Spanish and Ecudorian revolutionaries - a great looking game! The people there Saturday amounted to about 45 people with lots of games and lots of vendor sales! This was a great convention with lots of happy players playing lots of great games and they didn't have to drive all the way to " Historicon" on the same weekend to have a great convention!!!

Upcoming Events

Simulation Saturdays
Free War Gaming at the Frontier Army Museum 10-4 Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
August 16
September 6
October 18

Conventions at the Fort Leavenworth Hunt Lodge
Spring Maneuvers: February 20-21 2004
Summer Camp: July 16-17 2004

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