Game Days Critically Important

Example: 1998 Map Wars

by Pete Panzeri

My first year teaching at the USMA PREP SCHOOL, FORT MONMOUTH, New Jersey, we coordinated between three active clubs, and invited as many inactive local gamers, students and new gamers as we could find. We planned a small (intentionally small) open event for Friday night and Saturday. Thus "MAPS-WARS" was born. The story behind it is an excellent example of a great "GAME DAY" event, and the far-reaching benefits there of. We benefited from more than just the important new gaming group contacts formed, and the many avid new gamers recruited, but on top of all of that we forged the creative origin or several great new ideas and concepts (new for us). The "fruit" from this one small weekend is still making a serious impact on the hobby of historical miniatures wargaming. How so? We had a satisfactory turnout for an impromptu, but well "NETWORKED" (email advertised) "GAME DAY" in the Prep School Academic Building. We invited a few clubs by email, asking them to send a game master or two. In all, 24 visitors came to play along with the students of the Wargame Club. We began Friday 6 until 11pm, and Saturday from noon to 6pm. (The weekend was busy with Basket Ball, Testing, and a mandatory dance Friday night -- all a result of my "planning in a vacuum.") Five Game Masters came up from the HAWKS club in Aberdeen MD to run the key games, along with local GM, David Ferris. (SHIPBASE III game designer) We also made our first face to face contact with the PIGS (New Jersey based "Picatinny Gaming Society), and their sister group, the HOGS. The Historical Games were all very well done, fast moving, and VERY VERY fun. On Friday night HAWKS' Geoff Graff ran the American Revolution Battle of Eutaw Springs in 15mm using his home-grown rules. The Continental surprise attack was successful but bloody for both sides. HAWKS' Eric Schlegel hosted a beautiful 25mm Civil War skirmish of Palmer Station: Grierson's cavalry raid into Mississippi in May 1863. A Yankee Cavalry detachment was sent to burn a RR station. Well, most of them paid the ultimate sacrifice for the one fire they did start, and the others? All Bleeding profusely. David Ferris, from Pig's/HOGS, ran Java Sea with WWII Pacific naval miniatures and SHIPBASE III (computer-assist rules). It was a very bloody Japanese vs. Allies naval slug-fest, with very little still afloat when the smoke cleared. Jamie Davis, also a HAWK, ran two 20mm games - one was a WWII Pacific fight between US and Japanese Infantry, and the second was his Jungle Raid in WWI East Africa. A British force had a bloody encounter against a German Askari raiding party both games using BAPS rules by Buck Surdu. I set up my Desert Storm game of "Ghazlani" (a battle I was in) for Saturday also, but we ran out of time, and decided to play it the following weekend. The success of this small gathering indicates that a "well marketed" and planned out "Game-Day" does very well. Getting good results simply takes the energy of your convictions, some sound planning, and making an "EVENT" out of something. The school location was central, accessible, and the classroom space obtained with no expense or hassle whatsoever. Getting a classroom or other free place is easy. Most public libraries have a free meeting room. Avidly inviting the right mix of gamers and non-gamers is important too. The effects went far beyond "just a fun weekend." First we got several local boardgamers and alt.gamers to come out for just a game or two, as well as some of the Cadets. We were also able to attend and support the other club's events as well. As one gamer put it, "The state of New Jersey seemed a little smaller afterwards." We also solidified a great gaming relationship with the HAWKS, including the eventual publishing of Future Race by JodiePress for HAWK Jamie Davis. The HAWKS link-up led also to cooperation between several PIGS and the Hawk's activity with Buck Surdu's BAPS and Blood & Swash games, leading to a website and shared scenario's for both. The USMAPS club made first contact with PIGS members including JT Thomasovich, and later Norbert Brunhuber. We coordinated with JT to participate with his MALEME wargame at the Origins project, which then later grew into wargaming the entire CRETE campaign (35 people) for the second JodieCon event, which then lead to two other WWII Airborne Campaigns: the entire Market Garden Campaign (30 people), and the massive Eastern Front KANEV campaign weekend (45 people). We quickly became "close allies" in planning and running many future events such as NINE very successful "JodieCon" Campaign weekends, which have sparked a renewed interest and increase in campaign events in the USA and overseas, thanks to the JodieCon website. This is now leading to our planning and preparation for the BORODINO anniversary event in 2002. All of this stemming from one small event. The lesson learned is that getting the right people together with a "GAME DAY" can GREATLY increase the number and quality of regular participants in your area, and if the people and timing are good, affect the hobby for years to come! ONE INTERESTING SIDE NOTE I know that the "MAGIC CRAZE" has since subsided, but that same weekend at USMAPS 20 students were convinced into participating in a Magic Tournament. They all elected to play in the Dorm, Study Lounge rather than the academic building. (Too bad too! I wanted to expose them to some good Historical games.) Funny, but we'd had our USMAPS Military historical Wargame club going and active for 6 months, for free! With 40 members, we usually only get a dozen or so (not bad for a 200 person school) but NOW, ONE Magic player bought some card decks at a local shop, and in one week got over 20 people to play AND PAY $15! And ALL for a game they hadn't even learned yet. Granted these students are all right out of high-school, and they were ALL restricted to the barracks. But this *is* a Military School. And it made me wonder. I would certainly like to hear some input and perspective to this phenomenon.] Back to Veteran Campaigner August 2001 Table of Contents Back to Veteran Campaigner List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Pete Panzeri. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com