Held at USMA Prep Sschool, Fort Monmouth, NJ

USMAPS WARS had an outstanding turnout for an impromptu, unadvertised, GAME DAY in the Prep School Academic Building. In all 24 visitors came to play Friday 1800-2300 and SAT 1300-1830. (the weekend was busy with Basket Ball Fri. eve, ACT Test Sat. AM and a mandatory dance at 1900 Friday . . . a result of our planning in a vacuum).

Five Game Masters came up from Aberdeen to run the key games, along with local GM (David Ferris the SHIPBASE III game designer even!).

Geoff Graff ran a 15mm AWI scenario of Eutaw Springs Friday night using his home-grown rules. The Continental surprise attack was pretty successful (and bloody for both sides). Eric Schlegel ran Palmer Station a 25mm ACW skirmish of Grierson's cavalry raid into Mississippi in May 1863. A Yankee Cavalry detachment was sent to burn a station on the Mobile and Ohio RR. Well, most of them paid the ultimate sacrifice for the one fire they did start, and the others? All Bleeding profusely.

Jamie Davis 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 using BAPS by Buck Surdu. David Ferris ran WWII Pacific naval miniatures Using SHIPBASE III (computer-assist rules). It was a very bloody Japanese vs. Allies shoot-em-up with very little still afloat when the smoke cleared. I set up Desert Storm Ghazlani for Saturday also, but we ran out of time, and decided to play it next weekend.

The success of this small gathering indicates that a well marketed and planned out Game-Con here would do very well. AND SO WE WILL! STAY TUNED! The location is very central, accessible, and we got the space with no hassle whatsoever.

A side note, that same weekend here at USMAPS we also had 20 Magic tournament players. They were all relegated to the Study Lounge, too bad because I wanted to recruit from them. Funny, but we've had our USMAPS club going and active for 6 months now, for free! With 40 members, we usually only get a dozen or so (not bad for a 200 person school) but NOW, this ONE Magic-man bought a few decks at the local shop, and in one week he got over 20 people to PAY $15 for a game they hadn't even learned yet. (Must be spiritual.) Don't worry, we are already conniving as to how to let them see the historical gamer light.