Jason Pipes - Jun 22, 2009 3:34 pm (#4510 Total: 4536) "There are few things more satisfying in wargaming than collecting the severed heads of your defeated enemies." Origins 2009 Auction info Over the years, the Origins auction has provided hundreds of attendees with the money to pay all or part of their costs in attending Origins, as well as extra dollars to buy stuff in the exhibitor hall. For collectors, the Origins auction can be one of the most anticipated events of the year, with the hope of once more obtaining that rare item, or getting a bargain on something wanted for a long time. There are two ways to sell – no risk with the auction store, or paying a small fee and to put stuff in the live auction. There is no entry fee for items going into the store. The auction store is great for items you want displayed all weekend, and the live auction is for rare items, more expensive things, collections, etc. Also, you can stop by the auction at anytime to check on what items you’ve sold, or get a payout for items. There will also be a Charity Auction this year at Origins. The charity auction will be in Dave Arneson’s name, to benefit his chosen charity - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (www.jdrf.org). Anyone willing to donate items to this cause will be able to do so during item registration. All proceeds from the charity auction will be going to this fund. The 2009 Origins auction is being held in the same location as last year, rooms E150-E151. Items for live auction or for the consignment store are accepted at the following times. Items accepted: Thursday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Consignment store hours: Thursday 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Friday 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM Live Auction hours: Thursday 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (or earlier if items run out) Friday 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (or earlier if items run out) Saturday 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (or earlier if items run out) For more detailed information on the Origins 2009 auction please see the following link. http://www.livegameauctions.com/Originsauction.jsp Joe Steadman - Jun 23, 2009 6:06 pm (#4516 Total: 4536) Ya.... I'm here Where are you? Already got my badge and looking for some games! Steven Bucey - Jun 23, 2009 9:17 pm (#4517 Total: 4536) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... Well, I took my usual daily walk through around 3pm but I didn't see you. I did see some folks playing a new Mayfair game called "Steam", I think. For whatever reason, it didn't occur to me that the registration desk might be open. I'll stop by tomorrow after lunch and get my and my son's badges. Peter Stein - Jun 23, 2009 11:19 pm (#4520 Total: 4536) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus >I did see some folks playing a new Mayfair game called "Steam", I think. Nothing you want to play. Joe Steadman - Jun 24, 2009 12:25 am (#4521 Total: 4536) Ya.... >>I did see some folks playing a new Mayfair game called "Steam", I think. >Nothing you want to play. LOL, that was Tom Vasel and I... playing Steam... you should of said Hi! Today I got in Steam, Cartegna III, Hammer of the Scotts, Space Alert, and Battlestar Gallactica! Not bad for a Tuesday. Joe Steadman - Jun 24, 2009 12:31 am (#4522 Total: 4536) Ya.... I am looking to Trade at Origins.... Speak now or hold your peace as I put them in the Origins game auction, if anything interest you email me (joesteadman AT gmail.com), Thanks, Age of Steam 2nd ed. House Divided 3rd ed. Elchfest Wyatt Earp Democrazy Legends of Robinhood 79 Nature of the Beast (both sets) Finstere Flure Jason Pipes - Jun 24, 2009 1:53 am (#4524 Total: 4536) "There are few things more satisfying in wargaming than collecting the severed heads of your defeated enemies." Arrived in Columbus late this evening. Auction will begin setting up Wed morning! Brant Guillory - Jun 24, 2009 6:13 am (#4525 Total: 4536) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. >Legends of Robinhood 79 Is that the small, green box, or the larger white one? Scott Shafer - Jun 24, 2009 6:50 am (#4526 Total: 4536) Yokosuka, Japan Whew! Got here. Once again my luggage was lost. Got registered and am ready to play. Will be at the war room early! Hans Kishel - Jun 24, 2009 7:17 am (#4527 Total: 4536) "God... all the lines of sleaze run back to Kishel. Center of the web, as it were." Dean Essig Joe! So are you going to avoid me this Origins? I will be the goofy looking one, play OCS Beyond the Rhine and also will be setting up a Demo version of the new BCS game Kassarine. George Sauer III - Jun 24, 2009 7:38 am (#4528 Total: 4536) Columbus Area Boardgaming Society - http://www.buckeyeboardgamers.org See everyone in about an hour !!! Should be onsite around 9am ... Steven Bucey - Jun 24, 2009 9:15 am (#4529 Total: 4536) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >LOL, that was Tom Vasel and I... playing Steam... you should of said Hi! Erm, I did. I must not have recognized you. There were three guys and a woman playing in one of the cafe areas that I talked to. Steven Bucey - Jun 24, 2009 9:15 am (#4530 Total: 4536) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Nothing you want to play. Probably not... Steven Bucey - Jun 24, 2009 12:32 pm (#4531 Total: 4536) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Nothing you want to play. It's possible Adam might be interested, however. He really likes TransEuropa, for instance. Unfortunately, the reviews indicate that, at 9, he might not be ready for it. The apparent list price, however, makes it unlikely for me to buy it (or much of anything else for that matter) due to pending State of Ohio budget cuts that may significantly impact my family. Scott Shafer - Jun 24, 2009 2:50 pm (#4532 Total: 4536) Yokosuka, Japan Ahh... Three games of Lee vs Grant. That is a good start. Still wish that I had brought a jacket. Cindy Nowak - Jun 24, 2009 3:49 pm (#4533 Total: 4536) Once a war gamer... >Still wish that I had brought a jacket. That cold inside? I may need to adjust what I packed before I leave! Scott Shafer - Jun 24, 2009 8:32 pm (#4534 Total: 4536) Yokosuka, Japan Wow! I have been to three Origins, and every time CABS has been a bigger and bigger part of the show. I do not know all of them, but they are all spectacular! Bud has been running around all day looking after other people and helping all of us to have a good time! Thanks!!! I got to play Lee vs Grant six times today. This was a worthwhile purchase! In addition I bought a hoodie. This may not be a worthwhile purchase, but I am at least warm! It is fun to be able to put faces with the names we see in CSW. I have really enjoyed meeting our celebrities. Now to go and see if I won anything in the raffle. Steven Bucey - Jun 24, 2009 8:32 pm (#4535 Total: 4536) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... It can get chilly in some spots. Bob, Todd and I started setting up our BIG Panzer Leader game. Todd and I conferred, and the Germans have set up their initial forces. Bob (pictured) is organizing the Allied units, and may have his first turn done this evening (I left while he was still setting up). He's got beach boards on his side, but they're just for him to set up on and will be removed once he enters the next row of boards. Scott Shafer - Jun 28, 2009 4:26 pm (#4537 Total: 4608) Yokosuka, Japan Farewell It was a great con. Got more game time in than I thought possible. Played Combat Commander eight times! Seems like very few people were there, but it was a show filled with all kinds of people playing games. Again, thanks to CABS for the magnificent job that they do!!! Steven Bucey - Jun 28, 2009 8:11 pm (#4538 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Seems like very few people were there, I suspect the current economic situation, particularly with an ugly state budget bill pending, might have had an impact. All in all, I had a great five days! Wednesday afternoon/evening, Thursday all day and Friday morning I played a LARGE game of Panzer Leader, Friday afternoon play-tested Orange Crush by Brant Guillory, Friday evening played a few turns of a new game by Vance von Borries, then managed my son while he did a bunch of different things on Saturday, then two games of Tank Leader with Bob Titran. Cindy Nowak - Jun 28, 2009 9:22 pm (#4539 Total: 4608) Once a war gamer... I just walked in the door from Origins. Awesome!! >Seems like very few people were there. Both the Board Room and the War Room were packed - last night in particular. Combat Commander being played everywhere! Got in a few games myself. I saw play tests of a number of games, got to try one hand/one city for The Hell of Stalingrad, talked to Uwe Eckert about the upcoming Polish expansion (Price of Honor) for Storms of Steel (and got in my first play for COH with his son Gunter) PLUS saw the box cover prototype for First Men In: Normandy. What a blast! mlriley - Jun 28, 2009 10:53 pm (#4540 Total: 4608) Last 5 games played here in Minneapolis: Bastogne(MMP), Mighty Endeavor(MMP),Afrika(MMP),Lightning Poland(DG), Lightning North Africa(DG) Just got home from Origins. Thanks CABS for another great War Room Brant Guillory - Jun 29, 2009 6:25 am (#4541 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. Thursday morning it was a little sparse in the building, but by lunchtime Thursday, the War Room/Board Room was filling up. By Friday morning, I was very happy we had snagged a table for BayonetGames early, or Steven and I wouldn't have had anywhere to play. every time I went into the War Room, I was saying a lot of "excuse me"s to get thru the crowd as there were so many people. Great job CABS - can't wait for next year, and hoping I can make it to BGF this year. Mike Galandiuk - Jun 29, 2009 8:58 am (#4542 Total: 4608) North Coast Gamers, Greater Cleveland, Ohio ORIGINS AAR I spent 99% of my time in the War Room/Board Room. Wednesday: I played Halls of Montezuma (GMT) and two Combat Commander (GMT) scenarios with David Carroll. Thursday: I played June’44 (DDH) with John Teixeira, two scenarios of No Question of Surrender (MMP) with Arnie Shimo and Dick Vohlers. I played Chosin (S&T#257) with James Plesac, and None but Heroes (MMP) with Dick Vohlers and Dean Essig. Friday: I finished up Chosin with James, then played The Devil’s Cauldron with Arnie Shimo, Storm Over Stalingrad with Arnie Shimo and Nick Stelleto, then played Kasserine Pass (MMP) with Hans Kishel and Dean Essig. Saturday: I played a Operation Veritable (VP) with Todd Sorgoine and James Plesac, Bravery in the Sand (MMP) with Arnie Shimo, Nothing Gained but Glory (GMT) with Scott Shafer and Dick Vohlers, Ruin with Ashley, Will, Jeremy, and Scott, and finally Iwo Jima with Scott Shafer. Sunday: I played Storm Over Stalingrad with Ken Stein and Combat Commander: Pacific with Scott Shafer. I also won over a dozen games in War Room/Board Room door prizes! Cindy Nowak - Jun 29, 2009 9:37 am (#4543 Total: 4608) >I spent 99% of my time in the War Room/Board Room. I can vouch for that. Every time I was there playing a game, watching a game, or just checking things out, there you were. I wondered if there was one of those invisible fence things that kept you in place and focused. Kevin Rohrer - Jun 29, 2009 10:41 am (#4544 Total: 4608) Come to the Buckeye Game Fest, Oct. 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio for multiplayer wargaming goodness. TNW, A Most Dangerous Time, Thru The Ages, Manifest Destiny, and Lords of the Sierra Madre will be played (among others) It was nice meeting Scot S and other new gaming friends. It was good seeing Robin, Tex, Walt & Barrie, Ken, Mike W, and all the others I gamed with and talked to. My AAR will follow. Next up: the Buckeye Game Fest in Columbus, October 1-4. Bob Titran - Jun 29, 2009 10:47 am (#4545 Total: 4608) Buffalo, NY good to see you too >good seeing Robin, Walt & Barrie, Ken, Mike W oh wait, never mind Kevin Rohrer - Jun 29, 2009 10:57 am (#4546 Total: 4608) Come to the Buckeye Game Fest, Oct. 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio for multiplayer wargaming goodness. TNW, A Most Dangerous Time, Thru The Ages, Manifest Destiny, and Lords of the Sierra Madre will be played (among others) >good to see you too...good seeing Robin, Walt & Barrie, Ken, Mike W ...oh wait, never mind And you too, big guy. I was about to edit my post when you beat me to it. Mike Galandiuk - Jun 29, 2009 11:02 am (#4547 Total: 4608) North Coast Gamers, Greater Cleveland, Ohio >I wondered if there was one of those invisible fence things that kept you in place and focused. No fence. I was just having far too much fun to leave. George Sauer III - Jun 29, 2009 12:51 pm (#4552 Total: 4608) Columbus Area Boardgaming Society - http://www.buckeyeboardgamers.org Last year we counted ribbons ... just over 1000 - around 1025 - I think it was ... This year we counted games given away ... one to a person with a ribbon ... Multiple ribbons were not counted ... just over 1100 given out when we pulled the plug on the game give away Saturday Night ... Counting duplicate ribbons ... We could hit 1200 ... a 20% increase over last season in sales of ribbons ... Joel A Tamburo - Jun 29, 2009 3:22 pm (#4553 Total: 4608) Learning each day how much I don't know How can one person have multiple ribbons? Mark Pitcavage - Jun 29, 2009 3:25 pm (#4554 Total: 4608) Straddling that line between Dr. House and Mimi Bobeck war room, board room? Peter Stein - Jun 29, 2009 3:27 pm (#4555 Total: 4608) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus Correct. Not too many of those this year. Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 3:34 pm (#4556 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Correct. Not too many of those this year. I got both for my son and I, and it turned out to be a waste of money as we never did anything that would have needed the boardroom ribbons. Brant Guillory - Jun 29, 2009 3:45 pm (#4557 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. Has anyone ever been moved from one to the other based on the ribbon they're wearing? How do you differentiate the gaming tables out on the balcony upstairs? Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 4:04 pm (#4558 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Has anyone ever been moved from one to the other based on the ribbon they're wearing? Yes. A couple of years ago Adam and myself were asked to stop when we were playing in the boardroom and he didn't have a boardroom ribbon or any tokens. Peter Stein - Jun 29, 2009 4:20 pm (#4559 Total: 4608) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus This year it was not an issue as we were told at the site there weren't a lot of War Room Ribbons printed, so we (CABS) never tried to make that distinction. Note there was no actual divider between the two. Technically the outer area is the overflow for both rooms, therefore either ribbon would be OK there. Brant Guillory - Jun 29, 2009 4:27 pm (#4560 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. I guess where I was going is whether or not it mattered whether you had "board room" or "war room" ribbons as to where you physically set up. If someone with a Carcassonne game parked themselves between Kevin and the OCS table, would they be asked to move back to the Board Room? If someone had a War Room ribbon and wanted to check our Power Grid, would they be turned away? I get that the ribbon distinction is nice, but aren't they functionally different. I see no reason why someone would buy both, since CABS doesn't double up on game handouts as a result of having both. Seems like buying one or the other gets you access to the 'cool kids' balcony and it doesn't matter which one. Just my 2c Peter Stein - Jun 29, 2009 4:53 pm (#4561 Total: 4608) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus We did last year. This year we had fewer games to give out, so only 1 per person. Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 5:08 pm (#4562 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >I get that the ribbon distinction is nice, but aren't they functionally different. I see no reason why someone would buy both, since CABS doesn't double up on game handouts as a result of having both. Seems like buying one or the other gets you access to the 'cool kids' balcony and it doesn't matter which one. Well, as I said it did make a difference for myself to my chagrin a couple of years ago, so I buy both now. >I guess where I was going is whether or not it mattered whether you had "board room" or "war room" ribbons as to where you physically set up. If someone with a Carcassonne game parked themselves between Kevin and the OCS table, would they be asked to move back to the Board Room? Actually, my impression was that often nearly a 1/3 of the "warroom" tables were being used to play non-wargames on, and I'm including the tables in the back half of the room, not just those near the door. Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 5:10 pm (#4563 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... I also had more than one person comment to me about my son and I having both ribbons, and one person even suggested that since "I didn't need both" that I sell him one. All in all, very annoying. I wasn't going to say anything, but since the subject came up, I thought I'd give my input and experiences. Joe Steadman - Jun 29, 2009 6:09 pm (#4564 Total: 4608) Ya.... Ribbons, If there is NO distinction between the warroom and the boardroom, then next year we need to just sell CABS ribbons. I was annoyed at first, I spent $32 to play in each area but there were boardgamers in the warroom and wargamers in the boardroom. Also, what was with all the gaming going on in the big room Hall D I think? They had signs everywhere pointing people to open free gaming. What is the point of CABS doing what they do when people can just play for free in a sancioned open gaming area in one of the huge halls? I bought both (wanting to support CABS), ended up giving my wife my boardroom ribbon and lost my warroom ribbon. When I pulled them off to give my wife her ribbon the sticky stuff must of wore off on the warroom ribbon. I thought screw it, I'll give my wife one of my ribbons and save another $32. Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 7:32 pm (#4565 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... I told you that you could borrow mine! John Kisner - Jun 29, 2009 7:39 pm (#4566 Total: 4608) Baltic Gap is available for preorders at http://www.multimanpublishing.com/preorder/viewGame.php?id=67 The free Rio Grande game made the ribbons a bargain. I essentially got a copy of Oregon for the $16 and gamed for free. I also won a raffle copy of Three Commandments from Rio Grande, so while I didn't do as well as Mike G, I did fine. Hall D was supposed to require "pay to play" in terms of table rental. That's how it looked to me when I walked in on Wednesday anyway. Tony Morgan - Jun 29, 2009 7:39 pm (#4567 Total: 4608) It looked to me as if numbers were really down this year. I spend most of my Origins time in War College lectures, and some familiar faces that I see year after year were not there. I was talking to a fellow who noted the same thing. I know many of us War College attendees are getting up there in years. I hope people stayed away this year for economic rather than health reasons. I very much enjoy seeing the same guys I have been seeing for the last 10+ years. Being in a room full of historians is very special. Generally, I really enjoyed Origins this year. There was not enough gaming going on in the War Room, though. Somebody had set up GD42 and I had hoped to play it, but it wasn't there when I returned. I have not played TCS in years but the beauty of the new map drew me in. The four days we spend at Origins go by so quickly... Mark Pitcavage - Jun 29, 2009 7:51 pm (#4568 Total: 4608) Straddling that line between Dr. House and Mimi Bobeck I couldn't be there because of work, but I know a couple of people who decided not to go because the vendor situation had gotten so bad. I know my own enjoyment has been greatly reduced by the smaller number of vendors. George Sauer III - Jun 29, 2009 8:06 pm (#4569 Total: 4608) Columbus Area Boardgaming Society - http://www.buckeyeboardgamers.org >What is the point of CABS doing what they do when people can just play for free in a sancioned open gaming area in one of the huge halls? You will have to ask the 1100+ ribbon wearers that Joe ... We provide value for you dollar ... Our library has no compare. Plus right now what RIO GRANDE has been doing really makes the room special. And of course - who wants to game in a air plane hanger ??? Peter Blitstein - Jun 29, 2009 8:08 pm (#4570 Total: 4608) Appleton, Wisconsin I had a great time in the War/Board rooms, though I'm not sure I really needed to have bought both ribbons. I enjoyed meeting a number of the denizens of this joint. Lost all of the games I played, but didn't care. Steven Bucey - Jun 29, 2009 9:15 pm (#4571 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Lost all of the games I played, but didn't care. I only lost the ones I played. Brant Guillory - Jun 29, 2009 9:35 pm (#4572 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. Steven- that's not really true. we called off Orange Crush to fix the combat before you'd actually 'lost' My point on the ribbons was no that they aren't worth it. I think they're one of the best deals @ Origins. I only wondered what, if any, distinction there was. Appears to be none. Still great value to buy 1 but I see no reason why you'd buy both. Great job CABS. Love the War Room & hope to see you @ BGF. Peter Stein - Jun 29, 2009 10:20 pm (#4573 Total: 4608) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus Let's review. When CABS (Bud) started the Board Room, half the room was reserved for the Board room, the other half for the War Room. Last year we had a divider splitting the left room in half because (sadly) the Board Room was exploding and the War Room was stagnant at best. This year on Wednesday morning I arrived to find that there was no divider in place. I then found out that GAMA had made few ribbons for the War Room. If they ran out they were going to use Board Room ribbons. Thus it was going to be next to impossible to enforce any division. It is theoretically possible that next year there will only be one ribbon. The sad fact is the Board Room is exploding in attendance while the War Room is getting fewer people. The growth of CSW Expo probably doesn't help. GMT not showing probably doesn't help either, though I heard the wargame companies I talked to see to be happy with sales. If you have any ideas to turn the War Room around let me know, Both Bud and I have kicked it around for the last few years with no good answer. Bob Titran - Jun 29, 2009 10:32 pm (#4574 Total: 4608) Buffalo, NY Seems to me that anytime you have a wargames *thing* which then opens itself up to euros too ('cause they're boardgames as well, right?) you soon have a *thing* that is 80% euros and 20% wargames. Then the wargames bitch that they're all packed into half a room way at the end of the hall or whatever, and they go off and form a new *thing* all their own. Thus the cycle begins anew. I don't know what to do about it either. Martin Sample - Jun 29, 2009 11:07 pm (#4575 Total: 4608) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >The growth of CSW Expo probably doesn't help. Actually it was down a bit this year . Allan J Rothberg - Jun 29, 2009 11:22 pm (#4576 Total: 4608) Brains - the other white meat couldn't be there because of work Mark, During your hometown Con? Ouch. John Kisner - Jun 29, 2009 11:33 pm (#4577 Total: 4608) Baltic Gap is available for preorders at http://www.multimanpublishing.com/preorder/viewGame.php?id=67 I've been to every CSW Expo and love the convention. I attend Origins about every other year. The War Room, for my purposes, is every bit as good as what we have at CSW Expo. Oh sure, the chairs aren't quite as comfy, but that's about the only functional difference. At both conventions this year I played a big OCS game that is in playtest status (Beyond the Rhine). In Tempe we had seven players and played the game throughout the convention. In Columbus, we also had seven players and also played the game from gavel to gavel. I don't think a lot of gamers realize what a great convention Origins is for wargaming. As a result, you don't really have the numbers for a lot of monster games -- but if you do get a group together, it isn't a problem to leave a game setup for the whole convention. And it's a bonus that you've got the big exhibit hall to go do some shopping (I didn't spend much time or money there this year, but that was a conscious decision on my part). By the way, was it just my imagination or was the auction really pathetic this year? I walked by a few times and saw maybe ten bidders in the room each time. I suspect it's no longer a good place to sell games. Joel A Tamburo - Jun 29, 2009 11:46 pm (#4578 Total: 4608) Learning each day how much I don't know Interesting. WBC for example seems to have stabilized into a wargame percentage of roughly 40-42% of events. This year (depending on how you define a wargame) we have between 54-65 wargamnes out of 149 events. now where WBC lacks is monster games, and that I expect is largely due to CSW Expo (although A World at War is at WBC and does draw well). Joe Steadman - Jun 30, 2009 12:06 am (#4579 Total: 4608) Ya.... Bud >You will have to ask the 1100+ ribbon wearers that Joe ... I am all for CABS and the board/war room... my point is that GAMA is under cutting you by allowing the other open gaming. You should drops the title "board room" and "war room" and just call it the CABS board and wargaming room and claim that large hall the others where open gaming in.. I'll admit I have no idea of the deal you have worked out with GAMA so I bet you guys have gone with the best option anyway. 1100 ribbons is a lot of money... for all that maybe next year GAMA will even be more open to CABS demands. Mike Galandiuk - Jun 30, 2009 7:39 am (#4580 Total: 4608) North Coast Gamers, Greater Cleveland, Ohio >Somebody had set up GD42 and I had hoped to play it, but it wasn't there when I returned. I have not played TCS in years but the beauty of the new map drew me in. I think I saw them playing a GD'42 scenario on Saturday evening. It all looked very cool. George Sauer III - Jun 30, 2009 8:24 am (#4581 Total: 4608) Columbus Area Boardgaming Society - http://www.buckeyeboardgamers.org >GAMA is under cutting you by allowing the other open gaming. You should drops the title "board room" and "war room" and just call it the CABS board and wargaming room and claim that large hall the others where open gaming in.. We do not want the large hall ... Most of our gamers have said this over and over. They do not like those areas. And actually it is the other way around ... We are undercutting the open gaming room ... and the ticketed events ... Do not know what to do about that. Free open gaming should always be a part of the con. Also many people do not like "our style" of gaming and want to come to a con and know (like at the WBC) at 2pm they will be playing PUERTO RICO ... However, some of these people running these events are getting squeezed out by us... We have had long discussions with some of these GM's and they are really not happy with us ... ---------------------------------- As for any "deal" we have with GAMA ... As we have explained to many who think different ... We get the same deal everyone else gets ... We get badges and rooms depending on the number of hours we put in. We get NO CUT on ribbon sales or anything else ... When we started this we had NO IDEA that the companies would support this like they have and getting all the free games for our library has been a great added bonus for our club members. ------------------------------ Nate our president and I were interviewed by GAMES MAGAZINE ... Look for us in some future issue !!! ------------------------------ Kevin Rohrer - Jun 30, 2009 9:46 am (#4582 Total: 4608) Come to the Buckeye Game Fest, Oct. 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio for multiplayer wargaming goodness. TNW, A Most Dangerous Time, Thru The Ages, Manifest Destiny, and Lords of the Sierra Madre will be played (among others) Great Gaming Hall It's way too noisy in there compared to where we are now. As for boosting wargame attendance, attendance will improve w/ the upturn in the economy next year. It would also help if GMT attended. Potential attendees who know that games they want to play there WILL be played doesn't hurt. Time to start posting in the BGF topic. Peter Stein - Jun 30, 2009 9:50 am (#4583 Total: 4608) I've got 10,000 Friends on MySpace, but None in Real Life Yet- Project Sisyphus >The growth of CSW Expo probably doesn't help. >Actually it was down a bit this year. I think almost everybody is going to be down this year. Any increase is going to look pretty good. Andy Lewis - Jun 30, 2009 10:03 am (#4584 Total: 4608) Sports Game Junkie, Enjoy the Games! Was it really Origins if Mike G didn't play a monster game? Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 10:24 am (#4585 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >If you have any ideas to turn the War Room around let me know, Both Bud and I have kicked it around for the last few years with no good answer. Nope. In fact, before Brant brought up the issue of wondering why folks bought both ribbons, I was seriously considering sending the CABS board an email asking them if it was still worth the time and effort of the club's hardest working members to run a "warroom" for those 25-30 people who actually only play wargames. Don't get me wrong. I love the idea that I have a dedicated area to setup and play my wargames. But I think CABS needs to seriously consider if this is still worth the effort. I never complained about CABS support for the warroom. I was just agreeing with Brant that this year it didn't appear that one needed to have bought both ribbons. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 10:35 am (#4586 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >However, some of these people running these events are getting squeezed out by us... We have had long discussions with some of these GM's and they are really not happy with us ... Completion is a terrible thing... Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 10:53 am (#4587 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >As for boosting wargame attendance, attendance will improve w/ the upturn in the economy next year. Well, even before that it's not like a lot of people show up to play wargames in the CABS Warroom. >It would also help if GMT attended. Probably a few more would show. I think I can point to an equal number of folks for whom the appearance or not of their favorite company is not an issue. >Potential attendees who know that games they want to play there WILL be played doesn't hurt. Bottom line, this is the root of the problem. A lot of people don't show because they don't want to do pick up wargames. At lot of people don't show because the wargames that are scheduled are not THE games they want to play. Say there are 1000 potential wargamers who might attend Origins to play a few wargames. How many wargames are published each year? It's a significant perccentage of the potential Origins wargamers number I just threw out. With a few exceptions (such as the current fads like Combat Commander), it's hard to find 3-4 people who want to play the same wargame. Hell, even within CABS where I'm incredibly lucky to know about a dozen hard core wargamers there is precious little overlap in interests. Let's face it. When one discusses the issue about organizing wargaming, wargamers are the problem. Bob Titran - Jun 30, 2009 10:59 am (#4588 Total: 4608) Buffalo, NY Or the wargames are. They just don't lend themselves to a "show up and play" approach. If you want to play something beyond a "light" game, you need to prepare for it in advance and line up an opponent who's done the same. It takes a little work and it's not always easy. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 11:09 am (#4589 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... Agreed. Brant Guillory - Jun 30, 2009 11:14 am (#4590 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. War Room Brainstorming Would the War Room become a more attractive offer if any combination of the following were put in place? * War Room ribbon specific giveaways of wargames, maybe fewer of them, but more tightly focused to their interests * Specific scheduled times for game teaching or playing advertised in more places than CSW, to include big signs (kinda like Kevin's, but bigger) in the War Room * dedicated 'instructors' for some of those games - see if the companies will assist in this regard with demo teams? * similarly, scheduled "play with the designer" times * try to tie in some specific game events (with a "GM" present to help organize the participants when they arrive) with a presentation down at the War College, so as the talk wraps up, the speaker invites the audience to come join him in the War Room to sling some dice over the topic of the talk * Multiplayer games with some form of prizes Part of the problem with pickup wargames when compared with pickup board games is the rules density. You can learn Power Grid or Ticket to Ride in 15 minutes, but learning an OCS game (or most other wargames) takes considerably longer, and unless there's a "learners table" for them set up where people can drop in to the game for a bit of time, and not feel pressured to playing all weekend, it's tough to get them to stick around the entire time. That requires a 'drop in' game stay set up, with an assigned 'babysitter/rules instructor' for people to be able to casually approach and sling a few dice and make the call on how long to stick around and play or not. It also might not hurt if the players of the games would at least look up and smile and say 'hi' to anyone walking around and looking over shoulders to see what's being played. There's a lot of opportunity to engage potential new players in the game, even if only letting them watch a turn and explaining as they go, to someone just casually strolling around to see what's being played. Again, watching Ticket to Ride, it's pretty easy for a casual observer to pick up 80% of the game. Not so with PanzerGrenadier or Twilight Struggle. I really want to see the War Room - and wargaming in general - grow. I'm just brainstorming ideas toward that end. I really like the War Room, and I like the fact that I can leave something set up for the weekend and know it'll be minimally molested and located in a place where there are a lot of like-minded gamers around there. Please don't take this list as "why aren't y'all doing this?!" but more as "would any of these be worth kicking around." Thanks. Y'all rock. Mark Pitcavage - Jun 30, 2009 11:26 am (#4591 Total: 4608) Straddling that line between Dr. House and Mimi Bobeck I wouldn't mind it if the two rooms were combined, as long as there is enough room for wargamers guaranteed. I like to play Euros as well as wargames, and furthermore, if I operate my ASL "hospitality" table, there might be Euro gamers interested in taking a look at the ASL starter kit and even learning how to play; with the rooms separate, they might not ever even see it. Peter Blitstein - Jun 30, 2009 11:29 am (#4592 Total: 4608) Appleton, Wisconsin A lot of those ideas make sense to me. This was my first time at origins and I had a good time. The war room was definitely less active than the board room. But I found the wargamers more interested in kibbitzing and welcoming to observers than the euro-gamers (obviously some people, like me, play both) many of whom seem to want to play as many games as quickly as possible. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 11:56 am (#4593 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... Great ideas. Now we just need to convince the wargame companies to give away free games, volunteers to dedicate a specific time to teach games that haven't already tried that and been very disappointed, game designers to travel to Origins and teach games that haven't already tried that and been very disappointed, yadda, yadda, yadda... Brant Guillory - Jun 30, 2009 12:06 pm (#4594 Total: 4608) Still trying to get Orange Crush and Asian Thunder out the door. Steven - I know it's going to take some effort. I don't know if we'd find people willing to help. But if you never throw out an idea, people never know what someone might ask them to volunteer for, and they never get a chance to pitch in. I don't know that any wargame company would ship a pallet of games to CABS the way Rio Grande does. But if we could get 5 companies to each pitch in 6 games (seems both small and reasonable) then that's 30 games, or 7+/day from THU-SUN. That's not too bad. As to the volunteers, you never know if you don't ask. I'm willing to help teach some games. Kevin's been doing it for years. Could the OCS crowd have a smaller 'learning' table set up next to them that the non-phasing team could keep an eye on? I dunno. But if we don't ask, we'll never know. Maybe we ask and it's all just too hard. OK. At least we asked. John Kisner - Jun 30, 2009 12:10 pm (#4595 Total: 4608) Baltic Gap is available for preorders at http://www.multimanpublishing.com/preorder/viewGame.php?id=67 CSW Expo uses a white board to announce what players are looking for opponents in certain games. Matching players will always be a problem, and as such it's safer to have something planned with a buddy in advance. Maybe CABS or Origins could facilitate this by having some sort of "meet" area on-line where gamers could list a few games they'd like to play at the convention, and then matches could be scheduled in advance (so rules could be learned, etc.). I saw lots of Combat Commander being played. To me this showed how much easier it is to play something popular than dragging out some obscure personal favorite and just hoping an opponent will materialize. It's also a fact that Origins has a lot of things to do in addition to playing games. People want to go to lectures, go shopping, go to the auction, etc. Again, I didn't see any problem with the War Room this year aside from the numbers being down a bit. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 12:15 pm (#4596 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... Well, where I'm coming from is that for several years I tried to do just that. I scheduled events, did demos for GMT and Decision Games, and all that. I watched as the number of people stopping by got smaller and smaller. So, I'm not pushing back simply because I like to throw up road blocks. I'm just talking from experience. Keven is going a fantastic job. But he tends to focus on the lighter and multi-player games. I'm jaded, is all. I'd love to see it work. I'm just not able to muster the energy to get excited about it cause I've been there and done that and didn't get anything out of it. Dick Vohlers - Jun 30, 2009 12:19 pm (#4598 Total: 4608) Cary, NC Most of us that were there are involved in some game project or other, and if we would just spend a bit of time talking to folks that would help. I was there in a personal capacity, but nonetheless I played (or helped others play) some of the new Musket and Pike game I'm developing. I also spent some time chatting about the game and system to others, like Cindy. >Was it really Origins if Mike G didn't play a monster game? Well, he played at least scenarios from two (None but Heroes and The Devil's Cauldron) because I played against him in the first. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 12:25 pm (#4599 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... Of the four games I played, three were arranged in advance, two of them through connections here on CSW. Bob Titran asked me about playing Tank Leader. Brant asked me about Orange Crush. Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 12:28 pm (#4600 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >saw lots of Combat Commander being played. To me this showed how much easier it is to play something popular than dragging out some obscure personal favorite and just hoping an opponent will materialize. A few years ago when This Accursed Civil War sold out I scheduled a game in the Warroom. I even put up a big sign the day before saying I was there to play it. Not a single person even walked by. John Kisner - Jun 30, 2009 12:37 pm (#4601 Total: 4608) Baltic Gap is available for preorders at http://www.multimanpublishing.com/preorder/viewGame.php?id=67 CSW Expo has a great signup structure, for both monsters and smaller games. People who want to do "open gaming" can list several titles and everyone gets put together on a single list where everyone can compare preferences and then contact one another. But Origins has a lot more people who just wander in or don't come to CSW, so I think a matching system would have to be done at the convention itself. It was amazing how few big games were played this year at Origins. We had the big OCS Beyond the Rhine test, and there was a group playing La Bataille de' Ligny, but that was about it for games that lasted multiple days. (Maybe the big PanzerLeader was setup for a couple of days too, but I wasn't sure if it ever really got going.) Steven Bucey - Jun 30, 2009 12:45 pm (#4602 Total: 4608) Irrelevant drama in my personal life makes up for lack of a real life... >Maybe the big PanzerLeader was setup for a couple of days too, but I wasn't sure if it ever really got going. Huh. You missed it. Setup started Wednesday afternoon, and Bob did the Allied first turn that evening. Bob, Dave, Todd and I played Thursday 9am - 10pm, and Friday 9am - 2pm. We finished Allied turn 6, when I as the lead German player told my co-player I felt that the game was over and we had lost. Cindy Nowak - Jun 30, 2009 12:46 pm (#4603 Total: 4608) Once a war gamer... To ensure I was able to play what I really wanted, I brought my copy of Combat Commander with. Because this was my first real con - and the first one offering war games, I was as much interested in watching some of the other games played as I was in playing. I am just getting back into wargames after many, many years, and this was a golden opportunity for me to look, learn, and experience just a fraction of what is out there. I really appreciated Dick, Mike G and Arnie taking the time to talk with me about what they were playing and what was coming up. And as far as the other tables in the front of the room and outside the doors, there wasn't anyone who was playing who wasn't willing to chat with the observers about the games they were playing. Jason Pipes - Jun 30, 2009 12:54 pm (#4604 Total: 4608) "There are few things more satisfying in wargaming than collecting the severed heads of your defeated enemies." >though I heard the wargame companies I talked to see to be happy with sales. I talked to the guy at the Columbia Games booth and he said they didn't even make enough money to cover the cost of the space. I imagine they will be another vendor who won't be present next year. I still felt the convention floor was fair sized and tthat here were indeed plenty of interesting wargame related things to look at but clearly some people did far less sales than others. I heard from MMP they were comfortable with their sales. Jason Pipes - Jun 30, 2009 12:59 pm (#4605 Total: 4608) "There are few things more satisfying in wargaming than collecting the severed heads of your defeated enemies." >I've been to every CSW Expo and love the convention. I attend Origins about every other year. The War Room, for my purposes, is every bit as good as what we have at CSW Expo. Oh sure, the chairs aren't quite as comfy, but that's about the only functional difference. I've been to CSW Expo for the past 5 years and to Origins for the past 2, and I can say without a doubt (and without wanting to discount the CABS efforts in the war room) that there is simply no comparision between the two. CSW Expo has the greatest single concentration of dedicated wargamers playing serious (often monster) wargames of any convention I've been to in the past 20 years. The general atmposphere is fantastic. It's very much like a wargamer retreat in fact with the added bonus of no RPGs, LARPs, or CCGs in sight. Jason Pipes - Jun 30, 2009 1:07 pm (#4606 Total: 4608) "There are few things more satisfying in wargaming than collecting the severed heads of your defeated enemies." >By the way, was it just my imagination or was the auction really pathetic this year? I walked by a few times and saw maybe ten bidders in the room each time. I suspect it's no longer a good place to sell games. I think it was your timing. There were times when there were 4 people in the audience during the overstock RPG time slot, but if you walked by during the height of the wargame and collectible time slots the room was packed. You can't really judge how well the auction went by walking by at random times since there was a specifically posted schedule that drew more or less people accordingly. I don't have exact figures but the auction sold many tens of thousands of dollars worth of games. Again I don't have exact figures as I am on the road but we had close to 1000 wargames and wargame related items come up for sale, not to mention the thousands of other items as well. As a wargamer, collector, and auctioneer at Origins I can confirm that the average prices of wargames and collectibles was actually up, not down. The Origins auction continued to see more wargames sold this year than any other single category except for RPGs since they have so many single book items. As with any live auction there were bargains to be had but very few if any desirable wargame related item sold cheap. Most all of the highly collectible items sold for very good money. I heard from one CSW member who brought his collection in to sell due to the economy and he was pleased with what he got in return. Martin Sample - Jun 30, 2009 1:25 pm (#4607 Total: 4608) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. Was Troll and Toad buying stuff at the auction ? They went to the first several WBC Auctions and between them and a couple other dealers, drove up prices beyond what most gamers would pay . Last year, T/T didn't show up and it turned into a buyer's market. George Sauer III - Jun 30, 2009 1:32 pm (#4608 Total: 4608) Columbus Area Boardgaming Society - http://www.buckeyeboardgamers.org Disclaimer ... These are MY personal thoughts - not those of CABS ... ;o) >War Room Brainstorming Brant – thanks – we have never said that we have all the ideas. We need everyones help if the War Room is going to grow and be a vibrant part of the boardgame hobby at Origins. Many of these ideas have been thought of before … Not trying to be negative – but here goes … >War Room ribbon specific giveaways of wargames, maybe fewer of them, but more tightly focused to their interests Not a bad idea ... We have asked ... can do again ... The problem is that when we give Euro's away the people run off crack them open read the rules and play the game ... Not really going to happen with a wargame ... So it just sits and does not get the exposure that the companies would like to have for giving the game. An as Steve has said above – the wargame hobby is so fractured that the chance of a person winning a game in the area/genre he/she likes will be slim. >Specific scheduled times for game teaching or playing advertised in more places than CSW, to include big signs (kinda like Kevin's, but bigger) in the War Room This is the first year we did not have a schedule of games to play ... We have done game types / game eras ... and other things to induce wargamers into playing. A problem is that most war games are two players .... We need multiple copies of games to really be effective ... Very cost prohibitive. Also again the Steve factor … Who is going to show up to learn OCS ??? One maybe two people ??? How many will show up to learn (fill in the blank here) … a couple ??? The hobby has splintered … >dedicated 'instructors' for some of those games - see if the companies will assist in this regard with demo teams? Very expensive … Travel, Food and hotel costs would probably be $500 or so per teacher to sit and teach … How much is it worth to the individual company to teach say 10 people over the weekend to play a specific game ??? cheaper to hand out games to 10 people … >scheduled "play with the designer" times As I explained to GAMA and was kicked out of the conversation … MOST designers cannot play their designs … Let alone teach … Once the games are turned in to the developer sometimes they do not resemble the games turned out to the public … let alone being able to play the games … The play with the designed series is struggling at Origins . >try to tie in some specific game with a presentation down at the War College, so as the talk wraps up, the speaker invites the audience to come join him in the War Room to sling some dice over the topic of the talk Tried and failed years ago … Really two different audiences … Those that want to listen and learn about the topics for an hour a lot if the times are not that interested in then sitting down and “playing” the topic for a couple more … Not trying to be negative … Like Steve – I am very jaded … We have tried many things to jump start Wargaming at Origins … Combat Commander or Conflict of Heroes has the best chance at bringing the hobby together at CONS … Or maybe doing something like a Wargame Wheel tournament where you have to play2 or three different games out of 10and we match you up with those participating … (although- we tried something like this some years ago and it failed) Kevin’s White Board has been very successful … Now if we could just get 10 Kevins and have the all over the rooms we would do well … But as we all know … There is ONLY one Kevin!!! Next year … We get 10 wargamers … 10 white boards and have them create 10 schedules of games they will be playing and teaching throughout the con … Of course now this is all at their expense and they have to pay for their travel and hotel and food costs to do this … Anyone what to be the second to sign up ??? Kevin is first !!! Stephen Rawling - Jun 29, 2009 10:35 pm (#28549 Total: 28563) Captain-General of LPS Inc. Origins Report Well, have a moment to sit down and compose my thoughts here. We had a nice corner booth this time (under our own name - a first) which enabled us to attract traffic from two directions. Still, my booth buddy and acute observer of the scene, Ed Wimble, put it best when he said, "We did as well as the show would let us." Meaning, while Origins was better attended than last year's show (which happened during peak gas prices), wargamers were still definitely in the minority. But those that were there did support us to the hilt and I deeply appreciate that. One game I saw being played a lot in the War Room was own little tribute to Ohio, Morgan's A'Comin". Mike Welsh had also made a lovely "scaled up" version that attracted many first timers who promptly came by our booth for the "real thing." Best sellers (after the new ATO #25 release of course) included Operation Cartwheel and Day of the Chariot: Kadesh (which surprised me). Deathride made a strong showing as well. Of course, I was strongly assisted in running the booth by Paul Rohrbaugh, who is certainly the consummate "game buying adviser" sans peer. Not only does he know our own stuff inside and out, but he manages to pretty much keep up with everyone else's releases as well! Whew! Columbus itself was bright and glittering. Ohio natives tell me it's the "Emerald City" in an otherwise depressed Oz (Ohio). A "Potemkin State Capital" so to speak. But I did find it vibrant and enchanting so a salute for a good showing (even if only put on for the tourists!). All in all, a good time . Ed Wimble - Jun 29, 2009 12:52 am (#14279 Total: 14287) The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Ahab. Back from Origins. First off, The Hell of Stalingrad seems to have received almost universal praise. Very gratifying. The "almost" may be the one fellow who got it but hasn't played it yet, and is wondering at the ten dice included in the box... fearing a dice fest. We ran at least 50 people through the game at the show. We'll do the same at Historicon and WBC this summer. Seems the crowd at Origins was more BGG than Consimworld; at least that's where most of the chat appears to be. On the home front, true to form, the son broke the new lawnmower while I was away (the only full proof method of avoiding this in the past was bringing him along with me). This year his internship conflicted so the machine had to take its chances. We take glory where we find it, and where others may have thought highlights of Origins should include watching the demos of the new release, or Dave Powell & cronies playing Ligny in the War Room, mine was talking to the lad via the cell phone, from the booth to the middle of my yard so far away, and walking him through the repair... and in short order hearing the thing fire up as it should. Ah indeed, I sighed the universal Yes to a gallery of nodding forebearers. Mike Welsh - Jun 30, 2009 10:11 pm (#4635 Total: 4745) But it's all...right now, in fact it's a gas! First, my tribute to GAMA and standing in line for two hours on Wednesday morning (didn't know I could come until after pre-reg was over): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEyFH-a-XoQ I was the guy running the mini/boardwargame hybrids right next to Kevin Rohrer's table, especially the two Civil War Cavalry Raid games, Paul Rohrbaugh's "Morgan's A' Comin'" and George Knapp's "Grierson's Raid". Both play in 20-30 minutes, and I can get a pretty thorough synopsis of the rules on a single page standup doc holder, so it's real easy to get newbies into. Must've run two dozen games of those on Wed-Thur-Fri, before getting into Conflict of Heroes, VPG's "No Retreat" and MMP's "Fire in the Sky". Can't say I had much trouble getting opponents, there were always people wandering around from table to table, looking to see something new or strange (did a lot of that myself), and I didn't have much trouble roping them in to a game or two, as it takes such little effort, at least compared to the normal wargame. Even got to play the designer of "Morgan", Paul Rohrbaugh, who, of course, had the low score of the con. I did see a lot of Euros creeping over into "our" area, once upon a time I would've been indignant, but at least it's not D&D, right? Only went to the War College three times, was having too much fun in the CABS WarRoom to hang around there. GMT was greatly missed, as was Matrix Games, but the vendors that were there got plenty of trade from me, at least. I also noticed, like others, that there was a significant reduction in the number of monster games setup, usually there are many along the back wall, but many fewer this year. Now as to how to improve the War Room, or merge it into the Board Room.... Here's what I think, for what it's worth. First, wargames are not the "sexy" thing, compared to Euros, we come off as the old fart dinosaurs, and that is a shame, since our games are at least attempting to model actual historical events and aren't just some gathering of great game mechanics with a theme laid over them and nice components. It's like comparing a 92 Toyota Camry to a Jag, we just don't win that way. What we have to do is get people wanting to cross over, and to do that will take a mindset change. I would start by roping off the back half of the War Room (assuming they don't merge entirely, which would solve the separate ribbon issue) and having a guard posted to unhook the rope and let gamers into the "inner sanctum", but have an aisle for gawkers to walk up close and observe (an aisle down the middle to the back of the room, perhaps). Now understand, this is NOT to exclude people, this is to drive home that we wargamers are the elite, and that being a wargamer at Origins is something to aspire to, so treat something like a VIP room at your local nightclub. So I'm thinking perhaps Bud or Pete Stein in a British Grenadier uni with one of those bearskin hats.... telling the visitors (in hushed tones, like a golf tournament) that this is where "real" gaming is done, and they should be honored to be there, high stakes and all that..... thing is, instead of being on the fringe of the action, we should be THE action. I am going to get even more involved in porting as many games as I can into "minis"-type boardgames, (I don't think of them as miniatures like the leadheads do, I think of them as 3-D counters), I already have D-Day, Bulge, Market Garden and Iwo Jima games planned along with a Lexington and Concord setup that I just didn't get done in time for this year. The new "Storm Over" games, Taierzhuang and Stalingrad, look like candidates for this treatment, too, not to mention Combat Commander, Conflict of Heroes. In addition, I'll get a blackboard (I'm old school) and post the high scores people get, what time I'm going to the X hall, War College or dinner, and when I'll be back. With the games I run, there's really no need to have to schedule far in advance like Kevin has to, if someone gets ahead of you, just watch the game in progress and announce you have next. Whatever CABS does, I'm supporting them and looking forward to next year. -Mike Leeland Krueger - Jul 1, 2009 10:40 am (#4648 Total: 4745) “Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.” - Conan - The Tower of the Elephant I enjoyed the convention. As always the main failing for me was my back. After a day of mostly gaming, it is hosed. If I had done more planning in advance I would have brought my copy of Napoleonic Wars with Risk figures. I've promised to Kevin I would bring it next year and will bring it to BGF if I can make it to that convention. I want to thank Kevin again for introducing me to "A Most Dangerous Time", "Through the Ages" and "Warriors of God". While "Through the Ages" ultimately isn't a game I feel I need to own, I definitely feel the attraction to it. The big surprise hit for me was "Storm Over Stalingrad". I really enjoyed the game quite a bit and ended up purchasing it. My one regret was not getting to try out "Conflict of Heroes". I avoided it last year because I play "Combat Commander" and didn't want to get sucked into it. I have friends that dislike any sort of "card" game though and was thinking about giving it a try. Probably for the best as I already spent quite a bit. Thanks to Mike for showing me "No Retreat!". I'll almost certainly be getting it later this year after I have absorbed my most recent purchase. Vance Borries - Jul 1, 2009 9:10 pm (#28 Total: 29) Origins Back and recovered -- Yes, Slouch Hats & Eggshells was playtested by three lucky gentlemen who had never seen any of this game before (One was not even aware of the subject!). We all had a good time and a good session and they liked the game. They learned the basics quickly and the game played quickly. My sincere thanks to them for their help. Slouch Hats covers the Allied invasion of Vichy French-held Syria and Lebanon during June and July 1941. This game includes nearly the whole of that area and so has considerable scope in its two scenarios: the historical, and the one for German intervention. This is a thorough examination of the subject in a one-map quick-playing format. In the FWIW department: The term "Slouch Hats" refers to the Allied idea, at the time, that all the Allies had to do was to show the Australian slouch hat and the French would rally to the Allied side and then the Vichy defense could be crushed as easily as an eggshell. Historically, it was only this "idea" that was crushed in this manner. And, a tip of the hat to all who knew this already. VvB