Alan Emrich - Jun 1, 2008 8:32 pm (#8892 Total: 8983) "A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are for." - John A. Shedd Just got back myself. Victory Point Games had a fine debut; everyone was very nice. Everyone seemed pleased with the auction, too, which I'm always grateful for (even though I finally lost my voice over the last few lots). Alan Emrich Jack Beckman - Jun 1, 2008 11:23 pm (#8893 Total: 8983) Dare to be Stupid Just back myself - another great time, as usual! Thanks to John K, Brian and Tori Blad, and everyone else who makes CSW Expo a ton of fun! I had a great time meeting up with people that I only get to see once a year in Tempe (but talk to all the time here), and every year it seems I get to meet someone new that I've been corresponding with for years. Played a ton of Down in Flames - came in third this year, a much better showing than the past couple of years for me. I'll let Mike Lam post the winner and all the other stats he keeps. The two guys who came in ahead of me really played their hearts out, and I made them work for it! I took all of ONE picture this year that I will try and post at the CSW Social site tomorrow, but it is a rare one - once again, I caught John Kranz playing a game at the Expo! Already thinking about next year...hey, opening day is less than a year away! Joel Toppen - Jun 2, 2008 10:10 am (#8895 Total: 8983) Got VASSAL? Great Time at Monstercon Had a great time at Monstercon this year. I had the pleasure of playing Asia Engulfed, Eutaw Springs (thanks Steve), and three awesome games of Combat Commander (thanks Brian). The highlight of the con for me was the playtest sessions: I had the opportunity to playtest Hellenes (GMT) with Steve Carey and Neil Randall. Other playtest sessions included Spartacus (Compass) and Conquistador with Richard Berg. These three games are titles you're gonna want to play. I had a blast with all three. Anyways, great con! Great times! Thanks to John Kranz for putting on such a great convention. John Butterfield - Jun 2, 2008 10:36 am (#8896 Total: 8983) Upcoming Designs: RAF II and D-Day at Omaha Beach My first Monstercon was a blast! Met so many people and reconnected with others. Had fun demonstrating my new games. For my monster experience, I played Nathan Kilgore's Iron Tide with Nathan, Jeff Heilner and Jim Andersen. For lighter fare, played some Leaping Lemmings and Race for the Galaxy. Really enjoyed seeing Richard Berg and Neil Randall again after all these years. Thanks to Roger Taylor, David Rohde and Paul van Etten for playtesting Omaha Beach. Watching Alan Emrich give his all for the big auction was worth the price of admission alone. Set up FAB Bulge but never got to to play because there was so much else to do. Hope to return next year. Steve Carey - Jun 2, 2008 1:31 pm (#8897 Total: 8983) Finding the joy in Joy Division One of the terrific aspects of the show was all the demos... I really enjoyed playing Angola, which was a game I had always wanted to try. Wray Ferrell ran us through things, and it was quite a frolic. This one is on pre-order from MMP. Speaking of MMP, didn't the demo of their new title Warriors of God look way cool? I called their office today and was informed I could get a copy within a few weeks, but they would not allow the pre-order price so I didn't buy it . The auction was hilarious, as always. The trivia contest was fun, too - "The Dudes" are already planning a comeback for next year. sysop - Jun 4, 2008 4:06 pm (#8918 Total: 8983) [John Kranz] ConsimWorld LLC Congratulations to Kevin LeFevre! Congratulations to Kevin LeFevre who won Mike Lam's Down if Flames Aces Campaign! As the winner, Kevin has earned a free pass to his next Expo event. I'm sure Mike Lam will be posting information about the entire tournament when he's had a chance to recover -- that man got the least amount of sleep of anyone at the event! sysop - Jun 4, 2008 4:08 pm (#8919 Total: 8983) [John Kranz] ConsimWorld LLC Congratulations to Ian Schofield Ian Schofield won the Showtime Hanoi single-elimination tournament hosted by Against the Odds. Ian was rewarded with a free annual sub to ATO magazine!! sysop - Jun 4, 2008 4:11 pm (#8920 Total: 8983) [John Kranz] ConsimWorld LLC Congratulations to Pat Mulvihill Pat Mulvihill was our big winner at CSW Expo this year. He was one of 34 participants in our first-ever, CSW Expo exclusive Grand Elimination Tournament, Strike Force One. Special thanks to Alan Emrich with assisting and making this special event possible. Pat went 5-0 in the tourney and ultimately defeated Vincent Aken (4-1) in the finals. Pat played the US side and Vince suffered with some less-than-favorable die-rolls as the advancing Soviet player. As our big winner, Pat took home some 10+ games from the various expo sponsors. We look forward to an event bigger event next year in terms of participants, especially now that the word is out as to how special the grand prize is. sysop - Jun 4, 2008 4:45 pm (#8921 Total: 8983) [John Kranz] ConsimWorld LLC Nick Richardson is our CSW Expo 2008 Star Performer The header says it all.... As the recipient of this time-honored tradition, Nick has earned a free pass to the next Expo event he can attend. And we certainly do look forward to seeing him in 2009 given all the smiling faces he created throughout the event! Nick also received a special gift from some of the Devil's Cauldron players because they were so appreciative of the support he provided during the event. Now, that is really saying something. Please join me in congratulating Nick Richardson again for a job well done, as recognized by his peers. I also want to recognize Kai Jensen who took runner-up honors in terms of the amount of favorable comments received from attendees as well. Kai does an incredible job every year in supporting Combat Commander. PAVEuf - Jun 11, 2008 3:25 pm (#8950 Total: 8983) Never shake hands with a left-handed draw PAVE thankU Belated & hearty thank you to everyone at this years Expo, quite possibly one of the best yet. Singling out for special attention John, Brian & Tori for organizing and all those other special volunteers (including the senior & junior Kranz's). Thanks to Dan & David & Nick for making my TDC foray a memorable one (gotta love that rout rule). Special thanks to all you sellers at the auction and to the inimitable Mr. Emrich (finally I have a copy of Pube's and Plot!) Great to see all the THer's (names redacted to protect the guilty). Next year first round on Lance's new mrs... Ric love that Tee even if i didn't push any SPs this year. I'd be remiss in not recognizing the hotel staff again as well. Roz, Nicole, Mike and this year's driver Tony did superlative work as always (Jan is looking forward to mall as well as gunclub next year). Met The Mr. Butterfield too. Looking forward to seeing Omaha Beach on table next year (with production map!) I'll try to post what few pics I have soon. Maybe I'll even try to noodle this CSW blog thing... Keith Schoose - Jun 14, 2008 3:59 pm (#8980 Total: 8983) "Come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!" President Ronald Reagan For the record, I am the person who bought the "invisible" War in The Pacific at the auction. I am happy to report that Edward J. Jablonski is a great trader! The game arrive safe and sound and I am very pleased with the transaction. Thanks again to Alan Emrich for his outstanding auctioneer skills. When he flipped the box around and showed me the back...that clinched my intention to bid. Jason Pipes - Jun 14, 2008 4:10 pm (#8981 Total: 8983) Congrats on that purchase Keith! That was a great price for a copy of WitP 2nd ed, especially since shipping was free! Lance Nielsen - Jun 15, 2008 6:08 am (#8982 Total: 8983) 'You said Roy - You're much too old for that sort of thing and far too large..' lol Keith. I posted this comment elsewhere, but will re-post it here, re moving the CON... I would agree that I think a move would make more sense in 2010, if for no other reason it gives more time to search alternative venues. Being shoehorned into a quick decision may be a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. If anything, someone needs to actually to stay at any seriously considered alternatives before we relocate there, to see if the issues experienced this year, are any better or worse elsewhere. While we may well have outgrown Oasis Mission Palms in Tempe there is no point in jumping ship to a new venue unless it is going to make for a better experience for those attending. Prehaps also we should use next year to see if the attendance maintains its current level while simultaneously other venues are sought out, that also offer all the things we feel are in remiss in Arizona - At the same time one can also consider if the Oasis goes out of their way in 2009 to improve what ever levels of service we feel were lacking this year.. Personally (Drink situation exempt) I didn't think the service was poor, but thats just my view. Can I also add that who in their right mind would suggest moving the con to a town called Gaylord? Yeah I can see T-Shirt sales at the con going way downhill that year! Brian A. Marrs - Jun 15, 2008 8:08 am (#8983 Total: 8983) >Can I also add that who in their right mind would suggest moving the con to a town called Gaylord? Yeah I can see T-Shirt sales at the con going way downhill that year! Actually, the city is called Grapevine. The hotel/venue is called the Gaylord Texan. It's a huge facility owned by the same outfit that runs several other similar hotels such as Gaylord Opryland. You can get an idea of what it looks like here: Gaylord Texan It would be interesting to hear what the cost would be to hold it there, but my guess is that it would be quite expensive. The cheapest rooms go for around $250 per night. BoardGameGeek holds their convention in the Dallas area. This year it will be at the Westin near the DFW airport in Irving. Room rates there are a much more reasonable $110 per night. Details are here: BoardGameGeek convention