Conference of Wargames 2012 - Friday evening

In previous years I have blogged as I’ve gone along. This year I was in a room at the front of the main house. This makes it easier to crawl up to bed when you finally need to go, but has two downsides. Firstly the water pressure in the shower is of third world standard, secondly the internet connection was non-existent.

The first problem is dealt with simply enough, - you just stand under the water for longer. The second was more of an issue, and no matter how long I left it no connection was made, nor even a sniff of one.

The weekend opened up with a stunning win. Bob Cordery of "Wargames Miscellany" and wargaming expert on the Spanish Civil War was having a clear our and offered me a number of books from his collection. I accepted in exchange for a book on the "Ever Victorious Army" (not, as I pointed out at the time,  a book about the Republican army in the SCW) from a contemporary writer. I hope Bob is happy with it, as his idea of a few books was enough to fill a couple of large bags and a full shelf in the study. There were very few duplicates with my existing collection, - although I missed one as mine has a different cover. I also noted when sorting that Bob had been caught in the same way and had both the UK & the US editions of the same book.

So, having dumped my boxes of figures in the games area it was time for the bar, and an opportunity to fortify myself before the plenary game, - a forty player mad rush Vietnam platoon post game. Suffice it to say as leader of my squad due to fine leadership, (I instructed my team to roll lots of sixes) we were broadly untroubled by the Vietnamese human wave, who obliged us by dying on the wires in droves.

Here are some pictures of my heroic squad:

Tony savours his pint whilst Russell rolls the dice. 

Max seems to have sorted the drinking bit whilst Roger radios for flares

Note the detailed claymore mine model in front of the foxhole
After we had made the world safe from the Red threat, I grabbed the Call it Qids kit and set up in the Library.

I think I ran it three or four times. I was disappointed to discover that some delegates had received a copy but had not yet got round to playing it....however, I'll cut them some slack that they had the sense to give it a go given the chance. And we sold at least one copy too. But not to one of the players who already had one, as that'd be a bit silly.

Will and Fred give it a go. The empty glass was mine. I fixed that soon after.
So, together with an excellent meal that rounded off the first evening.

Back tomorrow with another update, I hope.

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