The Great Combo by Nick Frydas
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The World Board-gaming Championships and ORIGINS 2001 Conventions in the USA |
That was my second attempt in covering both major American summer conventions in one go, not always an easy task I must say. My first campaign back in 1997 was finally abandoned in New York, after a memorable war-gaming odyssey of two and a half weeks that took me from Athens and through West Horndon to Columbus and onwards to Seattle. But while in the Big Apple and on the way to WBC in Baltimore, catastrophe stroked in the form of a call from my girlfriend and a thinly veiled threat, which forced me to immediately board the first available flight back to a Greek island.
Plans to conquer both events have been drawn again this summer. However this time matters were made much easier, because the two conventions were taking place within the span of successive weeks, not to mention the catalytic factor of appeasement (taking a leaf from "TK's" book!) by offering to take with me Jeanette.
She did promptly call my bluff, so here we are both on Saturday the 23rd of June landing at Baltimore - Washington International Airport around 4 p.m. It was for me a moment that I kept hoping for after the four long years of absence, due to various personal commitments. A kind of "return to Howard's End" feeling and still suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms, which I am sure, regular attendants will recognise. After picking up our car from the airport and settling in the all too familiar Marriott Hunt Valley hotel, we had a brief sortie for some dinner at downtown Baltimore, tasting the famous soft shell Chesapeake Bay blue - crab.
The next two days involved much touring, visiting the area's numerous sites and attractions. And by god, are there more than enough to keep the recurring visitor again and again interested. In the immediate vicinity there is Baltimore with its historic harbour, while an hour's drive brings you to the endless sites and museums of Washington DC, in my opinion only close second to Paris as best capital on earth. A recommended trip is Colonial Alexandria, and Arlington national cemetery, where all American heroes since the Civil War are buried. This trip is best combined with a visit to fashionable Georgetown for some shopping, finally ending the day with a nice dinner and music in one of the numerous cool restaurants of that exclusive Washington suburb.
Within driving distance one can also find Richmond, Harper's Ferry and the National Parks of Gettysburg, Antietam, Frederiksburg, the Wilderness etc. A Civil War's buff wildest fantasy come true situation! Throughout the years I have managed to visit most of the above, so I wanted to explore something different. We did choose this time an eastwards direction, which brought us initially to historic Annapolis, US first Capital. After visiting the extremely interesting US Naval Academy and the original "Capitol Hill", we crossed Bay bridge to find ourselves on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay and amongst the numerous charming fishing villages and towns like St. Michael, Kent island, Cambridge, etc. The names of villages bear witness to the first colonists, Brits who followed Lord Baltimore's expedition to Chesapeake in 1634. What I remember most vividly from that day, are the messy mountains of steamed and seasoned blue - crab consumed by the Americans (including I must say Jeanette), kind of too heavy diet for me, in anticipation of the marathon that would take place over the next 5 days.
War-gaming procedures at the WBC, started in earnest on early Tuesday morning and at a strategically placed table from where we could check old friends and colleagues who kept arriving throughout the day to register. So I am proud to say that I have initiated at least one WBC, no other player beginning his game so early and so avidly that day. My initial ANZIO game against the "master" Tom Oleson, resulted in a heavy defeat but no sweat as it was something expected and I thoroughly enjoyed the "lesson". Less enjoyable were the defeats that followed later on Tuesday; first in the opening rounds of SUCCESSORS and despite trying in vain to gain the favours of my fellow gamers by showing them how to correctly pronounce all the Ancient Greek names! Then followed the most painful defeat at UKRAINE '43, at the hands of an old foe, Byron Stingley, a repeated winner of various tournaments. I remember vaguely in the early hours of Wednesday morning, losing Stalino to a German counterattack in the last turn, and thus ending the opening scenario with 6 points instead of the required 7. Well it was 3.00 am and time to catch some sleep!
Wednesday brought the second round of SUCCESSORS which was a more closely run thing, but no banana. Afterwards I scored a handsome victory at ANZIO which permitted me to look at the future rounds with some optimism, and that is if I could find the time to continue in that Tournament! Talking of Time Bankruptcy at the WBC!!!
Elsewhere Murray, Barrington, Herbert, Andrew et al, were heavily involved doing "Tigers, Renaissance, A3R, 1830, BKN, etc" while Keith was more involved in the open gaming. Wednesday was the day I saw again and caught up, with many old friends, the likes of Mark Hinkle, and John Leggat from "Le Marshalate", Tom Oleson, Don Greenwood, Walter Garman, Terry Coleman and so many others, always much too pleased to see Europeans visiting. Late Wednesday evening, I had a friendly game of POG in preparation of the main event I was going to play at the WBC…
Thursday at 9.00 am witnessed the start of the marathon Tournament of POG. No less than six! campaign games, must be played by the two finalists, within the span of three days! Three rounds of Campaign games in one and a half day, just to qualify for the quarter final. It was a contest of physical stamina as well as good gaming. In short an environment where I thrive. Well sort of…. I got trounced on the first round against a CP strategy I first time witnessed. Containment in the East Front, quickly to Total war and transfer of 3 German Armies to Italy while kept pouncing the French so that they can not reinforce. It worked like a Swiss clock…
I did however recover in the next round to score a victory with the Allies that kept me in the Tournament. Well just to wrap up things on Thursday after two exhausting POG games, I played a round in the TOTALER KRIEG tournament (small scenarios) where I won but had to give up my place as I was continuing in POG. Well, I did come over to play games, so I suppose I was trying to make the most of it.
Friday brought the biggest excitements. In the morning's nail-biting game, I did salvage a desperate situation and scored a third round's victory with the Serbs taking Munich and cutting off the CP forces in Italy. Thus I did get through to the quarter-finals, if not in style… But then in the most closely run and crucial game, playing the CP, my coolness and composure (not to mention my memory of the rules) abandoned me, as despite having surrounded first 4 Russian Armies in the Alps (sic) and even later Yudenitch with associated forces, I still lost by not realising that a Russian Army which advanced down from Rumania, could not in fact get into Constantinople. I had my passport stamped for the semis only to forget it at home!!
Just to entertain the way I grasped defeat from the jaws of victory (my opponent was the runner - up of the Tournament), I did play also on Friday a third round of ANZIO and yet another defeat at the hands of a real gentleman of the hobby; John Grant.
A heavily negative score therefore, but the impressions must not be that I was not enjoying the convention. Far from it this time was a much more relaxed and enjoyable event, playing in so many different games. Away from the competitive pressures chasing wood, as in older campaigns. Well I suppose I would say that wouldn't I?
The last two days, with the major Tournaments out of the way, were dedicated to "friendly" gaming, shopping and other events like attending the "Charles Roberts" awards. Most memorable moments were the participation as a Corps Commander, in a multi - player Campaign Game of "Grant takes Command" of the superb GBACW series and trying out for the first time PACIFIC VICTORY and WE THE PEOPLE both by Columbia Games.
Sunday is the saddest day in WBC, with all the departing preparations going under way. Well not for us because of getting ready to go on to new adventures. Keith, Andrew and Herbert were returning home that day, but Murray and Rubi and Barrington were staying for some more fun, and we did give a "rendezvous" promise in a few days in Columbus. But first I had to replenish Jeanette's empty batteries….
So, onwards to New Orleans, home to big Gators, jazz, the French Quarter, the Bayous, and Cajun cuisine all drenched in sub - tropical storms which kept pouring throughout our stay. That did not prevent us from getting an Air Boat and visiting some of the remotest swamps, neither did it dissuade us from testing fried alligator's tail! Well New Orleans, typically French (even to the potholes in the roads), entertaining, charming but also dirty, tasty but sometimes tacky, cool in appearance but devilishly hot and humid, impressive mansions and depressing squalls, well in my opinion and in one word, overrated. Worth a visit but I do not thing I will go back in haste before visiting also other places. The scenery in the Bayou and Swamps however, is indeed uniquely different.
But Jeanette was kept happy in the Jazz clubs, the nice shops, the impressive Aquarium, the 4th of July celebrations, the spicy lobsters and the other attractions, so she would let me complete this time my convention marathon with a visit to Columbus Ohio, for ORIGINS 2001.
Columbus is one of the best-kept secrets in US. It is an unassuming city however I found it in this my second visit, much improved with nice shops (Jeanette informed me that "Victoria's Secret's" HQ is based there) and housing, a true metropolis of 1,000,000 inhabitants! There is a strong German influence everywhere, from the beer taverns to the cleanliness that is evident throughout the city. Good old Germanic stuff, not decadent French… The fact that we do have local friends helped us see the town better and get a wider impression. In nearby Dayton there is apparently the world's best air museum (after all the Wright brothers were from Ohio), a must visit in the future.
ORIGINS is a different cup of tea than WBC. While in the latter emphasis is in pure gaming in the form of tournaments, the former is the big international fair and expo of the hobby's industry. Everybody who is somebody is present, from designers and developers to company owners, lecturers in the historical circuit, authors, you name it. Of course you can get as much gaming as you want, although it is not as organised as in the WBC, but the main emphasis is meeting, watching, hearing, lobbying….
My good friend Vance Von Bories, taught me his new KASSERINE game and Ted Raicer showed me his new designs REDS and BTB. I met with Dean Essig of The Gamers and Gene Billingsey of GMT and discussed their future plans. I heard about the hobby's prospects, who is in ascendancy, which company is imminent to disappear, and so on. I played several unfinished "demo" games of POG, I suppose my 6th place at the WBC made me kind of celebrity there! Elsewhere Murray was giving for free 1830 lessons!
But the main event I had prepared, was the long, multi player game - test of GR/D's latest Europa title; "WAVELL's WAR". I must say that was the game I did enjoy the most, throughout those two weeks (being a big fan of Europa). It run from Thursday to Sunday and we only got in mid 1942 having played the Greek, North African, Syrian, Iran/Iraq and East African Campaign games. A true multi - theatre, multi - player situation, with me taking command (and successfully I dare say), of Panzer Armee Africa in the main event. The only problem is trying to synchronise the timing of turns as different theatres are much more active/inactive in different time periods. Other people I met, were the new owner of GR/D after the untimely death of Winston Hamilton, and several of the series developers like Frank Watson, John Astell and Arthur Goodwin.
But the most pleasing side of ORIGINS were the historical lectures, an event to which I have not given much attention in the past. They run throughout the five days and were free lectures given by prominent academic professionals, historians and some game designers. They covered several topics and the three I had the chance to follow, one for the Luftwaffe's Reich's defence and two on Waterloo, were excellent. Murray, usually hard to please due to his eclectic nature, agreed with me that that was the best aspect of ORIGINS. I am pleased to report that I did vigorously intervene in support of Wellington in one of the seminars, earning the title "Limey" from the Americans!!
So it was Sunday the 8th of July, we boarded the plane for the return trip to good old Albion. Time to reflect to all the images, sounds, colours, and things we did and saw over the last two weeks. Time to renew our promise for a return trip next year, to the summer US convention scene.