WAM - The Card Driven War Game Con

WAM IX: The lineup for the ninth pre-Super Bowl weekend Winter
Activation Meeting is complete with the selection of the four
tournaments to be offered in 2011. The new Washington's War headlines
a quartet of CDWs including Hannibal, Combat Commander and Twilight
Struggle. For more information on the January 27th-30th convention to
be held in the Timonium, MD Holiday Inn, see WAM Site

Seven cool things about WAM:
1. This is where some of the best card driven war gamers meet up every year
2. They picked 4 fraking great games this year
3. It's 20F degrees outside so you might as well be inside playing Hannibal, WWr, Combat Commander and Twilight Struggle.
4. Playing Command and Colors ancient epic at 3:00 AM
5. You'll learn more Card Driven strategy in one weekend at WAM than you will playing in 1 year playing on line on Vassal.
6.We'll be pulling out some Laybrinth: War on Terror.
7. Steve Avery wouldn't be caught dead here (see number #4 crappy things about WAM).

Four crappy things about WAM:
1. This is a very small con I think it only averages about 40 people.
2. Out of 40 people there last year, 39 were guys and 1 was a women married to a hard core Combat Commander player
3. These guy know their games. You'll play against some of the best players in the world. My record was 1-4 last year. My only win was against a guy who drank a fifth of whiskey during our Hannibal game.
4. Did I mention that you'll be spending a weekend with 39 guys and almost no women.

Sounds cool, Put. You I love these CDGs. I will see what I can do about making the trip down.

Man, when you play good, like *really good*, CDG players it is fucking ugly.

Sounds like the companion to the National Block Party . I think the NBP has about 30-40 attendees as well. Anyone ever been?

It is also a very cheap con to attend. Since BWI is a Southwest hub, tickets can be insanely cheap. Airfare from Boston or Manchester NH is about $50-$60 each way. Cheaper than driving. The hotel is $89 a night.

Hey, I spent most of my late night drinking sessions (after Loter went to bed) with that guy at WBC 2010 in Lancaster. Believe it or not he's a lawyer.

Only person that carried a MASSIVE bottle of Knob Creek (or something like that)around the hotel with him hence he became my instant best friend. He is definitely mental for Hannibal.

Obviously, I drank him under the table but it took me until 4am before he skulked off pleading some tournament or other in the morning. I eventually went to bed due to no one else to drink with....a sad story I know.

I was talking to Iganaditty about setting up a Here I Stand game in January. I'm wonder if January 29th at WAM might work for people? Dogmatix, Flim_Flam, Sagrilarus, Iganaditty, Bueller, Bueller? Let's do this thing.

I plan on getting in Thursday night around 6:30 or so and would be interested in HiS for sure.

If I can make it, I would totally be in for HiS

Msample wrote:

I plan on getting in Thursday night around 6:30 or so and would be interested in HiS for sure.

Excellent!

Thought I'd give this thread a bump.

Who is attending ? I just booked my hotel room.

Gary Sax wrote:

Man, when you play good, like *really good*, CDG players it is fucking ugly.

Which is why I've not hit this con. My games turn out to be nasty, brutish, and short. It gets a bit tiring just constantly getting thrashed.

I think the shark factor depends on the game. Twilight Struggle, PoG, and to a lesser extent Hannibal are pretty shark infested. Washingtons War too.

But Combat Commander had a pretty wide spread of talent last year. Volko is trying to attend Saturday and do a one day Labyrinth tournament. Being new, that game shouldn't be too much of a shark and chum fest. And of course open gaming is a free for all.

Dogmatix if you, Sag, Flim, etc come down I'm planning on blowing off the tournment to play some open card driven games with hacks like me. My first choice would be Here I Stand if we can get 6. If not we can just play some 2 player game. Maybe have Sword of Rome, Wellington or Succesors ready to go if we end up with a odd number of people.

I think Washington War will have a good range of talent. I didn't think it was as scripted as TS and PoG.