A TRUE AND FAITHFUL RENDITION OF AN INCIDENT DURING AN GAMING CONVENTION IN ONE ACT

A busy Distelfink Room at the old Lancaster Host during Cold Wars 2017

Greetings, fellow shut ins!  In this report, we meander into nonsense.  At various times, I've been the officer responsible for producing our club's newsletter (The Cipher) .  Lacking anything more substantial to offer, hobby-wise, for the moment, I thought I'd convey a bit of frippery that I did for the newsletter a few years ago.  It is in the form of a one-act play, and is based on something that actually happened to me early on a Saturday Morning in the above-pictured Distlefink room at an HMGS convention (it was nearly empty then, being early on Saturday, mind you).  I should add that I go by "William Ferris Hearst" (it's an inside joke) when acting as publisher for our club newsletter (hence the byline in the below). Without further ado, therefore, let the overture fade and curtain rise on our one-act play...

THE PLACE AND TIME:  An HMGS Cold War Convention, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sometime in the first decade of the new millennium.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE CHARACTERS:  

YHC: Your Humble Correspondent, Game Master 

Pater: Convention Attendee, Father of Childe

Childe: 9-11ish boy-childe, offspring of Pater

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE SCENE: A corner of the Distelfink Room in the Lancaster Host hotel, early Saturday morning, about 45 minutes before games are scheduled to start.  YHC has driven up early from his (then) abode in the DC Metro area and set up his game so that it is ready to go and on display well ahead of start time: a Nine Years War battle done in glorious 6mm. As is his tradition, he sits quietly at an adjacent table enjoying a small repast before the first game session, eavesdropping on comments of passers-bye as they check out his seemingly unattended table.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Enter Pater and Childe: Pater wandering distractedly with Childe toddling about in a wobbly orbit around Pater.  YHC notes Pater and Childe approaching]

YHC (Aside): Oh brave sight: father and son taking in the games first thing on a Saturday morning.  "Graying of the hobby" phooey!  Continue, my friends, and you shall have a treat, anon.

.

 [Pater glides past YHC's table without so much as a look]

.

YHC (Aside): What? Nary a glance? [casting glance about] Can there be another 6mm League of Augsburg game worthy of note in the room? 

.

[Childe stops abruptly at YHC's table and stares, mouth open]

.

YHC (Aside): But wait. See! He pauses: most excellent boye!

.

Childe: Whoa! Dad, look at this! What is it?

.

YHC (Aside): Superior imp! Most intelligent boye!

 .

Pater: Hmmm?  [Walks back and bends down to survey YHC's table]

Pater:  Oh, thats...an age of Marlborough game.  Before Napoleon and all that.

.

YHC (Aside): Age of Marl...? Certainly not!  Still, one must make allowances for those not familiar with the Sun King's Wars of the late 17th Century, incredible as that may seem.     I shall therefore be generous. I shall continue to abide.  Ho! The childe speakes again...

 .

Childe:  They're so small!

.

YHC (Aside):  Marvelous cherub; so young, so discerning.  Clearly the product of superior upbringing.  Yes, 6mm is God's own scale; astonishing to behold.  You lucky lad!

.

Pater:  Yes, son.  Those are 10mm figures.  Much cheaper than real figures, so people just put scads of them on the table.

.

YHC (Aside) "10?"..."Scads"..."'Real'?" 

 [chokes on mouthful of scrambled eggs, eyes cross in apoplexy]

.

Childe: That's what I mean.  What's the big deal?  You spray paint them and that's it. Why do they let them in here?

.

YHC (Aside): Oh, un-natural! Changeling! Spawn of tartars! 

.

Pater: Now son...

.

YHC (Aside): Yes, speake, dear sir...on behalf of all that is good and true in the hobby, on behalf of game masters all, restrain, nay, instruct, nay cuff yon unruly cub!

.

Pater:...there's much more to it than that. You see? Look closer... [Leans into YHC's game table]

 .

YHC (Aside): Oh, true hearted man. All is forgiven. Continue, do...

Pater (continuing): ...yes, much more to it. You see, after you spray paint them, there's still some work to be done [bending even closer].  You dip them and then add dots for faces.  See here? It takes a knack, I suppose.

.

YHC (Aside): Oh, most vile! Wounded, pierced to the heart! Would that we still had cossack retainers to chasten such serfs!

.

[Pater and Childe stroll off contentedly, followed by smoldering gaze of YHC]

--FIN--

PASS IN REVIEW: RUSSO TURKISH WAR ROMANIAN ARMY

Russo Turkish War Romanian Army Contingent Ready for Inspection.

Greetings, fellow shut ins!  This post brings together, and concludes, the series on my pandemic project of Russo Turkish War era Romanians (for an explanation of the quotes around "completed" see Aly's comment in the May 14 post).  And what better way to mark such a moment than with a parade!  

 Romanian Army in the timeframe sometime after the Russo Turkish War. With minor differences, the look is the same as 1877/78.

Consistent with the parade theme, this post will mainly consist of eye candy (you can find and play appropriate band music in the background).  For the more curious or those seeking more in depth information, there are links to other posts that provide more information and background on each of the elements.  As usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX.

THE LINE INFANTRY

The backbone the army, the Romanian line infantry These are Outpost figures. 

THE CAVALRY

Romanian cavalry brigade consisting of two regiments of regular red-coated Roshori and one regiment of blue coated Calarashi (territorial cavalry).  Figures are Northstar 1866 Austrian Hussars repurposed as Romanians.  
Photo credit: C. Savulescu (1977) Romania, History of Photography, 1:1, 63-77, DOI.
10.1080/03087298.1977.10442883

CHASSEURS AND DOROBANTI MILITIA 

Flanking the line infantry, two units of brown coated Romanian Chasseurs and two of the celebrated White jacketed Dorobanti Militia. These are all Outpost figures.

ARTILLERY PARK

Anchoring the line, the Romanian Artillery: four batteries of Krupps. These are Outpost Russian gunners and guns repurposed as Romanians. 
.

ON PARADE 

The Romanians arrayed with command in front. 

I am looking forward to some day putting these on the table with my Hugarians: what a colorful combination they would make! 

Excelsior!

MEMORIAL DAY 2020

Today in the US is Memorial Day, the origins of which stem from Decoration Day, a day set aside to decorate the resting places of those who had fallen in military service to the nation. Although we also commemorate the service of Veterans on November 11th--known as Veterans Day here the US--Memorial Day, as its name suggests, is more specifically about memorializing the dead--a point that often seems to get lost given that this long weekend is also the kick off of the summer/vacationing season. I won't belabor the point any further other than to say that with the staggering loss of life brought on by the COVID 19 pandemic across the globe, and with the US closing in on the 100,000 death mark, this year's pause has room to commemorate not only the loss of the service men and women whom we traditionally honor, but also the memories of all who have been lost in these trying times.