HMGS-MidSouth

No, friends and fellow hobbyists, this is not the rally cry voiced by a certain furry-footed individual near a solitary mountain during a Battle where several armies were trying to annihilate each other…..but it is good news, nonetheless.

You see, four stalwart members of the Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers, better known in gaming circles as the HAWK’s, are coming to Nashcon. Chris Palmer, Greg Priebe, Buck Surdu and Dave Wood are making the long journey down from Maryland and they’ll be bringing their own unique brand of fun-filled gaming with them!

The guys will be running over a dozen fantastic games including Dr. Who Miniatures, G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. and Look Sarge, No Charts for WWII and Napoleonics. They’ll also be hosting play-test games for the newest installment of their popular Look Sarge, No Charts series titled “Bear Yourselves Valiantly”. This latest offering will allow gamers to re-create historical battles from the Ancient and Medieval periods as well as epic clashes from the world of Fantasy.

The HAWK’s group was founded in 1994 and is affiliated with HMGS East. They are a staple at many of the gaming conventions in the Eastern portion of the country, often being given their own room to host games run by their membership. They’ve run many, many games at these shows over the years. In fact, at Fall-In 2011, they recorded their 1000th convention game! They’ve also hosted their own game day, Barrage, since 1996. They have members of all ages and of both sexes and their gaming endeavors cover a wide variety of periods, rules and figure scales. Plus, they write their own rules! Well, they do a lot of the times, anyway.

Another wonderful thing the HAWK’s are known for is running two tables for kids’ games at Historicon each year. They’ve also recently started a program they call Armies-For-Kids where they give young gamers their very own painted armies. Both these worthwhile projects are an effort to help promote the hobby to the next generation. Something we all need to be concerned with.

So come on out to Nashcon and meet the HAWK’s, participate in their games, help them play-test their new rules and show them what true Southern hospitality is! We want to make sure they have a good ol’ time and I’m sure you all will, too!

Fellow gamers, it’s that time of year! All the hustle and bustle of the holidays are behind us, Ol’ Man Winter has just about worn out his welcome and our thoughts turn to some serious gaming. Yes, friends, Nashcon is just around the corner! And as this is the 25th anniversary of the show, we want it to be a memorable one. We’ve already started working on getting everything ready and it’s looking like it’ll be better than ever! Here are some of the things we’ve got in the works:

- We’ve shifted the gaming/vendor area over to the opposite side of the ball room from where we usually are. This will allow us to better incorporate our side rooms and utilize all the gaming space to the fullest.

- All the usual tournaments are back…..Flames of War, WH40K, DBA, A Call to Arms: Star Fleet and Advanced Squad Leader, to name a few…..along with a couple of new ones. We’ll be sure to have updates as details are finalized.

- With the increase in attendance by the younger crowd, we’ve added a gaming table solely dedicated to kid’s games. To that end, we’ll be looking for some folks to run a few good looking games with fast play and simple rules that will appeal to these future table-top warriors.

- And speaking of table-top warriors, it seems some folks just can’t get enough gaming. So at the request of those stalwarts, we’re adding an additional session on Sunday from 2pm to 6pm. More details will follow.

These are just a few changes and additions we’ve instituted to go along with the always fabulous variety of gaming and world class vendors associated with Nashcon. There’ll be more to come along with updates to keep you guys informed.

If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or ideas just put them here or, if you’d rather, follow the e-mail link to the HMGS Mid-South Board members and send them along! We’re always glad to hear what you guys have to say. Or, if you want to run a game, just follow the e-mail link for game registration. Both links are on the Nashcon page.

The Siege had a great turn out this year. A record was set, so we are told. The dealer area was full of outstanding hobby dealers of all kinds. There was no lack of a chance to spend that stash of cash, including the first ever $10 in Siege Bucks for joining HMGS-MS. The games were numerous at about 60, not counting the tournaments, well run, and well attended. We thank all of our Attendees, Dealers, and dedicated Game Masters, what a nice job!

The Siege hosted one of the largest tournament schedules ever. All were well attended and successful. The FoW Tournament was the largest ever held at the SoA and was generously supported by Arsenal Games and Hobbies, Dogs of War Games, and Battlefront Miniatures. In addition to hosting our usual great Warrior, DBA, HotT, and FoW tournaments, the Siege opened its doors to some new gaming interests. This year the Siege added three Warmachine/Hordes Tournaments, one of which was a Carolina Invitational Qualifier (to be held at MACE later this year). These were well supported by both the Augusta Book Exchange and Privateer Press. The Siege also hosted its first ever Magic and X-Wing Tournaments, also supported by the Augusta Book Exchange. For the first time, the Siege added a “Board Gamers Corner” run throughout the convention. The Siege also hosted a series of SAGA demonstration games in 40mm. A big thanks goes out to all of our tournament and event organizers.

This year also marked the return of the Flea Market, Painting Competition, and Siege Army Raffle, a long time Siege Tradition. We hope to see the Siege Army Raffle grow next year. A lot of people signed out Siege Army Units so all looks good for a bigger and better Siege Army Raffle. If you missed the Siege this year, next year’s Siege Army is British and French Napoleonic’s based for Napoleon’s Battles (15mm). The regular raffle was well supported by our dealers and especially by Arsenal Games who donated two great raffle items.

Another sign of a great convention is that we actually started to run out of Siege Medals on Saturday Night. We had to get a bit stingier but plan to add more for next year. If your game did not get a coveted Siege Medal, we apologize and will do better next year. But, you will remember why we are here when you see the smiling face, particularly of a young person who has won their first Siege Medal. The adults love them just as well.

The Siege opened its doors to our local young gamers. We will continue this focus into the future. The Evan’s Gamers Club set up shop in the gaming lobby all day Saturday. By all accounts, fun was had by all. There were approximately 60 to 70 young people, 18 or younger at the Siege this year! We sincerely believe that it is our young members that hold the keys to the growth of our hobby. This is proof that we strive to spread the love and study of history, specifically military history, through tabletop miniature gaming.

In conclusion, the SoA XXII was a great time and a success. We have a strong financial position for next year. Thanks for coming. See you at the Siege of Augusta XXIII!

Attendees – Over 220 attendees joined the Siege this year making this one of the most successful Sieges in recent memory.

Dealers – The dealer area was full and included 15 Dealers with a total of 28 tables.

Local Game Stores: Arsenal Games and Hobbies www.arsenal-games.com
Augusta Book Exchange www.comics-n-games.com
Regional Game Stores: Dogs of War Games www.dogsofwargaming.com
Time Portal Hobbies www.nelsontimeportal.com
Yadkin Valley Games
Hobby Companies: Foxhole Terrain www.foxholeterrain.com
Little Metal Men www.littlemetalmen.homestead.com
Rebel Miniatures www.rebelminis.com
Splintered Light Miniatures www.splinteredlightminis.com
Wargames Factory www.wargamesfactory.com
Publishing: Historical Products Company www.ebhpc.com
Ironclad Publishing http://www.casematepublishing.com
Private Sellers: Three Tables

Awards Recipients: Drew Gaddy – Gold Order of the Eagle – A Siege lifetime of dedication!
Joe Lizama – Order of the Eagle – What a great Website!
Pat Condray – Order of the Eagle – Thanks for the special advertising!
Scott Reeves – Order of the Eagle – Great support from HMGS-MS!

Painting Competition: 15mm Historical – Omar Bailey – Modern US Army
25mm Historical – Greg McClusky – 1st Musketeers, Royal Guard
Fantasy – Jared Hunter – Mountain King
WWII/FoW – Tom Culpepper – US Armored Artillery

Evans Gamers Club – Hosted by Evans High School Gamers and Pat Sprague

Board Gamers Corner – Hosted by Mark Bakke

SAGA Demonstration Games – Hosted by the SoA, Hugh Alderson and Eric Gray

Theme Games: Chancellorsville – Jay Haygood – ACW
Gettysburg – Scott Reeves – ACW
Thunder on the Yazoo – Bob Moon – ACW-Naval
Mississippi Mayhem – Bryant Williams & Scott Reeves – ACW-Naval
Lifeline of the Confederacy – Jim Brokaw – ACW-Naval
Brown Water Navies – Roger Campbell – ACW-Naval

Game Masters – Too many to mention but please refer to the SoA XXII Convention Guide for all our great GMs!

Tournaments: Flames of War
Steve Toth – 1st Place – US Tank Company – North Africa
Kelley Timmerman – 2nd Place – German Pz Grenadiers – Eastfront
Keith Felger – Best Sport
Barry Forrest – Best Army, Best Table
Tourney CiC – Tom Kearney
Tourney 2iC – Eric Gray
Sponsors – Arsenal Games and Hobbies, Dogs of War Games,
Battlefront Miniatures
Warrior – Derek Downs
Tourney organizer – Derek Downs
Warmachine/Hordes
35pt Steamroller – Jesse Carter – Carolina Invitational Qualifier
Protectorate of Menoth
25pt Mangled Metal / Tooth and Claw – Chris Langley
Troll Bloods
Journeymen Battle Box – Jacob Kuglar
Cygnar
Tourney organizer – Cory Hockman
Sponsors – Augusta Book Exchange and Privateer Press
DBA Diadochi Theme – Chris Essik – Classical Indian
Tourney organizer – Scott Gray
DBA Matched Pairs – Gray
Tourney organizer – Don Harting
HotT Open – Noah Mills
Tourney organizer – Larry Essik
X-Wing 100pt – Cory Hockman
Tourney organizer – Jared Hunter
Sponsors – Augusta Book Exchange
Magic Box Tournament – Eric Jones
Tourney organizer – Chris Langley
Sponsors – Augusta Book Exchange

Staff: Bryant McLaughlin – Director
Drew Gaddy – Co-Director
Scott Gray – Dealer Coordinator
Carolyn Schwartz – Treasurer
Joe Lizama – Webmaster
Others: Eric Gray – SoA XXII T-Shirt Artist
Website: www.siegeofaugusta.org
www.hmgs-midsouth.org