The Cardboard Wars in Lancaster are Just around the Corner, Aug. 3rd – 9th, 2009
On August 1st, Bruno Sinigaglio’s Grognard Qualifying Tournament, along with a number of other Pre-Con events, kicks-off the early festivities at what is, without doubt, the premiere war gaming convention of the year: The World Boardgaming Championship (WBC). This tournament convention is hosted by the Boardgaming Players Association (Don Greenwood and gang), and has been meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania — in the heart of Amish country — for the last few years. The convention’s seven days of nonstop boardgaming (nine if you attend one of the Pre-Cons) offers attendees the opportunity to compete in well over 100 different titles; in fact, the players’ options are limited only by the various tournament start-times and the players’ own stamina.
After a twelve-year hiatus from gaming and tournaments, I was finally able to attend last year’s convention, and I am extremely happy that I did. Not only did I have an opportunity to renew old friendships and do A LOT of gaming, but I also had the chance to meet a number of younger players who are, happily, helping to revitalize our hobby. I tend to specialize in the old Avalon Hill “classics” but took advantage of the opportunity to try a few unfamiliar games — which was interesting for me, and fun for my opponents who, for the most part, beat me like a “rented mule” in these titles. I also got two of the worst shellackings, back-to-back, that I have ever received in a game that I thought I knew something about: WAR AT SEA. Conveniently, for old timers like me who no longer buy everything new that gets published, the convention offers a “library service” so that attendees can check out and play an unfamiliar title before actually having to plunk down their hard-earned money on the new game.A direct descendant of the earlier AvalonCon Tournaments, the annual WBC convention is attended by some of the best and most affable players from all over the world. If you can possibly find a way to get to Lancaster during the first part of August, I strongly recommend that you do so; I absolutely guarantee that, if you enjoy gaming, you’ll have a great time.
To find out more about this year’s WBC Convention, visit the website.
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The Avaloncon tournaments were the highlight of my years of gaming. I am happy the WBC is back where they started with Avaloncon, in the heart of PA! I am hopeful I could get some time off this summer to make the trek. At the very least, I intend to come down for a Saturday, since as I find myself on the east coast now, it is simply a matter of 'catching the right train!'
Although ASL is now just a memory at WBC, a lot of the Old Guard would be delighted to see Russ Gifford again who ran the biggest event ever at Avaloncon. Hey, if Joe can do it, why not you?