Map and Counters

The Cardboard Wars in Lancaster are Just around the Corner, Aug 3rd – Aug 9th, 2009

On August 1st, Bruno Sinigaglio’s Grognard Qualifying Tournament, along with a number of other Pre-Con events, will kick-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, as usual, 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 delighted 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. While my own plans for this year’s convention are still up in the air — family issues, unfortunately — I cannot stress how great an experience the Convention is for those, who like me, just enjoy gaming.

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.