Rodapalooza I - Some Notes

I hosted the first CGC event at my place last weekend - Rodapalooza I. It was pretty much a direct rip off of Harrypalooza, one of the finest wargaming events to ever see the light of Harry's garage. In a similar vein, I wanted to have the CGC lads up to my new home so that they could enjoy the view while having a game or three and consuming an epic amount of food and drink over the course of the Labor Day weekend. Take that Conquest!

I will not do a blow-by-blow here as I've already sent that out on the CGC email list. Instead, I'm posting a few of the handful of photos I took. I really have gotten bad about taking event photos, but I hope to get back on track now that I am back into the hobby.

Without further ado, here are some snaps from Rodapalooza I.

This snap is from our outdoor recreation of the battle for Little Round top at Gettysburg. I know it is hard to make out the figures, as I took the picture with my phone. No points for me there.

Anyway, the Union troops are on the ridge, and my Texas boys are down below. They had rushed the ridge in order to avoid Dave Wilhelm's murderous cannon fire (that guy can lob a bocce ball!).





MORTAL COMBAT!!!!1!!uno!!!

Here are Dave and the Indomitable Hansel (sorry for leaving out the umlaut!) Kehoe squaring off in a fight to the finish! We are debating whether Hansel can really be Jochen's legitimate son, considering how much better he is at wargaming.

Seriously though, it was a treat to have Hansel with us. He's very well mannered, good with a cannon ball, and he's a master of row-sham-bow to boot - perfect for our outdoor games!


For anyone who happens across this page by happenstance, here's a brief back story on this outdoor wargaming silliness. The older I get, the more I want my wargaming to be simple. It doesn't get more simple than HG Wells "Little Wars", however, that's a bit too simple, even for a gentlemanly event like a backyard wargame. I took the basic concepts of Little Wars and made them a tad beefier, added some airsoft guns for musketry, bocce balls for artillery, and the ancient art of rock-paper-scissors for melee, and called it a game. I'll post the rules to this blog someday, hopefully in the not-too-distant future (i.e. once I figure out how to upload the rules). I do want to tweak them just a bit after our initial game as I believe some of the comments made (particularly Johnny's) were helpful.

Finally, a couple of shots of the view from my place.

I can't believe how blessed (in the ancient Judaic sense) we are to have found this place, much less to have been able to purchase it. This is the view from my upper decks/living room windows. For me, there is not a house in sight. For others, I understand you can see a building or two in the canyon, but that's their problem.





And this last photo is the sunset on my first night up here, and it's been this view every night since. It doesn't make up for Dad's death, but it does take the edge off.

God willing, there will be MANY more CGC events up here at the "CGC Clubhouse East". Look for Rodtoberfest I, coming soon!






Cheers!

- Rod