Bel Air, MD (June 22, 2009) – The games begin on July 16 and continue through July 19 at HISTORICON 2009 (www.HISTORICON.org), the largest gathering of historical miniatures hobbyists and gamers in North America. The convention offers extensive seminars and discussions, plus exciting military history games, tournaments, and contests attracting thousands of historical gaming enthusiasts.
The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society East (www.HMGS.org) commemorates the silver (25th) anniversary of HISTORICON, “the mother of all war gaming conventions” at the Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Students of military history and war gamers can attend a full program of seminars by well-known historians discussing the convention theme of the 200th Anniversary of 1809 Napoleonic Wars, as well as topics on other periods of military history. Scott Bowden, author of 24 works connected to Napoleonic and American military history; Rene Chartrand, author of over 30 books on American and Western European military history; First Sgt. Matthew Eversmann, who was portrayed in Black Hawk Down; Col. David Glantz, who served over 30 years in the military and has written or co-authored 60+ books; and Dr. Donald Howard, founder of the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution are among the noted military historians and luminaries who will be presenting talks during the conference.
“The Napoleonic era has always been a great period for the wargamer as this theme allows for a cross-section of presentations and games, from formal massed European armies to the Spanish guerilla actions,” said HISTORICON’s Convention Director Bob Giglio. “The price Napoleon paid for his ill-conceived Spanish venture produced so much bleeding in the diplomatic, military, financial, and political realms of his empire, that it is referred to as the ‘Spanish Ulcer’.”
All HISTORICON attendees are welcome to attend the HMGS 25th Anniversary Awards Presentation, which includes the First Annual HISTORICON Awards, Game Master of the Year Award, HMGS Legion of Honor, and Jack Scruby Award. Entrance to the awards presentation is free to all. During the presentation, HMGS will recognize the Historical Gaming Industry with the first annual HISTORICON Awards for excellence and prominence in historical games and miniatures, represented by six awards of the year.
HISTORICON 2009 features over 600 events, including elaborate historical miniatures games reflecting Napoleon’s 1809 Austrian Campaign and the Peninsular War (1807-14) and the massive and most extensive tournament program in North America – everything from DBA, DBR, and Warhammer Ancients to Field of Glory (FoG) and Flames of War (FoW). A special 25th Anniversary Cake is being made just for HISTORICON by Charm City Cakes (of the Ace of Cakes Food Network show) featuring the original “Hands Bridge” logo created by artist Rich Hasenauer to recognize the first HISTORICON in 1984. The cake will be on display from Noon on Friday and will be served to attendees at 4 PM.
As the popularity of HISTORICON grows, in 2010 the convention will move to the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, where it can accommodate many more attendees and vendors. Baltimore offers a wide variety of budget, mid-range and luxury accommodations, and access to historical attractions such as Fort Henry, the USS Constellation, and the Baltimore Civil War Museum.
HISTORICON is the largest historical miniatures gaming convention in the United States. Each year, thousands of avid gamers descend on what the New York Times has described as the “mother of all war gaming conventions.” The event features thousands of attendees (adults and children), hundreds and hundreds of games, the world’s biggest war game hobby shop, painting events, and a special awards celebration.
Admission to the 4-day convention is $15 for HMGS members, $35 for non-members, and a 1-day admission is $20. HMGS is a non-profit educational organization that promotes the study of military history through historical miniatures gaming, seminars, grants, and conventions. Other HMGS events include the annual “FALL IN!” convention to be held Nov. 6 – 9, 2009 in Gettysburg, PA, “COLD WARS”, to be held March 11 – 14, 2010 in Lancaster, PA, and “HISTORICON 2010” to be held July 8 -11, 2010 in Baltimore, MD.
For more information on HMGS, visit http://www.hmgs.org. For more information on HISTORICON, visit http://www.HISTORICON.org.
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