HMGS Great LakesHMGS Great LakesI am an active member of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS), Great Lakes chapter. As a matter of fact, I am the editor of the chapter magazine of Great Lakes, The Herald. The Herald is a 48-page, bimonthly magazine covering all facets of chapter doings, plus tons of battle and campaign reports, figure and rules reviews, columns, convention reports, and so on. I enjoy doing working on the magazine, despite the fact that it means I'll be very busy for a week or two on a bimonthly basis!
The stated purpose of HMGS, listed in The Herald masthead, reads:"The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society - Great Lakes Chapter (HMGS-GL) is a non-profit organization whose main purpose is to promote historical gaming and the study of military history." We have several conventions a year. Our flagship convention called Advance the Colors is held in the Fall in Springfield, OH. In the Spring, we host Drums Along the Maumee in the Toledo, OH, area, and we also have two one-day conventions in the Cincinnati area called Warparty (summer) and Warband (Spring). In addition, Great Lakes supports many other cons, including the Historicals Origins Team (HOT) at Origins in Columbus, Capcon, Gamefest Indy, Gencon, Nowscon and others.
Membership is $12 a year, and includes six issues of The Herald, discounts at numerous hobby stores, figure manufacturers and distributors, in addition to discounted admission to all HMGS conventions.
For more information, check out our chapter's web site at: www.hmgsgl.com.
To see back issues of The Herald online, check out Magweb at: www.magweb.com
To give you a snippet of the kind of writing that goes in The Herald, here is one of my past columns:
Roman' ThoughtsEditorial by Mike Demana (originally appeared in The Herald #25)
As I ran my hand along the gray stones, a thrill strummed through my core like a guitar string.
Almost 2,000 years ago, these huge blocks had been shaped and joined without mortar or cement by the engineers of my favorite nation from History. The structure stood complete to this day -- its arches rising higher and higher as it straddled the valley in Central Spain.
I was walking alongside the Roman aqueduct in Segovia. Built during the reign of the one of the early Roman emperors, the aqueduct had brought water to the town from a nearby spring for more than a thousand years. Segovia, with its walls, winding medieval streets, and church towers sprouting here and there, was a history buff's dream. Through it, the aqueduct runs like an arrow. Straight. Regular. Roman. Its contrast with the medieval disorder gives an insight into the Roman personality.
Walking the streets of Segovia this September on vacation was like touching history. I was drawn into gaming through my love of history, like many others. My job with an airline lets me take trips abroad every year -- seeing the major cities of antiquity, the forts and castles, and the battlefields. Travel, especially visiting the historical places we read about, is something I feel every historical miniatures gamer should experience. You don't have to work for an airline to do it cheaply, though.
Now, as the summer tourist season draws to a close, is when you should plan to go. The crowds dwindle, prices shrink, and what was unaffordable several months ago, could become a reality. Check the European fares in your newspaper -- especially those that kick in after November 1. Or if you're online, surf the web sites of the major airlines. You'll be surprised how cheap it can be.
And for lists of nice, clean, but inexpensive places to stay or eat once you're there, guidebooks from your library are full of good recommendations. I use the "Let's Go," "Rough Guide" and "Lonely Planet" series. Along the walls of my apartment are photographs and mementos from the 30+ countries I've visited. More importantly, though, are the ones that live on in my memory -- of the times I touched history...