Spring 2017 by Steve Fratt
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T H E L O C A L NEWSLETTER F O R T H E HMGS-Midwest M I N I A T U R E W A R G A M I N G ENTHUSIAST VOLUME 6 ISSUE 4 SPRING - 2 0 1 7 BOD Update - Spring 2017 by Steve Fratt HMGS-Midwest Legal bers we have recently added all our memberships for the Counsel and Official Ad- at the Winter War College current 2016-2017 year ex- dresses pire. If you are not a current Our legal counsel and official member and want to vote for registered agent with the state Board members, you will is Keith Hanson of Hanson need to obtain a membership INSIDE THIS Law Group, 1000 Hart Road, for the current 2016-2017 Suite 300, Barrington, Lake ISSUE: year to vote and you will County, IL 60010. Keith is a need to renew at Little Wars long-time gamer and more BOD Update 1 recently, the proud owner of 2017 for the next year. Please several thousand 15mm Na- understand this transition to the new membership dates. LW 2017 2 poleonic's painted by Norm We are striving to add value Update Flam of Pennsylvania. to your membership by ob- The Secondary official office taining discounts at game Arminius- 3 is President – Historical Min- stores and adding new Maurice Pt 2 iatures Gaming Society – HMGW-MW events during Midwest, 17719 W. Noreen the year. Member 16 Ct, Gurnee, IL 60031 [my Benefits own house]. [for the Little Wars 2016- Special Note: Some of you 2017 season]. All members have preregistered for the HMGS-MW 18 New - Extended member- will need to renew at Little Little Wars 2017 Convention Events ships Wars 2017 for the 2017-2018 and also have renewed your The current Board is working membership season. Since we HMGS-Midwest Member- to add new events and bene- are a volunteer organization ship for the 2017-2018 sea- Midway AAR 21 fits to the HMGS-Midwest and the vast majority of our son. We have noted this and membership for the entire you will receive a new mem- year and not just apply to the members renew at Little Wars each year, this policy is bership card for the new 2017 BoD Update 24 Little Wars Convention. Be- -2018 season in your packet cause of these initiatives, the the easiest way to keep track for Little Wars 2017. Please Board wanted to adjust the of the $10 annual member- ships. keep in mind that your re- Financial 27 terms of membership to favor the as many of our members newal kicks in for the next Statement as possible. We do not have any events year on the first day of the Gaming Op- 28 Our website used to say that requiring membership in convention. You will need to portunities all memberships ended on good standing between now be a current member for this March 1st. The Board has and Little Wars 2017. How- 2016-2017 year to be eligible changed the policy to end the ever, we are having an elec- to vote in the current ballot day before the first day of the tion for the Board by ballot. election for the Board of Di- Little Wars Convention. In If you want to vote in this rectors. Any questions about effect, everyone’s member- current election, and are not your status can be directed to ships have been extended to currently a member, you will Kevin Cabai, VP for Mem- the day before the first day of need to obtain a membership bership. If you have already the Little Wars Convention. for the current year 2016- received an email with the This applies to all current 2017. This is because the official ballot, you are a members and any new mem- election is happening before member in good standing. P A G E 2 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 4 Little Wars 2017 Update by Steve Rysemus Once again I must point out the new venue in Lombard at the Yorktown Center Westin Hotel. I am sure you will all love this new space with separate rooms for events, Flea Market/War College and the Dealers. The PEL has been posted and Pre-Registration is OPEN! The dealer room is 100% full, and in fact we have had to add a Dealer Annex room across the hall in the Lilac room where the Flea Market is held. Don’t worry, the rooms are separated. Uncle Duke will be joining us again with his Crusades adventure Richard I. We always look forward to having Duke with us and are glad he is still in good enough health to join us. The room block is open, and the room rate is $121.00 and you can find a link to the room block on our website. We have made changes to the food hours and choices from the hotel, and there are many restaurants in the area as well. The ever popular Paint N Take will return again. This year you can find them back in the hallway by the Dealer Room. And last, we will have the opportunity to be the focus of a live television broadcast at Little Wars! WGN-Channel 9 Morning news, has a segment called “Around town with Anna Belaval.” During the course of the morning news program (8:00am to 10:00am), they do an interspaced series of 7 live feeds. They will do both descriptive commentaries and interviews. Currently we are looking at featuring Registration, Paint and Take, the Vendors, and of course the games in the ballroom. I know the times of the broadcast are not exactly compatible with the LW normal schedule, but they do not run this show on the weekends. Remember, Little Wars is April 28 - 30, 2017. We hope to see everyone at our new venue. Looking forward to it myself. HMGS - MIDWEST P A G E 3 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 4 Arminius-Maurice de Saxe, Marechal de France By Robert Fulton — Part 2 “Danger is part The Campaign of 1735 of the friction When the next year’s campaign opened in the spring, no-one wanted to prosecute the war with any vigor. The of war. Austrians, in particular, remained on the defensive in the Rhineland. Part of the reason lies with the fact that Without an Eugène’s health was failing, but he also understood that there was no point at this late date in needlessly shed- accurate ding Austrian blood. That is why, when he faced Maurice in September he was unwilling to give battle. Mau- rice had chosen his position well, and Eugène realized that his able pupil had taken one of his dictums to heart, conception of that of not confusing courage with recklessness. danger we cannot Interestingly enough, this campaign saw a contingent of Russian troops join the Austrians on the banks of the Neckar in support of Eugène. This was the first time they had been operating so far west, and this was a bit understand disconcerting to more than one observer. war.” — Major Gen. Still, the campaign had degenerated into a staring match. Both sides realized that there was nothing to gain from further fighting. Consequently, an armistice was declared on 5 November, signaling the end of the War Carl von of the Polish Succession. On 21 April 1736 Prince Eugène quietly passed from the scene. His passing, and Clausewitz that of Villars, signaled a more salient change in style of warfare from a concentration on fortress reduction to — land engagements as a primary means of implementing strategy, although the transition would be long and full of innovations. Maurice would play a key role in that transition. Last Grab for a Dukedom During the next few years, Maurice made a number of trips to Dresden to stay with his half-brother Augustus, but he made them mostly for financial needs. Up-and-coming eighteenth century nobles were expected to spend money faster that it was made available. In any event, Maurice occupied himself with unsuccessful at- tempts to win back the dukedom of Courland. The Russians were in no mood to play his game, however, as “I feel that my first, Anna became the Czarina after the death of little Peter II (Peter the Great’s grandson). Second, it suited destiny is in their purposes to have a puppet like Augustus on the throne of Poland and the weak state of Saxony to act as a buffer with the Prussians and the Austrians. Finally, they were not predisposed to support someone who had the hands of recently fought with the French against the coalition. the Almighty. This belief, On one of these visits, Maurice was severely injured during a hunt after being thrown from his horse. He be- gan his recuperation in Dresden, and was still an invalid when he traveled to the Mediterranean resort of Balar- more than any uc-les-Bains for an extended rest. By now, Maurice was middle-aged, the jolts, shocks and flagrant abuse he other facts or had dealt his body in his youthful years were beginning to catch up with him. This was the beginning of some reason, makes very serious and prolonged health problems. However, this time he made a steady recovery and was able to tour southern France. The English Mediterranean fleet was off Toulon, and Maurice was invited to an evening me brave and of drinking and toasting the health of the kings of France and England with English admiral Matthews. fearless as I am..” — By October 1740, Tsarina Anna died and Maurice again tried to put forth his bid for Courland.