So, like, I went to the biggest game store in town looking for a group here in Portland. They guy there says that WOW, 'Western Oregon Wargamers', is the only consistent open group in town. So I go to WOW last Friday night. They have leased a warehouse loft in the industrial part of town, which is kind of neat. The place was like the bad guy's basement in "Silence of the Lambs". The group was *very* different.

RussCon is kind of white collar, abstract gaming oriented...a lot of students, programmers, high tech types etc. WOW is a bunch of hard hats, security guards and warehouse workers--very blue collar. They play almost exclusively tabletop miniatures. I wound up commanding a German armored brigade with mech infantry support in a divisional level operational simulation of the Russian Front in 1942. After the KV-2's demolished my recon outriders, it got pretty bloody. I think we made eight feet on a twenty foot table, me and my fellow generals.

Real different. Out of about 30-35 people there, some were playing Warhammer, some were playing an ancients scenario, and there were the WWII guys. I finally found the token board gamers in a closet (literally) playing Groo!

I miss my RussCon. I guess I get to be a miniatures gamer now. ;-0

Jay