Fall In Convention
The following information was sent to ArmchairGeneral.com.
FALL IN!™: It’s Not Too Late to Register
Join The City Fight at Stalingrad, The HMGS WAR COLLEGE, The National Security Decision Making Game, and more…
It’s not too late to register to attend the 12th annual FALL IN!™ Convention (http://www.fall-in.org) being held November 6 – 8, 2009 at the Eisenhower (IKE) Hotel Conference Center and Resort in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS) East.
Along with over 300 other historical miniatures gaming events, FALL IN! features the miniature war game “The City Fight at Stalingrad”, presented by The Gettysburg Area Gamers and Gettysburg Miniatures on Friday at noon, Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The City Fight at Stalingrad miniature war game is a representation of the City of Stalingrad mid-October, 1942 with both the Germans and Russians fighting house to house and also fighting mother nature. The game’s 20-foot long board features many of the hotly contested buildings that are now famous in military books and documentaries, including a 2½ foot Grain Silo, the Tractor Factory, Red October Building, and the famous fountain with the children holding hands featured in the movie "Enemy at the Gates". The game also features key weapons that were just starting to be implemented in 1942, the sniper better equipment and tactics, and the rocket launchers, also known as "Stalin’s Organ".
{default}Over 20 hours of military history seminars will be featured at the FALL IN! HMGS War College, including the discussion "The World of 50 Years Ago, Part I" with speakers Capt. Mark McDonagh, USN (ret.), Lt. Col. Robert Blanke, USAF (ret.), Robert Mosher, and Merle Robinson, taking place on Friday from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. The National Security Decision Making Game staff will present an overview of the Cold War from 1945 to 1959. The lecture will discuss the diplomatic events from Yalta on, Containment and Truman Doctrines, establishment of NATO, the impact of nuclear weapons on geopolitics and military planning, the breakaway of the Air Force from the Army and the formation of Strategic Air Command and North American Air Defense Command, and initial US and Soviet development of intercontinental bomber forces and theater and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"The World of 50 Years Ago, Part II" will take place on Saturday from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. The National Security Decision Making Game staff will present an overview of the Cold War from 1945 to 1959 with a discussion of the geopolitical and military events that shaped the world, as it existed on 31 December 1959. A continuation of Friday’s lecture, Saturday’s presentation will discuss the jet power revolution in military aviation, the early stages of the Space Race, U.S. military drawdowns after WW II, the Korean War, Berlin, Hungary, Warsaw Pact formation and the re-arming of Eastern Europe, intelligence gathering systems and agencies, and surveillance systems (e.g. U-2 overflights), the Cuban revolution, the modernization of the U.S. aircraft carrier force for the jet age, the beginnings of the Soviet submarine threat, and the introduction of nuclear power and ballistic missile submarines. In addition to these being excellent lectures by highly qualified presenters, these talks are a great primer for those who will be playing the Cold War variant of the National Security Decision Making Game.
Attendees at this year’s FALL IN! can take part in The National Security Decision Making (NSDM) Game, a fast-paced, challenging simulation of internal and geo-politics and eternal strategic principles. Part seminar game and part live action role, NSDM is modeled after the simulations used by senior U.S. Government officials to explore geopolitical options. Run by former game directors from the U.S. Naval War College and personnel with experience in the Departments of Defense, State, Energy, NSDM’s five-hour games take place on Friday night and Saturday night.
Join FALL IN! for three full days of Historical Miniatures gaming, wargame tournaments, HMGS War College seminars, a WWII Commemoration, the HMGS Flea Market and over 100 historical vendors selling miniatures, terrain, games, books, and videos.
Admission to the 3-day convention is $10 for HMGS members and $30 for non-members. For more information on FALL IN!, visit http://www.fall-in.org or www.HMGS.org.
HMGS is a non-profit educational organization that promotes the study of military history through historical miniatures gaming, seminars, grants, and conventions, www.HMGS.org.
Other HMGS annual events include:
COLD WARS March 11-14, 2010, at the Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, PA. See: www.COLDWARS.org
NOTE: HMGS COLD WARS IS NOW EXTENDED TO FOUR DAYS in 2010.
HISTORICON 2010 JULY 8-11 March, at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD See: www.HISTORICON.org 

HMGS is a proud sponsor of National WWII Museum’s annual “Heat of Battle” program. See: www.nationalww2museum.org.
