VCoW 2021 - Read All About it: Early Edition

Firstly and foremost, when others say it better then you,  point the way first to them.
Please read the following blogs for their informative entries (I have and I was there, but still leaned tons of stuff): 

• http://newconverj.blogspot.com/2021/02/vcow21-conference-and-gaming-report.html
• https://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-importance-of-critical-friends-joy.html
• Wargaming for Grown-ups: VCOW February 2021- Saturday Morning (wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com) and  Wargaming for Grown-ups: VCOW February 2021 - Saturday Afternoon & Sunday Morning. (wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com)
• VCOW 2021. « SP's Projects Blog (wordpress.com)

And doubtless there will be more to come from other authors in the Blog Sphere. I have to say that VCoW was (again) such an incredible experience, hats off to the Wargames Development (WD) committee for organising it, respect - such respect in fact. The down side to such an event being that it leaves a huge "weekend sized" hole in your life that you have to fill and play catch-up afterwards. It took me literally a week to have time even just "to collect my thoughts" with the rest of the real-world going on. My own contribution to VCoW 2021 was "Politics by Means of Pointy Sticks", a Peloponnesian excursion into the descent into the madness of this ancient extended civil war (see below, war by proxy, an ally of Athens fights an ally of Sparta .. 15mm hoplites in a clash of bronze!): 

I have also vowed myself to give time and respect to the Nugget and write some articles while the "memory" is still fresh. These memories being: 

• The Band of Brothers D-Day 1940 Virtual Battlefield tour and action walk through
• Brian Train's "COIN Talk"
• Pete Sizer's "COIN Talk"
• Being tried for treason as a disgraced senior 1950's British Scientist found out to be a KGB mole in "Grapple X"
• Nick Riggs "Gaming Tactical Actions Talk"
• A British Admiral in the "age of sail"sinking the French Fleet (happy days) in a "Six Weeks Naval War"
• The Grevian C-in-C who "bet and lost the farm" in the "Portable Wargame"
• As a German Panzer Commander planning the invasion of the Isle of Wight in 1941 (over the very ground I had spent a recent family holiday) .. in "Attack Wight" Staff Planing Game 
• Then as Sir John French determined to get the BEF to France in "August 1914"
• Sing along with Roche,  "The Pandemic Blues" apologies for this earlier omission! In many ways I found this the most humbling of all the VCoW sessions which sums up the WD pyche. It was very emotional!
• Putting on my own "Politics by Means of Pointy Sticks"
• Then capping the proceedings off as Cardinal Xeno in the "Papal Conclave of 1492", disconcertingly being put forward as the anti-Borgia candidate, surviving a poisoning attempt and the frenzied activities of the now infamous Zoom break-out rooms (from the Papal latrines to the Sistine Chapel!) and coming in second ;) 

Happy days .. no wonder I was exhausted. More reporting of the above as I write-up those Nugget articles. Again credit to all, as there was so much other stuff going on I so wanted to see in the parallel streams and I have not even touched upon the content of the truly excellent talks given. I did miss the face-to-face banter (and food) of CoW but hopefully in the not too distant future that can be addressed! Till then, let's "Keep on Zooming" on! Great see you all, with the traditional "sea of hats" send-off!