War games on a small scale in St. Charles

It’s possible that Napoleon could win his battle at Waterloo. Or the Confederates could score a victory at Gettysburg. Or the Roman legions could be turned back at Carthage.

It’s also possible that a regiment of Nazi soldiers could find itself in a Jurassic Park setting, battling dinosaurs at every turn.

All of those historical fantasies are likely to unfold Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, when hundreds of military history buffs and military figurine collectors congregate at the DuPage Expo Center, 4050 E. Main St., St. Charles, for an event titled “Little Wars 2011 — Last Stands and Forlorn Hopes.”

Many of the attendees will be members of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society-Midwest, a not-for-profit corporation that promotes military history and the recreation of participating in military strategy games with historical figurines that cover the gamut from cave men fighting wild game, to American troops fighting terrorists in Afghanistan.

“‘Little Wars’ is just a reference to the show, and it has been running for 30 years now,” said Jeffrie Cohen, president of the HMGS-Midwest. “The name comes from the first set of rules written for game play with military miniature figurines.”

Cohen, a 55-year-old resident of Rolling Meadows, became hooked on the hobby after visiting a Little Wars convention in 1975.

“I am a retired Army officer, and I have had a lifelong love of history and military history,” Cohen said. “In high school, I started to play military board games, in college I attended my first historical miniatures convention, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

While the convention will draw several enthusiasts looking to be involved in a military game, Cohen said anyone interested in military history or figurine collection is encouraged to attend to learn more about the games and the society.

“You’ll find many games that represent many different battles or conflicts,” said Cohen, who proclaims himself a Napoleonic Wars enthusiast.

“World War II, the American Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars have been longtime favorites of many gamers,” Cohen said. “But you will see other periods gain in popularity, usually in response to a movie release like the Vietnam film ‘We Were Soldiers,’ or Revolutionary War film ‘Patriot.’”

Mark Pawelski of St. Charles, secretary of the society, is looking forward to the Little Wars convention being closer to his home.

“After 10 years of it being in Lincolnshire at the Marriott, it’s nice to be only 15 minutes away, especially if you forget to bring something that is critical to the game you are running,” said Pawelski, who also considers the Napoleonic Wars as his favorite because of its “large battles, colorful miniatures and lots of history to research.”

Pawelski considers the hobby an extension of his passion for military history, but he fears the hobby may not be able compete in the digital age.

“The hobby is graying,” Pawelski said. “We joke that in 10 to 15 years there will be a glut of lead returning to the market (from unused miniatures).

“We need to get the youngsters interested in the hobby,” he added. “Competing with high-def simulation games and other electronic media makes it a tough task, but hopefully events such as Little Wars will grab the attention of young gamers to pick up the hobby where we’ll be leaving off.”

Actual games can take several hours because there is no time limit on when a player has to make a move. Basically, the framework for each game is covered by a set of rules created by the individual player or his group, or from a set of commercially available rules.

The rules take into consideration ground scale (1 inch of a table equals a specific amount of ground), time scale (one turn may represent 15 minutes of real time) and figure scale (each figure may represent one man, or maybe as many as 40 to 50). Other areas covered are troop experience, effectiveness and morale. Parameters are set for command and control, movement, shooting and close combat.

Some rules are simple, others are complex. But a lot has to do with the roll of the dice, which is used to determine moves.

“In some games you do have to give your troops orders, or at least let others playing on your side know what you are up to or what the battle plan is,” Cohen said.

“All the games at Little Wars will have a referee or game master who will help run the game because, in that way, both experienced and new players can enjoy the game.”

The organization posts a preliminary list on its website of the games that will be staged at the convention. In addition to “Nazis vs. Dinosaurs,” gamers can get involved in “Saving Private Ryan,” based on the film, or “First Bull Run,” “Battle of Tsushima” from the Russo-Japanese War, or “WWII Aerial Attack in the Pacific,” among many others.

The HMGS-Midwest chapter has about 600 members and is one of 11 independent chapters, which often do fundraisers for the Wounded Warrior Project for military personnel wounded in action.

The Little Wars 2011 event will be from 9 a.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday, then reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday and conclude at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Admission for the weekend is $35, while one day is $15. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with an adult. Visit hmgsmidwest.com/index.html for details.

If you go

What: “Little Wars 2011: Lost Stands and Forlorn Hopes,” a historical miniatures gaming convention featuring over 200 historical games

When: 9 a.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday; reopening at 9 a.m. Saturday and concluding at 2 a.m. Sunday, April 8-10.

Where: DuPage Expo Center at Pheasant Run Resort, 4050 W. Main St., St. Charles

Admission: $35 for both days, $15 for one day. Children 12 and younger admitted free when with an adult.

Details: hmgsmidwest.com