The first VCOW (Virtual Conference of Wargamers) is over ... and my impression is that it went well! Certainly, from my point of view, the sessions that I took part in were all well attended and the quality of the talks and discussions was excellent. It might not have been as totally immersive as a traditional COW (Conference of Wargamers) might have been, but in the present climate, it was a very good substitute ... and I suspect that Wargame Developments may well be organising similar events in the future.
For my part, I took part in the following sessions:
For my part, I took part in the following sessions:
- Friday Evening
- ‘Wargames: What and Why’ a talk by Peter Perla
- ‘Professional and Hobby Wargaming’ a talk by Mark Herman.
- Saturday
- ‘Give me back my legions!’ a talk and discussion about large-scale distance wargaming led by John Bassett
- ‘Wargaming & History’ a talk and short discussion led by Professor Gary Sheffield
- ‘Defence & Recreational Wargaming’ a webinar and Q&A session led by Graham Longley-Brown
- Sunday
- 'WD40: Wargame Developments and COW, Forty years On' a short talk about the history of WD and COW by me
- ‘Adventures in Lockdown’ was a discussion about what people had been doing during the period of lockdown, led by Mike Elliott
- Wargame Developments Annual General Meeting
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The whole weekend was brilliant!
ReplyDeleteIn the circumstances it was a pretty good substitute for COW, and it gave some people who would never be able to get to Knuston a chance to have something (well, quite a lot) of the COW experience.
I do hope that we will have more VCOWs. Thank you for all the work you put into making the first one happen.
John Armatys,
DeleteCheers! The success of VCOW was due to a magnificent group effort by the organisers, and I know that there will be lots of calls for future events of this sort.
It was great to see so many newbies and overseas members, and it seems that VCOW has reinvigorated general interest in WD.
All the best,
Bob
Well done to the organising team for creating such a varied, interesting and engaging conference agenda. I think that VCOW will have helped us further appreciate the opportunities to use the technology in the future - eg sharing some parts of physical COW for those unable to attend, a mini one day e-conference in between COWs and perhaps adhoc short sessions (under the 45 minute Zoom limit!) set up and led by members themselves.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks,
Simon
Simon,
DeleteVCOW was a group effort, and was even more successful than we hoped that it would be.
I think that you have written an excellent summary of the potential uses wargamers can put the evolving technology to. I’m certainly using Skype to wargame with Gary Sheffield, and I am already planning a talk for the next VCOW!
All the best,
Bob
"Where there's a will, there's a way" in practice!
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteOne day we might even be able to persuade you to take part in a future VCOW!
All the best,
Bob
Well done Bob et al.
ReplyDeleteJim Duncan,
DeleteCheers! The end result was worth the effort that was put into organising it.
All the best,
Bob
Great work by the organisers on VCOW- was a pleasure to finally attened, albeit remotely, a COW.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Pete.
Pete.,
DeleteVCOW seems to have been even more successful that we had hoped it would be, and it was great to ‘meet’ so many new people.
All the best,
Bob
So pleased it went so well and I am sorry I couldn’t attend across the ether. Well done to planners, practitioners and participants one and all! Is it back to the 17th century book Bob now or are you having a well deserved rest?
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteIt is a pity that you were not able to join us. I think that you would have enjoyed it, and with luck you can join us on another occasion!
I'm having a bit of a rest to recover from both VCOW and the recent spell of illness that has dogged both my wife and I. At least we know that it has not been caused by COVID-19, but currently we are both feeling rather fatigued and lacking in motivation. I expect it to pass by the end of the week, and work on the P17CW book can resume.
All the best,
Bob
Well done!
ReplyDeleteAnd that is an understatement.
Extremely well done.
Geordie an Exile FoG,
DeleteIt's great to read that you enjoyed VCOW. The credit for its success is due to the team that organised it.
All the best,
Bob