COW2026

The annual Wargame Developments Conference of Wargamers (COW) will be taking place this weekend.

This year's conference will be taking place at the Cranfield Management Development Centre and the program is a full one, as the following shows:

• THE PLENARY GAME: XERXES’ INVASION OF GREECE
• BAFFLED BY BOARDGAMES – STEVE JACKSON’S ILLUMINATI
• CAIRO 1942
• WORLD WAR III IN TEN MINUTES
• CAVALRY CONSIDERATIONS
• IN TENEBRIS
• A YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY – MONTROSE’S SCOTTISH CAMPAIGN
• 633 SQUADRON
• THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC: SINKING U-BOATS: A REACTION TO THE WATU ‘MYTH’ (My contribution to the conference programme)
• SAVE THE EMPEROR!
• BRICK BY BLOODY BRICK 2
• CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE LEPERONS
• THE FIRST FANTASY GAME
• TONKIN BLUES
• GMT'S LABYRINTH – THE WAR ON TERROR – TEAM PLAYING, 25 YEARS ON
• THE BLOOD ROAD
• HITHER SPAIN 208/9 BCE
• THE BIRDS ARE SINGING AND IT’S AWONDERFUL DAY
• THE BEAR WENT OVER THE BORDER; DUNN KEMPF REFOUGHT
• RED ARMY: SOVIET WARGAME
• HIVE CITY
• GALTIERI, MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALL
• THE GRIMNESS OF WAR
• WINNING A VC WITH THE 6TH
• THE EARTH PREPARED – DO WE STILL TASTE LIKE CHICKEN TO THEM?
• LET’S ROCK! JIM ROCHE’S FINAL SINGALONG TOUR
• BATTLE FOR TIKKAKOSKI AIRPORT – REAL-TIME TACTICS
• RAPID URBAN COMBAT KRIEGSSPIEL UMPIRING SYSTEM (RUCKUS)
• SIMPLE SALAMIS
• TEAM BLACK HAT
• ENGLISH CIVIL WAR SIEGE – TAKE 2
• RIDING BY MOONLIGHT
• DON’T BE A PILLOCK, JUST TAKE THAT HILLOCK
• BAFFLED BY BOARDGAMES – SPI AIR WAR
• THE RECCE-STRIKE COMPLEX
• SPACE HULK!
• FRIGATE ACTION!
• THE DEVIL TO PAY – BUFORD’S CAVALRY AT GETTYSBURG
• WE’LL GO NO MORE A’VIKING. MAYBE
• JACOBITES SIR…..THOUSAND OF ‘EM
• WHEN GOVERNMENTS PLAY II

It is a very diverse program of sessions this year, with lots of historical, professional, and science fiction/fantasy topics being covered and gamed. Attendees opt for those sessions that take their fancy, and it is amazing just how much cross-fertilisation takes places as a result. For example, in previous years I have seen someone attend a science fiction game which inspired then to write a historical game using the same rules structure and mechanisms, adapting them for something the original designer never considered using them for. This is one of the strengths of Wargame Developments and is why COW has been going since 1980.

The conference is only open to members of Wargame Developments, so if you are interested in attending next year's event, you need to join.

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PS. As I will attending COW, it is highly likely that I will not be blogging very much over the next few days.