Welcome back! I’m (temporarily) off the golf course and this is a tabletop wargaming post. This blog post is my final one on the “HUZZAH! Con 2024” and is part 3 of my three-part recap. To read about Friday’s games in part 1 you can go here, and Saturday’s part 2 is covered here.
Sunday, May 19th was the last day of the convention, which is run annually by the Maine Historical Wargame Association (MHWA), an excellent organization. It was held at the Doubletree by Hilton in South Portland Maine. The theme for this year was “HUZZAH 2024 GOES HOLLYWOOD”, so games with an association with movies or TV shows were categorized as theme games. I ran 6 Wars of Ozz games here, and given its association with Baum’s books and the 1939 movie, they all counted as theme games. Sunday was the final piece de resistance for me.
I have a number of photos of the game that I’ll share with as many descriptions as I can remember. The game started at 10 AM and I had a full table of 8 players – which was encouraging as often the last day of a convention is a “get out of town quickly” experience. Not here! This was my 6th 4-hour game of the three-day convention. I do include a lot of photos here – and some descriptions of them best as I can remember given my age – and teh fact that this was my 6th game in three days…plus I DID promise a surprise back in parts 1 & 2…so here goes!
Sunday Morning – The Battle for Toto (Wars of Ozz)
This was a repeat of the Saturday Evening game, and as before I had 8 player slots available for this game – but this time the game was sold out.
The scenario description on the registration website was follows:
The Battle for Toto (Wars of Ozz)
“I’ll get you my pretty – and your little dog too!”
The two rival witch sisters – Evora (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the East) and Arella (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the North) have both learned that a force of Munchkins has taken refuge in a small town near the border of the Great Land of Harvest. Moreover, their spies have also confirmed that the town also harbors other notable Munchkin-lovers – such as the Kansas Farmgirl and her friends. These include the Tinman, the Lion, and the Scarecrow – and importantly Toto.
Both witches believe that possession of the little dog Toto will bring power and leverage over their enemies. Plus, any opportunity to hit the Munchkins is always enticing.
Unbeknownst to the other, the two witches have each simultaneously gathered their forces and allies to attack the town. The two rival forces are converging from oppsite cornesrs of the tabletop. Arella has a reinforced Gillikin brigade and has allied with two Harvest brigades under King Jack, the King of the Pumpkinheads. Arella has recruited King Jack in her quest.
Evora has a both a reinforced Winkie brigade as well as two large Impkin brigades as allies.
Will the two witches put aside their differences and join forces? Or will sibling and tribal rivalries win the day and the two converging attackers try to take on each other for the right to assault the town? And, will Toto be safe?
I have secretly (at a location unknown even to myself) hidden Toto in one of five buildings in the town in the tabletop’s center. The town is defended by two Munchkin brigades – the one on the left commanded by Leif and one on the right commanded by Andrew). Toto is represented by a secret card placement – and even I as the GM would not know where Toto is placed.
As before the Winkies and Impkins were allies, and the Gillikins and Harvest were allies – so the drama built up – would they attack each other or get the Munchkins first? The Munchkins prayed for the bad guys to hit each other.
Victory is determined by scoring, but how the points awarded is different.
For the Munchkins, one point is earned for each enemy base destroyed or routed off of the board.
For the attackers, one point is earned for each Munchkin base destroyed or routed off of the board. However, 1.5 points are awarded for each base of the opposite attacking force that they take out.
Additionally, possession of Toto by the Munchkins is worth 10 points at the end of the game. For the attackers, possession of Toto and getting him off the tabletop successfully is worth 10 points at the end of the game.
On to the photos!
Most of the players were experienced so it went smoothly as far as play goes.
At this point the game had gone on for about about 2 hours. As was the custom with HUZZAH!, the games were paused for the MHWA to announce raffle winners, best in slot winners, painting contest winners, and best in convention winners.
Insert drum roll here...here comes the announcement…
I was thrilled and honored to win the “Best in Convention” award for HUZZAH 2024 for Wars of Ozz!
I was so very honored as the other games there were of such high quality and run by incredibly talented GM’s. I especially appreciated the solid and loud round of applause from the convention attendees! WOW!
Well, we went back to playing the game as the convention hall emptied – all except for US. The players did not want to leave!!! How great is that!
Finally, the bad guys started to fight each other as well! One of the Impkin Infantry regiments was hit in the rear by a regiment of Harvest Savage Apple Trees that had been hidden in a forest copse!
Meanwhile, Brad’s Impkin ally, the Tin Mechanical Axemen of Professor Nitpick, found Toto and moved to get their little dog prisoner off of the tabletop.
This game was a reversal of the previous one on Saturday night, with this time the Winkie/Impkin alliance successfully getting Toto off the board for the 10 points. The final scores were:
- Winkie/Impkin (Michelle/Brad/Sam): 35.5 points
- Gillikin/Harvest (Matt/Jerry/Steven): 27 points
- Munchkins (Leif and Andrew): 18 points
Yet another amazingly fun game with a lot of twists and turns! Toto was the key to victory, as it should have been. At this point, we had the hall to ourselves!
I am so very, very, grateful to a number of people…
To all my players –THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
I MUST thank and acknowledge the great help and assistance of Bradley Gosselin and Leif Magnuson in helping me set up and take down the games. Wingmen supreme throughout the convention!!!
I also want to again sincerely thank the Maine Historical Wargamer’s Association (MWHA) for running HUZZAH! and doing it so very well. Thanks SO VERY MUCH for honoring me with your “Best in Convention” award!!
Also, you may see a lot of Dave (of the Guru PIGS blog and club in Australia) and in particular his “Mouse Metropolis” terrain gift in these photos that have helped to made my games so special. Thank you Dave! Thanks so much to Buck Surdu and Russ Dunaway for their support and inspiration.
As a side note, this marks my second “Best in Convention” award, as I was awarded the “Dave” award at this year’s HAVOC for yes, Wars of Ozz games. I learned of the award after that BGB convention and after my post on it.
And thanks to my wife Lynn for tolerating this all!
If you get the idea that Wars of Ozz is a great game system and that the figures for it are way cool, then I have achieved my goal. Check it out!
Thanks for looking! Hopefully now I’ll be able to share with soon you some of the regiments that have not yet been seen here but have been painted and ready for action. It is summer here, and golf season, but my world has room for both!
And Historicon is coming up!
Miscellaneous details and references for those interested in that sort of thing:
For all of my previous posts on Wars of Ozz games, figures, units, and other related projects – please see this page.
As you may want to check out the excellent Wars of Ozz figures’ range – there are two places to get them and to get your own copy of the rules. The game rules and the figures are available from the following two places:
In the US Old Glory has a site – Wars of Ozz Miniatures.
In the UK go to Sally 4th.
