Saturday, July 31, 2021

Chehalis Veterans Memorial Museum Game Day

Just got back from a great game day at the Chehalis Veterans Memorial Museum. This was my second time for this event - the one last year was cancelled due to the shutdown. It was great to see the old gaming buddies there, just like we hadn't skipped a year. My buddy, Scott, and I ran our Imjin War Naval game in the second period. We had 5 players for our game "At The Height Of Battle". A few of the players were familiar with other rules by the author, David Manley, so were keen on trying these out. Two of them are also fellow bloggers - Kevin with "A Gamer's Tale" and David with "I Live With Cats".

The museum itself is run by veterans and volunteers, and has been around in some form or fashion since 1997. It's located right off of I-5, about 30 minutes south of Olympia. It has an impressive collection of mostly-US military artifacts - donated by or on loan from private collections, including actual veterans and family members.

The games were held upstairs in their events hall. Refreshments were provided - coffee and snacks.

Pictures of some of the games.
Assault On A Spanish Harbor - Black Seas.
Yes Commissar - a RCW game using homebrew rules.
WW2 Desert Campaign game - not sure of the rules, but the scale was 1/72nd/20mm.
ACW game in 15mm using Regimental Fire and Fury, I think.
Imjin War naval battle using At The Height Of Battle. Japanese were declared winners in Turn 3 after capturing over 50% of the ships of a Korean squadron. Although, on the Japanese right flank - the action was very close and could've gone either way.

Here are a few pictures of the excellent collection at the museum on the first floor.









As we were leaving, a group of hot rod enthusiasts were gathering outside. There's also a vintage railroad museum next door too. Quite a place to spend the day.

It was great seeing gaming buddies who've I've not seen for over a year; seemed like old times. We hope we can continue to game together again in the future.

22 comments:

  1. Dean, this looks like an outstanding way to spend the day, I am envious!

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    1. Yes, the place is really well-maintained and the staff super friendly. There's also a nice gift shop too. Best regards, Dean

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  2. A very nice game event! I believe it was a good gay, right? The museum looks really cool I could even see some soviet weapons - SMG PPSh (ППШ) and TT pistol :)

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    1. Yes, weapons from various countries' WW2 ans later firearms. All of the items in the collection have background information on their individual history. Enemy weapons were brought back by veterans and donated to the museum. Kindest regards, Dean

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  3. Game like game(awesome!) But these museum pieces look wonderful!

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    1. Thanks, Michal! Yes, a fine day of gaming and museum exploring. Warm regards, Dean

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  4. Quality time wargaming and a good taste of what we have all been missing.

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    1. Yes, it was a great time to be had by all, Norm! Kind regards, Dean

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  5. It seems like a good number of games and players were there. I'm glad to hear it went well.

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    1. Yes, it's a great museum and the events hall on the 2nd floor is really classy. Lots of room for gaming. Hopefully Gene will be able to host this annually - if not more often. Best regards, Dean

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  6. A very nice selection of games - note to self, we need to play another RCW game soon!.... and the museum looks very impressive too Dean.

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    1. Thank you very much, Keith. Yes, the RCW game was run by a buddy who has familial roots in the RCW, so he has a large collection for this period and games it often. Warmest regards, Dean

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  7. I always like interactivity in museums abroad. Nice day off Dean.
    According to what rules the RCW played

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    1. Thanks, Alexey. As for the rules - I'm not exactly sure, but I do believe it is a "home-brew" set. I'll try to find out what they were. Kindest regards, Dean

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  8. Good looking games and the museum looks ace!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks so much, Iain. Yes, a very classy museum with lots of great artifacts. The staff are very nice too. Warmest regards, Dean

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  9. Great pics. Good to hear your catching up with your friends. It is so much better in person. Our recent 7TV event was great just for the catchup and natter with friends. Love those cars.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. Yes, although it was the first face to face gaming with a lot of folks, it seemed like old times with very little catch up. Possibly helped by us all staying in touch via the internet. Kindest regards, Dean

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  10. A real live gaming event 👍 great looking location…and hot rods too 😀

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    1. Thanks, Matt. Yes, a nice time for folks to enjoy pastimes together. Chehalis, Washington has a very small town, rural America feel to it. Warm regards, Dean

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  11. Fine looking games, a simply wonderful museum/collection and topped off with some beaut looking muscle cars. What a brilliant day out!
    Regards, James

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