I started gaming during my last year in the U.S. Army. On leave to the U.S. in 1976, I went to a hobby shop and saw D&D 1st Edition, a new boxed set of three rule books in a game for role playing. I bought a similar game to take back overseas with me, called Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT). Well, I got hooked, and when I got out of service in 1977, I went to a hobby shop at home and got involved in a Gaming Club that is still active to this day. Over the years, I’ve played board games like Axis and Allies, almost all the Avalon Hill company wargames, then role playing games such as Runequest, Call of Cthulu (which I still don’t like to this day, as you win by going crazy), Earthdawn, Shadowrun, several different gaming systems for Napoleonics, American Revolutionary War, Ancients, LOTS of medieval and fantasy wargaming with miniatures, Ironclads, Age of Sail, WW II naval games, then Battletech and lately Warhammer (I love the Imperial Guard Tanks!). I ran at least two memorable Battletech campaigns based on the original Mechwarrior system, one at the Yankee Peddler Wargame Club in Knoxville, Tennessee in the 1980’s, and one at Indian Hills Community College in the 1990’s, which involved our current players Brad A., Shawn N. and Tony M.. The biggest game I ever ran had 12 players on each side, with each player running one mech. I won two Battletech Tounaments at Nashcon over the years, and have been to several Nashcon, Origins and DragonCon conventions.

Since I haven’t been around any rational gaming clubs in my neighborhood for years, I have resorted to playing Play by Email (PBeM) games, such as Starmaster, Rim Worlds, American Civil War, Napoleonic Battles, and currently play In La Gloire du Roi out of a gaming company in the UK. Our Battletech game is the only game I play in person

Mike