No gadgets needed for fun at Con d'Alene

COEUR d'ALENE - Tabletop gaming requires face-to-face communication, something Gerry Simmons appreciates.

"You don't see any cell phones or tablets," he said. "And I like that."

Simmons, of Hayden, and sons Daniel, 12, and Caleb, 10, participated in the first-ever "Con d'Alene," a weekend-long gaming convention hosted by the Coeur d'Alene Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 in conjunction with Strategy and Games to raise funds for area veterans and veteran organizations.

"It's been really awesome," Daniel said while playing "Flames of War" on Sunday. "I really love how everyone shows up and we just play with each other. Some people that don't have armies can just come throw on a company and if they die they can just respawn on the board somewhere."

Nearly 60 people came to the VFW to participate in Con d'Alene from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. A variety of tile, card and war strategy games were available, such as "Munchkin," "Archipelago" and "Axis and Allies."

"We'd be happy to host it again," said VFW adjutant Greg Munden of Post Falls. "It opened my eyes. I didn't realize that there's this much interest in these board games."

Con d'Alene was the brainchild of VFW trustee and Army veteran Randy Beat of Post Falls. He said he felt the VFW was the perfect place to host a tabletop gaming convention because the World War II games connect with the military backdrop of the venue. He said the competitiveness, tactics and strategies attract players with military experience, but the games can appeal to anyone.

"You'll get a lot of people that aren't in the military and still like to play games, obviously," he said. "It's interesting to see the outcomes of different turns or strategies, and learn and expand your mind."

Vietnam veteran Brian Babcock of Hayden attended Con d'Alene all weekend. He played "Flames of War" with Simmons and his boys as well as a handful of others.

"I've been playing toy soldiers since I was smaller than these guys," he said as he gestured to the youngsters.

Babcock said while the gaming is fun, the people are also a large part of the scene.

"You get to meet different people and game with them. You get to be sociable," he said. "I spent two hours talking to a friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while. It's not necessarily about games, it's about being sociable."

Echoing that sentiment was Rod Pasco of Coeur d'Alene. Pasco presented a new high-fantasy role-playing game he created, "Archaic Realm," and taught others how to play it.

"One of the reasons I like to game and promote games of any kind, from a role-playing game to Twister to Checkers, it doesn't matter, is literally for the social aspect of it," he said. "The face-to-face interaction with others."

At one point during the convention, all 12 of the tables were full, with five to eight players enjoying different games. Munden said the event was a great way for the VFW to be involved with all aspects of the community.

"In years gone by, VFW was a really big part of every community," he said. "They'd have dances, they'd have opportunities for people to do weddings. We're just trying to get back into that. We're here to help veterans, but we're also here to be a part of our community."

"We're here to be more than just a bunch of old guys drinking coffee," he said with a smile.

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