Borodino'02 Background

Update

The convention was a tremendous success! A series of after action reports, written by participants and umpires, is now online.

We still have a limited number of commemorative items for sale - shirts, mugs, videos and more - so get yours while they last.

Background

Borodino'02 is a non-profit Military History Commemoration of the September 1812 Battle of Borodino. Scheduled to take place September 2002 in the Chamberlin Hotel at Fort Monroe, Virginia, the event will serve as a multi-venue Historical Conference, designed to promote Napoleonic Military History and Historical Miniatures Wargaming for both historical enthusiasts and the general public.

A massive tactical wargame of the 1812 Battle of Borodino is the event centerpiece. Over 100 pre-registered "wargame-participants" will re-fight the Borodino Wargame, while up to 20 militaria vendors and up to 400 "registered guests" will also participate in the four-day event. Participant arrival and evening activities begin Thursday evening with wargames, exhibitions and seminars daily for all attendees, concluding Sunday afternoon with an "Awards Brunch."

In the main-feature, the Borodino Wargame, participants will role-play Division and Corps Commanders. Napoleon, Kutusov, and their Staffs will conduct pre-event planning and lead their armies during the battle. (e-mail is required for Corps Generals and up.) The tactical scenario will employ Carnage and Glory computerized wargame system, a historical Order-of-Battle of the original 1812 Napoleonic struggle, and thousands of hand-painted Old Glory 25mm Napoleonic wargame figures. Each Russian and French unit will be represented at a Figure scale of 1:50. A massive terrain board of the battlefield will be used, with a ground scale of 1 inch to 25 yards.

Borodino 2002 is currently planning for extensive "Special Events," as additional activities MagWeb.com will sponsor a Napoleonic Conference with several speakers and presentations (Dr. David Chandler spoke at the Borodino'92 event), displays and demonstrations by Napoleonic Reenactors, a Video Seminar of the greatest Napoleonic films of all time, culmination of an "1812 Campaign Wargame," and numerous HMGS Game-Masters and Game-designers who will exhibit Napoleonic wargames and mini-tournaments on side-tables. "Special Events," including dozens of Napoleonic 1812 wargames, are open to all attendees.

The concluding Awards Brunch on Sunday will feature prizes, awards, and presentations for participants (MVP, Emperor's Awards and Broken Bayonet) as well as "Mini-tournament" awards.

Sponsored by Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS)

An activity of the
Georgetown Center for Living History