I received an email this morning (see below) from HMGS cancelling their Cold Wars war game convention for COVID reasons. Another really good one bites the dust.
B.


Cold Wars 2021 Update



As always, we hope this email finds you and your families both safe and well. At this time, it is our unfortunate duty to announce the cancellation of the Cold Wars 2021 convention. While there has been some good news with the development of several COVID vaccines, there still remain significant obstacles that make running a large convention unfeasible.

Proceeding with Cold Wars at this point poses too many risks. As previously communicated, social distancing requirements would restrict games to no more than two or three players and a GM. As a result, the number of games submitted to date has been low — we have 65 games, about a quarter of the games we typically run at Cold Wars. While there is exhibitor interest, booths would need to be spaced at appropriate distances, and access to the vendor hall would have to be monitored and capped at certain levels, potentially limiting exhibitor sales. These restrictions will significantly affect attendance, and with our room block obligations, the resulting financial loss projections are very high.

As was the case with cancelling Fall-In! 2020, the fact that a significant portion of our membership and volunteers are in a high-risk health category is also an important factor. Health, safety, and financial exposure are all important. The bottom line is that while we had hoped for more progress towards getting back to some sense of normalcy, we just aren’t there yet. The timing isn’t right. We think this is the right decision, and we hope that you agree.

Since Cold Wars 2021 has now been cancelled, our next membership meeting - which is normally held at the convention - will need to be held by teleconference. Additional information with details and instructions will be sent shortly.

So in closing, please be well and be safe.