Heat of Battle - Neat ideas

Others have posted here about Heat of Battle II. I wrote about the convention as part of my job (Web editor for Armchair General and the rest of the Weider History Group), and it really does sound cool. Well, it's in New Orleans in August. Maybe cool isn't quite the right word . . .

However, the National World War II Museum is doing some really interesting things to incorporate wargames as part of their educational process. I especially like the concepts of running games alongside each other that cover different battles and different eras but that were fought in the same geographic location. Think Hundred Years War battles and WWII battles fought around the same town. (Hint to Bob Duncan - we KNOW you've got the figures!).

If you want to read the article about how the museum is incorporating wargames (which are played IN the museum, alongside the actual relics of WWII), it's called Simulations Meet Reality at National WWII Museum. I can't make it to Heat of Battle this year, but I'm hoping for 2009. The activity in the museum is also helping to keep gaming alive on the Gulf Coast; that was one of the casualties of Hurricane Katrina, too, as shops and private collections were washed away and gaming conventions withered in the area.