COLD WARS 2010 IS OVER - SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

. . . where our theme will be South America - the Struggle for Independence. Fittingly, these fascinating yet often forgotten conflicts have a strong Napoleonic link, particularly the various Latin American Wars of Independence that took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, resulting in the creation of a number of independent countries throughout the  region. These revolutions followed the American and French Revolutions, which had profound effects on the Spanish, Portuguese and French colonies in the Americas. Haiti, a French slave colony, was the first to follow the United States to independence during the Haitian Revolution, which lasted from 1791 to 1804. Thwarted in his attempt to rebuild a French empire in North America, Napoleon Bonaparte turned his armies to Europe, invading and occupying many countries, including Spain and Portugal in 1808. The Peninsular War, which resulted from this occupation, caused Spanish Creoles to question their allegiance to the mother country, stoking independence movements that culminated in bloody wars of independence, which lasted almost two decades. At the same time, the Portuguese monarchy relocated to Brazil during Portugal's French occupation. After the royal court returned to Lisbon, the prince regent, Pedro, remained in Brazil and in 1822 successfully declared himself emperor of a newly independent Brazil. Yet even after independence was won, there was still danger lurking everywhere, ready to snuff these infant republics while still in their cribs. Not only was their continuous, and often bloody, civil wars or infighting between the republics themselves, but to the north lay the land of the Gringos, ready to exploit the situation as happened in the Meixican War of 1846 - 48.

Think you can handle the rigors of such a campaign? Then down a flask of your favorite libation, tie on the red sash of revolution and begin the march to Cold Wars 2011, where this year the convention again expands to four full days of the best historical miniatures gaming anywhere. To the sound of the guns, forward - Viva! Viva!

BREAKING NEWS!

Cold Wars is now a formal, four-day convention!!! Beginning this year one of the best just got better. Cold Wars will now run from Thursday - that's right Thursday - to Sunday. And we aren't talking about some pickup games on Thursday evening as folks get in the night before. We are talking about a full extra day of open gaming, the best gaming anywhere. So be prepared to take one more vacation day and join the fun.