About Havoc
Havoc News
History of Havoc
Flea Market
Dealer Info
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Havoc is the premiere miniatures convention of the Northeast and has been running continuously for 23 years. Havoc XXV will be held on Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5 at Maironis Park, Shrewsbury MA. 
A Very Very Little War - by Ed Petrilak and Ed Stramski
Havoc has a long tradition of being the best miniatures convention in the Northeast with high quality games, displays and tournaments. The Dave Award, BGB's recognition of excellence has been presented for the last 12 years to the best of show events at Havoc, such as this year's winner, Ed Petrilak & Ed Stramski's A Very, Very Little War (pictured above). It is gaining in recognition as a measure of distinction in miniatures gaming.
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| Havoc News
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Havoc XXIV was a resounding success. The Havoc Committee would like to express our appreciation to the gamemasters for putting on a host of fun and visually attractive games, the dealers for coming with an assortment of tempting goodies and the many attendees for just coming and having a good time with us.
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Keep watching this website for pictures from Havoc XXIV!
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| 'The Dave'
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The Dave award was created in honor of Dave Donovan, friend and mentor to us all. Every year we award The Dave to the Game that best exemplifies the hobby. We consider not only the appearance of the game but playability and the overall enjoyment of the players.
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Congratulations to Jim Keats and Pete English. They took The Dave award for their "Evacuation" event.
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Other nominees for The Dave included:
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The Island of the Lost (by the 2 Eds)
Hammer's Slammers: Operation Coastal Rain (by Michael Buonagurio)
Krenesky's Offensive (by Jim Carroll)
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| Best of Period
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In addition to The Dave Havoc also presents awards for the best game in each time slot. Many of these games go on to be nominees for The Dave.
This year's winners were . . .
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Friday, 7:30pm-11:30pm
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| Event # |
101 |
Event Name |
Arnhem D+2 - Cityfight |
| GM(s) |
Dominic Rapini |
| Dave Status |
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Description: |
This is a slugfest as LTC Frost's elite Airborne must survive against an onslaught of Kampfgruppes from the 2nd SS Corps. The elite paratroopers hold key buildings in the city, north of Arnhem bridge and are holding out for XXX Corps and their very survival. 3 players on each side, knowledge of FOW is helpful, but not a must. All figures and the Cityscape are provided. |
Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm
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| Event # |
212 |
Event Name |
Lego Arena 2: "Warning: This is not a Toy." |
| GM(s) |
Daniel Allen |
| Dave Status |
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Description: |
Enter the Arena, here you either kill or be killed, and even if you die, you respawn and kill some more. A simple game of deathmatch but with legos and awesome rules that will give you more ways to kill (and be killed) than ever before. Just remember, "Warning: This is not a Toy." |
Saturday, 2:00pm-6:00pm
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| Event # |
308 |
Event Name |
Hammer's Slammers: Operation Coastal Rain |
| GM(s) |
Alan Mitchell, Chris Keeling, Michael Buonagurio |
| Dave Status |
Nominated |
Description: |
Hammer's Slammers units with allies are ordered to take the coastal town of Brenton and its overlooking fort from its defenders, the Zaporovsky Brigade. Multiple objectives for both sides. This 25mm game will feature 50+ vehicles, custom terrain, and a fiber-optically lit fort and landing pad. This is a fast paced, easily taught game that emulates the frantic combat depicted in David Drakes Hammers Slammers universe. |
Saturday, 7:30pm-11:30pm
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| Event # |
405 |
Event Name |
Evacuation |
| GM(s) |
Jim Keats, Pete English |
| Dave Status |
WON |
Description: |
The effects of the "Lazarus Virus" are spreading. The town of Northridge has turned into a sea of walking dead. Evacuations have been ordered and safe locations announced via helicopter loudspeaker. Each evac point opens only once and for a limited time, but getting to the "safe" location isn't easy. Survivors have been holed up inside any defendable building for days with zombies walking around the surrounding area. With food running out and the number of dead increasing, you know this is your last chance. Can you get yourself and the others to the helicopter evac locations in time? |
Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm
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| Event # |
505 |
Event Name |
The Island of the Lost, Chapter 23, The Magnetic Source |
| GM(s) |
Ed Petrilak, Ed Sztramski (aka "The 2 Eds") |
| Dave Status |
Nominated |
Description: |
The compasses are all going crazy. The needles spinning around like a watch on cheap booze. "We are getting close pipes up Dr. Sally Manker, the source of the magnetic interference must be close." As she turns her head to listen to the steady sound to the approaching autogyros engine, the world explodes in a cool white light. When she awakes she is strapped to a cold steel table!! This game is based on the serials and B movies from the 1930's. Players are Hero's, who with companions and followers, search for treasure, fight creatures, overcome evil, and just have a heck of a good time. The latest insanity from the 2 Eds, this game combines tactics, imagination, and role-playing with just a dash of chaos thrown in to spice it up |
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| A Brief History of Havoc
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by Peter Mancini
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| Pre-Havoc |
It was during this year that BGB was formed. It was a small club of friends that met each other on a regular basis for games in private basement rooms. Jokingly the first name of the club was KampfeGroup Boston (KGB!) but wisely BattleGroup Boston was chosen as the official name. Years later the club would be incorporated as a non-profit organization (and boy does it excel at being non-profit!) as BGBoston, Inc.
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Our Founders
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| Havoc I |
June 1-2, 1985 |
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South Middle School, Waltham |
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The first Havoc was a small affair held in a small school and attended by a few die-hards from the old Toy Soldier store and BGB. A modest affair, it was fun for all. Someone said, let’s do this again. And they did. Havoc II was also fun but word got out and it was growing. The quest for improved space was on!
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| Havoc II |
May 3-4, 1986 |
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South Middle School, Waltham
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| Havoc III |
June 13-14, 1987 |
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Central Middle School, Waltham |
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This was the first Havoc I attended personally. I loved it. The location was another school in Waltham. It was held in the cafeteria and was modestly sized. The games were a lot of fun. Attendance was good and there were dealers there so you could buy stuff. I bought my first historical miniatures at that convention. Some modern US and Soviet 1/285 figures.
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| Havoc IV |
April 9-10, 1988 |
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Central Middle School, Waltham
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| Havoc V |
April 15-16, 1989 | | |
Central Middle School, Waltham
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| Havoc VI |
April 7-8, 1990 |
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Central Middle School, Waltham
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| Havoc VII |
April 20-21, 1991 |
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Central Middle School, Waltham
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| Havoc VIII | April 4-5, 1992 |
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Central Middle School, Waltham |
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Growing Pains This was the year I joined BattleGroup Boston. I had graduated from college and had my first paying job. The steady income made me more inclined to become a miniature gamer. I became fast friends with Peter English whom I had met in 1980 and later in 1987. The first time was at a Toy Soldier convention up in Newburyport, MA. The second time was at a Havoc Convention. We probably saw each other several other times at parties and on campus as we both went to Northeastern University but it was in the gaming rooms at BGB where our relationship was bonded. We would eventually develop into a fierce gaming team. In the 90’s we collaborated with BGB to move Havoc into a bigger space. The club moved to Matignon High, and with their larger available area, it was an easy transition to move Havoc there. Havoc VIII and IX were well attended. It was when Nick Ciampa took over as Havoc Chairman that we finally had our Napoleon. Nick wanted to expand Havoc into THE big historical miniatures show in the North East.
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| Havoc IX |
April 17-18, 1993 |
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Matignon High School, Cambridge
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Transition Years Havoc moved around a lot. It was hard to negotiate space prices because April is a great month to get married and families are willing to spend a fortune on weddings at hotels. The competition was great. While we LOVED the Sheraton, it was an expensive deal for us. Oddly enough, the early Havocs were actually more profitable. There is a middle ground with running a convention. Up to 100 people you can find cheap space and make some profit. Over 100 but fewer than 300 you are forced into expensive space and making money is extremely hard, you either charge a fortune and no one comes or you cut your price and hope crowds show up. The horns of a dilemma. Havoc has for years either lost money or broken even. It is a labor of love more than anything else. If Havoc breaks through and garners more than 300 attendees then the numbers start to move our way. That is why BGB is always trying to grow the convention. Our constant moves during this time period reflect an attempt to economize as best we could.
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| Havoc X |
April 16-17, 1994 |
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Sheraton Tara Hotel, Framingham |
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The Elvis Year Nick graduated the convention out of cafeterias and into actual convention space. We moved to The Sheraton Plaza in Framingham, MA. Previous attendance of the convention was topping out around 120 people. Havoc X boasted over 250 people in attendance! This was a breakout year for the club and Havoc. Most people, who know about Havoc, know about it because of this transition and not the years before. It was here that the convention became what it is today.
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| Havoc XI |
April 22-23, 1995 |
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Tage Inn, Andover |
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The Year Without Dave, but with 'The Dave' All in the club loved Dave Donovan. While not everyone got along with each other, Dave brought everyone together. He was instrumental in gluing the club together; keeping us on schedule and making sure we were having fun. Dave had been there from the beginning. I met Dave in 1980 at the Toy Soldier conventions. In 1994 he died due to illness. It was a sudden shock for everyone. I wasn’t home that weekend and found out in conversation when someone was talking about him in the past tense. It was shocking and we weren’t sure how to take it. Havoc X was the last that Dave to grace in person. However, without a doubt, he was going to be there in spirit. In 1995 we created 'The Dave' Award for the Havoc Best of Show.
The first recipient of The Dave award was Edward Stevens. His Napoleonic skirmish game which featured great game play and was attended by a BGB founding father. Edward is a great game master and his personality as much as his game represented what we wanted to honor with The Dave. He has been a regular feature at Havoc.
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| Havoc XII |
April 19-21, 1996 |
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Royal Plaza Hotel, Marlborough
| | Havoc XIII | April 18-20, 1997 | | | Sheraton Tara Hotel, Framingham
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| Havoc XIV |
April 25-26, 1998 |
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Devens Sports Arena |
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The Peace Dividend gets cashed! In later half of the nineties Fort Devens became The Devens Commerce Center. This military base once housed Secretary of State Colin Powell. On the base was a disused Sports Arena with 3 times the space we ever had at any prior convention center. Here was the space to grow! The year before Havoc turned out 225 attendees. The first year at Devens we turned out 260. This was an important step for Havoc. We had a good space, with good facilities. There was a restaurant and bar not far from the Arena and an extremely nice Inn located on the campus. Rooms were very big, with nice fixtures (stoves, refrigerators, etc.) and it was cheap. The only downside of the location was that if you didn’t get a room at the inn you could be staying at an inn as much as 10 miles away. That’s 16 Klicks to you military types! However the S P A C E!!!! What a location! It had decent parking too. Devens served our needs for years. The last Havoc to be there was Havoc XVII where we had finally grown to 290 attendees.
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| Havoc XV |
May 15-16, 1999 |
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Devens Sports Arena
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| Havoc XVI |
April 29-30, 2000 |
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Devens Sports Arena
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| Havoc XVII |
April 28-29, 2001 |
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Devens Sports Arena
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| Havoc XVIII |
April 6-7, 2002 |
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Devens Sports Arena
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added commentary by Gregg Belevick
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| Havoc XIX |
April 11-13, 2003 |
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Holiday Inn, Boxboro |
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The Times The Are A-Changin' After Havoc XVIII we were informed that the Devens Arena was being closed pending demolition. There was no rejoicing. We were thrown into the panic of finding a similar sized space to not lose attendees, but at a reasonable price. Thanks to an intensive search by Mssrs. English and Mancini, we secured a bargain rate on the Holiday Inn in Boxboro. It was a great space and a convenient location. Havoc continued to thrive.
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| Havoc XX |
March 26-28, 2004 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury |
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A New Beginning Unable to secure such a reasonable rate at a hotel again, the search for a new venue resumed. Finally selected was Maironis Park in Shrewsbury, MA, a roomy but cozy Lithuanian social club's banquet hall. Most attendees and GM's liked the spot for it's central location to all of New England, and it's fine selection of Lithuanian beer (one GM commented that the brand named translates to 'Stumble Home'). Havoc is once again healthy and this year looks to be even better!
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| Havoc XXI |
March 18-20, 2005 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury
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| Havoc XXII |
March 31-April 2, 2006 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury
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| Havoc XXII |
March 31-April 2, 2006 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury
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| Havoc XXIII |
April 27-29, 2007 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury
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| Havoc XXIV |
April 4-6, 2008 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury
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The next Havoc will be . . .
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| Havoc XXV |
April 3-5, 2009 |
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Maironis Park, Shrewsbury |
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| The Dave Awards |
| The Dave award was created in honor of Dave Donovan, friend and mentor to us all. |
| Year |
Game Title |
GameMaster |
| 1995 |
Once Upon a Time in the Penninsular |
Ed Stevens |
| 1996 |
Dreadnoughts |
Jim Dirmaier |
| 1997 |
Command Simulator |
Ed Petrilak & Ed Sztramski |
| 1998 |
Clan Raid |
Mark Brown |
| 1999 - Tie! |
Somewhere in the Dark - Russia 1812 |
Ed Petrilak |
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Viva Sandino! |
Jim Dirmaier |
| 2000 |
Big Game Hunt |
Rodney Fernald |
| 2001 |
Epic Siege of Alesia |
Bob Rodgers & Don Miller |
| 2002 |
Pointe du Hoc |
Martin Baber |
| 2003 |
Nijmegen |
Martin Baber, Sam Scott, & Steve Smith |
| 2004 |
Et Tu Gregor |
Jim Hatch, Ed Sztramski & Ed Petrilak |
| 2005 |
Giant Monster Attack |
John Elia |
| 2006 |
Haut-Vents |
Tom Ballou |
| 2007 |
A Very Very Little War |
Ed Petrilak & Ed Sztramski |
| 2008 |
Evacuation |
Jim Keats & Pete English |
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| Interesting trivia points by Gordon Bliss... |
* Hrolf, the BGB mascot was on the cover of the program book
from Havoc I through Havoc XIII. |
| * The Havoc I cover was hand-drawn. |
* Havoc XIII’s Hrolf was different and this book was also the first newsprint
one. |
Havoc's Flea Market |
| Havoc XXIV Presents Our Flea Market Table |
Got some old games or figures that you bought but never got around to using?
Take advantage of our flea market space.
Starting on Sunday at 1 PM a flea market space will be available for use by registered conventioneers. |
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Dealers and GMs, It's time to start planning for Havoc XXIV
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| Havoc XXIV will be held on April 4 through April 6, 2008 at the Maironis Park in Shrewsbury MA. Long recognized as one of the Northeast’s leading miniatures convention, Havoc XXIV will once again feature high quality games, displays and tournaments. Check here often for the most current information.
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| We continue to work hard to increase awareness about Havoc and plan to make it bigger, better and more attractive than ever before. Based on the positive reaction we received from past conventions, the dealer area will once again be in the upstairs main gaming area so that dealer’s displays will have better exposure and lighting. We may be able to accommodate dealers who prefer to be in the lower gaming area, please be sure to discuss with us the lighting situation there, and clear with us any lighting that you plan to bring as we have to obtain approval from the owners of the hall.
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| This year dealer spaces, approximately 10'x10', will cost $90 for the weekend. Reservations for dealer spaces must be accompanied by payment in full for the dealer space(s) being reserved. Upon receipt of the reservation and payment, our Dealer Coordinator will contact you to inform you of the dealer spaces then available, and to find out which space you would like to reserve. While every effort will be make to accommodate your wishes, dealer spaces will be assigned on on a "First Come First Served" basis.
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| Payment may be made by either check, made payable to BGBoston, Inc and mailed to the Dealer Coordinator or online using PayPal (www.paypal.com) with payment made to BGB_Havoc@comcast.net.
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| The Havoc website will include Dealers page and added links for all of the dealers for which we have information. Please check it out and let us know if any of your information needs updating. Additionally, if you want to be added to our Dealers page, just ask. If you have a website, we would also appreciate it if you can add a link to Havoc in an appropriate place.
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| Contacts for this years Havoc are:
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Brian Gillespie, Dealer Coordinator
271 Haverhill St.
North Reading, MA 01864
(978) 276-0670
bfgcat@comcast.net
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Mark Brown, Havoc Director
29 Thornton Road
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 899-9618
mnbrown@rcn.com
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| In order to make this upcoming Havoc a success for us and for our dealers, we would appreciate your assistance in the following areas:
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Please post our Havoc flyers in your store
Please mention Havoc XXIV in any mailings you send to your customers
Please run a game at Havoc featuring the merchandise that you sell
Please donate prizes for appropriate games run at Havoc
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Any company providing prizes will be credited in our Program Events Listing (PEL). If you attend Havoc as a dealer and run a game, we will make sure you get a game table as close to your dealer space as is possible.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.
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| Dealer Coordinator
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Havoc Director
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| Brian Gillespie
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Mark Brown
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| Floor Plan
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Maironis Park, Main Hall
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Dealer slots are 10 feet by 10 feet and can easily accomodate up to three 2 1/2 by 8 foot tables.
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| Havoc Registration Info |
Havoc 24 registration rates are:
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Pre-Registration |
At the Door |
| All Weekend |
$25 |
$35 |
| Friday only |
n/a |
Free |
| Sunday only |
n/a |
$15 |
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| * n/a - You may only register for one day at the door. |
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| Youths 14 and under will be admitted for $20 for the entire weekend. |
| List of nearby hotels |
| Note: Prices have not been verified for this year |
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Rates |
Distance |
| Hotel/Motel |
Low |
Hi |
from HAVOC |
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| Sona Motor Inn |
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175 West Boylston St
West Boylston
508-835-2230 |
$45.00 |
$60.00 |
9.0 miles |
| Extendedstay |
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19 Connector Rd
Westboro
508-616-0155 |
$55.00 |
$80.00 |
9.3 miles |
| Reservoir Motor Lodge |
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90 Sterling Street
West Boylston
508-835-6247 |
$55.00 |
$85.00 |
11.1 miles |
| Red Roof Inn |
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367 Turnpike Rd
Westboro
508-481-3904 |
$55.99 |
$67.99 |
5.2 miles |
| Sierra Suites |
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1800 Computer Dr
Westboro
508-366-6100 |
$59.00 |
$139.00 |
9.1 miles |
| Classic Suites |
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181 West Boylston St
West Boylston
508-835-4456 |
$59.95 |
$69.95 |
9.0 miles |
| Days Inn |
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889 Boston Tnpk
Shrewsbury
508-842-8500 |
$65.00 |
$125.00 |
3.8 miles |
| Super 8 |
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880 Donald Lynch Blvd
Marlboro
508-460-1000 |
$69.99 |
$74.99 |
10.0 miles |
| Courtyard by Marriott |
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3 Technology Dr
Westboro
508-836-4800 |
$79.00 |
$109.00 |
9.7 miles |
| Best Western |
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50 Oriol Dr
Worcester
508-852-2800 |
$89.00 |
$209.00 |
2.8 miles |
| Travelodge |
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380 Southwest Cutoff
Northboro
508-842-8941 |
$89.00 |
$129.00 |
4.9 miles |
| Comfort Inn |
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399 Turnpike Rd
Westboro
508-366-0202 |
$90.00 |
$90.00 |
5.4 miles |
| Courtyard by Marriott |
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71 Grove St
Worcester
508-363-0300 |
$99.00 |
$139.00 |
3.0 miles |
| Holiday Inn |
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500 Lincoln St
Worcester
508-852-4000 |
$124.00 |
$159.00 |
3.0 miles |
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We do not suggest you book a room at the Worcester City Motel due to reports of crime.
Local and State Police inform us they do a lot of business there. |
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Many thanks to Mike Griffin for providing us with this EXCELLENT map in PDF format
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| Preliminary Game Event Listing
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| Updated January 23, 2008
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| Havoc XXIV Events
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| Friday 7:30pm-11:30pm |
| Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm |
| Saturday 2:00pm-6:00pm |
| Saturday 7:30pm-11:30pm |
| Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm |
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