18th Annual Burning Wreck Barbecue
November 7 @ 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
We are planning to hold our 18th Annual Burning Wreck Barbecue this coming month. Here are the details:
Date: Saturday, November 7th, 2026 11:00 AM Sharp
Location: Stance Nixon’s House, 5349 E. Monlaco Road, Long Beach.
Cost: $10 (Collected at the door. A reservation is required). However your 2026 dues must be paid (see below).
Food: The Club will cover the cost of pizzas for lunch and The Habit for dinner. As always, we’ll have the Club coolers stocked with complimentary ice cold soda and beer throughout the day.
As for format, we’re going to repeat what has worked so successfully for the last eight years, and run a scenario selection process on this e-group. We will pick one scenario for everyone to play. Then on the day of the event, we’ll pair up randomly. When you arrive, you will receive a raffle ticket. If you win your scenario, you will receive an additional raffle ticket. When all the games have cleared (which should all be around the same time considering we’re playing the same scenario) we will pull raffle tickets for prizes. We will have a prize pool of about a half-dozen items. And by receiving one ticket just for showing up, even if you lost your scenario, you could still be a winner!
Remember, this event is open to SoCalASL members only. There is a $10 charge for this event and your 2026 dues must be paid in full. (If you attended WCM this year, your dues are paid, as it was was included in your admission.) If you need to, you can pay your 2026 dues along with your entry fee at the door.
For those who are unfamiliar with how we select a scenario, here’s the timeline we’re going to use:
This is a three step process.
Step 1) Starting September 15th, each member can nominate up to 3 scenarios for consideration. You can make your nominations directly on this e-group, or to me personally at jfaikens@verizon.net, by Sunday, October 4th. Ideal scenarios should be:
a) Playable in about 6 to 7 hours with a defender set-up done in advance.
b) They should be combined arms.
c) They should have a reasonably good balance rating on ROAR. We’ve found from experience that when a scenario is set up in advance (as our format entails) the defender will have an advantage. This is particularly important if the scenario involves fortifications. For that reason, I recommend considering scenarios that are slightly pro-attacker.
d) I wouldn’t necessarily limit the nominations to “official” MMP scenarios. However, during the voting process, it’s hard to garner support for a scenario that very few players have a copy of. If you have an esoteric scenario suggestion, be prepared to post a copy of the scenario with your nomination. Along that same line, I would discourage nominating scenarios that utilize a 3rd party board or overlay, for the reasons stated above.
Step 2) Scenario nominations can be submitted between today and Sunday, October 4th. I will then compile and post a list of all the scenarios that are nominated on Monday, October 5th. I will ask for members to vote for their 3 favorites from the posted list (ranked 1st – 3rd choice.) Those votes can be via this e-group or sent in private to me. Voting will close on the evening of Sunday, October 11th.
Step 3) I will tally the votes for the various scenarios, and announce the 3 top vote-getting scenarios on Monday, October 12th. Members can then vote for their preference among these 3, again either via the e-group or privately, to me, by ranking the scenarios 1st choice, 2nd choice and 3rd choice. Voting will close on the evening of October 18th, and I will announce the winning scenario on Monday, October 19th.
Following long-standing tradition, we will seed the nomination with the two runner-up scenarios from last year: AP100 Coal in their Stockings and ASL 23 Under the Noel Trees. Please treat these scenarios as though they have already been nominated.
So dig through your piles of scenarios and get in your nominations!