Special Game Day and Cookout in Winnetka
2022-08-20 12:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
In lieu of our usual Game Day in Sherman Oaks, we’re going to meet at Jaime Pelaez’ house: 8407 Delco Avenue, Winnetka, for a cookout and Game Day. Jaime and Sal have offered to cook for us. We have chicken wings, BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and beer/soda on the menu. There will be no charge for the meal, but you’ll need to make a reservation. Free food and a game of ASL! What’s not to love?

By the way, don’t be confused: this is a summer cookout & Game Day. It’s not our official 14th Annual Burning Wreck Barbecue, which is scheduled for late October in Long Beach.

Special Game Day on the USS Iowa!
2023-05-20 08:30 - 18:00
Peter Strand has been working behind the scenes for a few months now, and the members of SoCalASL are about to benefit! He has lined up a Special Game Day on the USS Iowa!

Where: USS Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd, Los Angeles (San Pedro) CA

When: Saturday, May 20th

Reservations: Required

Cost: Entry is free, but they charge for parking.

The Plan:

We are going to meet in the museum parking lot at 8:30 AM SHARP. We will then proceed on a pre-opening tour of the ship. Our goal is to finish the tour and set up our games in the Officer’s Ward Room by the time the museum opens at 10:00 AM. We will be very limited as to what gear we can bring in. We’re going to do demo games on historical maps. As we move closer to the date I’ll go further into the details on that. We will be playing in view (and earshot) of the museum visitors and docents. As such, and this is very important: we’re going to have to be very careful about our language. And yes, I am aware I am a prime offender. If I can control my language, you can also.

Our lunch options are somewhat limited. The only food source on the ship is Vicky’s Doghouse Cafe, which serves hot dogs, sausages and salads. We really won’t have time to leave the ship to eat, so plan accordingly. We will need to have our games wrapped up and be off the ship by 6:00 PM.

I am going to organize this along the lines of our Burning Wreck Barbecue, in that I will put out a call for reservations and expect everyone who signs up to be there on time. If for some reason you’re going to be late, I will need a phone call or text, because we’re going to have to make arrangements with the docents to get you on board.

I will put out a call for reservations around the middle of April. For now, just be sure to save the date, and stay tuned for more details.

Game Day in Sherman Oaks
2023-11-18 14:00 - 20:00
Paper Hero’s
14109 Burbank Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
The store has shortened their hours to 2:00 to 8:00 PM. So we’re going to meet for lunch at 12:30 at Sharky’s (13238 Burbank Blvd, Shreman Oaks), then head over to the game store when it opens. Or you can just meet us at the store at 2:00. Either way, come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in.

Game Day in Sherman Oaks
2023-11-25 14:00 - 20:00
Paper Hero’s
14109 Burbank Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
We’re back at Paper Hero’s on Saturday, November 25th. Our normal 4th Saturday venue, Games at My Place (formally Gameology Pasadena) has gone out of business, so Paper Hero’s has offered to host us. The store ‘s hours are 2:00 to 8:00 PM. Let’s just plan to meet at the store when it opens at 2:00 PM. Come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in.

West Coast Melee XXVII
2025-02-20 10:00 - 2025-02-23 18:00
I’m pleased to announce that we finally have a contract with Best Western for West Coast Melee XXVII.

The important information:

West Coast Melee XXVII

Where: Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn
8179 Spruce Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
When: Thursday, February 20th through Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

Entry Fee: $50 (full, includes 1 year membership)

$35 (one day pass, includes 1 year membership)

Click HERE to download the flyer and registration form.

We have are returning to last year’s venue. Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn is just west of Interstate 15, about halfway between Interstates 10 and 210. They have a large meeting room with plenty of light and free parking. The hotel room rate is $129, plus tax. We’ll have the hotel registration set up shortly and the pre-reg flyer up shortly.
Our food options are pretty plentiful. The hotel shares a parking lot with Mimi’s Cafe. And across the driveway you’ll find The Habit, Cafe Rio, Jersey Mike’s and Chipotle. If you want to walk a block and cross Foothill Blvd, you’ll find the Black Bear Diner and a number of other restaurants.

Stay tuned, more info is on the way. In the meantime, be sure to reserve the dates on your calendar. You don’t want to miss this!

We are cleared to begin booking our WCM hotel rooms at Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn.

The pricing is the same as last year: $129 per night plus tax, including up to 2 breakfasts per room per day. The hotel information is on the flyer. Just call the reservation line at 909-466-1111. Our group name is West Coast Melee. You’ll have your choice between double queen size or one king size. Cut-off is February 11th.

As always, please remember to get your hotel reservation in early. We’ve tried to make sure our room block will have enough rooms, but once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Please drop me a line if you run into any problems making your reservation.

See you there!

5th Saturday Game Day in Long Beach
2025-03-29 11:00 - 21:00
This is a Special Game Day honoring our fallen comrade, Eric Visnowski:

Date: Saturday, March 29th

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: Stance Nixon’s house, 5349 E. Monlaco Road, Long Beach.

Stance and Cheryl Nixon have agreed to once again open their home to us for this Special 5th Saturday Game Day honoring Eric Visnowski.

We all know that Eric’s favorite form of ASL was Deluxe. So on Saturday, in his honor, that’s what we’re going to play. Please bring a couple of your favorite Deluxe scenarios. Large, small, urban, hedgerows, jungle… whatever you want, as long as it has those giant hexes. Otherwise, our format will remain the same; show up at 11:00 AM and we’ll pair up to play. As usual, we’ll cut out for lunch in the early afternoon. We’re expecting a really good turn-out for this. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

Special 5th Saturday Game Day and Cookout in Torrance (Update)
2025-08-30 11:00 - 20:00
We have a 5th Saturday coming up this month on August 30th. Apex Fasteners will not be available to meet at that day. So we’re going to try something completely different:

Dan Plachta recently remodeled his entire back yard, including a patio and barbecue, and has offered to open his home for the day. We’re going to take him up on his offer. We’re going to combine this with a summer cookout (not to be confused with the Burning Wreck Barbecue coming this fall).

Here’s what you need to know:

When: Saturday, August 30th, 11:00 AM

Where: Dan Plachta’s house
22955 Walnut Street
Torrance, CA 90501

Cost: $10 per person

RSVP by Wednesday, August 27th

Format: We’re going to meet at Dan’s house at 11:00 AM and pair up for games as usual. We will being playing inside, and Dan and I will make sure we have enough tables and chairs. We will adjourn in the early afternoon for lunch in the back yard. Nothing fancy: hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soda, etc., typical summer cookout stuff. We’ll then resume playing and plan to wrap up in the early evening, as usual. You can pay your $10 when you arrive.

I want to keep this as simple as possible, but because there’s food involved, we’re going to need a head-count a few days in advance. If you wish to attend, please drop me an email (jfaikens@verizon.net) or text (760-217-1992) by Wednesday evening, and let me know you’re coming. As of today, the following members are signed up:

Jim Aikens
Dan Plachta
Dave Nicholas
Blair Bellamy
Fen Yan
John Lehman
Peter Strand

Remember, get those RSVP’s in by Wednesday. I hope you can join us!

17th Annual Burning Wreck Barbecue
2025-10-25 11:00 - 20:00
We are planning to hold our 17th Annual Burning Wreck Barbecue this coming month. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, October 25th, 2025

Location: Stance Nixon’s House, 5349 E. Monlaco Road, Long Beach.

Cost: $10 (Collected at the door. A reservation is required). However your 2025 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 2025 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 2025 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 today, September 12th, 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, September 28th. 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, September 28th. I will then compile and post a list of all the scenarios that are nominated on Monday, September 29th. 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 5th.

Step 3) I will tally the votes for the various scenarios, and announce the 3 top vote-getting scenarios on Monday, October 6th. 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 12th, and I will announce the winning scenario on Monday, October 13th.

Following long-standing tradition, we will seed the nomination with the two runner-up scenarios from last year: DB130 Tigers and Flames (German 42/Russian 30) and ASL 84 Round One <3rd Edition> (Poles 13/Germans 14). Please treat these scenarios as though they have already been nominated.

So dig through your piles of scenarios and get in your nominations!

Special 5th Saturday Game Day in Irwindale
2026-01-31 11:00 - 20:00
Apex Fasteners
15858 Business Center Drive,
Irwindale, CA 91706
Come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. We are meeting at Matt Cicero’s office in Irwindale. If you haven’t been there, you’re in for a treat. The building has a large game room with plenty of tables and chairs. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in. We will break in the mid-afternoon for some excellent Mexican food nearby.

West Coast Melee XXVIII
2026-02-19 10:00 - 2026-02-22 17:00
I’m pleased to announce that we finally have a contract with Best Western for West Coast Melee XXVIII.

The important information:

West Coast Melee XXVIII

Where: Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn
8179 Spruce Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
When: Thursday, February 19th through Sunday, February 22nd, 2026

Entry Fee: $60 (full, includes 1 year membership)

$35 (one day pass, includes 1 year membership)

Click HERE to download the flyer and registration form.

We are returning to last year’s venue. Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn is just west of Interstate 15, about halfway between Interstates 10 and 210. They have a large meeting room with plenty of light and free parking. The hotel room rate is $129, plus tax.
Our food options are pretty plentiful. The hotel shares a parking lot with Mimi’s Cafe. And across the driveway you’ll find The Habit, Cafe Rio, Jersey Mike’s and Chipotle. If you want to walk a block and cross Foothill Blvd, you’ll find the Black Bear Diner and a number of other restaurants.

We are cleared to begin booking our WCM hotel rooms at Best Western Plus, Heritage Inn.

The pricing is the same as last year: $129 per night plus tax, including up to 2 breakfasts per room per day. The hotel information is on the flyer. Just call the reservation line at 909-466-1111. Our group name is West Coast Melee. You’ll have your choice between double queen size or one king size. Cut-off is February 5th, 2026.

As always, please remember to get your hotel reservation in early. We’ve tried to make sure our room block will have enough rooms, but once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Please drop me a line if you run into any problems making your reservation.

See you there!

Game Day in Upland
2026-05-02 12:00 - 21:00, 2026-06-06 12:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-04 12:00 - 20:00
Gameology Games
916 N. Mountain Avenue Suite A
Upland, CA 91786
Come and join us for a relaxing game of ASL. All our Game Days work the same: show up at the start time and you’re guaranteed to get a game up. Around mid-afternoon we’ll adjourn of a group lunch at Famer Boys.

Special 5th Saturday Game Day in Bellflower
2026-05-30 12:00 - 20:00
The Guild House
16631 Bellflower Blvd,
Bellflower, CA 90706
We have a 5th Saturday this month. Come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in. We usually break in the mid-afternoon for lunch.

Game Day in Bellflower
2026-06-13 12:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-11 12:00 - 20:00
The Guild House
16631 Bellflower Blvd,
Bellflower, CA 90706
Come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in. We usually break in the mid-afternoon for lunch.

Game Day in Pasadena
2026-06-27 10:00 - 19:00
Come join us at our newest Game Day location:
Odyssey Games (formally Game Empire)
1795 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA
The store is outside of Old Pasadena on the east end of Colorado Blvd, on the corner of Allen Avenue. It opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 11:00 PM. The manager said there is a large group that comes in a 7:00 PM on Saturdays and they may need the tables we would use. So here’s the deal: Let’s meet at the store at 10:00 AM and plan to be done by 7:00 PM.
Come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in. We will break for lunch in the early afternoon.

Game Day in Sherman Oaks
2026-07-18 14:00 - 20:00
Paper Hero’s
14109 Burbank Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
This is a reminder that we’re meeting at Paper Hero’s in Sherman Oaks on Saturday at 2:00. We’re going to meet at our old lunch place again, San Carlo Italian Deli, 10178 Mason Avenue, Los Angeles, at 12:30. Or you can just meet us at the store at 2:00. Either way, come and join us for a fun and relaxing day of ASL. Our Game Days all work the same: just show up at the appointed hour, and you’re guaranteed to get a game in.
