International Federation of Wargamers
International Federation of Wargamers (IFW) was a well organized wargamer
association dedicated to connecting gamers together. The IFW turned out to be
the most important catalyst for the gathering storm towards the creation of D&D.
IFW was founded in 1966 by Bill Speer in the Malvern, Pennsylvania in the
suburbs of Philadelphia. The group was
originally named USCAC
(United States Continental Army Command). This
group consisted of a
small group of friends but slowly began
to introduce additional gamers. The printed
their first newsletter name Spartan that year which
contained club news.
Soon enough club membership
began to include members from all around the
Northeast. Later that year, the man known as the
'Mad Lake Genevan', Gary Gygax, joined the group
and immediately began to write typical articles on
historical
perspectives in wargaming but also immediately
published his latest variant chess design called
SHOGI (japanese chess). Chess was a relevant game
as
wargamers consider it the earliest wargame of all.
Gary's initial impact on this group was his
energy for creating new game designs and existing rules variants. These
types of
articles became the norm in later newsletters as groups like this
began to create the next generation of games.
A year later the group took on 3 members in Puerto Rico and 1 member
in Germany (service men in the military we think). So they decided to
change their name to International Federation of Wargamers.
IFW held what they claimed to be wargamings first multiple game
convention on July 15, 1967 in Malvern, Pennsylvania. While they
admitted there had been previous concentions exclusively for
miniatures, chess or general wargaming, this was the first to pull all
popular games of this type together into one convention. The gaming
at the convention was hit but disaster struck when no one stayed
for the scheduled banquet at the end of the day. The main figures
in the group were forced to pay for the $200 food tab for the 30
uneaten dinners. This was enough for the bury the founding
members financially and force them to shut down the group.
Thankfully, a few months later some of the members pulled the group back together.
In 1968, the group continued to add membership and ran 2 more conventions that
reportedly were much more financially healtier than the first. One of these conventions was indeed
the first Lake Geneva Convention.
They also started to publish
a newsletter called the IFW Monthly. We are unable to ascertain when and if they discontinued
publishing/naming their newsletter The Spartan. There is another contemporary 'zine and club in
California
named the Spartan with issues printed as early as 1969. We do not know if this is
the same zine from a splinter group.
As the group continued to grow by leaps and
bounds
they created a constitution
that provided for electing club officials and developed
a democratic system for determining club decisions and directions.
Rankle articles and
diatribes led the club to begin printing 2 separate newsletters later circa 1969/70. One for
club news and politics (IFW Monthly) and another for gaming articles and
features (IW, International Wargamer.) Interestingly, Gary Gygax was rarely involved
holding political office. Our guess is he preferred to keep his energies within the
group dedicated to designing games, writing articles, maintaining societies and organizing
the Lake Geneva Convention.
Gary's gaming interests were boundless as he wrote
articles and developed rules for games in many different eras from American Civil War
to WWII to naval combat to Diplomacy to Napoleonics to Chess on and on and on.
Probably the first hints of direction to fantasy gaming we have been able to locate is
a classified offer for purchase authored by Gygax in the January 1969 IFW Monthly.
Gygax is
asking the group at large if anyone
has any Ancients or
Medieval
miniatures
for table top miniature wargaming for sale. Gygax then writes an article in the February
1969 IFW Monthly PREVIEW -- ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL MINIATURES by Gary Gygax.
This became a regular rules development feature for wargaming with miniatures written
by Gygax. These rules ultimately manifested into the Chainmail which was published by
Guidon Games in 1971. In the May 1969 IFW Monthly, Gygax asks probably the most
prophetic words for fantasy gaming in the future...WARGAMING AND THE
HYBORIAN AGE by Gary Gygax.
One of the main purposes of IFW was to underwrite both regional clubs and societies. IFW
would grant funding (like $5 a month) to these entities to cover expenses associated with
maintaining the club. Each club was required to publish its own monthly newsletter and
write a report to be published in the IFW Monthly
detailing the societies activities. These
society specialties included all of the usual gaming interests such as Napoleonic, 1914,
Civil War, etc. One society of particular interest was the Castles and Crusades Society.
This society was begun in early 1970 and was based in Lake Geneva and
was most certainly organized by Gary
Gygax even though we were unable to confirm
this in our library. This society's newsletter
was titled Doomsday Book for more
than a year but was later renamed Domesday Book in correct keeping with the famous
Medieval England public tome
. It
is from within this society
the very earliest versions
of Medieval and Ancient Wargaming
finds its way into the dungeon with emphasis
on individuals as opposed to armies. This
is indeed where Dungeons and Dragons
and Role Playing was born.
Numerous individuals associated with TSR in later years met originally from within the
IFW.
Len Lakofka...
Probably the most notable figure in IFW to make the leap to TSR was Len Lakofka.
Len held many high profile positions over the years he was involved with the club. Len
regularly organized conventions for IFW in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Probably
the most interesting of these was the DiploCon. He also had a bid hand in organizing
the Lake Geneva Convention.
Len wrote a regular article in the IFW
Monthly and IW on Diplomacy gaming. Len was probably the hottest firebrand of all
of the hotheads who wrote opinions on the club in general and eventually seemed to take
the club under his wing in the clubs later (and dying) years.
Len Lakofka portraits from the IFW Monthly
Mike Carr... Very involved in WWI, Fight in the Skies. Later had this title printed at TSR.
Rob Kuntz... More directly associated with Gygax's local society Castles and Crusades.
Other notable gaming personalities involved with IFW...
Lou Zocchi... He was everywhere even in the 60's. Very involved in all conventions and clubs, not
just IFW.
Scott Duncan... One of the original founders. Earliest and often President of IFW.
Phil Prichard... Based in Arizona. One of the more notable editors of IFW and held
higher offices for IFW frequently.
Very involved in other West Coast clubs nonIFW.
Don Lowry... Started doing IFW's cover art in interior illus when he joined. Clearly gave
the publications a more professional look. He also began printing IFW materials for awhile.
Eventually started a printing company called Guidon Games, known for publishing Chainmail.
We are interested in further developing and correcting
the information here. Please contact us
CONTACTif you have
anymore information or images to include.