"Brave Little Belgium " Undone by the Wit of "The Dice Tower"

[mirth]

My first stop would be Historicon as I've not been in years, although the return to Valley Forge makes Cold Wars very appealing.

My beloved is less than enamored of the location of Historicon vis-a-vis other things to do.

Lancaster is a little dull, but they moved to a new venue this year so you at least don't have to deal with The Moist anymore.

[Cyrano]

My first stop would be Historicon as I've not been in years, although the return to Valley Forge makes Cold Wars very appealing.

My beloved is less than enamored of the location of Historicon vis-a-vis other things to do.

Lancaster is a little dull, but they moved to a new venue this year so you at least don't have to deal with The Moist anymore.

HA!

You've been, then?  Should have figured.

I remember it very well, but frankly loved every minute I spent in that weedy dump.

Mind you I slept at a hotel just down the street.

I figure I might squeak one year out of Amish shopping and that weird theme park.  I'm done after that.

[mirth]

I went last year. The were in the middle of renovations at the Host. It was a train wreck. I took a wrong turn and ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

We stayed at a motel down the road. It was pretty minimal, but it was cheap, clean and the AC worked.

That theme park is weird AF.

[panzerde]

I took a wrong turn in ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

So, got your money's worth then?

[mirth]

I took a wrong turn in ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

So, got your money's worth then?

I was waiting for the river of blood to wash over my ankles.

[panzerde]

I took a wrong turn in ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

So, got your money's worth then?

I was waiting for the river of blood to wash over my ankles.

That costs extra generic tokens.

[Cyrano]

I took a wrong turn in ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

So, got your money's worth then?

I was waiting for the river of blood to wash over my ankles.

It was the got-damned lizards in the bar...

[panzerde]

I took a wrong turn in ended up in a corridor that I'm pretty sure was in an alternate dimension.

So, got your money's worth then?

I was waiting for the river of blood to wash over my ankles.

It was the got-damned lizards in the bar...

Wait, why are we not going to a con with extra-dimensional blood-spewing corridors and lizard people?

I think I've spent a few hundred bucks with Steve Jackson Games this year to get just that.

[Bison]

I enjoyed Prezcon. Played Combat Commander and American Revolution series. Watched several games of Russia Besieged and play tested a MMP Civil War game.  Then I went to Monticello for a day. 

[mirth]

I enjoyed Prezcon. Played Combat Commander and American Revolution series. Watched several games of Russia Besieged and play tested a MMP Civil War game.  Then I went to Monticello for a day.

Nice 

[bob48]

The 'Line of Battle' ACW games by MMP are pretty good.

[bayonetbrant]

And given that you don't go play any of that stuff you mentioned...

I don't play as much as I'd like at Origins, but I do like the expansive and diverse exhibit hall for some of the things I find there.  I might not buy a ton of stuff, but I certainly look through a lot of it for a sense of what's new, what's hot, and where the ideas are going.  The family and I also usually pick up a game or two for us to play at home, going all the way back to Kids of Carcassonne in 2009, up through Squirrel or Die this year.

I actually played more this year than in the past several combined, as I ended up playing in the Ft Sumter game I GM'ed, plus playing in one of the COIN games I GM'ed, plus playing at least 2 demos in the exhibit hall w/ my son.


Part of that is the fiscal reality that I've got a kid in high-level travel soccer who is headed to college in 2 years, so blowing $100-200 on cool books that I'll read a few times before shelving them long-term isn't something I can do every year.  (Tho, this year I did spend about $50 on a really nice bolt-action pen, which I did justify b/c I'm using it every day  [

Having a freebie or two along the way coming out of the show helps reduce some of that 'need' to go home with something.

[bayonetbrant]

going back to my comment above....  if we've got our own weekend set aside for gaming - big table, big map, counter-pushing, bourbon-quaffing, dice-slinging games for a solid weekend at a hotel ballroom somewhere, are folks interested in getting together for a good weekend of games with each other?

B/c I've already got a few RFQ's out there with some local hotels here about getting us a place for exactly that: bunch of tables, a couple of hotel rooms, invite some locals who might want to game, too, and anyone who isn't staying at the hotel pitches in $5-10 at the door to help cover the cost (I'll get my kids to work the door).

No vendors or exhibitors, no special guests, no seminar track, no prize giveaways unless someone offers us some door prizes raffle off (but no expectation of it).  Maybe a designer or two bringing in a playtest game (David Thompson mentioned hoping to attend) or maybe Bayonet Jr hooks up his Xbox in a corner to a projector for some multi-player HALO games.  Maybe we get a couple of RPG sessions going too.  But nothing formal, structured, or organized beyond posting in the forums here to say "hey, let's play _____!"


Whadday'all think?

[Cyrano]

For me, if I do walk away from Origins -- which I would do with a measure of regret -- I would first want to return to one or two miniature conventions that I've passed on over the years.

Huzzah is actually on the list as is Buck Surdu's con -- what has a name that escapes me at the moment.

Little Wars (close to home), Historicon, Fall-In, Cold Wars...

Long list of stuff I really do miss.

I've come to realize, yeah, I'm a minis gamer at heart.

And Kriegsspiel.

ALWAYS PLAY THE KRIEGSSPIEL.

[panzerde]

And given that you don't go play any of that stuff you mentioned...

I don't play as much as I'd like at Origins, but I do like the expansive and diverse exhibit hall for some of the things I find there.  I might not buy a ton of stuff, but I certainly look through a lot of it for a sense of what's new, what's hot, and where the ideas are going.  The family and I also usually pick up a game or two for us to play at home, going all the way back to Kids of Carcassonne in 2009, up through Squirrel or Die this year.

I actually played more this year than in the past several combined, as I ended up playing in the Ft Sumter game I GM'ed, plus playing in one of the COIN games I GM'ed, plus playing at least 2 demos in the exhibit hall w/ my son.


Part of that is the fiscal reality that I've got a kid in high-level travel soccer who is headed to college in 2 years, so blowing $100-200 on cool books that I'll read a few times before shelving them long-term isn't something I can do every year.  (Tho, this year I did spend about $50 on a really nice bolt-action pen, which I did justify b/c I'm using it every day  [

Having a freebie or two along the way coming out of the show helps reduce some of that 'need' to go home with something.

Absolutely none of which does anything to "better concentrate fire on supporting (and bringing in more) existing wargamers" at a con that is decidedly not wargamer friendly.