The Wargamer

Introduction

The number was 3755 to be exact, and though not a record for HMGS East, I for one was quite surprised at the number of miniature gaming faithful that made the journey this year, given the hideous price of fuel everyone has been experiencing. But there they were, from the 24^th through the 27^th of July 2008 at Historicon, a veritable legion of stalwarts that not only made the hobby’s annual required trek to its Mecca, but soooo many came early this time around. I personally was stunned when I arrived a little before noon on Thursday, the first day of the con, to find the parking lot of the Lancaster Host nearly completely full, and most of the dealers I spoke with said it was one of the best ever for sales.

A long winter? Perhaps, but certainly this year’s Historicon had its share of firsts, from new rules being introduced (to include a set from yours truly) to the first official Osprey ancients tournament using that firm’s new Field of Glory rules, coproduced with Slitherine software. And if that weren’t enough, the seemingly irresistible march of the Flames of War World War II system trundled on as its national tournament now claimed Historicon as its new home.

Flames of War Nationals at Historicon

Not counting any tournament (bunches) or pickup games, the breakdown of events were as follows:

When coupled with lectures such the functional status of French dragoons – heavy cavalry or not – during the Napoleonic Wars by Jean Lochet, not to mention a continuance of Historicon’s very popular Painting University, there was certainly not a lack of things to do.

Day 1, Thursday, 24 July 2008

After checking in to my hotel, about three minutes from the Lancaster Host where the con was held, I arrived just before noon and as is my custom, immediately went to the Dealer’s Hall to scope out all the nifty products I couldn’t afford but was likely going to buy anyway. There are some 80+ dealers at this con, not to mention bargains to be had in the Flea Market area. Unless there is something new I suspect will sell out quickly, I normally scope out all the dealers then jot down what I want to buy Sunday morning. The concept is that perhaps there might be over stocks that a dealer might not want to return home with, so an extra discount might be given. It hasn’t worked lately, but you can never tell. Besides, I owed several of my retailers their copies of my new scenario book, so I got second to none experience in informal UPS delivery operations.

The Dealer Hall was the first place I ran into the “fuel factor,” however. Karl and the gang from The Last Square did not have their famous canopy top covering their commerce area this time around. For Karl the reasoning was simple – leave the top home, move from two vans to one, save a bucket full of cash on gas. Other vendors cut similarly, but I found no one that even considered not coming to the convention. There is still quite a waiting list to get in for vendors and once again one of my favorites, Minifigs USA, did not make it in the door.

Otherwise the day was spent socializing and taking some bazillion pictures on my digital camera, a phd (Push Here Dummy) contraption that not only takes good, close up pictures, but affords me the opportunity to correct anything the camera messes up (ahem). There is always a lot to see, but this time around the variety and quality were definitely a cut above the past. The new Osprey-Slitherine ancients’ tournament has already been mentioned, as well as the Flames of War nationals. But there were also new products released such as Arty Conliffe and Dave Waxtel highly anticipated Shako II battalion level Napoleonic rules. They presented a very nicely done battle from the Emperor’s Spanish ulcer to highlight their new product, as did many others.

The most fantastic display had to be the 1813 Battle of Mockern (part of the huge Leipzig slugfest) put on by David Bonk and Nigel Marsh using the latter’s Carnage and Glory computer moderated miniature rules. Drop dead gorgeous terrain covered with even better looking 28 or 40 mm miniatures (anyway, they were certainly bigger than 15mm) made this a safe haven no one wanted to leave whether they were playing or not. Needless to say, these two guys won the award for Best of Show, and I for one was glad to see this happen. Because Dave and Nigel always present top quality games, sometimes they get skipped simply to let someone else have a chance at glory. Not this time, however, and for that I say, “Bravo!”

Mockern 1813, the Best of Show Winner.

After dinner I proceeded to the Wheatland Room to set up for my game tomorrow morning. The Wheatland is where the Host normally has their Comedy Club, something I figured out given that banner was right above the table. I shrugged off whether that was an indication of karma to come and quickly set up for the battle of Gross Beeren, an 1813 Napoleonic battle and one of the offerings in my new Age of Eagles scenario book, Napoleon vs Europe, 1813 through 1814. Fortunately, this particular engagement had most of the opposing forces march on the table, so I finished up in record time.

Then it was back to the rack for crash and burn, visions of French voltigeurs dancing in my head in anticipation for the morrow.