Little Wars 2013 - a review....and my haul!!!!

Wow...so it's been a while since I've updated this blog...and for that I am sorry. Things have been horribly quiet on the gaming front recently. I was away for 10 days in Columbus working on "work", and got back Friday night, just in time, for me and the wife to go on a day trip to Little Wars at the Du Page Expo Center in St. Charles, Illinois.

We left around 8 am on Saturday morning, and made good progress, (even though 65 North is overladen with 18 wheeler traffic), until we hit the Illinois line.  Suddenly we were hit by "Toll Roads".

"Well, now we know where the term, highway robbery comes from", my wife said as we paid yet another $1.50 for the "privilege" of driving on the roads there, and being tailgated by people who think that me doing almost 80 in a 55 mph zone is not going "Fast enough"....

The other thing that freaked us was the sudden jump in gas prices.

Indiana gas prices: $3.65

Illinois/Chicago gas prices: $4.15

The "public service messages" about "prostitution" also seemed a bit disturbing. Does The Windy City has such a hooker problem that they have to discuss the social implications of it on roadside billboards???

Anyhow....

Yes, there is road construction right at the Pheasant Run Resort...*sigh*...but entrance to the Expo Center is not obstructed.

We found a good place to park and headed into the event...

Another gentleman was opening the door and held it open for us, and I said "Thank you", and noticed his name badge....

"Hal Thinglum"

I suddenly turned "Fan boy" on him. I shook his hand, and he looked at my badge and said "So YOU"RE Michael Murphy! I've read a lot of what you've written on TMP and heard about you!"

I thanked him for all of his contributions and told him that I still read my copies of MWAN (faithfully). 

He is truly a gentleman in this day and age...

And being the fan-boy idiot that I am, I forgot to get a photo of us....

So we registered and got the program....

(CLICK ON THE PICS TO GET A LARGER PICTURE/BETTER VIEW)....

  

Well written and laid out, this was nicely done, and in an easy to read format. Many conventions could use this as a "how to layout convention booklets" training material.... I kept finding myself looking in detail at the cover art.

Wandering through the door, we took a look inside. Immediately to the right of the doors, was the Games Registration table. With the "Paint and Take" right next to them on the other side. Of note was that the location of the Registration Table seemed to cause a block of traffic with the doors, as people naturally stood there instead of walking around to the front of the table.

Inside the hall:

There seemed to be a thicker crowd towards the late afternoon-evening. Melodie noticed that the temperature seemed a "bit warm" due to the body heat, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as other cons we've been to.  Lot less noisy also...

Melodie holding some of her well purchased SWAG, and looking for things for "me to buy"...(more on this later...)

First stop on the shopping was the Litko Stand...

 

Nice displays and helpful service...I bought stuff here...(more on that later)....but honestly? If you see a mushroom cloud like that coming out of the top of a restaurant, well...don't plan on making dinner reservations there anytime soon!

I wandered around looking at the different dealers. Stopped by RLBPS, and found something that I wanted to get, (a 15mm truck), but was unable to get Mrs. Bolling's attention as she was currently being occupied by a guy (wearing a Union kepi), who was telling her all about a sick relative, etc...etc...etc...and so on...
I looked over at Melodie and she had that look on her face.
"What?" I asked.
"Take a whiff." She said.
I did....and wished I hadn't.
Yes...my wonderful wife had discovered that "Gamey Gamer" smell...on the fellow currently occupying Mrs. Bolling's time.
"Never mind." I said. "We'll come back."  (In truth I could've spent TONS of money there on Pulp Figs, etc...), and the thought of me coming back with massive amounts of Bob Murch's creations were a bit overwhelming.

We wandered around and came upon Knuckleduster.
I introduced myself and Forrest Harris said "he had been wanting to meet me!".
A good pic of myself and a fine gentleman.

I truly enjoy all he has done. I am not an 1812 guy but his figures are absolutely beautiful.
I myself was more interested in his western stuff...

And what nice stuff it is!
One of the things that I've noticed recently (and perhaps I am a bit slow on the uptake) is the fact that mini-gaming seems to be moving away from resin buildings and I keep seeing more and more laser cut wood buildings. More variety to them, less expensive, and just as able to be modified as many others. Knuckleduster has a great selection.
And yes...I bought stuff....(more on that later)...
Perhaps one of the more humorous parts was my wife telling Forrest about her building the buildings, and stuff, and how much she supports the hobby.
Forrest's answer..."Do you have a sister?"
And while there I was honored to meet fellow TMP'er "Von Blucher"....a great guy all around who showed me a box of his SYW figs...very nice!!!!
"You're the only guy that can get away with wearing a Confederate Grey Kepi in this state." He said to me with a grin...


My next big purchase, (and Gawd help me)...was with Old Glory...
So I got a chance to meet TMP's own "Mrs. Miniatureships", who talked about our Civil War Wedding Pictures on TMP.
For the first time, (at the enabling of my wife), I joined the Old Glory Army...Got myself the Blue Moon Hillbilly Pack #1 ("The Hardfelts"), and for my joining bonus picked up their pirate pack.  Woot!!!! Time to make some more orders...
My wife, (Gawd bless her!), was totally in love with their buildings.
"You paint the figs and play the games, and I'll do the scenery and terrain." She told me.
(More to come on what I bought later...)

And so we made some more shopping walk arounds.....

WW1 Axis and Allies...I would've loved to have had this, but couldn't justify spending over 100 bucks for it. (Board games seem to be getting too expensive nowadays)....

And I got some pics of some of the game tables....
There was a LOT of Gettysburg going around...
This from one of the tables there.... The Confederate Line....Making the attack that Longstreet didn't want...

General McClaws and his men get ready to once again relive history....

Another table was being run..."Animal Crackers on the Attack!" 

Kids having a blast, (and it looked more fun than one of the Napoleonic games I saw...)

We also voted it "The best smelling table"...

 And yet, even MORE Gettysburg... (this time however in a VERY small scale)....

It was getting towards the evening when we were getting ready to leave. We had had a good day of talking, meeting folks, buying some (more at my wife's insistence, than my impulse buys), and getting ready to call it a day when I saw it.

Placed on the table...

It called to me, it's siren song....

And if you don't know what it is...you should be ashamed of yourself....

My wife looks over the table as it's being set up....54mm...sigh....

Col. Travis, (that could be me)...at his place in immortality....

She saw me staring (close to drooling), and shook her head, smiling softly and gently. She loves me so...

I looked at her and blinked...

"I can hold that wall." I told her with conviction in my voice.

She nodded and said softly as one would tell a small child who says "But I would've won!"...

"Yes, honey. I know you could've."

I chewed my bottom lip. There was Santa Ana...ready to do wrong...and I was here...ready to stop him in his tracks. 

"I'll kill 'em all as they come across the ground...I can hold that wall!"

She nodded and smile. "I know you can."

Sigh...

Above it all, the flag flew...waiting, beckoning, calling....

And down below...

Crockett waits on the North Palisade for my commands...

Some of The Mexican Army waiting on the command to go in....

"Do you want to play?" My wife asked me. "We can get a room for tonight, and you can stay here and kill Santa Ana."  She is an evil temptress at times my wife is...

For a moment I wavered...quivered...and stood there staring. Suddenly it was March 6th 1836 and I am on the wall...waiting for the Mexican Army to get into range and changing history.  I can do it...I can hold this wall...We can defeat him here once and for all. We can win for Texas.....

And then I said....

"No...we have to go home. I have yard work tomorrow..."

Sigh...

Meanwhile back at the convention...on another table.....it's 1940, and The Luftwaffe is heading towards England....

"This is the BBC...."

Meanwhile on Mars....

A massive multiplayer Martian Adventure game...

As the good ship "The Martian Queen" seems to have issues upon one of the canals...

By now, it was late, and despite the tugging of me wanting to fight at The Alamo, we had to leave, because after all, I have yard work to do tomorrow...

So getting home I got my loot out (yes I went back for the truck from RLBPS)....

Here's my haul....

All the loot in one lump some (except for some surprises that my wife got)...

First off, my Blue Moon purchase...

  

And the pirates I got for free for joining up for a hitch with "The Old Glory Army"...

And my Litko Purchases (1" bases, Medium artillery strike and small blast markers)...

From RLBPS, and Raventhorpse...a nice truck for Bongolesia...to carry all sorts of stuff....(legal or otherwise...)

Accessories, (A library and a tavern/Inn/Bar/Pub)...from Frontline. Very nice stuff....

And from Knuckleduster...
The Gallows Set
An outhouse (my wife wanted this for some reason)...
The Cemetery Set (my wife also wanted this)....
Pack of "Soiled Doves"...( I got these for me)...

Pack of Can-Can Dancers....(and well...I also got these for me)...

While I was out, and about, my wife found some beautiful items (treasure piles), that will make wonderful Objective Markers...and she got them for me (us)....

As well as a couple of plastic Crystal Skulls....

So now we have objectives and some pretty pretty piles of Filthy Lucre for us to get our grubby hands on...mmmmm....

By this time it was time for us to get home...after all, I had swallowed my urges to hold the wall and fight at The Alamo...after all, I had yard work tomorrow...

So we drove home.
All in all, it was a good day...with a wife that is an "enabler" to my hobby....and a wonderful lady herself...Good fun, good food, good gaming, and good stuff...and I will DEFINITELY be back next year...

And so we drove home...so I could do yard work tomorrow....
And then it rained....