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....

My 2013 Project List...

Okay so this is post #2 in this years blog entries and I have already tied the total post count for 2012.
Sad huh?

One of the things about gamer's (especially us poor misaligned confused mini gamers) is that we need to have some sort of outline or list of projects that we need to do for the year. Like the "Code of Piracy" it's going to be more of a "guidelines"...Okay...to tell the truth, it's more like it's going to be written, planned, re-written and editted, and finalized and then as our fickle minds change, it's going to be changed or ignored altogether, and then at the end of the year when we are looking around at half a dozen (or more) half completed projects, we are going to wonder "But I made a list!!! What happened?"

So here is my Project list for 2013: (and I am trying to be as realistic as possible.)

15mm:

1. Finish the Bongolesian Presidential Palace.  This thing has been in a state of flux since 2009...driving me crazy.
2. Finish the Airport
3. Finish the Harbor
4. Finish a couple of generic "Govt. Buildings".  
5. Finish my USMC landing force. (essentially paint the tanks, and get some wheeled vehicles).

(Note: These are imperative for my Origins game..)

If I get time, I'd also like to add in more roads and the soccer field.

Also on the list:

1.   Paint the M24's for "The Mysterious Fandango Republic"...

In the 28mm field:

1. Build the Nazi UFO.for pulp games
2. Build the "Pacific Ballroom/South Seas Club" for pulp games  
3. Paint up some more 28mm pirate figs and build some ships.

I'm also looking at the GW Gardens of Morr set....I'm thinking about how nice that would be to have to use in a "Horror/Pulp setting...

So that's my list....and as usual, it will be horribly ignored by February....

Here's hoping I can at least get most of these done....

*fingers crossed*

And a new year begins....

Well dear reader, (if there are any that still follows this blog), 2012 is behind us like bad laundry, and 2013 is waiting for us with all of it's malevolent glee.
I'm a bit upset at myself for two things. The first is that I didn't update this blog enough. Really I mean, Two whole posts for an entire year!?!?... One was a convention review and the other was the RIP of my Dremel. Honestly? There's more I could've done.
The second issue that I simply didn't game enough. To be honest, I don't think I gamed "at all". except for a SYW Koenigs Krieg game at the LGS.  This year I've painted, and been involved with other aspects of the hobby over actually playing. That has to change...
I'm planning on getting a list of "projects" for 2013...get them posted up here and get them going.

The best part of the year was that I took the plunge and married my wonderful lady. Really...she's been with me for seven years...if she hasn't run off screaming by now, I think that I should go ahead and get my hooks in her once and for all...

So goodbye 2012 and hello 2013...Let's make this year a good one for this old blog!!!

RIP....My Dremel....

A long overdue update on a sad, sad, note....

So there I was, minding my own business, listening to Irish Pub Radio and dremelling away when all of a sudden right in the middle of "Liverpool Lou", the Dremel makes a loud grinding sound on the inside....and then stops...

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

What's a gamer/hobbyist to do without a Dremel?!?!....

It's like taking a sword away from a knight!
It's like taking the hatchet away from George Washington before he cut down the cherry tree!
It's like taking the leather bustierre, stiletto heels and whip away from Martha Stewart before she makes it to the rendezvous at the cheap hotel....

Errr....

Wait....

I think I've said enough...

Anyhow...

Here's to you Old Trusty Dremel 200... You served me well for two years, cutting wood, foam-core, plastic, and a dozen other uses. Thanks for your service.
I guess I am off to get a new one this weekend....

RIP TRUSTY DREMEL

2010 - 2012

This weekends past convention...

Long awaited update dear reader, now that we are in 2012...
This past weekend I travelled to the 29th Annual Seven Years War Convention in South Bend Indiana. It's the first "miniatures oriented" covention that I had been to in quite a long time. I came away with good, and bad experiences.
So here is my thoughts and pics on it...


The Annual SYW convention is held at "some hotel" in Downtown South Bend....The ad said that it was the "Ramada Plaza", but the sign on the Building said "Holiday Inn Center", and YET the sign above the door reads "Magnusson Hotel".
Parking was okay.
Admission was 15 dollars for one day or 25 for both; a little pricey but I didn't know what to expect....Now I know...
The convention was held on the fourth floor in the ballroom. No real program of events, just a general listing of the games to be played based on "Morning, Afternoon, Evening".
There were approximately a dozen dealers there, with their tables surrounding the main center play area.which was about eight groups of tables in the center, along with a large "India SYW" game out front as an attraction getter.


In the center of the room was a large FIW setup with some beautiful terrain. Unfortunately my camera didn't seem to take too kindly to photographing this and most of the pics of the entire setup came out blurry...

But I did get a chance to get some pics of specific areas...


This is the large FIW setup. The pic is blurry and it's almost impossible to see all of the details, but it was very nice, and eye-catching. Lots of areas for different styles of play. While watching this game, I realized that the British players were going to have a tough time at it...Indians liking ambushes and all that...plus that whole "Bright red uniform in dark green forest" thing going on...



One of my more favorite pics of the large setup is this simple garden piece of terrain. There' s enough here to catch your eye and maybe want a salad for dinner... I'm thinking of doing the same, (making a piece like this AND having a salad)...



At the end of the board was a nice ship model...perhaps unloading soldiers and supplies?



Nearby was a line of British troops with a well painted officer ready to lead them into battle...



I guess one of the reasons that I am starting to get attracted to this period of time and gaming it is simply the beauty of the uniforms and all. There is so much variety during this period, and some of the minis are just beautiful pieces themselves.


Case in point is that Eureka USA was there, and I went in and bought my first "Civilian Set", being the 18th Century Chamber orchestra, along with an audience to watch. I took a couple of pics of them here for painting reference. All in all a nice set to do some jamming with the tunes of that wonderful musican PDQ Bach...


A new release by Eureka and being shown at the SALUTE 2012 show in England this year, is the "Bakery Vignette". Here we can see the set, which includes oven, cooks, and the man with the cleanest feet working the dough...mmmmm...who ever knew that "Bunyons and Corns Bread" could be so tasty? A nice set, but I'm not sure I would ever get it...



Perhaps one of my greatest enjoyments from Eureka is their "Teddy Bear" range. Here Eureka had a painted set of Teddy Bear "Redcoats", and "Tartan - Jacobites". All in all another cute range, which makes me think of mass battles along the gum-drop forest, licorice road, and the sugar-plum mountain...





Another dealers sign and wares that he had for sale...





A nicely painted mounted drummer...






And of course...figures....including Prussians...



Austrians...


And some nice cavalry too...


Perhaps the best part of the convention was that I was able to share it with a good friend of mine, Bill Rosser, and while up there, I met TMP'ers "Der Alte Fritz". His blog-site is an amazing source of fun and information on wargaming, and it has provided me much inspiration. He was the nicest fellow I met there...


While there were some professional dealers there, most of the them, seemed to be "second hand" dealers. One was selling some poorly painted figures at TOO MUCH a price, (4.50 for a painted figure that I would have to take home and RE-PAINT), is a bit much, especially when the nice Austrians and Prussians above were only 3 bucks a figure...

I also noticed that strangely enough...there weren't that many rule-sets out for sale. One set of BAR that I would've liked to have had was FULL price and had seen a bit of use...

I was able to get a nice hill for 2 bucks and some Foundry figs for a dollar a figure...


Bill found himself engaged in the India SYW game out front and was facing "one of those" opponents...plus the rules were heavily skewed into a British Victory.


Meanwhile, I myself encountered the one thing that I TRULY hate about game conventions...(other than uber high prices, fanboys, bad food, not enough bathrooms, a dead cell phone, etc..), and that is simply put...BAD MANNERS....

There were two games there that I was looking at and showed expressive interest to play...Both times I was ignored.

The first was an AWI game using the "Warfare In The Age of Reason" rules. It was a nice standard setup, and the figures were quite nice.

It took me forever to find the guy running the game.

"This is a nice setup." I told him.

"Uh huh." was his answer.

"How many players are you set for?" I asked.

He looked at me and at the table. "Five."

Okay that's an odd number but I could see it on the table. So I stood there and patiently waited, and was ignored.

Suddenly, four guys show up in the room and it's "HI GUYS! Glad you could make it! I've got the table setup and your commands!"

And I was altogether ignored.

Essentially speaking this guy was putting on a game at a convention for him and his regular friends and buddies. If you were a new person wanting to play or something...guess what? Screw you...

And it was a five player game. His four friends played one side, (British, each with a seperate command), and he played the entired colonial side...(the right one in this picture)...



To be honest..they were some very nice figs and I would've loved to have played the scenario, but his rudeness...and I guess the chance that I was the "new guy" threw him off.

I had the same issue with a naval game. The guy running it had it open from 2-5 playes. And every time I asked about it, he just looked at me and went back to what he was doing.

Meanwhile Bill was getting his clock cleaned by a cheating player and a bad set of rules, so we called it an early day...

I guess one of the things that got to me was the fact that if you are going to go to a convention and run a game, UNLESS you want a "special closed game", (which you should mark as such), then you need to expect new people to show up and want to try. If you don't want them to, then at least be courteous, considerate, and nice enough to just say "Sorry but all slots are reserved.", just don't ignore the person and treat them as a non-person.

But when I went away, I left with the feeling that this small convention was one of these things where "everybody there was an old hand and knew each other.", and any new guys weren't part of the "clique".

After meeting some of them and seeing their attitudes, I'm kind of glad I'm not.


So we left and headed home.

And coming down the road, we saw the ultimate lawn ornament...



This little baby painted up nicely will keep DHS and any pesky yard gnomes on their toes.


All in all it was a decent con ruined by rude gamemasters. Meeting DAF, and getting some figs and hanging with Bill was the best part of it. It's a convention that I will probably NOT be attending any time again in the near future, unless some of the folks there get a class in "Civility and Manners"...