Showing posts with label Conventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conventions. Show all posts

Monday, October 13, 2025

Advance the Colors 2025 Purchases

 

    This was a landmark year for our chapter's flagship con -- the 30th year of Advance the Colors!

I went into Advance the Colors expecting to spend some money with the vendors we had coming. The fact that I am also the Vendor Coordinator at the convention meant I would also be purchasing items as a "thank you!" to them for attending and supporting our convention. Some of my favorites had booked their dealer tables, too -- at least when it comes to buildings and terrain. And when I received my quarterly profits from sales of our First Command Wargames sales the night before the convention (as well as being paid back by some of the Board members for their polo shirts), it was just like making money in a flea market. I would turn around and spend it in the dealer area...ha, ha!

    A gift from Graham of Graham's Wargame Vault who was visiting from England to attend ATC
My first stop was with one of my favorites, Miniature Building Authority. This was actually my fourth time seeing him at a convention this year. Kirk is such a nice guy and is always so positive about attending conventions that you can't help but want to spend money on his excellent products. I had noticed that his stock of MBA's trademark resin buildings had been going down, and the proportion of 3-D printed ones was going up. I asked him about it and he admitted that it is difficult nowadays to keep the resin ones in stock from his manufacturers overseas and domestic. Since I like both 3-D printed and resin terrain, that is not a problem for me. I would happily buy either!

    One of Miniature Building Authority's newer, 3-D printed buildings that I bought at ATC 2025 
In fact, I picked up three of his newer, 3-D printed buildings at the show. They are modern-style buildings that look like they could be used for just about any place in the world and at anytime in the last century or so. The first one I picked up is called Large Concrete Building. It comes in three pieces -- the ground level with its walls & floors. The second piece includes the ceiling or roof of the first level. It also has one much smaller room, along with the a large floor/balcony. You could put all kinds of things on this balcony from a rooftop garden to clothes lines for laundry, to a little cafe.The third piece is the roof of the 2nd story room. 

    These buildings are modern ones that can be used in a wide variety of locations and settings
The next building I picked up from MBA is called Long Metal Building. This is divided into three rooms, each of which has windows to the outside. There is one door and the building has a detachable roof. Although the vertical panels on the outside face of the building are probably meant to be painted as metal (considering the name), I don't see anything that would keep you from painting them as wood or some other material. It has a flat roof that would be ideal for various scatter, such as air conditioners, vent fans, billboards -- whatever. 

    This Small Metal Garage will be a great addition to my modern or post-apocalyptic games
The last building is the smallest and is called Small Metal Garage Building. It has the same vertical panels that the Long building has, and of course, a wide garage door in addition to a standard door entrance. The garage door is a removable flat piece, as is the roof of the building. Once again, this is a flat topped roof, so there are possibilities of putting scatter on it that will personalize and bring it to life. I really look forward to getting these painted up. I could see them being used in both "first world" and "third world" locations. There are lots of opportunities to modify or jazz up these buildings with paint, scatter, or other items.

    The four Pacific Huts on stilts that were a perfect find at ATC 2025 for my 28mm Vietnam project 
My next stop was at Diabolical Terrain. I am a regular customer of Ron Weaver's, having bought quite a few of his 3-D printed products over the years. So, his stuff is definitely another of my favorites. I had picked up the rest of his Tatooine buildings for my Star Wars games at Historicon, so I was kind of curious what he would bring to Advance the Colors to tempt me. One quick walk through his space and I knew what I was going to buy! Something I had never seen before at his stand at previous shows, were his Pacific Huts on stilts. These look a LOT like my own scratch-built Jungle Huts, though a bit smaller. I virtually let out a whoop when I saw them -- they would be perfect for my Vietnam games! They come disassembled with the stilts needing to be attached to the underside of the buildings. I guess that means you could make a base with the stilts on it, but not attach the building itself to it for flexibility of use. Then you could set the building down onto the stilts or onto your gaming mat for without stilts. I'll glue mine all together, though (except for the detachable roof). The sides of the building are modeled to look like they are woven from cloth or vegetation. All have airy windows and porches, so look perfect for a hot climate. The roof is designed to look like thatch. I picked up W2-PT Pacific Hut #3, W2-PT Pacifi Hut #4, W2-PT Pacific Hut #5, and W2-PT Pacific Hut #6. Essentially, I grabbed all the ones without the railings or screens on the porch. Being for my Vietnam project, these will probably be the first of my purchases that I paint up.

    Huge time-saver over my laborious dowel post and wire weaving method of making a wattle fence!
My final purchase from Diabolical Terrain were some wattle fence sections. Although labeled as Wooden Fence and Wooden Fence (Gate) on the website, these are proper woven wattle fences common in Dark Ages and Medieval Europe. In fact, I scratch built one of these for a small field awhile back. Once I saw these fence sections, I picked one up and walked it over to Ron. I asked him if he knew how much time he saved me by selling these. He chuckled. I plan to paint these up soon, too, as there's nothing keeping me from using these in my Vietnam (or Dark Age, Medieval, or Fantasy) games. Each section is about six inches long and you can use them in a number of configurations -- small pens, large ones, fences abutting a home, etc. 

    I really like the dilapidated and tumbled-down look of this ruined corner of a fortress or walls
Keeping things on the building theme, another of my up and coming favorites to buy 3-D printed buildings or terrain from is Scott Gray of Sword & Scabbard Games. This is the fourth time I have seen his booth at a convention this year. Hailing from nearby Indiana, Scott stocks various 3-D printed items and can always be depended upon to be selling painted armies, as well. I bought a number of things at his booth at ATC because I don't think I did at Historicon. He always carries interesting looking ruins, and I made it a point to get two that caught my eye. The first appears to be the corner of a ruined fortress made of stone or brick. I really like how the pile looks like it is in the process of tumbling down. This will likely see use in my 28mm Fantasy or Dark Age/Medieval battles or skirmishes. 

    The arches give this corner ruin from Sword & Scabbard Games the look of a religious building look
The other ruin looks a little more pristine, as if it has been weathered or possibly even pilfered for stones by residents. The arches give it either a classical era look, or perhaps from a religious building in the Middle Ages. Either way, it is generic enough that it can be used in a variety of settings. Hmm...seems to be a theme of my purchases this year! I like how it is a multi-level piece that figures can climb and use in a skirmish. I realized awhile back that I have a definite lack of these type of pieces, so have been trying to pick up more that have multiple levels that can be climbed by figures in a game.

    2 Medieval looking town buildings that could be used in either fantasy or historical skirmishes
I was intrigued by these next two buildings I picked up from Sword & Scabbard. They look to be a great fit for either a Fantasy, Medieval or Renaissance era town. They have that slightly ramshackle fantasy look, but also the stone and timber of the Middle Ages. Their tiled roofs and steep gables have the proper Middle Ages vibe, and I love the screened windows! I especially like how the one on the left has part of the building set up on pillars overhanging the entrance way. These can join the Duncan House I got from RRB Minis & More for a great start to a medieval or fantasy town setting for skirmishes. The roofs all come off, which is something I insist upon in my purchases anymore. I don't really see the need to buy solid buildings, considering how much of my miniature gaming nowadays is skirmish.  

Dry stone wall sections (& animal pen?) that I couldn't resist picking up from Sword & Scabbard
The final things I got from Sword & Scabbard were some dry stone wall sections that Scott says were meant for Dark Ages or Medieval Scotland. They do have that Celtic look about them, but I think they could be used for 28mm Fantasy, as well. I bought one angled section, as well as one that includes a rounded pen (for sheep?). If I use it as ruins, I don't need to find a gate for the pen. Otherwise, I'll need to find or build something to keep all the sheep from getting out! These will paint up ridiculously quickly, I think, and are generic enough they will doubtless find their way onto many an upcoming battlefield.

    Griffon's Lair carries 6' long 'Scenery Stripes' in a variety of patterns, including these cobblestones
Speaking of stone and towns, I had been eye-balling this purchase the last two conventions! It is a roll of neoprene material printed with a cobblestone street pattern, which I picked up from Griffon's Lair. I finally pulled the trigger at ATC and bought it from them. It is from Deep Cut Studios and includes six feet of cobblestone street pattern, 3.5" wide (9cm) and 2mm thick. It also includes two rounded, half circle sections. Griffon's Lair carries a variety of these "Scenery Stripes," including dirt or tarmac roads, and rivers. The only thing that worries me about them is cutting them to size to use in a game will be permanent. Sure, I can shove the cut sections back together again, but I want to be careful about how I chop up this six foot roll of material!

    After liking how the Dirty Down Rust worked, I look forward to trying out this Moss effect
I was so excited to see Griffon's Lair still had one of their cobblestone rolls left that I forgot to look around at the rest of their booth. While owner Steven Holowienko was ringing me up, I noticed that he also carries the "Dirty Down" line of specialty paint effects. I have a bottle of the rust effect and like it. I noticed that he carried the Moss effect, and since that is something I really don't have a handle on how to paint on my buildings or scenery, I thought I'd pick it up. Maybe I will try it out on some of those dry stone walls that I picked up from Sword & Scabbard? I am sure there are many YouTube videos out about it that give suggestions on how to use it, so I'll likely watch some of them for ideas first. 

    Various metal scatter I picked up from RRB Minis & More (and ONE miniature...)
Last but not least was my visit to my friend Rich Brown and his RRB Minis & More booth. Unfortunately, Rich had been unable to 3-D print the main item I was going to buy from him at ATC. It is another medieval building in the "Duncan House" line that he gave me at Battles at the Brewery. I liked how his photos of it looked and asked him to print it up for me. However, problems with his 3-D printer kep him from getting it done in time. Hopefully, he will have it fixed and readied for me before I see him at Hold the Line convention at Camp Perry, OH, Nov. 14-15. In the meantime, though, I sorted through his scatter metal pieces from the venerable Reviresco line. I have picked up numerous computer monitors and other things for Sci-Fi buildings from him before. This time, I grabbed some things to glue onto various buildings, including vent vans, metal doors, and tube ventilators (pictured above). I did break my vow to buy no more miniatures until after the end of the year when I saw the HWV-24 Power Loader, aka Walking Forklift. This would be perfect for an Aliens scenario, right? Hopefully, the miniature inside looks sufficiently like Sigourney Weaver...ha, ha!

    2 crag pieces that I picked up from RRB Minis & More at the last minute as Rich was ringing me up
As Rich was beginning to ring me up, I looked over and saw some 3-D printed crags on his shelves. I snagged a couple of them to add to my Canyon Rocks and Stacks that I painted earlier this year. Rich hadn't brought most of his 3-D printed stuff because he rented only two tables. He admitted to me later in the show he should have gotten a third table! 

    Tufts I use on my bases -- Dad's Armies carried my favorites, so ATC was a perfect place to restock!
Okay, so I lied. My purchases at RRB Minis & More were not the last! One of the things I did this year as Vendor Coordinator for ATC 2025 was wheel around a rolling cart filled with cold water and snacks every 2-3 hours to the dealers. All of the vendors said they really appreciated the service. It also let me check in with them regularly throughout the weekend. Even if I did not buy something from one of the vendors (we had 12), they knew I appreciated them by my regular visits to their booth. While stopping by Dad's Armies booth, though, I noticed that John carried my favorite type of tufts for miniature bases. I picked up one each of the ones I use the most. 

I'm sure that preparing for Advance the Colors put my painting and terrain making schedule behind. Hopefully, now that it is past, I will get back into the swing of things quickly. I'll do another post with photos from the various games at ATC, but after that, expect to see some more Devilry Afoot figures! Oh, and I have updated my Acquired vs. Painted lists below. I'm sure that the fact that I was significantly ahead in Terrain and Scatter had nothing to do with the fact that most of my purchases at ATC were in those categories! Nothing at all...move along, nothing to see here...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 289
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 231

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 53
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 136
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 201

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Historicon 2025 Purchases

Well, I didn't make it. Oh, I arrived at Historicon 2025 with no problem. I am referring to my goal of having my flea market sales cover my new purchases. My sales in the Friday flea market were more lackluster than I was hoping for. About half of the items I brought came home with me, unfortunately. I did make around $200, but some of my big ticket items, such as the MDF ruins from Four Ground and Father and Son Gaming, were not purchased by anyone. My advance purchases with Miniature Building Authority, Diabolical Terrain, and Michigan Toy Soldier & Figure Company set the bar too steep, though. Oh well...they did put a dent in my expenses, though. So, I guess I should be happy! 

    Resin bunkers and sniper positions that I picked up from Miniature Building Authority at Historicon

First, I stopped at the dealers where I had made arrangements ahead of time (or purchases on their website) to pick up at the convention. For Miniature Building Authority, this included more resin terrain for my 28mm Vietnam project. I picked up two Sniper Positions from their Pacific and Vietnam line. I also picked up one of the Coconut Log Bunkers. The final piece was the NVA Jungle Bunker. All four of these are items he has picked up from Acheson Creations and is selling in his catalog. That makes me very happy that at least some of the Acheson stuff I love so well will continue to be available to gamers. Kirk charged me $85, which was a nice (and very appreciated) discount. I do my best to promote his great products, showcasing them here on my blog when I get them painted up and ready for the tabletop. Thanks, Kirk! It was good to see and talk to you at Historicon. I look forward to seeing you at Advance the Colors, Oct. 10-11, in Springfield, OH!

    The remaining three buildings from Diabolical's "Tatooie" line of 3-D printed Sci-Fi buildings
Next up, was a stop with Ron Weaver from Diabolical Terrain. I think my largest advance purchase was through him, and he had my items all boxed up and ready to go. As I put the box under my arm, Ron asked, "What? You're not going to check them?" I told him no, I trusted him. He also realizes that I showcase his items on my blog regularly, too. Money-wise, my order was about the same size as at MBA, but included quite a few more items -- mostly for my Star Wars skirmish games. First up, I purchased the remaining three of the six "Tatooie" Desert Buildings. I had purchased the first three of these from him at Advance the Colors last year. They were so easy to paint up and I liked them so much that I wanted to get the remaining three models from that line. Also for these games, I picked up all nine pieces from the Canyon Rocks and Stacks line of 3-D printed terrain. I had picked up the Desert Rock Formations also at ATC, and I liked them so much that I wanted to complete my collection for Star Wars games out in the wilds of Tatooine. His 3-D printed products are always high quality, so I like to buy things from his booth every time I see Ron at a convention. 

    I liked the Desert Rocks I picked up last year so much, I bought the 'Canyon Rocks & Stacks'
My last advance purchase was with Michigan Toy Soldier & Figure Company. As it turns out, their website does not immediately deduct purchases from their inventory. So, my order of half a dozen items was missing three which were out of stock. They were very accommodating, though, and offered to do store credit for the missing items at the convention or ship them when they came in. I perused the booth, but decided to simply wait for them to come in stock. I did pick up the three things they had on hand, though. Two were figure packs from Crucible Crush. One was the Fearsome Flying Head from Native American mythology, while the other was a pack of 28mm English Puritans. The final item was the brown vehicle wash from Vallejo that I use for my miniatures -- especially on skin and colors in the white to tan range. I can almost hear the head or beard scratching from readers through my computer. Puritans? Native American mythological monsters?? Wait. All will be revealed shortly! Well, looking at the picture below, I think I kind of gave it away...ha, ha!

    The Fearsome Floating Head from Native American mythology & some English Puritans
I did not do an advance purchase for my next things I picked up, but it was actually my first stop in the vendor hall. I had contacted Steve from Age of Glory about their Empress 28mm Vietnam line to ensure they were bringing it to the show. He said he would be, and confirmed he had the items I wanted in stock. So, right after lunch on Thursday, I zipped inside the dealer hall and made a beeline for his booth. I had brought along one of my painted 28mm Viet Cong from the Black Sun line to compare sizes. It was as my friend Jim W had cautioned, though. The Empress line is MUCH smaller than the Black Sun figs. So, I cut back on what I was going to buy, and simply picked up the pack of four light machine gunners I needed from their NVA line. I am not planning on mixing the LMGs in with groups of small arms in the rules I am writing, so the size shouldn't be a problem. I also picked up three packs of civilians from their Viet Cong (Armed Civilians) line. I figured that the civilians could be shorter as they are significantly less well fed than the soldiers. I had read in one of the books that the villagers often marveled at how big the Kit Carson Scouts serving with the U.S. were, which they attributed to eating so much American food. I picked up civilian packs DS4, DS5, and DS6. The civilian poses are very nice and have a lot of character, as you can see from the pictures I've added to this post.

    The four packs of Empress 28mm Vietnam that I picked up -- LMGs and a dozen civilians
I drove to the Historicon contemplating more purchases than above. One in particular I really hadn't make up my mind on. I was thinking about starting a new period (gasp!) for next year. I had been reading battle reports on blogs or watching them on YouTube channels for 28mm Horror. I already owned Silver Bayonet, so that was one set of rules I was thinking of using for it. Recently, I downloaded from Wargame Vault the Devilry Afoot rules. Silver Bayonet is set during the Napoleonic Wars while Devilry Afoot is set during the 1600s or 1700s. If I pulled the trigger, I would base them in frontier America during the one of the series of wars fought in the New World. I already have a very large collection of 28mm native Americans and frontiersmen, as well as British and French. I have even purchased a number of Native American mythological creatures as I was contemplating doing a supplement for Song of Drums and Tomahawks were the boundary between our world and the spirit world was broken. However, my friend Mike Stelzer declared he was also considering doing that, so I backed off and let him run with it! Still, I had most of the figures I would need except for specialist characters and some more traditional monsters.

    Pictures from the Badger Games site of the packs that I bought at Historicon for 28mm Horror
I had taken hours going through the website of both Badger Games and Brigade Games. I jotted down (actually typed into my phone) likely packs of character or monster figures. Badger carries the Bad Squiddo Games which has an amazing array of characters from many periods, including the one I would be setting my games in. However, the prices tend to be on the higher end. Brigade Games carries the Silver Bayonet and Dracula's America lines, which tend to be more reasonable. Actually, Badger carries those lines, too, but confirmed by email they wouldn't be bringing them because other folks carry those lines at the show. I slowly went through the figure packs at both vendor booths, and finally decided I would pull the trigger on this new period. I told myself I wouldn't try to get it going until 2026, as I wanted to focus my Sunday Night Gaming efforts on the Star Wars skirmishes. However, I would use this opportunity to pick up the necessary miniatures. After all, I am only down on the Acquired vs Painted for Miniatures 237 to 144. That's less than 100...ha, ha!

    Some of the Silvery Bayonet & Dracula's America figures that I bought for my 2026 Horror project
It might have been helpful to have chosen which rules set I was going to use before buying, but honestly, I wanted to try them out myself first. So, I picked out the characters using types that both games had in common. The monsters are very similar, though I would introduce more mythological creatures from Native American stories than a standard campaign in either game might. Between the three lines (Bad Squiddo, Silvery Bayonet, and Dracula's America), there were often the same monster. For example, each of the three produces a "Wendigo" figure from Algonquian folklore. Sometimes I went by the figure I liked best. Other times, I went with the most reasonably priced -- for example, the werewolves from Dracula's America were the cheapest and looked great. For witches, I couldn't resist the Bad Squiddo figures. Yes, the "Angry Witches" pack looks a little whimsical and Wizard of Oz-ish, but I can mix up the colors a bit and don't have to paint them with green skin. It will be hard to resist cackling, "I'll get you my pretties...!" in the first game, though...ha, ha! 

    Some of the 17th-18th century personality figures I picked up from Brigade Games
I was still missing some key character types, so hit up Brigade Games, again. Both games can have lords, churchmen, and scholars as part of the player monster hunters. So, I went through Lon's collection and then asked his advice when I still couldn't find some things. In particular, I was having trouble with scholars or scientists until he pointed out a pack from the Napoleonic range. They're meant to represent the group of academics that Napoleon took along with him to Egypt. At the edge of my period, but nothing wrong with the odd top hat or two...! 

    Freebie pack of Charlton Heston from Planet of the Apes, a chimp astronaut, & other figure
Other than the odd bottle of paint, that was the extent of my purchases at Historicon. I've been keeping a running tab on my calculator, but it likely doesn't reflect any discounts vendors may have given. I was attempting to pay as much as possible with cash instead of credit card. Still, as mentioned, I fell short of having my flea market sales pay for the things I bought in the dealer room. I'm a little bummed about that, but I realize that I wasn't selling painted miniatures this time, for the most part. Those are what I've earned the most from at previous flea markets. Terrain and odds and ends can add up only so much. I'll have to remember that, and maybe next time begin to dig into my unpainted (and unplanned to paint anytime soon) pile of minis more rather than preparing terrain to sell.  Still, it was a fun time. Although I feel like I kept my purchases under control, my phone's calculator is telling me otherwise! I've adjusted the numbers below of Acquired vs. Painted, so you can see my task ahead to stay in the green!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 145

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 47

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 114

Monday, July 21, 2025

Lots of Cool Looking Games at Historicon 2025

    My friends Gordon and Mike's spectacle colonial game, 55 Days at Peking game at Historicon
My friends and I loaded up the cars Wednesday morning, and set off on the 7-hour or so drive from Columbus to Lancaster, PA. There were six of us in our two vehicles, and we would meet my friend Jason and his son at the convention hotel. We hit a couple patches of rain, but the weather was actually really nice for the drive over and back. No major traffic slowdowns, no Pennsylvania Turnpike woes -- smooth sailing. We arrived and checked in mid-afternoon, having to make a second trip from the car to bring in all the stuff I was selling in Friday morning's flea market.

    My first game at Historicon 2025 was 'Black Hawk Down - Secure the Crash Site' - a beautiful table!
After getting our badges (more smooth sailing) and saying hi to a few folks we knew, we decided to head down to Columbia Kettle Works and have a beer to relax. While there, we enjoyed some Mexican food from the attached restaurant when we got hungry. Jason and Graham arrived in town shortly after we did and met us there. Later that evening, we met upstairs at the convention for board games on a spare table. We used a game of Martian Dice to break us into a "winner's" group of four and a loser's four-person table. That should have been a sign to me how my weekend would go as far as winning or losing games, but I was blissfully unaware. I even won one of the two games of Kingdomino we played at our table. It would prove to be the only game I won all weekend! We sat around and talked for awhile, then went to bed as most of us had morning games.

    Delta Force operators & the wounded crew atop a rooftop hammering Somalis all game long
My first game was a Black Hawk Down scenario. The GM had set up a beautiful table, using many Miniature Building Authority structures, as well as Acheson Creations, and some 3-D printed ones that I didn't recognize. A nice die cast "Little Bird" helicopter hovered over the table on a tall radio antenna stand, and Super-Six-One, the downed Black Hawk, smoked in one corner. It was already surrounded by a squad of Delta Force, who had pulled the injured crew free at the start of the scenario. On the opposite long table edge, the convoy of Humvees with with several squads on foot were ready to race across the table and secure the crash site (the U.S. orders). In between them, were the hidden squads of Somali militia (one of them mine -- I didn't really care which side I played, so ended up on the militia side).

    The convoy, under orders to secure the crash site of Super-Six-One, moves out under fire 
The GM was using Ambush Alley rules, which I had played once before. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with them when I played them the first time. It seems to me a less intuitive set of rules, where you struggle to understand what dice to roll, and the GM's consultation or explanation is needed for just about every action. I've yet to see a concise Quick Reference Sheet (QRS) for players in either game. The GM did say it was a modified version of the rules, so I don't know if I should blame the rules, scenario, or maybe just my own preferences for my disappointment in the game set up on a stunning tabletop. 

    My Somalis in position to fire out the window at the U.S. forces as they move by
So why didn't I like it? The disparity between the militia and the American forces was simply too great to seem in any way realistic. Militia received one attempted action per turn. The Americans essentially had an unlimited number of "reactions" (read: shooting) to every action on the tabletop. Here's an example. Say, a squad of rangers is moving down the street. A Somali squad attempts to shoot at them as a reaction during their move. Each side dices off, looking for successes on their designated number of attack dice (4+). However, the Americans were rolling d8's or d12's (and generally more of them), while the Somali d6's. If they get more successes, the militia fail and do not shoot. And not only that -- they're done for the turn. Meanwhile, the rangers fire first against the Somali militia. The militia can't fire back. Later in that same turn, let's say another Somali unit fires at the same rangers. They dice off, with the U.S. likely beating the Somalis and firing and inflicting casualties first. If a third Somali unit fires at a completely different U.S. unit (not those same rangers), our first unit of rangers can take yet another "reaction" if they're in line of sight. They interdict fire at the Somali unit even thought they're not even the target. If a fourth militia unit fires at yet another U.S. unit (or even the first one), guess what? The rangers fire again!

    The GM points out which of the U.S. players will react first in line as they relentlessly grind us down
I'm sorry, but that kind of system of unending reactions is simply ludicrous. No unit has its head on a swivel so coolly and calmly to blast away at half a dozen different targets in the chaotic mess that is modern combat. There were even reactions to reactions! A Somali unit tried to do reactive fire from a rooftop at a ranger unit moving past them. A different U.S. unit in line of sight of those Somalis would test reaction, win (of course), and fire first at those Somalis reacting to a different U.S. unit. Note that they were not in Overwatch. There was no point -- they could "act" instead and also endlessly react to anything they could see. With so many reactions and reactions-to-reactions, you can imagine the GM was clearly overwhelmed. He was beleaguered with constant "I want to fire here..." and "I want to react to that..." I can't imagine actually running the game was anything but an exhausting experience for him. 

    My Thursday evening game was my friend Jason's Stargate one - here are our alien enemies
I hate to say it, but the rules seemed to be changing throughout the game, too. First, any unit shot at could fire back, then later Somali units that failed a reaction were "spent" and could do nothing. There were 2-3 turns in a row where all my guys on the table did absolutely nothing. We were given a small half-unit as reinforcements each turn for the U.S. players to blow away, and boy did we need them! Towards the end of the game, the GM was all but throwing reinforcements at us as we were ground down to pulp by the fire and reactive fire of the U.S. troops. I did see him conferencing with his play testers (who had signed up for the game, too), trying to patch up the tears that were quickly becoming apparent in the scenario and game. Of course, if you were a U.S. player, I'm sure it was great fun! You got to shoot 3-4 times or more during a turn and were always doing things. If you were Somali, you spent a lot of time simply watching and removing casualties. 

Stargate troopers unfavorably illuminated by the glare of a setting sun coming in through the window
So, at the end of my first game, I was 0-1 in Win-Loss, but even more importantly, 0-1 in satisfaction with how the game or scenario was run. Too many players, too complex of a sequence in the rules, and everyone clamoring for the GM's attention to do something. I think he knew I wasn't pleased with how the game was being run, but when he asked for my input, he would cut me off in mid-sentence and pitch his idea on what to tweak to his play testers. I guess I should learn that just because a game is beautiful (which his game definitely was), doesn't mean it always plays well. Note to self: NEVER play Ambush Alley again...ha, ha!

    My troopers hugging the cover of the temples after grabbing the alien tech on our side of the board
The game I was most looking forward to play was my friend Jason's Stargate game. Although I was never a fan of the series, his figures and terrain he was preparing for the game looked so cool. I really wanted to play! So, I was hovering online when Historicon's event registration opened. Jenny and I were able to snap up two of the spots in his Thursday evening game. Unfortunately, he had been placed in one of the hallways (I'm sorry, "foyer") outside of the third floor Heritage Room. I felt bad as the lighting detracted from rather than showing off his terrain. At the start of the game, we had a strong setting sun slanting across the board, throwing shadows. Then, as it it grew dark, it got pretty dim in the foyer. My photos from his game turned out pretty bad and did not do either his figures or terrain justice. 

    T'Leek's Gambit - my ultimately failed attempt at breaking the tie and seizing victory from the enemy
The scenario was a two-sided, four player game. Jenny and I played the Stargate humans and our opponents were the Jaffar (or whatever they are called). Jason uses the 7TV rules which are pretty interesting for the odd event cards which can influence the game in unexpected ways. We were each trying to search for and seize alien technology in the Ancient temple-like structures. After our game, Jason listened to our suggestions and moved the two rows of columns, statues, and structures closer together for his next game. As it was set up for our game, each side advanced, grabbed cover, and snagged the objectives on their side of the table. Then we hunkered down and shot at each other. The only other way to get more victory points was to kill an enemy player's "Star" or "Co-Star." Looking at my my character's abilities and gadget cards (we each chose three from a randomly dealt hand of six), I decided my co-star T'Leek (I think that was his name) would dash up and try to kill my opponent's co-star.

    My Korean team arrives on the board via a boat in Temple of the Dragon, a Silver Bayonet scenario
Remember back when I mentioned I did not win any of the games I played in (other than that one Kingdomino)? Well, the dice did NOT cooperate with T'Leek's gambit. The opposing player rolled four straight 6's on a d6 to save all of the wounds that I put on his guy. Frustrated, T'Leek played his "Disguise" gadget and dashed back to our lines. My opponent was emboldened by his successes, and sent his star after T'Leek. The dice were determined to see me lose, though, and my co-star was soon lying dead. Victory went to the enemy aliens by the 2 points they got for killing T'Leek. I quizzed Jason after the game about how he balanced the forces. It seemed to me that the enemy's special abilities were way more useful than ours. One of their stars had the ability to return any casualty to the table on the turn after it is killed. Since the very necessary "plot points" -- which you use to move troops and reinforce die rolls -- are determined by your number of troops, we were on the wrong end of a steadily increasing disadvantage. Still, it was a tight game on my half of the field. Had I not been frustrated by the die rolls, we could easily have won. Jenny said she got walloped on her half of the table, but had still been able to snag her objectives and withdraw to the stargate. 

    After our tardy arrival, we encounter a Qilinn (Ki-rin?), which we persuade to join our side
I much, much more enjoyed Jason's quiet, four player game over the chaos of Mogadishu in the morning. I don't think a player should ever have to clamor for their turn to do something in a game. Every game should have a turn sequence that is clear and makes sense. Otherwise, it is too easy for the boisterous, outspoken players to take over a game from those who are politely waiting their turn in the game to do something. Jason's game had a clear order and I always knew when to do what actions I was planning. I was 0-2 in Win-Loss, but 1-1 in enjoying my games.

    Not far away, the Japanese team fights the evil Spider Queen and her minions
The next morning was my flea market session, which I will talk about in my next post on my purchases. Instead, I will fast forward to Friday evening's Temple of the Dragon game. The GM was one of Jenny's favorites. She always tries to sign up for one of his games at Historicon. He was a very well-spoken gentleman with the flair for the dramatic. He dresses up in costumes for his games, and delivers an opening soliloquy with a theatrical flair. The table was drop-dead gorgeous! All of these things add enjoyment to a game. The game was set somewhere in Asia, in a valley surrounded by mountains and cut through by a river with a small village near the center. Temples and monasteries overlooked the village, and scattered throughout the table were Chinese coins or shiny tokens representing encounters or possible hiding places for the five scrolls we were seeking to win the game. Each would summon a dragon, and with the impending crush of evil brought on by world warfare, only their help would save humanity. He used modified Silver Bayonet rules, which I owned, had read (and watched games on YouTube), but never played.

    The English team, with its Frankenstein monster, confront a Plague Demon the bridge over the river
There were a LOT of players, though. Our group was well represented among them. There were Jason and his son Graham, Jenny, Mike S (whose car we drove to Historicon in), and myself among them. We each had a force of 7+ figures from various nations (mine were Korean). Possibly to speed things along, he had doubled the movement rate of all troops. However, since player factions activated one after another, this meant all but one of the numerous coins or markers had been seized by other players before my second-to-last Koreans got their first turn. As each marker was revealed, the flaw in this grand edifice became clearer, though. There were simply too many players controlling too many figures. Plus, the GM was needed for nearly every interaction. Even the assistant GM did not know what would be revealed by each coin or marker that players encountered. From the time the we were given our forces, to when my Koreans made their first move, an hour had already passed.

    The temple mount, where the Dragon King was supposedly buried, is fought over by 3 factions
Although the GM had given us the basics of Silver Bayonet prior to the game's starting, he had modified it enough that his interaction was needed on virtually every encounter between opposing forces. In Silver Bayonet, figures are supposed to move one at a time. If it attacks another figure or creature, that figure can immediately strike or fall back, if it survived. Most targets of attack that I observed during the game were not given this opportunity. I am a novice at best with these rules, but I could see multiple things being done incorrectly (at least according to how the rules are written). We were also given the opportunity to move on our second action, which meant the GM's doubled movement became essentially quadrupled. Thus, the mounted units could move four feet across the table on one turn! And we were also allowed to "charge" as part of this second movement, so it became quite the disadvantage if your force was moving last in the sequence of players.

    Second Seminole War pitting tribal skirmishers against uniformed U.S. infantry battling in a swamp
As it was, we played only three turns. The combination of too many players, too many figures, lack of clarity in the rules, and needing to consult with the GM (even the assistant GM needed to ask him things) meant the game progressed too slowly. I know a lot of folks enjoy wild and woolly gaming sessions like this game. However, I know how stressful running a game at a convention can be. So, I am not going to hammer the GM with questions or badger them like a kid wanting his parents to buy him something at the toy store. So, in addition to my "No more Ambush Alley" rule, I may have to add another. No more huge games! If a convention game is slotted for more than, say, six players, I don't think I will sign up for it. And Historicon seemed replete with games with massive numbers of players. With few exceptions, I've found these games tend to be less than pleasant experiences. I know many wargamers love spectacle, but after decades of running miniatures games, I believe it takes a very finely honed and crafted game to be successful with that many players. I've found too many GMs can't harness the dragon that they've unleashed.

    One of my bands of skirmishers hidden from sight of the U.S. troops, waiting to pounce
How did my force do? Well, we recovered one of the five scrolls we were looking for, lost no figures, and killed several enemy. Frankly, though, I have no idea how to answer that question. His stated goal of one force trying to seize all five scrolls was flatly impossible -- even with his generous movement! At the end of the game, his cryptic comments really could only be interpreted as none of us won...but the vampire faction definitely lost...ha, ha! In fact, we were actively arguing about whether we were supposed to actually summon the dragons with the scrolls or simply hold onto them. My Koreans said no -- the danger from Evil just wasn't present on the tabletop. Heck, only one of the dozen or more factions were evil. The others were all -- in the Silver Bayonet world -- fighting Evil. 

    I loved the GM's gators scattered in ponds across the tabletop!
So, the Koreans decided to hold onto the scroll until the danger of Evil became imminent. The other three players with scrolls chose to summon their dragons. So, even that aspect of the game was unclear! Still it was quite the spectacle, and I hear that he won an award for the event he hosted Saturday evening. So, congratulations to the GM, but I honestly feel this scenario was simply not as enjoyable as it could have been. So, I guess I'm 0-3 in Win-Loss at this point. Worse, I'm 1-2 in games I honestly enjoyed.

    My Seminole skirmishers leap out of the cover, fire a volley, and then retreat back out of sight
Heading into Saturday, I was in a somewhat pessimistic mood. Long ago, when our group regularly attended Cold Wars, I would keep the convention programs and highlight the names of GMs who ran what I considered to be unenjoyable games. Would I need to start doing that again? I thought I had learned to decipher clues in the event descriptions to avoid games I wouldn't like. For example, I don't enjoy games where the GM deploys the troops on a terrain-less tabletop, and all you can do is march forward and roll dice. Another thing I avoid is the 20' long table with 20 players and their troops lined up shoulder to shoulder that get in only two or three moves. Unfortunately, there are always slow players (and slower rules), and with 20 players, you're bound to have a number of them in your game! Oh, and I avoid all micro-armor games because GMs tend to be unable to resist plopping down every tiny model they own onto the tabletop! 

    Firefights break out all throughout the swamp, with the Seminoles starting to get the worse of it
Would Saturday break my streak of games I didn't enjoy? Things looked promising when I showed up for the 2nd Seminole War using Sharpe Practice rules. The terrain looked really cool (I know, I know -- I just said no guarantee!), as did the miniatures. The table would not be flooded with troops. In fact, my force was just two units of six figures plus leader of skirmish infantry. I had never played Sharpe Practice, but was very interested in buying them. I'd watched play throughs using the rules on the YouTube channels Graham's Wargame Vault and the Crusty Colonel. If I enjoyed the game, I planned on buying them. The GM and players were very laid back and soft spoken, which also boded well.

    Our last desperate chance for victory as our largest tribal band jumps out of ambush and charges
As the game got underway, I was able to employ the harassing tactics of my Seminole skirmishers against the U.S. infantry. I was getting the hang of the rules, too. However, Sharpe Practice is one of those sets where your unit leader's card is in a deck that is shuffled each turn. So, it is suspense whether you will activate before or after your opponent. What's more, there's a "Tiffin" card that triggers the end of the turn. So, your unit may not activate at all that turn. There are generic flag cards for each side that are set aside as the turn progresses. If the turn ends before your leader's card comes up, you can activate one of those units with a flag (assuming one of them came up for your side). Things were progressing fairly well for the Seminoles (despite our opponent's excellent dice rolling) until the bottom suddenly fell. We began to get the short end of the card flipping turn sequence over and over for several turns. 

    My final game was a Sci-Fi skirmish called 'Star Schlock', featuring the Siman Empire vs. Mutants
At one point, the U.S. unit opposite my skirmish unit on the far right had its opponent activate four times before we had a chance to do anything. My center unit didn't have much better luck and the opposing U.S. infantry were able to simply walk up and blow us away. This was definitely not the fault of the GM, who did a great job helping us with the rules and keeping the game moving along. Sharpe Practice moves quickly, especially with as few units as we had on the tabletop. Still, we had a chance to seize victory despite our poorer dice rolling and unfavorable cards. My co-commander had held off his biggest and toughest unit. He deployed them in ambush and they emerged from the trees and charged into the U.S. infantry's largest unit, which was actually two deployed side by side. The Seminoles charged the closest of the two in the flank and shattered them. The Army Morale feature of the rules suddenly was closer (we had been significantly behind all game). 

    My mutants included a white-robed 'Missionary' mutant with a fearsome mental blast
The U.S. player took a big risk and charged our victorious big unit frontally on the next turn. The player had been rolling great all game, so was confident. The dice were rolled, casualties inflicted, and then each player had to check to see if their leader was killed. The U.S. player flubbed that die roll and down he went! However, so did ours, and our Army Morale dropped to zero. We'd lost -- chiefly, in my opinion, due to poorer die rolls and unfavorable card flips. Still, the game had been fun. The figures and terrain were excellent. With only four players, it was calmer and more enjoyable. I might be 0-4 in Win-Loss, but at this point, I had enjoyed half of my games...woo-hoo! Based on the experience, I did decide not to buy the rules, though!

    As always, there are some amazing looking games at a historical miniatures convention!
The final event on Saturday night was one that used the Star Schlock rules. The Simian Empire was facing off against mutated humans on a mining planet. Jenny and I joined the mutant side in this six player game. The table was clearly divided into thirds and then again into six sectors by the centerline. You weren't limited to attacking only the faction straight ahead of you. Players could move left or right into a different sector, which happened to me when Jenny's opponent sent reinforcements to help the apes across from me. We each had a number of 5-figure units and one or more individually based hero or leader types. I had five mutant bands and one "Missionary" mutant leader.

    Another look at this game (which I did not play in), which was tearing down when I happened by
The GM and his son did a fantastic running the game. They were patient, kind, and thorough in explaining the rules and especially in coaching us on how to grasp the mechanics of the game. I would have to admit Star Schlock is a relatively complex rules set when it comes to how to activate and fire your troops. Both did a wonderful job helping us understand it, and by the end of the game, I think I could actually run it for another group of players. That is very well done! The rules author was in attendance at Historicon, too, and he stopped by to check things out. I asked him about a play balance issue and he explained it very well to me, how the seemingly weaker troops were those that were not trained in combat operations like my mutated humans and missionary. I'd noticed the other types -- actual trained soldiers -- were tending to win the initiative and get more actions. He explained to me it was to represent their superior experience and command structure. 

    A close up of one of the foreign legations (Austrian?) in Gordon's '55 Days at Peking' game 
I know that I've revealed the ending, and our mutants received a solid drubbing at the hands of the Simian Empire (and their allies, the NOT-Star Wars Galactic Empire). We kept things respectively close, but it was a foregone conclusion as our ranks dwindled and they were able to maintain control of the central objectives. I had a lot of fun, though, and would not be averse to playing these rules again. Would I buy them with all of the other Sci-Fi rules I'm playing? Likely not. However, if someone invited me to a game of Star Schlock, I would certainly play. Especially if the GM were one of the two running the game as they were clearly the best I encountered at Historicon 2025. 

After the evening session of games, our crew of eight sat around and chatted while some of us enjoyed a beer or two. It had definitely been a fun time together. Although I was 0-5 in Win-Loss, I am satisfied with 3-2 in signing up for what I considered fun games. Above .500 "winning" percentage! I should note that I am NOT saying the games I didn't enjoy were run by poor game masters. I am simply saying that their game mechanics or scenario design needed more honing. Like I said, I'm sure the U.S. players walked away from the Black Hawk Down game having enjoyed a rollicking good time. And some players may have reveled in the spectacle woven by Tomb of the Dragon King. Perhaps it was me, but the flaws I felt were present prevented me from fully enjoying them -- despite their two tabletops being the most beautiful I played in all weekend! So, as we drove home the next day, I was in a positive mood having enjoyed my attendance at Historicon yet again.

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 144

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 46

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 112