My Historicon 2018 Day Trip

Hurrah!  After a long engagement in Fredericksburg, Historicon has returned to Lancaster!  And that is good news for a guy like me who only could only day trip.  The bad news?  It returned to the Lancaster Host, which is still in the midst of it's renovations.  

Regardless it was an excuse to wake up early and travel down for a day with my daughter Maja. 

Required pre-trip selfie....

After decades of cross-country road trips, anything over two hours takes its toll, and Lancaster for us is exactly two (if we obey all traffic laws).  We may or may not have been making fabulous time prior to reaching the outskirts of Manheim, when we were met with a closed road and a detour that only have been been ten minutes, but it felt like ten miles of remote country back roads.  *Spoilers* We made it on time and decided to take 222-->61-->81 on the way back home.

We were greeted at the Host to road cones and men bedecked in "Security" vests, guiding us through the construction zone.  The front entrance is currently covered up and fenced off, and we meandered to the overflow lot... and then to the grass overflow lot after that.

At 9:22 in the morning.  I may have made a little prayer to the air conditioning gods as we parked.

Let's be honest, HMGS was smart enough to send us an email giving us a frank assessment of the place:   Parking spots were still being taken up by containers full of supplies for the remodel, the rooms were finished, but a number of reservations were transferred last-second to a Wyndham hotel a mile away, and there would be no food service on the lower level, replaced with gaming tables.

With that knowledge in hand we walked to the registration area and picked up our badges within 15 seconds.  Safe, secure, and a few complimentary items later, we were on our way to the HAWKS room.

Instead of Maja's regular spot in the Lego Pirates game, I decided to sign us for the Skirmish at Schlegel's Farm Civil War Kid's Game.  Simple rules, fast pace, just bloody enough, but no rules for the chickens.

Despite Maja's general leading a charge down the main road without any troops following her, the Rebels won the day (barely).  Part of the card-based initiative process was a "Civil War Fact" card for each side. If one of the kids could provide a fact about the Civil War, they could give an extra activation to any unit on their side.  Fun concept, except this was Maja's first time learning about the Civil War, so her facts were stretching the rules a bit.  She did warm my bitter heart as we left the room, "Daddy, can we buy a book on the Civil War so I can learn about it."

Big Aliens

From there, we perused Wally's Basement (aka the flea market.  More on that later), and with a hungry child and limited on-site food options, we walked across the street to Golden Corral.

And six buses.

I was pleasantly pleased as punch that the staff moved as quickly as they did and our wait in line to be seated was no more than twenty minutes.

The nine-year old refueled, and Dad happy for a full stomach and competent staff, we walked up and around to the Dealer's Hall.  Even more construction, as the took the road behind the building and saw the Dealer's parking lot dug up.   For mid-day, the temperature inside was great, the lighting was great, and the HMGS volunteers were a bit... enthusiastic.  Rare have I  ever seen a grumpy volunteer (okay, perhaps behind the registration computers in years' past), but the numbers of ridiculously pleasant and outgoing staff... on a Saturday was a fantastic surprise.

Maja was treated like the rock star she is. A talkative kid at a historical wargaming convention is not only new blood for the hobby, but a full 180 degree change compared to the guys I've talked to who started up a conversation with me about Napoleonic era women's undergarments.... I still have no idea who they were.

I picked up the few items I was looking for and we ventured back into the Host for some water and Hobby University.

My Ral-Partha space dude vs Maja's Bricklayer

The Hobby U seminars looked full and the paint-n-take had just enough room to squeeze in.   I'm not one to look a free program for attendees in the mouth, but they either need to push the donation jar again, or HMGS needs to allocate a few more bucks to the project.  I could not find black, white, or any gray in any of the paint tubs. I realized this after Maja's little bricklayer was building a wall with silver mortar.   With this week's heat, we'll get it corrected in the cool confines of the basement.

MBA Middle-East Table

We ran into some old friends, Maja ran off to the Kid's Zone while I zoomed through the flea market again.

I noticed the Crescent Root buildings in the foreground before I saw the dragon.

After hanging with the friends and charging a quickly dying cell battery on the car charger (first time in years I forgot the plug-in version), it was finally time for the Gnome Wars game on the MBA Castle table.  

The German column would never make it to relieve the castle.  

Twenty+ players, hundreds of miniatures, and one large bier truck explosion made it into an extravaganza us regulars simply call "An HMGS Gnome Game."  Of course, Jim "The Gnome Guy" Stanton slyly commandeered me to run the lower half of the table. 

For Maja, the high points of the con involved "Friend of the Blog" Mike Lung.  First was the discovery that he may or may not work for an organization with a panda on their logo.  Second was Mike offering her his Eggyptoos ducks for the battle.

We never decided which Duck Dynasty these troops were from....

Disclaimer:  The ducks are not Brigade Games, so they don't qualify for the ever-popular "Bring Your Own Unit" rule, but Mike did turn the Confederate Nurse into a kick-ass Duck Cleopatra for the unit.  

The Eggyptoos performed admirably, taking up the rear, but breaking through the French line near the end of the game.  

With victory clearly in the enemies hands, I called our side of the table, helped clean up the carnage, and made a Wawa stop before heading home.  I pulled into driveway 1:42am and got Maja just awake enough to get out of the car and up the stairs to bed.  Mission Accomplished.

                                                

THE HOST:  We all knew this was going to trouble before the HMGS e-mail.  I heard nothing but rave reviews about the rooms that were available.  Outside a few rooms that would be stuffy if the doors were left open in the dead of winter, the AC was phenomenal (still brought and used deodorant, because I like most of my fellow attendees).  Outside of the pictures on the blog, I didn't use my phone much, but the battery dropped like a brick.  It did connect to the hotel wi-fi all by it's lonesome and that seems like a illogical reason, but the only one I can think of.

Parking: The only thing that truly got worse from Cold Wars! Containers blocking vital parking spots, construction wiping out even more, and with Historicon's increased attendance, I was happy to see "Security" moving us around and the use of the grass field for overflow.  

Events:  There were grumblings of event cancellations and no-show players, but the Distelfink ballroom and the HAWKS room were packed every time I walked by.   WW2 and Napoleonics rarely interest (hence why there are no pictures), and Maja's newfound Civil War interest did make us stop by a few tables.  

Dealer's Hall:  Temperature was great, lighting was good, and the new and improved balcony was used for more dealer space!  The best part was the slightly shorter walked down the back of the building was partly shaded.  Having survived the Turkey Path at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon this month any hills were more than reasonable, especially with shade!

Happy that we're able to take required Dealers Hall pictures from the balcony again.

Flea Market: Still in the theater, so....

Lighting in the Flea Market

Just kidding, extra lighting had been added, but it was a minor improvement for some tables, although no miner's helmets were required to peruse anyone's wares.

The real flea market with the added "Thousand Points of Insufficient Light"

Plenty of good deals, even if we hit the tail end of each session.  Gotta love some of the more unique items on the tables:

Knowing this exists is half the battle.

THE SWAG:  Historicon even as a day trip wasn't on my schedule until late, and after some money issues in June, it wasn't going to be a shopping trip like Cold Wars is for me.   Pics to follow once I assemble everything.

• Putin on a Bear from Brigade Games was the only mandatory purchase for the con.  Also grabbed a Walter White, and Rambo-Mueller.  
• Two packs of Nazi Guards from Pulp Figures.  I have no use from them yet, but they were too cheap in the flea market to pass up.  
• Darkest Africa: Swazi from Foundry.  Same reason as above.
• Soviet Aircraft Decals from I-94.  
• Reaper Bones Wild West Wizard of Oz minis

Maja's swag:

• An "Outstanding Sportsmanship" medal from the HAWKS game
• Easter Island heads from Windsword.  
• Dice
• A free copy of the Six-Sided Simulations VEX flag card game.  Maja loves it, but Dad is simply gaga over it.  We will be purchasing other decks of cards.
• And the best purchase of the con, the coffee table Ken Burns Civil War book... FOR A BUCK!  Her eyes bugged out when I handed it to her, and she tired out easily carrying it around in her drawstring bag.  It has a prominent place on her desk in her room, and neither father nor daughter could be any happier.  

And, of course, the mandatory pics of the awesome Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago board.

Time to figure out my Fall-In! event!!!