Lost Dispatches of Feraso #70 - Just Like Hommlet

16 of Hexdec, 1147 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
When I finally visited Hommlet, I remember remarking how every village seemed to pattern themselves after one model.  Eding is as close to Hommlet as any village has been to another.  The floorplan of the Blue Wizard is identical to the Welcome Wench.

Even the items that don't match up are close.  Eding has no small keep (Lord Athelstane stays in a manor just past the first fields), but the spot for said keep was replaced with the parade grounds for militia training.  The temple of Akana is missing, although its spot is still half-cleared.  The church plans on building a temple there "someday."

It was less than two years ago that Eding lost the "Free Village" title it proudly promoted like the Free Town of Omsjik.   King Celowin decided his next land grant to be given to one of his knights would be Eding.  Few know the background of Lord Athelstane.  White Knight of Crosedes.  Single, definitely with an odd accent in the Crosedean dialect and Trade-Prythax.

I'm getting mixed signals as to what the village thinks of the man, but for many, they're strangely indifferent to the weird and unusual.  When I broached the subject of the identical village planning with other thorps, I made a joking question, asking if there was a nearby abandoned moathouse with evil elemental cultists manning in, and was met with odd (sometimes horrified) looks.

....

28th of Hexdec, 1147 - Village of Eding
It's not often that I write of platonic relationships, but I believe I discovered my first friend in Eding.  Caton Beauvau is a womanizing farmer who may or may not have served as a caravan guard into southern Crosedes and part of the Senzar colonies.

It appears that parts of his stories must be true, but he holds his liquor, stays out of fights, and might have arranged to have me purchase a small house near the proposed Temple of Akana land.

Caton Beauvau

I guess I'm finally settling down.  With my funds, I can live quite comfortably into my old age.   I can travel to most parts of the kingdom with a week's leisurely ride, and so long as I don't get into any noble intrigue during my parade drills, my voluntary enlistment in the Eding militia means I have plenty of new story fodder to listen to at the Blue Wizard.  And best of all, I'm far enough into the sticks that I only need to be called up by my first name... Elsderth.  No Millbottom, No Lord Greyhawk.  Just Elsderth of Eding if things are getting dicey.

Next:  #71 - The New Hometown

Another Month of Gaming (April '20)

Last month, Alliance Game Distribution's Game Trade Magazine was late.  This month it showed up a week earlier. Take that short span and mix in some COVID-19, which has shut down Alliance and her comics-distributing sister, Diamond, and it's not surprising that this month's issue is a bit sparse. The Games pdf still clocks in at 35 pages, but there are a few interesting companies filling in pages:

DC
Marvel
Dark Horse
Imagine
IDW
Dynamite

Lots of Graphic Novels, and of course there's overlap, but that's what a copy of Previews is for...
Add in all the fluff pages, and it's a thin month, May and June might be this bad as well...

(Edit: Due to these unusual times, Alliance just made the entirety of Game Trade Magazine #242 available online. All the articles, all the ads, all the solicitations, and most importantly, DORK TOWER!)

ViscountEric's Want List
Nothing

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Object Want List 
Decision Games
Corrupt Bargain: The 1824 Presidential Election Boxed Set ................... $69.00
If I was the demographic for a game, this would be it....

The Imaginary Store List (The Pegleg Gnome)
Asmodee
Babylonia .......................................................... $49.99
Tokaido ............................................................. $39.99
Tokaido: Crossroads Expansion ....................... $24.99
Tokaido: Matsuri Expansion ............................ $24.99
Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time ............ $40.00
Yukon Airways ..................................................$49.99

Catalyst Game Labs
Battletech Battle Mats ...................................... $29.99 each
Grasslands Alpine, Desert, Luna, and Savanna
Shadowrun RPG: Firing Squad ....................... $49.99

CoolMiniorNot
It appears that CMON has a license to produce a Munchkin (Steve Jackson Games) boardgame, Munchkin Dungeon.  Sixty bucks for the main game with three, thirty dollar expansions.  I may be the only person on Earth who doesn't get the overall appeal of CMON's products (Song of Ice & Fire Minis are an exception), but I can't be the only person to notice that their products haven't been flying off the two FLGS's shelves for almost a year.  

Evil Hat Productions
Fate Core RPG:  Fate Space Toolkit HC ................ $20.00

Fantasy Flight Games
Nothing but LCGs in their solicitations, and zero Star Wars, FFG becomes a waste of space in the magazine for my imaginary store.

Jellybean Games
Meow! ........................................................... $19.95

Konami Digital Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dinosmasher's Fury Structure Deck
Yu-Gi-Oh! Mechanized Madness Structure Deck
Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternity Code Boosters
Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel Match of the Millennium and Twisted Nightmares Starters

Mantic Entertainment
Walking Dead - All Out War Tabletop Omnibus ..... $39.99
Walking Dead - Whisperers Booster ........................ $19.99
Walking Dead - Whisperers Faction Set .................. $39.99

Mondo Games 
Die Hard 1000-Piece Puzzle .................................. $20.00
D&D 1000-Piece Puzzle       .................................. $20.00
GI Joe 1000-Piece Puzzle     .................................. $20.00
Gremlins 1000-Piece Puzzle .................................. $20.00
Jurassic Park 1000-Piece Puzzle .................................. $20.00
Home Alone 1000-Piece Puzzle  .................................. $20.00
Puzzles are thing again....

Monte Cook Games
Invisible Sun RPG: The Threshold ............................... $45.00

Osprey Publishing
A Billion Suns:  Interstellar Fleet Battles ..................... $20.00
Frostgrave 2nd Edition ................................................. $35.00
Gamma Wolves ............................................................ $30.00
Oathmark - Battles of the Lost Age ............................. $35.00

Paizo Publishing
Pathfiner RPG: AP Extinction Curse 6 - Apocalypse Prophet ..... $24.99
Pathfiner RPG:  Flip Maps - Cathedral ........................................ $14.99
Pathfiner RPG: Lost Omens - City of Lost Omens Poster Map ... $24.99
Starfinder RPG AP The Threefold Conspriacy 5 - Cradle Infestation .. $22.99
Starfinder RPG Flip Tiles - Space Station Starter Set ........................... $34.99
Starfinder RPG Pawns Near Space Collection ................. $19.99

Q-Workshop 
Pathfinder and Starfinder Dice Sets ................................. $13.00 each

Steve Jackson Games
Deadly Doodles 2 Expansion ........................................... $24.95
Munchkin: Munchkin Tails .............................................. $24.95

USAopoly
Cup of Noodles Yahtzee .................................................. PI

Wizkids
Pathfinder Battles - City of Lost Omens Boosters
Pathfinder Battles - City of Lost Omens Premium Figures .... $59.99
Adult Red and Black Dragon
Pathfinder Battles - Thieves Guild Premium Set ..................... $59.99
WWE  Heroclix - Wave 2  ....................................... $7.99 each
At least I know I can get a Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Heroclix, if I want one.

Z-Man Games 
Pandemic Hot Zone North America (Stand Alone ) .............. $19.99

We've Been Planning for This Shelter in Place Our Whole Lives

Well before its throw-away mention on the Big Bang Theory, I was quite aware, and in awe of Campaign for North Africa. It may have been the first "new" game I learned about in my first job at a gaming store.  It's the direct inspiration for "The Great War" game that's been set up in the basement of Weird Pete's Games Pit for the last fifteen-plus years in Knights of the Dinner Table.  It's the ultimate guilty pleasure for a wargamer with all the time in the world, and an obsessive-compulsive desire to control the smallest minutiae regarding logistics.

... and if we're going to be trapped indoors for another two weeks, we should be cracking open boxes across the country.   If we start now, we can easily invest two-hundred hours into the game.  That's at least a tenth of the way to completion! (If we skip a few rules...)

Yo Quiero Taco Bell! Viva La Battletech!

A little more off the painting bench.   The greatest piece of Battletech terrain ever creatures, a 6mm resin Taco Bell, currently out of production from Gamecraft Miniatures.

I'm still recovering even some basic colors of paint from my kids' pilfering, so I went with a more subdued sign above. 

"Sir, we refuse to serve large vehicles, and we refuse to serve walk-ups.  That's two strikes against you....

The 15 and 20mm versions of the beloved fast food joint are still available from Gamecraft.

The Mike Lung Gallery #69 - Bumbles!

Another genius implementation of Christmas ornaments, Mike....

...I ordered 3 abominable snowman ornaments last week on Ebay. They all arrived over the weekend. I converted one (removed his arms and the star he was holding...then remade the arms in a better position with putty). The other was just fine as is. I gave them a new summer time paint job....bumbles obviously shed their white winter coat for a brown coat in the spring. The 3rd bumble is still getting converting. He will be holding a club over his head. The mini / baby bumble in the pic is the one I sculpted. Bumbles can now terrorize my Paleo world! Gnomosapiens and Neanderfowls beware!

Treefolk and Other Wood Products

Thanks to the dread which is Coronavirus, I've been able to spend some time on the painting bench, straightening up and putting paint to figures.  

First off, was some glue and flocking for a few of the creatures from the Wizkids' Wardlings line.

With a 28mm Lawrence of Arabia for scale, just because....

Compared to the vast array of pre-painted plastic fantasy minis, the Troll and Treefok are solid, properly painted pieces.  You could re-paint them, but for what I have in store for them, they're perfect, with just a little flocks and a couple flowers from Huge Minis.

I swear these lasercut crates were part of a larger marketplace set from Things From the Basement, but I've been wrong before.

I realize I need a smaller dispenser for the glue.  These are six tiny pieces and a little extra glue wrecked havoc with the smooth surfaces (and my fingers).

And last, but not least, a random table from the more than 70 pieces from Mantic's Dungeon Depths boxed set.

Next: Still knocking the rust off (without using a drybrush to paint it back on).  Taking off the top of the lead pile by catching up on painting con swag from Cold Wars and Fall-In... and I just found another pile in the office.

Maybe it is the Air Quality in the Basement

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #69 - Crazed Old Fools Down By the River

21th of QuaDec, 1147 - Town of Omsjik, Kingdom of Crosedes
After much research that has netted little information, other than I should not travel too far south into Crosedes, I randomly chose one of the many
roads out of Omsjik.  I will travel to the southeast along a branch of the Hydincall River through a few small human and halfling communities, a few detours to logging settlements, and if prospects don't turn out so good, I must turn around before I cross the border into the Duchy of Rhoona and back into Ras-Prythax.

23rd of QuaDec, 1147 - Lake Apotheosis
I was enjoying the Spring weather, the blooming flowers, the chirping birds, and the certain lack of humanoid attacks in this secluded corner of Crosedes, when I spied a peculiar blooming moss (?) off in the distance.  A quick side trek off the main road led me right into the middle of a small, hidden encampment, and the attention of about a dozen residents, all wearing light blue robes.  Not wanting to risk the odds of a dozen men with polearms versus my rusty skill and an unbarded horse, I displayed no threat and waited for one of them to fetch their leader, another blue-robed man named Bechter.

Bechter was quite pleasant once I admit sheer accident and an appreciation of the Spring bloom that brought me into their camp.

Bechter and his men were part of the Guardians of Apotheosis, keepers of some of the crypts of the more recent Kings of Feraso.  The tombs were located across Lake Apotheosis and could only be traversed by boat.

For a secretive group, I advised that the moss-bloom (perhaps it's a symbiotic relationship with a seedling, I have yet to get an answer) was the one item that lured me off the road.  Bechter was worried that the uncovered sheer cliff face might lure more unwanted attention, but would take it under advisement.

The Hydincall River leaving the lake.  The sheer cliffs on the right from the tomb wall a mile or so further along the lake.

The Guardians were quite congenial, offering their own food and even drawing a bath.  Bechter offered a tour of the tombs tomorrow.  I'm quite excited at that prospect and still have trouble sleeping, although there is a thought in the back of my mind that these odd folk are cultists who want to murder me in my sleep.

24th of QuaDec, 1147 - Lake Apotheosis
Good news!  The Guardians are not cultists who wish to kill me.... at least not yet.

After breakfast Bechter sent a few of the Guardians with me to cross the lake and tour the tombs of the Ferasean Kings.  It's no great famed Emperor hiding in here with his fortunes.  The tombs contained the remains of the later Kings, the final ones, the Ruriks and higher number Leifs that no-one remembers.  At some point during the second Galamar Barbarians invasion, the surviving nobility moved the bodies from Ras-Prythax to distant Crosedes for safe keeping, and I suppose no one remembers them missing.

The tombs are quite dusty, bust the Guardians' activities keep the cobwebs to a minimum.  They also repair any stone damage to the sarcophagi inside.  There is no treasure, and a limited library of scrolls the the Guardian's historian, Velmar, maintains.

Upon my return to the camp side of the lake, Bechter invited me to join the group, even temporarily.  New recruits were rare, and my fascination with the tombs, and the proper respect I gave the dead convinced him that I meant no harm to anyone.

The most intriguing part of the offer is the temporary portion.  There's no crazy vow to recite, no giving up your worldly possessions.   A few of the Guardians are known to live it up a little every few months with a trip to the Blue Wizard Inn in a nearby town.  It's like a monastic order without all the crazy rules.

So long as they don't attempt to sacrifice me at some odd point, or make me sacrifice some poor innocent soul, I'll stay for awhile.

...

15th of SexDec, 1147 - Lake Apotheosis
While my last two months here with the Guardians have been reflective and quite relaxing, I can not see myself working with them any longer.  I appreciate their tasks and their devotion, and I certainly appreciate their lax rules, but I need to find somewhere with a few more people.

I'm happy to tell others of the Guardians of Apotheosis.  In fact, a number of the loggers and other merchants who use the Hydincall River wave to the tomb guards as the river empties in the lake at the southeast and exits at the northwest edge.  I commend them for their duties and never questioned the reason for joining this order.

They are not without fault.  The historian's scrolls and tablet cover a wide array of legends, from the end of the world, the return of the original Emperors, and a wide assortment of enchanted weaponry lost during both barbarian invasions, 400 years apart.  I'm familiar with the lost Imperial sword, Bloodbrand, the weapon of choice for the early House Bloodblade, but that's only because it's ornamental carving on many of the older buildings in Feraso City.

Even with their secrets exposed, Bechter is a good man, and if I ever need a place to lay low, I will take him up on his offer to return.

DM Notes:  Lake Apotheosis is one of those sites I wanted to explore more than the base description I originally wrote out, and specifically from a different point of view.  The inspiration for these hidden tombs was part Lord of the Rings, part Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  It's fitting that as I was looking for a real-life picture of somewhere that matches my imagination, Lake Taupo in New Zealand was the winner. 

Next: #70 - Just Like Hommlet

Game Night???

It's officially more than three months since our online D&D group met to play 5e.  Now, I'm more than ready to pick up the GM Screen and run something, but our biggest problem is that it's been myself and one other player all but one night, and I'm not running solo adventures.

We did manage to put together a game of Coffee Shop together for two players, but most of my hearty ideas will require at least three.

I've put out the call on social media for more players, so here's hoping some of my other friends take up the social distanced call on Skype and Roll20.

And for those keeping track at home, my (unlinked) Roll20 pages:
Adventures in Gulluvia - BECMI D&D
Viscount's Workshop - my original mad laboratory for Canadian Call of Cthulhu, most of the Risus ideas (including Illuminati University games)
Aeschere - a placeholder for a Traveller game
"Home" - My Polynesian game.
Burning Trogs Redux - Just in case the Hackmaster group can get together.

Stay healthy, my friends...

Even Self-Isolation Can't Help With My Painting

Even for a chance for Morgan Freeman to voice over my life, I would never be foolish enough to say I would paint all of my minis. 

But I finally got down to the painting table last night. 

Fun confession, as my wife took the girls on an hour-plus walk to burn off energy, I finally took all my stuff from the convention from the office, down to the workbench in the basement. 

No, not the recent swag from Cold Wars... the stuff I grabbed at Valley Forge for Fall-In!   Life has been so busy that I haven't had a proper couple of hours just to retool things and restart the motivation.

Good news, I got my couple hours to clean up the main section of the bench (the other half is a disaster).  Baggies were ripped open, figures based, buildings assembled, and in the end, 33 minis and 2 buildings were primed.

Bad news:  The kids have ransacked my paint and brushes for arts and crafts (Dad is NOT amused).  If I don't kill them, I grabbed some perfectly acceptable brush sets from the dollar store on Friday.  I guess I'll also need to peruse Michael's to replenish some of my paints.

As Monday finally starts my work from home, I'll try to institute a nice mixture of work/online schoolwork for the kids, some exercise for all of us, and at least one type of game per day.  And let's not forget a little painting for the whole family.

I have a feeling the governor will allow us to become "essential" employees by Monday afternoon, but I don't plan on coming in more than two times a week.  

Keep Baby Yoda from Getting Corona

He may be a youngling, but Baby Yoda's still damn near 60, and that's a critical demographic.

The Mike Lung Gallery #68 - Gnomo Sapiens Expanded

With Cold Wars finished, it's time for another round of the crazed sculpts, conversions, and paint jobs of "Award Winning GM" Mike Lung!

For fun, attached are some new gnomosapien pics. I’ve been messing around with them again recently. I added some gnomosapien women to the tribe! Three of the four I did were conversions from Blind Beggar miniatures…I gave them new heads and added some things like bags and a baby in a papoose on one. The other cave girl (the iconic pretty one!) is, of course, the Southern Nurse. 

(Kickstarter) The Greatest Thieves in Lankhmar DCC Boxed Set by Goodman Games

Goodman Games has launched their Kickstarter for their The Greatest Thieves of Lankhmar DCC Boxed Set.

When you open the box, you’ll be in the company of legends. The Greatest Thieves in Lankhmar was first run as a tournament at Gen Con 2019, where 20 nationally competitive teams competed over four fantastic days and three hard-fought rounds. Characters died alone, as they were lost beneath Thieves’ House, flung from rooftops to die upon the hard cobbles, or felled by mind-bending puzzles deep within the Rainbow Palace.

No character has ever survived to the end of this adventure in tournament play. Could yours be the first? After 44% of tables experienced TPKs, and nearly 6 in 10 PCs were killed, one team triumphed to win the tournament. They had the high score under the tournament rules, but were still TPK'd in the end. Every player character to advance to round three has died on that level!

This Kickstarter brings a tournament adventure to players worldwide. One of the stretch goals is a global organized play of the tournament module. The International Tournament of Thieves could be your home group’s chance to see their photograph and scores in print!

Happy Spring!

(Kickstarter) World-Wide Wrestling 2nd Edition by Nathan D. Paoletta

The 2nd Edition of World-Wide Wrestling (Powered by the Apocalypse) is now on Kickstarter.

World Wide Wrestling: Second Edition has the same mission statement as ever: to enable you to create your own professional wrestling promotion through play, showcasing satisfying and surprising storylines. It’s about feuds, championships, betrayal, and righteous victory. It’s about the clash of good and evil on the grandest stage. It’s about whether you’ve got what it takes. And, in the end, it’s about what the audience thinks of your efforts.

In World Wide Wrestling, you play wrestlers competing in the ring for both the adulation of the crowd and to improve your standing in the promotion. This game is about wrestling as a performance with pre-determined endings, telling stories of larger-than-life primordial conflict to the viewing audience. Your character is a professional who has a wrestling personae they play up for the crowd; in the ring, you have partners and rivals among the other wrestlers, but when the cameras are off, you may have very different conflicts and relationships with your coworkers.

Mepacon 38 Postponed

In light of the Coronavirus extravaganza, my local convention, Mepacon 38,  has postponed their April con to a slightly safer weekend of May 15-17 in White Haven, PA.

With all the pandemic zaniness running amok, the new date makes sense, but still sits right in the midst of our still-scheduled Bahamas cruise. 

Mepacon 39 will be November 6-8 at the Mountain Laurel Resort in White Haven, PA (yay, no conflict with the late October Fall-In!)

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #68- The Free Town of Omsjik

14th of QuaDec, 1147 - Town of Omsjik
Upon the advice of some locals, I've ventured south to a town called Omsjik where the "real business of Crosedes" takes place.   During my stay in Hydincall, I realized the one part of society that seemed subdued to the vibrant atmosphere I originally felt: Trade.  For a city so large, there are no crazed markets or bazaars filled with a various and sundry array of merchandise.  If it is there, it's relegated to smaller neighborhoods, or even long-time brick and mortar stores with less agreeable hagglers behind the counter.

All the true trade happens in Omsjik.  For town with no building higher than three stories, it supports a massive economy for this country.

Merchants from southern (and I suppose poorer) Crosedes, stop their caravans' journeys here, dispose of their goods, acquire new ones for the return trip back home.  Only licensed caravans are permitted to carry trade goods from the south to the capital.

Traveling cad, Winston Maless, is denied entrance to one of the more popular bordellos in town.  Time to venture back to Lady Alainia's Pleasure Palace again.

This doesn't mean that merchants, caravan masters, and their guards never visit Hydincall.  They just do it as individuals... or caravan guards on the licensed trips.

The seedy underbelly of Omsjik is far more exposed than it ever was in Hydincall, or anywhere else short of the The Weissmach and Regan.  Black marketeering, illegal gambling, and rampant prostitution are an alleyway off of the the most important streets in town.

All this operates with little issue due to a philosophy the Crosedeans call, in their local dialect "Layzay Fair Commune," which by my rough interpretation means, "Let's Live Together."   Black Market items are obtained from outside the traditional trading partners, and many times taxes are paid from the proceeds.  The illegal gambling community cares for their own, many times kicking out patrons before they go flat broke, and the brothels of the women selling their services are a neighborhood in and of themselves.  Many woman own a stake in their brothel, and many a bastard child in these halls are given an education many in Verbobonc would envy.

Somehow Omsjik has remained an independent town, loyal only to King Celowin IV himself.  The Mayor of Omsjik uses Royal Tax Collectors and his own men to keep peace and order in his town, and it oddly works beautifully.

Omsjik is still too big a town for me, but the good news is numerous small villages can be reached in short time.   I may not wish to live in Omsjik, but I want to be close enough to visit Omsjik (and Hydincall) within reason.

Next: #69 - Strange Men By a Lake

Wave at Me From at Least Six Feet Away, I'm Gnomish

Cold Wars 2020 AAR - Pandemic Edition

"That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane.  Lenny Bruce is not afraid..."

Okay, it might not be the end of the world as we know it, but with COVID-19 ravaging part of the planet and terrifying many others it was the Pandemic Edition of Cold Wars at the Wyndham (Formerly HOST) Resort in Lancaster, PA.

My plan was simple enough:  Help out with the Teachers Program Thursday and Friday and come back home with no new viruses.

After the kids jumped on the bus, I jumped in the car and headed down.

The front is finally finished, and parking has changed... but thanks to Corona, it was a non-issue.

I've never gone down on a Thursday before, and I was just amused to see all the fabulous volunteers trying to get everything together.  With no rogue high schools showing up for the field trip offer from the Teachers Program, I quickly dashed over to Target for a few supplies.

The upper entrance to the dealer hall was closed due to construction.  The Wyndham looks like it will connect to the Outlets access road "Someday."

Toilet Paper?  Not needed but available.
Medication?  A veritable wastleland.
Lamps?  Completely wiped out.  I guess people didn't want to be living in the dark for two weeks.

I came back, wandered around a bit, and finally picked up my badge.  The old Host is gone, replaced by a shiny and new chain hotel whose skin is covering the old frame.  Almost everything is new and perfect.

One casualty of the renovation was the ballroom.  Gone was the old "Distelfink," replaced by the more wedding-friendly "Lancaster Ballroom."

The HAWKs room, pre-HAWKs arrival

The biggest early surprise was the completion of the Lampeter room (the old tournament/flea market area).  The floor was complete, registration expanded its footprint, and the rest of the area would be dedicated to gaming space.  The old Distelfink was divyed up between gaming space and the flea market "Wally's Basement."  With better lighting and much easier loading/unloading, I think HMGS was throwing the flea marketers a bone after years in the dark and dingy theatre.

Registration

I met up with friends, grabbed dinner, checked into my room, and jumped in the Battle of Crécy using a light version of Tactica.

How can the French lose????

Afterward, we partook in some spirts, and past that, we closed out Thursday with a raucous game of Squig Hoppers.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, but Pandemic will be played at 10 tomorrow morning. 

Friday morning I grabbed a late breakfast and skipped Hobby U for the first time ever in favor of waltzing down the hill to the dealers' hall.

The old Tennis Barn cleans up real good, even if construction blocked the far more convenient upper entrance.  On top of that, the overly pleasant weather mixed with the new side entrance meant that air flow was a little stagnant in some spots, and downright hot in others.

I had some time before my event, so I joined up with the Raybox Games demonstrators for a game of Legions of Steel.   As an old-school demonstrator myself 25 years ago, and an inactive playtester of the 2nd edition of the rules (Kickstarter coming soon), it was fun to sit down, see how much I remembered, and try not to kill off my UNE Commandoes.  

It was closer than I wanted, with this old vet of the game pulling out all the stops to survive with one figure running off the board.

After the game of L.O.S. I dashed over to the H.A.W.K.s. room for a presentation/playtest/demo of the Wars of Ozz game (coming soon!)

 As someone who actively looks at options for Wizard of Oz figures, this series, produced by Blue Moon, fills the niche nicely, although I didn't see any troops armed with knitting needles.

Finally, it was time to run the thrice a year Gnome Joust.  With attendees at a premium, we still managed to run a joust for twenty players!

 No bounties, and only a few jousters unhorsed who weren't named ViscountEric, but congrats to Rick Sr for a tremendous victory!

 We moved back downstairs to peruse Wally's Basement.  Outside of the random column or two in the aisles, the lighting was good, access was good, and deals were being down.

 The flea market was the first time I noticed a significant drop in gamer hygiene.  No, I don't mean people weren't washing hands or using hand sanitizer.  There were a few significant cases of gamer stench emanating from the masses, enough to make me not pursue one particular deal.

Shower and deoderant people!

More of the "Award Winning" Wars of Ozz game.

 I wandered back down to Lampeter for a few more games of Squig Hoppers.

 And I won by *this* much...

 Saturday, I wandered around the dealer hall and Wally's (not much in particular), and was more amazed by a strange phenomenon occurring.

People were showing up! 

With neighboring states already hip-deep in states of emergency and schools closing left and right, everyone was worried that once Governor Wolf got his act together, the con would need to shut down.

Instead of some sort of uniform presence on Saturday, I watched a light but steady stream of families coming through registration.   A little ray of hope before we're all stuck in our homes in some capacity for the next two weeks.

THE SITE:  After years of decay and year of renovations, the Wyndham looks like a quality establishment (even if we aren't coming back for a looong time.).  I found a few particular flaws with some renovations, it's such a vast improvement compared to a decade, I won't bring them up.

Bar Service (and stock) was improved from last year, and while the traditional menu seemed overpriced, I have no remorse from spending seven bucks for a pulled pork sandwich and a coke.  

LODGING:  This was the first con I stayed on-site on this property since the Halloween weekend snowstorm from Fall-In! 2011. The rooms are spectacular. Clean sheets, good plumbing, and working HVAC gave everyone a good night's sleep. We didn't have mold, but we did have an odd side room still under construction. It did not affect our experience. I did suffer through "unsecure" free wi-fi, so I could only check my e-mail and nothing else, but when I checked, 93 of them had the subject "Coronavirus."

DEALERS/FLEA MARKET:  The smaller, brighter flea market made things awfully convenient.  Our aging population spills over to the dealers, and five of them canceled.  The holes in the hall were a bit disconcerting, and the crowds were small, but those down there were spending money.  Again, following my rant after Fall-In!, if I had ordered my specialized stuff from the vendors and arranged pick-up for Cold Wars, I would have more swag in my hands.  A lot from my wantlist was unavailable due to canceling vendors or limited booth space.  It happens.

EVENTS:  Lots of cancellations, but I'd like to see the pre-con cancellations compared to the board after Saturday night.   I heard a number of stories of one player, one GM games that were ultimately scrapped, but most of the games I saw in the Distelfink, Lampeter, and the club rooms had plenty of players.  The split between games in Distelfink and Lampeter did create an empty feeling in both rooms.  Plus, in hindsight, there should have only been seven rows of tables in Lampeter, not nine.

Hobby University:  Between the cancelations, Corona fears, and the chance to partake in a fun activity, Hobby U was jumping most times I poked my head in. 

On a similar subject, the Board Game Library found a space in the "Old Battletech Room," which had the best air conditioning in the entire building.  I actively told a few folks/families on Saturday to check out the Library after they hit the dealers hall.

Take Me Down to Ocean City:  It's a bit sad that the last con at the "Host" will go out with a whimper, rather than a bang.  Next year's Cold Wars is moving to Ocean City, Maryland in mid-April.  Moving the con into my kids' AAU schedule will be disconcerting, but less so compared to Fall-In! moving right into my busiest weekend of the years.  Oh well... I'll figure out what can be done...

MY PLUNDER:  Two Kickstarters ending next week put a hamper on my buying spree (plus see my comments above about my unfulfilled want list.)

• The con swag bag with a beer cozy, hand sanitizer, and a fridge magnet for Ocean City was nice.  My kids use the old bags all the time
• 2x MDF houses 
• 10x Post Apocalyptic characters figs.
• 8x  Back of Beyond figures, including the Mad Baron himself, for an RPG scenario.
• Old Glory Pancho Villa - US Personalities set, also for an RPG scenario.
• Old Glory Siwash the Fighting Marine Duck Vignette promo
• 11x Brigade Colonials. 
• A whole pile of "illegal" Koplow Panda Dice.
• 1x Legions of Steel promo Nightmare and the latest copy of the 2nd edition playtest rules...

Given the circumstances, HMGS decided wisely to let the show go on, and most, if not all, of the regular attendees with health issues stayed home.  Our group had a good time and spent some money.  Here's hoping the Saturday day-trippers did as well.  Let's be honest, I probably had a higher chance of contracting something at Golden Corral or Target.

Here's hoping in the next two weeks (I still have to go to work), that I can get some work done on the figures on the painting bench.