Visiting Mepacon 47 and Following the Theme to a T

 I was bad boy this weekend.  

There was simply too much going on this weekend, but gaming related, I hopped in the car after work and drove down to Mepacon 47 in Bethlehem, for just a few hours. 

And true to it's theme, Covert Operations, I used subterfuge and misdirection to visit some old friends, drop off a package, and evidently, pick up a new one.  

My primary purpose was to visit my friend Scott, who was running Battletech for Catalyst.  After reviewing the con events from the mess that is Tabletop Events, I finally uncovered he was one of four Catalyst GMs at the con, and this was a perfect time to gift him with some of the building I won at the Toys for Tots raffle at Fall-In! 2024 last weekend.  I luckily got there during down time between session and shot the breeze with him and our other friend, Droz, who was the Shadowrun GM supreme for the weekend

Not only did Scott appreciate my gifts, they were put to use less than a half hour later in his game.

 To my surprise, Scott walked away and came bag with a plastic bag... full of minis!   He somehow acquired seven of the holiday promo blisters from Reaper and thought of me!  

As they set up for their sessions, I wandered about, snapping photos, running into old acquaintances, even buying two cupcakes while following the theme of Covert Operations.

Because I wandered around the con with my lanyard of nearly a decade of old Mepacon badges, but I had not registered.  

The Grand Ballroom

The only foul taste in my mouth for the 2 1/2 hours I was there?  The row of tables lining the hallway at registration were still there, full of the sign in sheets for games, but the spaces to fill your name in was deleted and replaced with this note:  

Freaking Tabletop Events!  

There were about 200 folks at the con Friday night, with plenty of full tables, and probably a lot more attending on Saturday.  I have some gripes that the con is shorter than Fall-In! yet pricier, and the fact there's only one storefront in the vendor area. with the rest of the tables dedicated to designers and and ancillary gaming items. 

I love my figures from Scott, but the Christmas Caroling Mousling and the Christmas Present Mimic are my favorites.  More stuff to screw up the painting queue. 

Since I'm not attending Cold Wars next year, Mepacon 48,  April 4-6, should be under consideration, with me running events. Heck, maybe even Maja and Millie can become "traditional" GMs.  

The con is moving to the Delta Hotel in Allentown, off of PA-100, and Tru Best Western will be no more before Thanksgiving. getting torn down for another warehouse in the area.