Fall-In! 2017 AAR

After missing multiple HMGS cons, ViscountEric has retuuuuurrrrrnnnned.. to.. Fall-In!

And not a moment too soon, as there were rumors of mass hysteria, lamentations, and renovations.

Fall-In is usually the convention that I pull my daughter, Maja, out of school and we head down for some father-daughter time.  Unfortunately, her first gymnastics meet of the season fell on the same weekend, so we had scratched that idea and let me go off on my own.  Luckily, the fates interceded, and my wife arranged to pick up her up Saturday afternoon to continue on to Maryland, while I drove home to handle the dogs and laundry.

Trust me, I won out on that one.

Regardless, two minutes after Maja put her little sister on the school bus, we were ready for our roadtrip... with extra math.

 Apparently, she took my whole, "It's a learning trip," schtick seriously, because for two hour drive, we calculated MPG, MPH, and the distance between towns like two trucking dispatchers, and when we stopped that, she read her book aloud to me so, "You don't have to change the radio station when it gets static."

I may have trained her too well.

We got a parking spot in the near hinterlands and saw a sign of hope:  The infamous Blue Tarp of Doom was gone from the roof, the closest thing to it was a huge swath of blue insulation lining part of the building.

We waltzed right into an empty registration room to pick up our badges.  Even though Maja was a no-go at the time, since she's under twelve and free, I tacked her onto my pre-reg, just in case.

Friday Gnome Wars Set-Up

We meandered around and ultimately helped Jim "The Gnome Guy" Stanton with setting up the board for Friday's Gnome Wars game.

15mm Western

Great War Trench Warfare gone mad!

With some time to kill, and no true schedule to follow, we moseyed over to the Kidszone (even if she's a little old for it) and finally to Hobby University for the paint-n-take.

Friday's work at the paint-n-take

Maja training for Ninja Warrior

Slopping some paint on figures and a confusing walk to the new, improved, and poorly marked dealer hall and it was time to bring the Das FleiderAffes German Gnomes onto the board for the Battle of Tulgas.

While we were setting up, the adult aficionados all came over to say hello, and the theme all led to one indisputable fact:  It was far smarter to let the over-eager kids in the game lead the charge to take the trenchline, only to have the adults pick up the pieces (and the glory).  Yet, mere hours later, these same players were leading the charge and getting vaporized by artillery fire and errant war elephants, all the while my unit was making lateral movements in the middle of No Man's Land, to help support the assault on the village proper.

German, Russian, and Sikh Gnomes Charging the Trenchline

Some Sword and the Flame Tomfoolery

More Tomfoolery, complete with Hinterland's Lady Hussars

Blood and Plunder

 After helping clean up, we ventured over the Continental  to check-in.  Maja was disappointed (and Dad elated) that the indoor pool had not yet been re-opened after an unfortunate fire in August, but I acquiesced to one of her two demands:  a trip to IHOP.

The General and her attache reviewing plans at IHOP.

In the five years we've starting going to the location down the road from the Host, we've never waited in line, never had a bad meal, and always had a pleasant experience.  I'm not wasting my convention time waiting for a marginal steak or questionable appetizers with flair.

We returned and tried to coordinate some sort of evening gaming with Jim, and our new friends Dave and Bald Kevin.  It was during an odd conversation about gnome and grifters that we discovered we live mere minutes from each other and we're pretty much game for anything!

Our picks in games sort of fell apart or we got interested, and our friend Brian, who was sharing the hotel room with us, was stuck in a miserable game where the opposing players couldn't get the period, the rules, or the tactics, but yet, he persisted.   With a young girl telling me she was tired, was wandered across the street and called it a semi-early night.

Saturday, we woke up early to accomplish Maja's second request:  a half-hour basketball practice at the court behind the Continental.  It's been awhile since I had an early morning practice, but I will admit, it did make practice taste even better.  Heck, even Brian wandered over and jumped in with a bullet of a jumpshot.

Once we grabbed a parking spot halfway to Philly, we sought out a game.  Unfortunately our #1 pick, Dr Who in the Caribbean, started much earlier than we had marked down.

Dr Who in the HAWKS room.

Star Wars done in the stylings of Combat Patrol

The Cybermen looking for The Doctor.

Aerodome with some cameo appearances.

We continued wandering around, grabbing tickets for the Lego Pirate Game that afternoon, and descending into the first few minutes of the morning session of Wally's Basement (the flea market).  I'll cover the great deals we garnered later.

Finally, we went back to Hobby University to take part in the unprecedented second foray into the paint-n-take.  No punches, no stickers?  No problem!

Miss Maja slaving away at the paint-n-take

With more time and less pressure, we took our time and like these results better.  We'll try to find time this week to finish them up properly.

Seriously, though, if HMGS could funnel more money into one part of the convention, it's Hobby University.  I've never been heard any disappointed with a class that actually took place and everyone is more pleasant than people stuck in a room with poor air circulation could be.  I enjoyed the old Ral Parthas that I assume Iron Wind donated, but it would nice to have a broader range of historicals at a (predominantly) historical miniatures convention.

After painting, we managed to grab a snack and walk right into a game of Picnic Panic.  Besides being a solid game with a fun theme, I'm always happy to see a Kickstarter campaign come to fruition.  

The Barbarian Nomants

I got to play alongside Maja as our Nomants tried to fend off the other type of ants from our spoils of war... er... picnicking.

Who packs this type of picnic?

The best part of the game was the table, which consisted of green shag carpeting with a chicken wire overlay for hexes.  Brilliant and effective.

The Battle for the Starburst was the most vicious ant-on-ant violence ever witnessed

 We didn't do well, but we sent many an enemy ant to an early grave.

Right after the game, we went over to see the Saturday Gnome Wars game, but a phone call from my wife with car trouble through the remaining afternoon into a lurch.

Saturday Gnome Wars

Confederates and Swiss Bunny Cav working together!

 As the adults tried to figure out the logistics, I made sure that Maja could still play in her favorite event, the Lego Pirate game.

All Quiet in the Lego Jungle... for now!

I got Maja to her table and wandered a bit, calling garages, relaying the information to my wife, and still snapping a picture or two.  Ultimately a family member offered to drive everyone down to Lancaster, pick Maja up, and drive to the hotel for Sunday's gymnastics meet.  At least for my daughter, all was good.

Required shot of the tournament room/Wally's Basement

Ben Hur (Circus Maximus?)

I came back near the end of the time slot to discover that Maja's Lego Townsfolk, upon seeing natives and pirates attacking the town, looted their own treasury of all the gold.  I came to realize her mission was to protect the gold, so carrying the treasure around seemed like a sensible option.

Never bring spears and pistols to an alligator fight

A little more wandering, and catching up with friends later, my wife arrived with her cousin and Maja was off into a world of trampolines, front tucks, and a pile of terms as odd as us discussing wargaming at a con.

A little chatting and plotting with the group, and I decided to head home.  I came home to no messes from the dogs, so I probably chose wisely.

THE HOST:  Of course, the elephant, 500-lb gorilla, and hippopotamus in the room all con long was the Lancaster Host itself.  I heard from numerous sources (some more reliable than others) that Fall-In! was the last grand event before the facility effectively shuttered itself over the winter to push through the renovations.  This gave attendees the chance to see the best and worst of what the Host could offer. 

Those with new rooms were very happy, those with older rooms were not.  A few who got hybrid rooms with finished bathrooms and half-finished bedrooms spoke highly of the bathrooms and settled with their lot for the few hours they were actually in their rooms.  

The hotel infrastructure seems to be vastly improved.  With a modern plant, hot water is actually HOT and the hotel wi-fi seemed blazing fast.  The latter might be the reason the three times I walked into the registration area during peak times there was NO LINE.  No more hamster-powered dial-up constantly crashing for the staff!

Parking:  The renovations at the Host did cause a reduction in parking spaces.  While some spots were used for construction equipment, there were at least six large cargo containers holding the future sinks, showers, and toilets for soon-to-be remodeled rooms, that each took up a number of parking spots around the facility.  They couldn't be moved easily to accommodate some lazy wargamers for a weekend.  I can deal with that.   

The Dealer's Hall:  As someone who doesn't see the rooms, and the common areas are going to be the last parts finished, the greatest transformation for me was the Dealer Hall (Tennis Ball/Expo Center).  Everyone is familiar with going down the stairs from the Business Center, strolling down the covered walkway, descending the questionable deck steps past the Pro Shop, only to enter the rickety balcony, and the steps that could only fit one medium-sized wargamer at a time. 

Now the Pro Shop has been razed, along with the wooden steps.  The old doors have been covered over, because the balcony has been ripped down! 

The side view of the Expo Center (old Tennis Barn) without the Pro Shop blocking the view

In the grand scheme of things, the Expo Center is truth in advertising.  It's now ADA compliant (or very close to it) with huge windows along its southern exposure. 

The entrance is now the back of the building (think where Belle and Blade set-up... technically they're still in a modified spot.

The new entrance in the (former) back of the building. 

I'm fine with all the changes.  Everything is in a positive direction, but there are two things that affected my experience, besides one trip with an eight year old and tight schedule to the next game:  (A) the natural lighting is really weird after years of the old fixtures.   I'm hoping the fixtures add light if we have a cloudy day.   (B) The new entrance changed the configuration of the entire hall, and in the process, one of the two internal aisles running the length of the hall are no more.

Another worry, after the fact?  I hope those giant windows are the awesome insulated, UV-protected, environmentally jobbers that they should be, or else vendors will dread getting those spots during Historicon in the middle of July. 

Mepacon shirt!

The good news is most of the vendors seem pleased with the new arrangement, and outside a spot near the covered walkway where many of our fellow gamers took long breaks to recover from the longer, steeper incline back from the vendor hall, I chalk it up as a success.

Natural lighting along the far wall.

Odd observation:  The complete lack of Confederate headgear among the attendees.  I've missed a couple cons, but there's more than one fellow usually wearing Confederate Gray.  I even heard one GM say decided to switch to the Union Blue for this convention, but didn't get the opportunity to hear the reasoning behind it.  We are usually a group that puts things into the proper historical context, so outside of obvious things like SS uniforms and memorabilia, I hope outside influences don't prevent a harmless activity from adding a little flavor to the event.  God knows we have enough polo shirt and jeans-clad white male attendees that can insult the rest of the population just by opening their mouths.

Finally, The Swag!: With expenses at home and a local con next weekend, I had a limited budget when I going solo.  Add a girl whose appetite resembles a teenage boy's (if the menu is bacon, toast, or meatballs) and that gets eviscerated.

The Dealer Hall, with its new set-up and infernal natural lighting confused this simpleton, so I went for the items that were at the top of my list.  At Brigade I snagged some post-apoc minis and a pack of Frostgrave wizards that don't look like they need a talking snowman sidekick at all.  I also picked up some Howard Hues paints to replenish the supplies.

I had the best luck in a decades in Wally's Basement finding a giant box of mecha (largely Heavy Gear and Havic, with a smattering of Battletech), some miscellaneous RPG books, and a much needed visit to the famed Tree Girl.

Disclaimer:  Maja's swag in the upper left-hand corner.  

Onward to Mepacon next week, then Cold Wars!