Home at Last!

The trek to and from HISTORICON has ended and we must return to the real world!  We had a very good visit to the Gettysburg Battlefield on Sunday.  We did three presentations - I did Buford's fight on the 1st Day; Ralph G. lead a discussion of Sickles' decision making process in occupying the Peach Orchard and Wheat field position; and Byron C. provided insights into the Confederate/Union artillery fight before and during Picketts' Charge on July 3rd.

All in all the trip was excellent and I am looking forward to doing it again in the future!

Here is a photo of the five guys who were my partners in crime (ok, no crime - just fun!) during the trip.  We made the obligatory stop on Little Round Top and visited the 20th Maine monument as I do every time I go to Gettysburg.

HISTORICON 2018

Friends from he Northern Conspiracy and I have been enjoying a trip to HISTORICON for the past few days.  Whe started with a side trip to West Point where I filled them in on a few facts and we enjoyed touring Trophy Point and checking out all of the ordinance that is located there.  It was the first time to the Academy for all of these guys and they really seemed to enjoy themselves.

The next day we all traveled the rest of the way to Lancaster and secured our rooms at the Host Resort.  The Resort is undergoing major renovations.  The rooms we got have already been renovated
and I must say they are very nice.

Games are on the up or down scale.  But as these photos show, there are some really nice ones:

I played in two games over the weekend.  The first was a War of 1812 skirmish game using the rules, "Redcoats and Blue Jackets".  I played the role of a Canadian Militia Officer as our force tried to prevent some Americans from re-supplying General Hull around Detroit.  We won the game in just about the exact historical way the British and Canadians defeated the Americans.  Here are a couple of pics of the game in progress:

The Americans move their wagons along a track through the swamps around Detroit.

The British and Indian Allies block the Americans' path.  My force is the one on the left with the red 'reload' marker.

The Native Americans close asset the wagons while the British and Canadians provide fire support. 

The Native Americans finish off the Americans and the game goes to the Brits!

I have never played the rules before but I really enjoyed them.  It is always easier to play when the author of the rules is the game master!

I also played in a WWII game set in the Western Desert using the rules set 'Fireball Forward!'  The scenario was called "The Witches Cauldron," and was set around the battle of Trobruk as the German armor tries to escape through the British field artillery line after failing to take the port.

Here are some photos:

Again, I had never played the rules before, but I really enjoyed them.  The game master and all of the other players at the table were excellent gamers and very friendly.  I played on the British side commanding a small force of A-10 Cruisers.  I managed to roll my usual very poor dice, but at the end of the game I made the final kill with a two-pounder into the back of a Pzkw III.

I have to say that manners of the gamers was excellent in both of the games that I played in.  I was very pleased about that as it can be a crap shoot during such a large convention and I have had some really bad experiences in the past.

Overall, I have to say that it was an excellent convention.  I am looking forward to our battlefield excursion on the way home as we visit Gettysburg.