CaptainCon 2016 Wrap-up

On February 6th, we held our first local DropZone Commander tournament at CaptainCon 2016, in Warwick, RI. Even with a couple of last-minute  no-shows, we were able to muster five players (6 with me as organizer). I am prepared to call it a success, and look forward to the next one!

This was my second tournament, after Gencon, and the first I have organized myself. As I posted during the past weeks, I dedicated a great deal of time to preparing terrain for the event. The end result was four tables ready to go right at the start, with enough extra materials for at least one more, should the players materialize.

Gencon 2015 Recap

I got to spend last week at Gencon 2015, which was an absolute blast. I got to try out Robotech RPG Tactics on the table. I doubled my games played for Dropzone Commander, and generally got to take in all sorts of cool stuff. I won't try to capture all of it here, but I will try to hit some of the highlights.

 Certainly, the biggest miniatures splash at the con was Halo Fleet Battles, by Spartan Games. This was Spartan's first trip to Gencon, and they only had a small booth to show off their product. Fortunately, the War Store was there to provide some additional table space, and a store front for product sales. If they hadn't been, I Spartan would have been completely overwhelmed. They even had the gigantic Covenant flagship looming over the demo table to keep all the Human players in-line.

Experience is Everything!

Sadly, no pretty pictures for this update.

I was at GenCon a few weeks ago, and I had a great time at the show. I was able to play some great games with gamers from all over, including some good friends that I only get to see once or twice a year at conventions.

The two miniatures-related highlights for me were the painting classes I got to take from Sue Wachowski (a.k.a. PaintMinion) and some time I got to spend pestering sculptor Patrick Keith for tips and advice at his booth in the vendor hall. Both artists were incredibly friendly, helpful and full of good advice. My big take away from the con is: "There is an easier way to do everything".

Nothing Ventured...

Not too long ago, I posted this image as a teaser for a future project:

That project is now underway as a grand experiment in sculpting and conversion work.

I decided to set out on this project as a way to stretch my sculpting skills. I have done a number of conversion projects, and I have used putty to reconstruct damaged or incomplete miniatures in the past, but this is, by far, the most extensive reconstruction and modification project that I have undertaken to date.

It has been fun so far, and it brings me one tiny step closet to being able to sculpt a whole part, or even a whole figure, from scratch.

Storm Zone Update

The past few weeks have been consumed with preparation for a business trip (now over) and for Total Confusion 2013. With the convention in the can, I am hoping I can turn my attention back to painting.

Part of my preparation for TotalCon was to help a friend to prepare a demo of Firestorm Armada. We staged it as a reprise of our past Aquan vs. Dindrenzi starter fleet battles, this time sitting on the sidelines and watching while our demo-ees locked horns.

The demo was small, but I think everybody had a good time. Only time will tell if it will lead to an expanded local community.

Reaper Con (Part 2)

My last post covered what goes on at Reaper Con. To wrap up my coverage of the event, I thought I'd post a few more photos from the con, and then finish up with a few, selected miniatures from the painting contest.

As I alluded to in my last post, Reaper provided some cool looking terrain for their gaming events. The "Kraken's Revenge" featured a sunken city, and the new, limited edition, Kraken model they released at the con. The event pitted a whole table full of players against the mighty Kraken using Reaper's Warlord rules. I am proud to say that my group proved victorious when we faced the tentacled horror.

Reaper Con! (Part 1)

I got back from Reaper Con 2012 late Sunday night. I think I've just about recovered, and I'm more or less back on my normal schedule. This first post will hopefully provide a taste of what went on at Reaper Con. I'll try to post some more, along with pictures of the game tables and painting contest entries soon.

This was my first trip to Reaper Con, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I've been to gaming conventions of all sizes in the past, but Reaper Con is, not surprisingly, much more heavily oriented towards the craft of miniatures painting and sculpting. Sure there is plenty of gaming, if you want it, but the main event is the massed gathering of a one to two hundred miniatures fans, hobbyists, and professionals.

When you drive up to Reaper's address, it's easy to miss the signs, but a keen eye will get you there. As you turn into the lot you can see that you are in the right place.

Dallas Bound

As of last week, I've made my reservations to attend ReaperCon. I've taken a few painting and modelling classes at Gencon in the past, and they have all been great, including several taught by Reaper artists. Last year, I did some searching around to decide which convention (or conventions) to attend this year, and hit upon Reaper Miniatures very own con, run at their headquarters in Denton, Texas. I immediately wanted to go and try it out as a 'total immersion' experience, rather than sneaking in one or two classes between gaming events at a larger con. Sadly, attending in 2011 was just not practical for me.

This year, armed with both advanced warning, and advanced planning, I am planning to make an appearance at Reaper for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!

Total Confusion XXVI!

Last weekend was Total Confusion XXVI. For the uninitiated, TotalCon is the biggest gaming convention in the Northeastern US, and, as such, is the biggest one within easy driving distance of my home(*). This is the first year I have attended the con purely as a player and attendee, not as a Game Master, and I made sure to dive in head first to enjoy what was available.