Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Spartacon 2015

After not feeling well and missing out on Spartacon last year, it was good to get back down for this annual convention in Lansing last weekend. Of course I did question my sanity at o-dark-30 when the thermometer in my car read 3 below and the roads were covered with blowing snow. But I made it!

This was a bit of a "different" day for me, as I took part in a pair of "cops and robbers" games rather than any conventional wargames. One was the aforementioned brawl in Detroit, the other was an intriguing gangster vs. cops scenario using Dead Man's Hand. These rules worked great for this genre, almost to the point I now have a hard time visualizing them as an old west set! The basic scenario had two rival mob bosses meeting at a shack in a rural area, with two groups of lawmen converging to arrest them. And the mayhem ensued. The game actually broke into two mini-games. As a lawman, I ended up killing rather than arresting my target, but in the end I lost all my officers. Oops.

I really liked the card-driven activation system of this game, as it did give some leeway in letting you choose who goes when, so it doesn't completely get bogged down by luck wherein one player can get multiple actions before another gets any. The reaction system worked well, and really saved me as I was able to get shots off at the getaway car rather than stand there watching.

Purchases on the day were limited to the latest CY6 scenario book, Floatplane Hell, and several more of the planes from Dave at I-94. All that and home by 8 for pizza with the wife and kids. A good day!

And as always, there were some great looking games. Here's a sampling. Apologies if I get the details wrong. With the fast-paced games I was playing in, there wasn't much time for roaming around!

Come on out, we've got you surrounded.

He didn't surrender. I had to shoot.


Romans and barbarians, I think.

A Johnny Reb 15mm ACW game - Champion's Hill at Vicksburg.

Same.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table...

Watch out for dem trees! Oops...

Modern Iraq maybe?

1/2400 WW2 naval, Pacific

Napoleonics, no idea what battle or rules

Another view

What an awesome looking CY6 jets game

A simply gorgeous F-14

Modern Afghanistan


Modern Afghanistan

This looked cool, a small scale (1/300?) Battle of Baltimore War of 1812. It covered a lot of ground.

Another view.

And another.

"Oh say can you see..."

East Front microarmor, I think.


Dave Winfree's CY6 game, somewhere in SE Asia...

FIW

FIW

Hmmm, can't remember. ACW?

East Front again?

???

Vietnam. Great looking terrain.

The Americans advance...

Armor support in Vietnam

Flames of War WWI. Sweet table.

Same







Meanwhile, back at Fort Henry


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