"Photos and thoughts from Fall In 2008" Topic

Hey all!

Just thought I would share Part 1 of my Fall In stuff over at The House of War… I actually put a game on, so I'll include that in Part 2! If anyone has any further info or corrections on any of the photos, please let me know… and enjoy!

link

Thanks Lord Ashram!
Clif

Thanks, great photos !

Your a good man. Many thanks.

Great photos! Thanks for sharing!

Hopefully we'll have our table there next year – this year it was just impossible to make it.

Nice descriptions and summary.
Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words about our trench board.

Hey no prob, it was a real joy to see… it was interesting in that on first glance you see almost no troops… and then, as you look closer, you realize the trenches were FULL:D

Up and over the top, boys!

WOW – those tables look great! I'd've loved to get in on that Lord of the Rings action.

Maybe it was just me, but for the first time in years of attending FI at the Ike, I really felt like the facility was second or third class. The toilets clogged in the All Star, which caused a near prison-like riot (and deservedly so), the old hotel rooms were clean, but smelled musty (and were old, did I say that?), the food service in the restaurant is a joke, the place is only marginally staffed, the shuttle bus was a van, that was a pain to climb in and out of, and the place appears to be operating on a shoe string budget. This from a guy who loves going to Gettysburg.

I thought the convention was very well run, the number of dealers attending was up, and it seemed well attended, though that is hard to judge in such a dispersed venue.

I had a good time, the games looked good, but again, I thought the venue looked a little rough.

Maybe they should move Fall In to Baltimore too then.

I stayed at the Quality Inn across the street from the Wax Museum, ate breakfast at a great diner right down the street, had dinner at several very good restaurants around town, was a great experience overall.

Didn't stay at the Ike, didn't eat there, I like to get away from the con and soak in all the local charm, so can't address your issues.

For what it's worth, the rest room at the Ike stunk the minute I walked in there at 1:00pm on Thursday when I started to set up for the con, so it could only go downhill from there, especially considering the terrific hot dog, pizza and pulled pork spread they were offering for lunch………….

It just seems to me that since building the new wing of the Ike, the hotel has hit a wall, and fallen behind in many areas. Hey, even the Host has spent money on many new upgrades.
:-)

I agree on the food service. Terrible.

Thanks for the kind words on your blog regarding my Antietam book.

I have never eaten at the Ike, so I can't comment. I usually go uptown to Dino's or one of the other many Gettysburg eating establishments.

Overall, Gettysburg took a huge hit this summer with high gasoline prices, despite the new Visitors Center, and many businesses, including the Ike, are cash-strapped as a result. The town is sold out for the upcoming Remembrance Day, but that does not make up for the lost income from the summer season.

A few of the tourist traps went bankrupt; one is now having a going-out-of-business sale.

One would think that the Ike and other businesses would go out of their way to give superior service given the competitive nature of the hotel business around Gettysburg, especially with the new Gateway Gettysburg complex and its hundreds of new rooms.

Oddly enough, six of us headed out Saturday evening around 5:30pm and at several places we tried to get into there was anywhere from a 45 minute to an hour plus wait. Granted, the places are small, but we even drove out to ABC, which had a huge crowd.

The people were pleasant enough at the Ike, but there weren't enough staff for a facility or convention of that size, in my opinion. No doubt the owners disagree. ;-)

You can always count on long waits at restaurants on a weekend in Gettysburg, unless you go early or later. It is a small town and can't support an event like Remembrance Day in two weeks. This town will be packed with reenactors and tourists.

Would have had a 30 minute wait at the Pub on Thursday night, but was willing to sit at the bar and got a seat immediately. Stopped by Perkins around 9:00pm Saturday night and it was dead. The ABC was dead Sunday afternoon. Didn't hit too many lines at the other places I dined at during the weekend.

As Mr. Mingus says – Gettysburg gets CROWDED during the weekend. The streets are overrun with folks on 'ghost walks' Friday and Saturday night. In the past, the hotel I stay at usually is overrun with 'soccer moms' and their kids in town for a tournament – didn't see that this year.

We stayed in the Ike in the newer section and the room was excellent. We ate our meals off site and yes, Saturday it was hard to find a place without a long wait. I was surprised at the number of tourists at the Battlefield. The weather was fantastic … but still, I would have thought the park would have been less crowded this time of year.

The con seemed under-attended, althought parking was at a premium. Over all, the games were not all that inspiring either. I just need to face the fact the HMGS is no longer a history gaming group.

I want to thank the organizers for their hard work and efforts.

If they move Fall-In to Baltimore I won't be going.

Mike B

Mike,

Fall-In is moving back to the Lancaster Host as it is less costly and as a parting gift for Historicon moving to Baltimore.

Ralph

Yep, like most I noticed the smaller crowds and the larger amount of empty tables at the Ike. Oh well, I still had a GREAT time as I always do at this convention. I go, I play in my game, I buy, I see my friends, I come out happy. Pretty simple for me.

Is the host a bit of a dump? Yes, having had a room in 07 that smelled like a locker room at the YMCA I am more then aware how bad it can get. I came prepped with candles and a fan. However, they were not needed as my room opened into the open air courtyard. I didn't have any issues with clogged amenities, our shower was slow to drain but still worked.

To me the whole reason to go to this con is that it's in my favorite place on earth. Even though G-burg is a tourist trap akin to the Civil War Vegas, I love it. Where it to move I'd probably just go to Cold Wars and skip Fall-In.

Sean

I do wonder if there is another venue at G'burg other than the Ike. Without the draw of the battlefield the event will fail.

Given the emptiness in the gaming halls, you don't need as much space as the Ike offers.

I also think that whereever the con is held, toilets will clog, and the lack of personally hygiene will be rampant. Cooincident with the WWI theme, I was reminded at the Ike of a passage from one of my favorite Wilfred Owen poems:

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

Did anyone see a WW2 Naval 'convoy' battle being fought?
Photographs perhaps?

It was a demonstration of my 'Deadly Waters' now preparing for release by GDW.

Milhouse wrote:

I do wonder if there is another venue at G'burg other than the Ike. Without the draw of the battlefield the event will fail.

Given the emptiness in the gaming halls, you don't need as much space as the Ike offers.

There is some ballroom space at the Best Western on the town square, but it is very, very small. The first annual Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show was held there in the spring, and the venure proved too small even for the few hundred people who showed up. it is likely to move to bigger quarters in the future as it grows in size and regional publicity.

The Ike holds all the major shows at Gettysburg, including the annual book and relic show, which I believe is much larger than Fall-In in attendance, although most are day-trippers. It was held in late October without the stinky restrooms.

The newer hotels at the Gateway Gettysburg complex do not have the ballroom or meeting room space.

So, for now, the Ike is the best place in Gettysburg to hold a convention.

Thoughts on FALL IN:

I like the IKE 2 more than the IKE 1. Plus Gettysburg is one of my favorite towns to visit for the battlefield and for the shopping. (Where else can you get a black powder pistol and a civil war uniform? Besides I win there even if my dice rolling is lousy:<)

As for the smell next year I'm for issuing fabreeze to all the GM's to spray the players and cut the smell:<)

Cheers,

Nice photos, by the way, which games were those, I saw Lord of the Rings, a WWI game, and a WWII game, were there any others?

Thanks Scott. Was just wondering.