"Games In Education Day - BCC - 26 September 2009" Topic

CALL for Historical Game Masters and Flea Market Sellers:

The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, East Presents:

"Games-in-Education Day"

SATURDAY Sept. 26, 2009
9 am – 10 pm

• Games in Education Seminars *HMGS Members are urged to invite Teachers, Educators and College Students.

At The Baltimore Convention Center,
One West Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
bccenter.org/index.php

Camden Lobby
- Camden Terrace -- Rooms 345-350

*** Enter Through the Otterbein Lobby ***

Currently Planned:

• Over 50 HISTORICAL EVENTS! (Room for over 100)
• FLEA MARKET ($10: 1 Table per Member 1st-come/1st-served)
• HISTORICAL VENDORS
• OPEN GAMING
• PARKING ARRANGEMENTS: To be announced soon

• EVENT REGISTRATION ONSITE
• FOOD CONCESSIONS 11am – 8pm
• BAR OPEN 5pm – 11pm

• Games in Education Seminars *HMGS Members are urged to invite Teachers
and College Students.

EVENT INFORMATION TO BE POSTED SOON ON hmgs.org/GED.htm

To Register an Event or Reserve a Flea Market Table Please send email to games.education.day@gmail.com

* FREE ADMISSION * * FREE ADMISSION * * FREE ADMISSION *

I am so glad that I'm not an HMGS East member.

hmgs.org/GED.htm

Clarification –

If you plan to attend there is no preregistration but please feel free to send an email to games.education.day@hmgs.org and let us know that your coming and let us know how many you might bring with you.

GM – to put on an event…its first come first serve (we have 6 already!)send an email to games.education.day@hmgs.org.

Flea Market Tables – you can reserve them by sending email to games.education.day@hmgs.org.

Vendor space is available also for those who want to venture it! If you are interested send an email to games.education.day@hmgs.org

This is a great way to sort of test the water. Come one come all!

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*****

Education? So the HMGS has contacted all the middle & high schools in Baltimore, and the Baltimore School Board, to make sure as many educatable kids as possible show up?

Well I posted on the news item about this asking which was correct 50 events or six.

As to education yes it can be done. I did it once in the Baltimore Washington area. BUT Baltimore Co is but one of many that should be approached. Mongomery, Howard, Prince Georges, and numerous ones in Va would be a better target market.

VR
James Mattes

Target Market? Charm City residents can get there by mass transit. Cheap transportation & no lodging costs.

Welcome to the Preliminary List of Events (and Vendors!) for the HMGS-Games in Education Day!

Preliminary List of Vendors!

Age of Glory ageofglory.com

Wargames, LLC wargamesminis.com

Games Parlour gameparlor.com

Over 10 Flea Market Tables have been preregistered and committed!

And here is a list of preliminary events!

Battle of Holowczyn (1708) In 1708 Charles XII launched an invasion of Russia, determined to capture Moscow and force the Tsar to accept a peace treaty that favored Sweden. The Russians dug in behind the River Vabitch to try and block the invasion. Charles surprised the Russians by crossing the river and marshland at night and appearing suddenly on the right flank of the trench line. The disorganized Russians were forced out of their prepared positions and fought in the open and in the woods. The Swedes suffered heavy casualties but were able to succeed in opening the door to an invasion of Russia.

Battle of Chiari, 1 Sept 1701 The Imperial army of Prince Eugene v. a Franco-Savoy army commanded by Victor Amadeus; northern Italy at the beginning of the WSS, with a modified historical OB. Units are battalions.
Battle of North Point September 12, 1814. Part of the larger Battle of Baltimore.
Siege Fort William Henry French and Indian war the siege with a few twist on history. The French army while traveling down lake George lost many of it's heavy seige guns and powder. The French are forced to launch a infantry assault obn the fort.

The Home of the Brave: North Point, September 1812 In the predawn hours, 4500 British veterans disembark at North Point while the bombardment fleet moves in on Fort McHenry. Major General Robert Ross expects to cover the 15 miles to Baltimore today "if it rains militia." General John Stricker leads the 3rd Brigade, Maryland Militia, Baltimoreans all, down the peninsula to defend their homes. His orders are to delay the British advance and give them a bloody nose. Refight this key battle that left the British controlling the field, but with a dead General and no stomach for challenging Baltimore's main defensive works.

Battle of the Chesapeake – 5 Sept 1781 RADM Thomas Graves' British fleet of 19 ships of the line sails to the relief of the besieged General Cornwallis at Yorktown. Off the mouth of the Chesapeake, they were met by a French blockading fleet of 24 battleships under the Comte deGrasse. This battle decided the fate of Cornwallis and won the Revolution for America.

In and Out A routine patrol has gone wrong and several of your fellow Marines have been injured. It's your job to go in and get them out before they are wiped out.

Balls to the Wall Do you have what it takes to get your employer out of here? No friends, and a mile to go before you hit the safety zone. OR, are tired of these infidels in your part of the woods? Then smoke them out, and cleanse the earth of their repugnant odor!!! Fast, furious, and never ending action…

Modern / Ambush Alley…

Wargames, LLC ??? They can't expect to break even on this tiny 1 day thing…

I received a post card for this today. Looks interesting and the price is right.

7 games? Oh, well.

Still, any chance we could know GMs? Rules? Times?

iPat

Yes, I will do my best to post something up soon as either i figure out this stupid macro or … have to do it manually.

One way or the other…

Also note that last night we got several more games in….

Paint by Numbers
We are only bringing the Essex 15's and special orders, so I will only be bringing the pickup this time. I am mainly going up to get a lay of the land and to see just how bad or good the logistics will be for getting in and out of the BCC actually are instead of listening to all of the chatter and static. One of the first steps to a successful operation is to conduct a leaders recon, so that the people in charge of the ground elements of the operation can see the terrain for themselves. I feel it is worth the time and expenses to go to the "GED", so that I can make an informed decision about Historicon 2010, based on my own information as opposed to getting secondhand info.

Looking forward to seeing some of you there
Baxter
Wargames llc

Well here we are only 1 week away…actually 5 nights and a wake up away.

We still have some room for gamemasters and for flea marketers if you want.

Please feel free to email games.education.day@gmail.com or call me 301 622 1747

Orest Swystun

We now have about 30 events (trying to get the spreadsheet posted on the web…sorry for the delay and I hope that Bill Gray can figure out how to do that!)

We have about 16 flea market tables!

We have 3 vendors!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Although others will provide more details, I can report that the Games in Education Day was a success today at the Baltimore Convention Center. For the gamers who attended, they enjoyed over 25 games plus a number of painting seminars. The games covered a wide variety of periods including FIW, AWI, ACW, WWI air combat (Wings of War), WW2 and Modern microarmor. Many of the games had a Baltimore theme, including several War of 1812 games. Three dealers and over a dozen flea market sellers also attended.

One of the main accomplishments of the Day was to provide those who attended, especially the GMs, an opportunity to tour the BCC and to go through the motions of unloading and loading figures and terrain and setting up their events. As far as the BCC itself goes, the place is HUGE. (I was at the BCC for Origins some 20 years ago and the facility is in very good shape.) A number of games were held in the so-called Club Rooms which will be available for groups to use during Historicon 2010. Each Club Room is about the size of the Paradise Room at the Host. There was also plenty of room for food and drink sales provided through the BCC, to say nothing of the half dozen eating establishments within a block of the BCC.

All in all, I think it's fair to say that a good time was had by all who attended. I'm sure there will still be those who have their doubts about the BCC, but for those GMs who attended, the vast majority were positively impressed by the facility.

I ran two games at GED, a Look Sarge France 1940 game and my PT boat rules. I usually run about 6 or 7 games at a Historicon and 4 or 5 at Cold Wars. I have to admit that I was hesitant to commit to this kind of engagement at the BCC sight unseen and had planned to run only one or two games the first time at the new venue. My opinion has changed as a result of GED. (I may still only be able to run one or two games, as I will have returned from Iraq just a week or two prior to Historicon, but my reduced GM commitment won't be due to the change of venue.)

BCC staff: There were a number of miscommunications about loading and unloading areas, parking, etc. Most of this was intra-staff coordination issues at the BCC. I saw Pete on the phone several times resolving issues. I have only tangential knowledge, but my impression is that the BCC staff worked quickly to resolve all issues.

Rooms: The rooms were large, airy, and well lit. I don't know the layout for Historicon, but the large open area where most of the games were held was class on one side and was nice. The temperature was good. Attendance at GED was low, so this may be a misperception, but the noise level seemed very low. While running my game, I rarely had to shout. From the standpoint of the open gaming area and the club rooms, this venue is a huge improvement over some of the dark dungeon-like rooms at the Host. Clubs like the HAWKS (of which I'm a member) will have a room for which the club POC will have a key. That means that clubs can unload all their stuff on Thursday or Friday and leave it in the room all weekend until Sunday. For those of us who run multiple games, this will be more convenient that hauling stuff back to the car or the room after each event.

Loading and Unloading: I have to say that this was VERY smooth. I brought my own dolly, so I didn't need to use the one that the convention staff had on hand. There was probably room for 6 or 7 people to unload simultaneously in the area where I unloaded. Pete said there's a second GM loading and unloading area. If GMs stop, rapidly unload their vehicles onto provided carts (or their own carts), and leave the cart with convention staff while they park, unloading will go very quickly. I suspect that there may be backups on Sunday, but otherwise, this should be pretty smooth at Historicon if the staff has a couple dozen carts and GMs bring their own if they have them. GMs who roll in for their one game and then want to roll out again may want to plan an extra 30 minutes on the front and back ends for movement to and from the parking lot after unloading.

Parking: This was perhaps the only down side. We were supposed to park in Lot C. The walk to and from the BCC from Lot C was a little farther than the walk from the hotel to the dealer pavilion at Fall In. In my mind that is a minor inconvenience. I probably won't be taking my purchases to my car as frequently as I do at the Host. It also means I probably will rely on BCC-provided food rather than perhaps heading down the street to that Thai place on 30. Parking was free for GED, but I don't know if it will be free for Historicon. If there is a home baseball game the weekend of Historicon, parking will be BAD, BAD, BAD. If it's an away weekend, parking will be plentiful and perhaps free.

Access: The BCC is very easy to get to by car for GM's and light rail by locals. If Historicon is not held on a weekend with a home Orioles game, traffic will be light and easily managed.

Food: A quick walk around the convention center indicated that there was little in the way of fast food in the immediate area. There may well be something within a block or two, but I'm not that familiar with the area. As it was not a home baseball weekend -- a good thing from the convention standpoint -- the food area in Camden Yards wasn't open either. The food that the convention center provided included wrap sandwiches, pulled pork, hot dogs, hamburgers, and salads. For the 100 or so people who attended, there were no problems with lines. The food was good. Prices were perhaps a little higher than the Host, but not by much. I had a wrap sandwich, bag of chips, and a drink for $11.00.

Unknowns:
- I cannot comment on how easy it was for dealers to load and unload at the loading dock, but I didn't hear any complaints from the three vendors I saw.
- There are a number of hotels within walking distance of the BCC. I don't know how their prices relate to the Host. Although I like the Host as a venue, I've always thought the rooms were underwhelming for the price charged. Given the fact that I live 30 minutes from the BCC and that I can unload all my stuff on Thursday and pick it up on Sunday, I'm likely to just commute and not worry about a room at the convention.
- I don't know if the new venue will require an increase in admission price, but let's say the cost goes up to $40 USD for the weekend (I'm pulling that number out of rectal defilade, so don't start quoting it.) It costs me $50 USD to take my kids to a two hour movie. With the exception of Pixar movies, most of the mucilage coming out of Hollywierd isn't worth $5, let alone $50. USD Now amortize $40 USD across a four day event. I think this is an entertainment bargain.
- If attendance is low from the loyal Historicon, mostly historical crowd, will the convention staff be forced to attract girls in chain mail bikinis, role playing games, and the other trappings of a GenCon or Origins. I like the historical flavor of Historicon and Cold Wars and wouldn't like to see that lost. I don't have any problems with those other types of games or those other conventions. I think the unique nature of the HMGS conventions is worth preserving. The naysayers should be careful that they don't create a self-fulfilling prophesy through their vitriol.

I will admit that I was skeptical about the new venue. I participated in GED to a large extent to test drive it myself rather than rely on the opinions (SOME of which might be informed opinions) of others. I don't think that the move to the BCC will by the coming of the apocalypse and that we don't know if Pete Panzeri had human parents -- as it's been portrayed on TMP and other outlets. I think BCC has many plusses and a few minuses. Doesn't the Host? I think that people should keep an open mind and try the new venue. The move to BCC will certainly entail some growing pains, but I don't see cats and dogs living together in the future.

I think Pete had a great idea when he scheduled GED. While it may not have been an official dress rehearsal, I think it identified some rough spots that can now be resolved prior to Historicon.

Buck Surdu

As I stated on here a while back, the BCC is very nice. The areas for gaming were very well lit, and I also heard some of the GMs and gamers say how much better it was than the Distilefink for light and noise.

The food was very good, but a little more pricey than the Host. There was a bar set up there from the time I got there (1030), but I am not sure it was open the entire time. I sat with friends around a large round table set up by the food and bar area. We all talked for the better part of an hour. It was quiet, relaxing, enjoyable.

The BCC staff seemed very curteous. The place was so big we had trouble finding the GED, and wandered around a while looking for it. While doing that, we found a Starbucks, and and Einstein bagle shop. There were very nice bathroom facilities. There were also some really cool model ships on the second floor, including a huge model of a Roman ship used in the movie "Ben Hur." Way cool.

There was a very nice restaraunt and bar across the street from the front entrance.

The downside was the parking. It was a bit of a walk, and the con will have to ensure that is patrolled at night, but since it is near the baseball stadium, I suspect it will be.

The light rail litterally drops you off across the street from the front entrance. This is the rail line that connects to the airport and hotel area there.

There were parking garages all around, of varying prices. Traffic was light. We came in 295 and simply made a right hand turn into the ball yard lots, which were pretty well marked. The parking attendant was expecting us from the con, and waived us right in. If the lots are manned at night, that will also give additional security as well. There are several restaurants and bars around the stadiums too.

Note, there will not be any baseball games the weekend of the con, as the O's are out of town then.

The biggest challenge to the venue will be how the loading and unloading is handled for everyone. One GM who attended, but did not put on a game, commented it is the same as the Host. You need to coordinate with buddies there too if you need a hand.

One of the nicer exhibits this past weekend was the one done by the 1812 Royal Marines. They had a huge drop floor cloth map of the Battle of North Point, complete with colored blocks to represent units. They gave several talks to people on the battle. Nice.

There will be challenges to be sure, and it will probably cost a bit more for some. I don't know if this is the long term solution or not, but the facility is very, very nice.

I ran a 15mm Johnny Reb 3 game at GED. Traffic into town on I-83 from southern PA was very light (Saturday, non-tourist season). It will be much heavier in the summer, and especially on Thursday and Friday of H'Con. I drive into B'more often for business, and it's a bear, as is parking. For day-trippers such as me that do not need hotel rooms, I will be using the light rail during the weekdays if I am not running a game.

There are restaurants and taverns north of the baseball stadium, some of which are VERY good. They are a bit of a hike, but in a safe neighborhood. The Inner Harbor offers several more options, as does the large shopping mall directly across Pratt Street from the Inner Harbor (the mall has fast food choices).

The venue is spacious and well lit, and should make for a professional, more business-like experience (I have frequented multiple convention centers for 25+ years in my professional career as a scientist and executive in the paper industry, and the BCC is among the better venues for large conventions). However, people who prefer the smaller, more intimate venue of the Host may not like this change.

Anybody who can comment on unloading for the Flea market, as opposed to vendors or GMs? Will they have the same access to unloading their stuff?

Just wanted to say thanks to Orest and the rest of the folks staffing the GED in Baltimore. Although the turnout was smaller than I expected (100+?, everyone seemed to having a good time. The spaces (main space and break-out rooms) were comforatble and well-lit. The HMGS staff on hand was very supportive. The food available from the BCC concession was good, if a bit more expensive than the host.

Someone had asked about the Flea Market load/unload. Flea Marketeers were invited to enter via the loading dock. There was some initial confusion with BCC Security, some of whom hadn't been aware of our event. Pete, Orest, or some of the other powers that be eventually got that squared away. We were allowed to unload our stuff, take it upstairs, and place it with our assigned tables. We then had to return to the loading dock and remove our cars to the Stadium Lot "C" used by most of the attendees. (The walk from the lot wasn't bad, though somewhat longer than walking from the back of the upper parking lot at the Host.)

At day's end, we were not allowed to use the loading dock. Someone from the GED staff (thanks, Frank -- hope I got the name right!) watched my cart/boxes while I retrieved my car from the lot. He then kindly helped me load my car up in the BCC lobby driveway.

I'm not sure what support will be available to Flea Market folks at Historicon in July. I believe that most, if not all, of the loading docks and attached parking areas will be dedicated to the dealers. I believe that GM's will have support (carts, volunteers) in off-loading their game materials at one or more of the other driveways/loading areas. They will also have secure storage areas at the BCC to be used as long as needed. I'm not sure which, if any, of these services will be extended to flea marketeers, given the limits on potential resources (space, carts, volunteers). I'm sure we'll learn more in the months ahead.

Again, thanks to Orest and the GED crew for a great day!

Buck – great AAR on the event and the location. From your report it sounds pretty good.

Sadly, I'll still most likely miss Historicon 2010, but as I've said before, that isn't because of the venue change.

Chuck

I attended but did not drive or do any loading/unloading. I hopped on the bus from NYC there and back for the day. The bus is only 1 block from my apartment and about 5 blocks from the BCC. I also did not eat on site. I ate at Faidley's at Lex Market and Peter's Inn in Fell's Point. I walked to both.

Cons – Signage. I could not find the con. The BCC staff hadn't heard of it. I walked around the entire BCC to find a small sign against an ashtray outside. The entryway for the con could easily be overlooked as there were no people in it. Everything was on the second floor, however, all doors on the 2nd floor were locked from the outside. Perhaps I am stupid and/or unprepared with directions, but I just couldn't find it despite asking several people (including an attendee). I imagine with 2000-3000 people who are not easily missed, this will not happen.

Pros – Facilities. The facilities were top notch and a big improvement from The Host. I think that the BCC can be just as intimate as The Host. It will be interesting to see whether there are couches and seating arrangements that facilitate that. The space is certainly there. There were several tables and lounge areas. I can see how it can be just as good, if not better than the Host.

Baltimore – There are some parts of Baltimore where it really does look like night of the living dead. If you decide to attend, you gotta roll with the punches. As we say in New York, wattayagonnado.

Country Vibes – There is no swimming pool or golf course. However, there is a gentlemens club for the discerning (or less than discerning) gamer.

Unknowns – Transport and parking. I didn't do either of these, but will be driving and parking at Historicon. I can't comment, but I heard several concerns, some of which will be rectified simply by having BCC staff aware of HMGS's presence.

I had a great time. Thanks all for the hard work.

I like to post convention reports to a blog I write on, and GED was no exception. Because of all the talk going on about the Baltimore Convention Center, I broke this up into two posts, Gaming and Logistics. I took pictures of the facility, where things are in relation to what, and what I paid here and there. I didn't stay in a hotel (obviously) but I got something of a feel for how easy it was to get too, how much a parking garage costs, what food costs were, etc.

Logsitics: link

Gaming: link

Oh yes, a whimsical attempt at a comic strip using 15mm ironclads:

Hammerin' Iron 1 link
and Hammerin' Iron 2 link

Walt

Thanks guys for the postings. If anyone has other observations please post here I am cross posting links to this thread and other websites as they are sent to me. I was unable to attend as I have to be back in Balt/Washington next weekend to speak at Arlington, and some appointments at Walter Reed and Bethesda the week after. It was too had to justify three three day weekends away from the wife and kids in a row. Plus Southern Front and the show in Williamsburg are early next month as well.
VR
James Mattes

Some Clarifications for Walt's Blog:

"On the down side, the only bathroom nearby was a one holer, so to speak. The layout will be greatly expanded for HISTORICON, so there's no reason to believe that's all we'll get."

I was worried about this being a misconception. The 300 level of the BCC has three large kiosk type restroom areas, each with a full sized mens' room (3 urinals and 4 stalls), a full sized ladies room (how would I know how many stalls?;) Probably comparable to the mens'), and a "Family" unisex "one holer" on the end. The one holer was on the near end (as approached the the GAE Day area) so a lot of guys were using it. I expected that at least one would not see any others and draw the wrong conclusion. Thanks for giving me a chance to clear that us, Walt.

"Here's the little elevator we loaded freight on. Since the tournament area is the only gaming spot downstairs, this will be an important issue for 2010."

Two points to clarify here.
1) At Historicon the 300 level will mainly have "Club" rooms, GM storage, and food. There might be a couple of games in the open space where GAE Day was. The rest of the games (~1/2), tournaments (including FoW and GW), flea market, dealers and painting will be on the 100 level.

2) There are 4 elevators available to move between GM storage on the 300 level to gaming areas on the 100 level.
There are two available to move directly from GM loading to the 100 level gaming area.

Duncan Adams
HISTORICON 2010 Events Manager

Duncan: I just added your clarifications to the LOGISTICS post. Thanks for that.

Walt

Duncan: I just added your clarifications to the LOGISTICS post. Thanks for that.

Walt

I knew you would.

Duncan

Overall, enjoyed the day and think it was worthwhile for familiarization with the BCC. After some confusion in the loading dock area, the day went smoothly.

We had two loading docks for GED, and there are many more available. They clearly have enough to handle HMGS. Entry may be a bottleneck as all traffic must check-in and pass through a single locked gate. I expect the loading dock vs parking pass situation will be worked out by 2010. On a positive note, extra hand trucks were available and unloading was a snap.

As we will be on level 1 for the 2010, my concerns about the elevators don't really apply from a dealer perspective. They are freight elevators and we were able to load 2+ handtrucks on them.

The dealer room for this show had good lighting and I was able to use a nearby electric outlet. We also setup a demo game next to our table. I have always liked this feature of Fall-In and it would be a big plus for Historicon.

The facility was great. The lobby where most games were held benefited from floor to ceiling windows. Temp and lighting were excellent. The food selection was good. I spent $10 USD for lunch and a few dollars for sodas during the day.

Some problems specific to this event ought not to impact 2010. In short, promotions, signage, and communication need some work. Others have covered these issues in detail, so I won;t repeat them here.

I like the facility – it is modern and clean. I did not venture out, but as a local, I am familiar with the area. I think you will get a better perspective on this from out of town attendees. The immediate area can seem a little sparse for restaurants and such, but the Harborplace Pavilions are just across the street and there is plenty to eat there.

I have always enjoyed the Host and am not a big fan of change. That said, I am planning to attend 2010. I expect some difficulties, and I expect it will be more expensive, but I am going to give it a shot.

If you have specific questions, feel free to email me.

Steve
Age of Glory
ageofglory_at_comcast.net