"Just got back from Cold Wars" Topic

As the title suggests, I just got back home from cold wars. Chatted with some friends I have not seen in a while and played a few games. In general good times were had by all.

One thing I noticed was that attendance seemed to be way down. I was kind of suprised. I even asked a couple of vendors and they agreed that the crowd seemed light. The flea market had the usual swarm of locust come through at the beginning of every shift. I think the saturday morning flea market tables were sold out but not the afternoon. The dealer hall never seemed crowded.

The big room had more tables available than I remember during the afternoon game sessions. All around, the convention just seemed lighter than other years.

I was wondering what kept people away? Was it the economy? The recent flap with HMGS and folks being fed up with the organization? What?

John

I didn't go because someone had to let the dog out, and I had to work.

Maybe fewer day trippers due to the horrendous weather on the East Coast?

Omigod, this thread just swallowed up CC's pirate ship thread!

We're doomed!

Allen

I went to the National Archery Tournament in Harrisonburg (JMU) VA this weekend instead.

Didn't plan on going because no money. Ironically I got my tax return on Friday, but too late to make plans. Looking forward to Historicon though..

Damon.

Other than Saturday afternoon when the Distelfink was fully packed, I thought it was lighter than last year. Saturday evening was certainly lighter but the appalling weather may have encoraged some to leave earlier and the extra day may have had some folks leaving on Saturday instead of Sunday to avoid the extra hotel night.

I thought attendance looked down, but attributed it to the fact that I was there on Friday rather than Saturday. At least 8 to 12 empty tables in Distelfink during every round, no crowds even in the flea market.

Thursday was dead. I will not run games on a Cold Wars Thursday for a while, games were half full, but enjoyed the players I had. I had a lot of patient players this weekend – ran 5 games 3 different rules sets on Thursday and Friday.
Shopped a bit, but had to leave early this am so no last chance to drop money.
Got in one pulp game run by Jason (Doktor Mercury) and enjoyed it. I will pick up the Iron Ivan pulp rules.

I have to echo the uncrowded aspect of the con. Friday's flea market was a little thin, with light traffic and several empty tables. Saturday morning's was a bit better but afternoon's was below par when I cruised it. Lots of games were cancelled, so many games were filled up when the latecomers (like me) finally made it to the sign-up table.

I sideswiped only a couple of people with my shoulder bag in the vendors' area, so it must have been under-attended.

The con seemed to have an subdued (even depressed) undertone or vibe, even accounting for the disgusting weather and the inability to find a decent parking (read "close") space resulting from the weather.

I'm not sure a 4-day con is the best way to go. Personally, Friday thru Sunday is all I can afford time- and hotel cost-wise.

Wow…so is this a possible indicator of things to come at the VFCC???

Say it isn't so Murphy. I have a feeling no matter how many people show up for Historcion the board will come out with numbers showing how it has the highest attendance in history.

The con seemed to have an subdued (even depressed) undertone or vibe.

You know, I was thinking the same thing, but couldn't put my finger on why or exactly how to describe it. It might have been the weather. It might have been that it was just a long winter…or maybe the move is bugging people that much (I remain indifferent).

*shrug.

It did have an odd vibe this year. I had a great time as always. No gaming for me this year. I took a break from running games and just hung out at the table and shopped.

I did get to meet NYCJadie and his wife, which was very nice. They had the misfortune to be stuck on the other side of us and had to put up with Chal all weekend :)

Keith

I have to agree with the the atmosphere---subdued captures it. Enjoyed the games I played in, but just blah other wise.

Mike

It was subdued cause I was not there to stir things up!
VR
James Mattes

i only was there saturday afternoon

i was pleased to see they added more space in the flea market, but it wasn't needed for the 2nd session. I personally didn't really buy much. but i am at th point i am looking for very specific painted figures so it is always hit or miss.

i agree it seemed subdued. i wouldn't use the word depressed. i hardly heard any of the "political" talk i was expecting to hear. so there was a surprise. nothing at all till the end of the night when i was talking to someone about where we were each from, and I got to say "iwas from king of Prussia" so they assumed i knew what the convention center was like…silly them.

it was weird when our game ended up at midnight saturday and there was no other game running in distlefink, and not many people just sitting around gabbing or drinking.

bt as light as it seemed, the guy from california still said it was bigger than anything near him

larry

I think it seemed subdued, or somber. Pick your description. I thought the crowds seemed light on Saturday, and the gaming areas even lighter. I ran into one friend there who had just been laid off. Other friends of mine couldn't make it for family or personal reasons. I have to say that I thought the tournament areas seemed fairly well attended.

I thought the crowd waiting to get into the Saturday morning flea market seemed light too, and took a long time to get down to the lower end of the room (note to flea market organizers – maybe start the lines from both ends of the flea market to unstack the traffic jam that always results fron the one entrance only).

I thought it was well run, from what I could see. My only nit would be the 5 point font used in the program book. Come on guys, I'm getting old, and that was hard to read.
:-)

It was great to share a booth space with you, Keith. The company was much appreciated.

The con definitely seemed lighter and quieter than last year. I chalk it up to the weather. Saturday morning in the dealer's hall was very quiet, but it picked up in the late afternoon.

We had a blast. Played in only one game this year – Pictor's Carlist War using the Black Powder rules. Definitely fun. Met lots of new people, several old friends and dozens of TMPers.

Next year I won't screw up daylight savings time and open the booth on time!

Best,
Steve
Cavalcade Wargames
cavalcadewargames.com

I was very surprised at, what seemed to me, the rather low attendance at Cold Wars. I normally go down for a day of shopping, usually aim for the Friday, This year, work intervened and I drove down on Saturday morning. I was worried that, with the change to a four day event, the vendors' area would be picked over. I need not have worried since when I arrived at 9:30 or so there were probably 50 people in the vendors area; I was able to pick up virtually everything I wanted and so was happy on that front.

But, as someone who has traditionally been a "day tripper," I wonder if the egregious increase in the one day entrance (up 40% from $15 USD to $25) may have played a role. While totally uninformed on such things (which in no way stops me from commenting…), I suspect this is in part a result of the Historicon debacle. I am not so much put off by the dollar amount (I spend more than that at lunch when I go to the con -- mmmm, Miller's Pennsylvania Dutch smorgasbord…), but I am rather put off by a sudden increase, especially if it to pay for someone else's mistakes. Since I am not an HMGS member and have not closely followed the controversy over the moving of the con and change in venue (twice) I make not claim that this is the case. It may just be a coincidence that after moving the event the second time (for which I naively presume there was some sort of penalty), the cost of a one day admission rose significantly. Moreover, I did not detect a great deal of exuberance on the part of the vendors themselves about the con or the upcoming event at Valley Forge.

Having attended cons in one form or another for more than 35 years (I started attending the old MFCA cons at Weidner College, now University, in the early 70s), I hope that this is not an indication of a future trend… Just my $0.02 USD on Cold Wars.

Custos

It was my first "real" convention I wasn't sure what to expect and can't judge about crowd size or mood, but it was a worthwhile time.

The Games: I got to play in three (showing up late Friday night) my first double blind game which was a really interesting concept and nicely run. Saturday morning was the highlight.
Jerry Frazee's Tarawa scenario was stunningly done. Great game, that was easy to enjoy.

Saturday night finished up with 8 player GW man o war, ship battle that was hilarious. Not sure who the older gentleman was playing the other dwarf fleet but we laughed a lot. And we invented "the dwarven salute". the GM Rich did a great job keeping the game moving and keeping chaos to a minimum.

The exhibition hall was overwhelming. so much to see, so much to buy. There were company names I saw (like Eureka) that had figures I wanted to buy, but I was so flustered I couldn't remember and the endless rows of lead were too hard to examine in detail. I wish the vendors had a printout or I had brought my laptop to do research in the hotel room!

Other memories:
the pungent aroma of horse manure from the field behind the red roof inn was unforgettable.

playing a LARP version of Frogger on that damnable highway kept me on my toes every time I had to go back and forth to the Host.

Meeting the NYWA gaming group and besting them all at Wings of War :)

Fuddruckers & Five Guys burgers and Fries :)

The two hour delay on the way home because the road washed out :(

I counted at least seven empty dealer tables and didn't see any of my Canadian friends this time. Several people commented on how easy it was to find a parking spot. Then again, the weather had to be a major factor. A forecast of 3" – 5" probably scarred away at least a few.
Many thanks to the Cold Wars staff who did an outstanding job. Everyone I talked to seemed to have a great time.

Hi everyone;
I didn't go, wish I could have, but that was because I have no disposable income anymore and had to work the entire weekend.
Historicon is out for me too.
Same reasons as Cold Wars.

I love going to the HMGS East Cons, wherever they are, but have bigger things tugging at my wallet.

here's looking to Fall In.
Joep

I dunno……….

Maybe being from Canada, crappy weather doesn't get me down. I seem to have missed the whole "somber vibe", and enjoyed myself greatly. Yes, attendance seemed light, but I think that is a reflection of the economy more than anything else. I ran a small tournament on Saturday morning which was even more fun than I thought it would be.

Thanks to the Cold Wars staff and volunteers, and I'm looking forward to Valley Forge.

Ralph

@crhkrebs- I should have introduced myself, but didn't draw a TMP connection. I was the other guy you were taking to with Cliff in the dealer hall in the last hour of the dealer hall today.

Back on topic- I had a fun convention. It was great meeting NYCJadie and several other folks. I showed up Thursday and stayed through Sunday. Yes it was more lightly attended Thursday. I didn't find that odd. A number of folks I know had to work and showed up Friday night or Saturday. A handful of friends stopped going to historical shows altogether, but only because they're only doing fantasy games now. A few more were short on funds and stayed home. But that's anecdotal evidence worth what it's paid for. ;)

Thanks also to the Cold Wars staff!!

I just got back too… oh wait, no I didn't. I'm still in town until Wed! :) I flew in from CA for the con (my first West Coast miniatures convention) and now I'm spending a few days at Gettysburg. Staying at the Gettysburg Hotel on the main square downtown. If you thought the convention was subdued, try staying here on a Sunday night in March in a rain storm, alone, on the 3rd floor. I feel very alone. Good thing I have lots and lots of new stuff to sort through!

For me the convention was simply fantastic. I was underwhelmed (to say the least) by the hotel, but the con seemed great. My personal impression of the hotel was that it smelled awful, was old and dingy (filthy in some areas), and not very well maintained. I'm not making a comment on the choice to host a con there, I'm just speaking on my first impressions of the location. That said I have little to compare it with having only been to things like Origins, Gencon, and various regional cons. Nothing miniatures/historic specific. As an historic convention it seemed great.

For me the dealer area alone made it worth the trip. The flea market was similiar in concept and execution as those at the regional cons I visit but the upside was the vast majority of stuff being sold was historical and/or miniature related! I spent most of my funds in the flea market with tons of nice finds. The largest chunk was dumped on Friday on a stunning collection of over 200 painted 28mm WWII Waffen-SS, Fallschirmjaeger, 82nd Air, Rangers, and partisans/civilians. The person who painted them did a STUNNINGLY detailed job on the German camo and they were a major draw for a number of people oggling them. I made a split-second decision to take the entire collection and am very glad I did. I was worried I may have made a major purchase too early (Sat I was told was the "big" day) but any thoughts of buyers remorse quickly went away after spending some time with the figures. Looking back it was a brilliant purchase and one I have no regrets about. If I hadn't bought them I'd be sitting here right now lamenting the fact I let them go and kick myself for the next 6 months. Those figs will see plenty of intense action in the coming months and years for sure.

Other highlights of the weekend involved (be sure you are sitting down for this one) dumping the above mentioned collection down the stairs going to the lower level of the con. I lost a year or two of my life when that happened, but amazingly the only damage was limited to 3 units coming off their bases! No figures were bent, dinged, or chipped!! Stunning to say the least.

And speaking of falling over, the other highlight was the fellow who went down in front of the table I was selling at in the flea market on Sat. That was a real shocker. He landed smack on his back. Turned out to be a diabetic issue. Muscle memory kicked in (combat life safer and first responder training) and with the nearly immediate assistance of the flea market staff and a few concerned gamers we got him stable and assessed his condition quickly. He recovered in 15 minutes or so and was helped on his way to find a place to rest. If he hadn't shown positive signs within the first minute or two I was going to request the officials call an ambulance but in the end one thankfully wasn't needed.

I picked up a lot of great stuff like terrain, rules, and a few packs of unpainted figs from the vendor area. Though I enjoyed it a lot I noticed the subdued qualities other folks have mentioned. For me it was anything but subdued though. I was like a kid in a candy store. Literally.

Played in 2 great games which I really enjoyed. Loved watching lots of other games being played.

Last but not least I really enjoyed meeting many great East Coast gamers, especially the great guys I've been talking with via email. I was able to put faces to a few names and made a few new friends in the process. Met some really great people and I look forward to seeing them again should I ever make it back.

The economy.

Omigod, this thread just swallowed up CC's pirate ship thread!

Weird. I posted in "Conventions" on the "General" board.

As for the Thursday thing, I am with others. I am not so sure that it is better to have an extra day. Some friends of mine went up Thursday and enjoyed it. Me? I could not afford taking an extra day off from work or the extra expense of the Hotel room.

Speaking of Hotel rooms, they were a bit more expensive this year too. Up about $10 USD from last year I think.

John

We didn't do Thursday as we heard about it too late this year but I expect we will next year – as it is an 8 hour trip it is worth making a longer trip of it.

I had an excellent time – good games and good tournies. Looking forward to next year already. I didn't see any difference in mood but I'm not the most perceptive guy in the world.

I was at Cold Wars and I had a great time! I think the "somber" mood some people seemed to pick up is a combination of the weather and the economy.

I was in the ECW tournament and it was a blast. Maybe more people should play in the WAB and ECW tournament??

Wow…so is this a possible indicator of things to come at the VFCC???

I highly doubt it. Most of the people I know who attended, if not all, were thrilled that it was at the VFCC instead of the BCC. Without any kind of "official" survey, it's tough to say.

It was subdued cause I was not there to stir things up!
VR
James Mattes

James, if you were going, I was ready to have a button made for you – "BCC – it's not for me!" Now that would really stir things up!!

The weather. I wasn't driving from Philadelphia to Lancaster in that rain.

5 of us drove up from Fl in all the weather that that entailed must have been a hurricane between Philly and Lancaster?

CeYa Dale