"Origins Events are up!" Topic

The events are up on downloadable Excel Spreadsheets.

link

Looks like 796 Miniature game events!

I noticed the same thing. Not all the miniature games are what I would call "historical" (nor are they intended to be), but it's a very impressive list by any standard.

That 10 hour drive (each way) is starting to look worth it. We'll see.

Ronin, by my unofficial count about 276 are "Historical" events.

So it might be worth the drive?

Is there a way to see it if you don't have Excel?

Yes, you need an excel viewer.

It is free from Microsoft:
link

My Illinois-based historical miniatures wargaming group used to attend Origins regularly until a few years ago when some freak at the convention, in a black cape and plastic fangs, tried to bite one of us on the neck. We were already upset over what some in the group saw as the dominance of fantasy and science fiction gaming and vendors so we left in a huff, bemoaning Origins joining Gencon as another "national" convention lost to historical gaming forever. We haven't been back since. We now regularly attend Little Wars and Historicon and every few years some of use travel to Great Britain for Salute.
But 276 historical gaming events is certainly a respectable number. Is Origins trying to get back into historical gaming in a systematic way? Or are they temporarily taking advantage of Historicon's recent convention site problems to attract some of their disgruntled historical gamers?

We started attending Origins a few years ago, and quite frankly found it a lot more fun than and more conveniently located than Historicon (but we live in Michigan). However, I go to play and present games as a GM. The shopping is getting better for historical stuff, but I do not think Origins will ever eclipse the Historicon or the other HMGS-E cons for historical shopping. It does not have the big flea markets (more like Salute style with the auction).. it is really more about playing and for me reviewing the latest board games, and usually this is what I shop for.

From what I can see the miniatures room at Origins has been steadily growing since we first started attending about 5 years ago. I think this has been due to the excellent job done by HMGS-GL to promote minitures in general and historicals.

Two years ago a few people from one of the Michigan clubs came down and realized what a great venue it was. Last year they came down with even more of their members. This year it looks like even more will come from that club and a few other guys from the area as well (most of these guys are historical gamers). Most of these attendees are running high quality historical games (thus we climb from about 230 last year to 276 and to a total of 796). I believe a large part of the growth in the miniatures and historical miniatures at Origins is due to word of mouth from attendees and GMs many in the Midwest realizing that Origins is a good venue, and it is closer to home for a lot of us.

I am not sure how to address your comment about "temporarily taking advantage"? What do you mean?

The growth started quite a few years ago from what I have personally experienced, it has been steady, and in my opinion has more to do with word of mouth than anything else. People have attended over the last few years and had a good time, the following year they bring their friends….and so on. Sorry if your group has not had a bad experience, but when was the last time you went? Was this just one incident? Did it really ruin the entire convention? I would encourage you to come by and try it again.

I believe Origins or GAMA for that matter are trying to attract as many people to their convention as possible, period. I do not believe they have any black helicopters stealing people from other conventions, or any other conspiracy theory related to Historicon. I think any problems Historicon has are self made, and will eventually be self correcting.

As for miniature gaming growth; yes over the last 4 or 5 years gamers and GMs from the Midwest like myself are trying to spread the word that Origins is a lot of fun. We have a 95,000 square foot room to play miniatures in for 5 days. Controlled by HMGS-GL. They do a great job running the hall. It is by far the easiest place to attend as a GM. The facility, hotels, and food options are in my opinion far better than Historicon (of the past, I cannot comment on the new venue – hopefully that will work out for the best).

Is it a perfect convention, nope, but it is a lot of fun and it is close to home!

By the way GAMA is not running 276 historical games, the historical GMs are doing that (including me).

Dervel, you're on it about the staedy growth of miniatures in general at Origins, and in particular historical games. When I started working Origins about 6 or 7 years ago, I think there was like 400+ minis games, maybe 100 of them historical, we've doubled that and more over that time.

It has been a steady growth each year, not something that is new this year. As Dervel has said, it has mainly been by word of mouth, folks seeing that we have a great venue and great games and telling their friends. And no, we're not trying to "steal" attendees or GM's from Historicon or any other show.

GAMA's sole purpose is to promote gaming, and gaming conventions, of all kinds. GAMA in fact supports Historicon, GenCon, and any other show possible. Helping the Gaming hobby, not hurting it, is GAMA's mission statement.

So, give Origins a try, we all have a good time there! 800 minis games, 4000 other events, there's bound to be something for everybody!

Steve Smith
Miniatures Director, Origins '10

Dervel,
Well thought out and thorough response. Thanks.

"Temporarily taking advantage" was part of my speculation if this level of historical gaming at Origins is a recent and short-term tactic by Origins officials to attract disgruntled Historicon attendees after which the con would return to business as usual i.e., dominated by fantasy and SF.

However, if I read your response correctly, you say Origin's interest in and growth of historical gaming is a continuous and long-term process.

I hope that this is true.

However, I was in Indianapolis a few years ago and dropped by GenCon. Understand that I go back to the Lake Geneva days when GenCon had a full schedule of top-drawer historical miniature games. One of my old TSR buddies greeted me and asked why I stopped GMing historical miniature games at GenCon saying that GenCon was still a "General Convention" and was very supportive of historical gaming. Since I saw almost no historical gaming, or historical gaming vendors, I inquired about the nature of this support. He said they were still in "the formative" stage.

Yeah…right.

Mosby, I cannot comment on Gen Con since I have never attended. I highly suspect that if it were not for the Efforts of Steve and HMGS-GL Origins would have similar issues. That is why I do not bother with Gen Con, I might try it someday, but probably not.

From the legends and folktales I hear of the olden times; Origins and Gen Con had stronger miniatures presence, but then there was a falling out of some kind and a lot of the miniatures players walked? Don't know, I was not around then, but some of my friends have mentioned these issues. In some ways I think this schism led to the forming of a lot of big regional conventions and clubs in protest, and so in some ways it actually helped by creating more miniature gaming opportunities.

Maybe someone will take charge of the miniatures events at Gen Con like Steve and Great Lakes have at Origins. Frankly I think they have created an amazing convention within a convention.

The Columbus location really is idea (benefits of a big city, but still Midwest small town feel in my opinion). I used to attend Historicon, loved it, but it is a 10 hour drive one way….

Historicon is a really great convention. Unlike some of the stuff written on TMP I think the BOD people do care about miniature gaming and were trying to make improvements (in their opinion – right or wrong). I do not believe any of them had anything but what they thought were the best interests of the convention in mind. It is real easy to throw bottles from the cheap seats, but I try not to do that, because I have not nor am I interested in the responsibility of putting together a major miniatures convention (I have a enough trouble at work, don't need it in my hobby). I take my hat off to those that do the work so I can have fun.

So I really hope you will come by and see us at Origins this year. We do manage to have a good time despite the occasional Larper .

Dervel,

"Olden Times!" Was that some sort of crack? (LOL)

You have a good understanding of the problem. I lived through it and I still don't fully understand the cause of the schism between non-historical and historical gaming in the U.S. But I suspect the ancient but still potent "upstarts and whippersnappers" was in there somewhere. After dominating the hobby for almost a century many historical gamers weren't prepared to deal with the flood of fantasy and science fiction games and players into the hobby. They didn't look like us. They didn't talk like us. They didn't know how many rivets were used in the frontal armor of a Sherman tank or how long it took one of Napoleon's infantrymen to load his musket and, most disturbing of all, they didn't care.

What concerns me most is that all this happened several decades ago and yet an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion (thankfully diminished from the truly poisonous atmosphere of the 70's and early 80's) still seems to persist in the U.S. I had hoped by now that the controversy would have disappeared and all parts of the hobby would have come together for the general good of all. Our British cousins seem to have largely avoided all this nonsense from the outset.

Your responses have lifted my spirits significantly and I intend to make an effort to see if I can convince some of the "grognards" in my wargaming group to give Origins a try.

Regarding Olden times, maybe :) but not at you….LOL. just that my war gaming buddy is a wee bit older than me… so he remembers some of this stuff.

I am not exactly a spring chicken, but I was not attending gaming conventions in the 70 or early 80s. Everything I know from that time is the stuff of legends handed down from our tribal stories.

I mostly only care about what is happening now and in the future, and how I can have the most fun with my hobby (if possible spread it around a little).

If you come be sure to look me up, I am running Blue Max most mornings at 10, a Midway Naval game Thursday at 6?

Also, a Star Wars Fleet Battles with my Son Wednesday and Friday night.

Saturday at 2 there is a WAB intro/demo event and I hope to be playing or helping with that one.

The rest of the time shopping or play testing the latest cool board game or have a beer with my buddies at one of the micro breweries around the corner.

If you have at least three beers you might be able to handle the Karaoke at the Hyatt bar, but I believe it is at least a 3 beer minimum to listen. Any less than 3 beers and you could cause severe damage to yourself.