"Stop By Valley Forge On The Way To Fall In This Weekend" Topic

Depending on your schedule and "route of march," you may want to stop by the Valley Forge Convention Center (VFCC) on your way to (or from) Fall In this weekend.

Whether or not you have been there before (like for Historicon), you will see that the construction is long over and done with and that the casino is up and running. You will also notice that there is still plenty of space for a gaming convention. (Hint, hint. FYI, the VFCC still hosts the MFCA convention in May with plenty of room to spare.) You'll also see the Food Court waiting for you with plenty of seats and a menu that includes American, Italian, Asian and other cuisines. There are worse places to stop and eat on the way home. You don't have to play the slot machines and spend all your flea market profits in the casino. But if you do gamble, the drinks are on the house--just don't drink and drive.

Why mention this now? Simple answer. If "the Host is a dump" (their words and opinion, not mine, and they know who they are), then it's also a dump for Fall In and Cold Wars. My understanding is that all the HMGS conventions are booked through 2015 at their current locations, something that the Board can confirm at the next membership meeting. Beyond that, we'll see. Now is the time to start considering alternative locations, especially in case conditions change in the future.

Valley Forge should be one of those locations.

Travel safe. Hope to see you there.

If Cold Wars and Fall In are at the Host for the next two years and Historicon is at the FCC the next two years as well, then that's great news IMO.

And speaking of Fall In, I'm heading out first thing in the AM, travel safe everyone……………..

I don't think CW or FI could be held there as the cost is too high, and Hcon, with what used to have larger numbers, was the only one that could cover the cost of that facility.

Perhaps people could just go visit the museum instead. :-)

Just to be a brat and hijack this thread…
If you are traveling from the western reaches, it is the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg and next week is also the anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Not a hijack at all, zoneofcontrol. Nobody would call you a brat. Thanks for the reminder. I'm sure plenty of gamers "out west" will swing by Gettysburg on their way to Lancaster. They can get the "off season" rates.

As for relative costs, historygamer, that's a good point (as all yours are). But you never know until you ask. I have an idea of how much other groups have paid to use some of the VFCC space. I'll have to take a look at the HMGS financial data (a copy of which I have from the last membership meeting) to see how they compare. From people I talked to the last time I was there, the VFCC is always looking for more events.

To be clear, this is not a "move Historicon back to the Host" argument. That ship has sailed and it's not coming back to port anytime soon. It may not have as many passengers as it once did, but it hasn't hit any large chunks of ice yet either.

On the other hand, Fall In is no longer the poor stepchild convention of HMGS. For some dealers I've spoken with, it is now their most profitable convention. In addition, many GMs who passed on Historicon after the move have returned to run games. With no weather issues this week, plus the move away from Halloween, the numbers for Fall In should be good. Let's hope so. Fall In can now stand on its own two feet instead of acting (in part) as the second convention at the Host to leverage a better deal for either Historicon or Cold Wars. If it continues to grow, and I hope it does, it may want to look for a new home. We'll see.

Either way, HMGS will have to address the issue of convention location in a few years. Better to start the discussion sooner rather than later.

I would give my two shillings worth, but since I live about two miles from VF, it might not be taken well.

Eric