GROSSMAN | 21 Jul 2014 6:41 a.m. PST |
Just got back from Historicon, and my impression was that the numbers were down a touch. Fewer dealers, fewer games, but the flea market seemed to be about the same. I would be interested in any "official" numbers that anyone could share. It was another well run event-hats off to the staff. |
John the OFM | 21 Jul 2014 7:10 a.m. PST |
"Shrinkage" is what we used to call shoplifting at KMart. You had me scared for a minute. |
FABET01 | 21 Jul 2014 7:11 a.m. PST |
Three clients that regularly have booths there decided not to go this year. That would seem to give some support to your observation about the dealers. |
Extra Crispy | 21 Jul 2014 7:17 a.m. PST |
Really, the pool was very cold. |
Extra Crispy | 21 Jul 2014 7:18 a.m. PST |
Dealer count is easy to verify as they publish a list every year. Attendance is subject to a bit more "interpretation." |
45thdiv | 21 Jul 2014 7:19 a.m. PST |
I felt that the dealers hall felt empty but could be an illusion due to more space. I only went for Saturday. Trash bins were overflowing in front of the center and the restrooms had over flowing toilets. Pretty gross. The noise seemed better. If nothing else, the carpet on the floor help to cushion the noise and reduce sore feet. I had a good time and picked up several things from my list. |
John the OFM | 21 Jul 2014 7:23 a.m. PST |
…and the restrooms had over flowing toilets. Pretty gross. So they were back in Lancaster? Shoot. I would have gone had I known that! |
YogiBearMinis | 21 Jul 2014 7:38 a.m. PST |
I got a couple of emails from an attendee/friend, and he reports that he thought the "eye candy games" were the best he's ever seen, and well attended, but that (1) the tournament crowd has shrunk dramatically, and (2) the dealer hall is becoming worthless, as manufacturers drop out replaced by retailers and more and more vendors refer you to their website for routine items they should have brought. |
nazrat | 21 Jul 2014 7:43 a.m. PST |
Well, there were certainly less dealers there, but I found lots of new stuff and bought everything I hoped to find at the convention. I never saw an overflowing toilet-- slippery floors, yes, but I never had to skip going because of lines or cloggage of pipes (or even stench). A vast improvement! There were more games than ever and there was not one table available in any room during the day on Saturday. I think it felt well attended, too, but that is entirely subjective. Noise was never a problem so that one was solved as well. And of course the chairs have been replaced with sturdy, comfy ones. Overall I had a pretty good time but the fact that my dog had just been put to sleep seriously affected my enjoyment. Jerry |
OSchmidt | 21 Jul 2014 9:03 a.m. PST |
The Official figures never vary. They always have 3000+ attendees. They see dead people. |
pzivh43 | 21 Jul 2014 10:19 a.m. PST |
I thought is was a better show than last year in many respects. Carpet was nice and noise did seem lower than before. The center staff did get to the restroom issue pretty fast that I noticed. Agree that the dealer area had some open spots, but business seemed brisk when I was there. Overall, I had a great time. Three games of Battlegroup Kursk and one game of Battlegroup Overlord!! |
enfant perdus | 21 Jul 2014 10:46 a.m. PST |
Pure speculation on my part, but I wonder how many folks opted not to go based on last year's issues? The TMP post-mortem of H'Con 2013 indicated a lot of dissatisfied attendees. Now, I don't recall many "I'll never return!" type posts, but much disappointment and disgust was vented by people who are generally easy-going, low maintenance types. How many of them decided to skip this year, to see if the site problems were addressed? Personally, that was a small factor in my decision not to go. I had more or less decided not to attend (for other reasons) but had the opportunity to drive down for a day. Recalling last year's tales of woe, I opted to divert my day off and my money in a different direction. That being said, the early reports of 2014 indicate that the venue has made an effort to address the 2013 problems. If so, let's spread the word and we'll see each other at H'Con 2105. |
Winston01 | 21 Jul 2014 11:01 a.m. PST |
Pure speculation but perhaps lower attendance and number of dealers could be because of the economy. I know that the official government line is that the recession is over and the economy is great. Unemployment is down and everyone is able to find employment. Well perhaps that is not so true. Just a thought but most likely wrong. |
Maggot | 21 Jul 2014 11:10 a.m. PST |
Historicon? Oh, you are referring to Battlefronticon Sponsored by Warlord Games. I was highly disappointed this year; my ninth Hcon, and maybe last visit for a while. The dealer hall was pretty poor. With the amount of gaming space given to and number of vendors who were selling the exact same thing, you would of thought this was a Battlefront convention. I usually drop $4 USD-700 at Hcon. This year I spent $70. USD I enjoy products from both those lines, but I don't do WWII! Very limited figure selection, especially in 15mm. Extremely limited ancients or other non WWII periods outside of the above manufacturers in 15mm. 25mm not much better. I don't think I saw a WWI figure there outside of Blue Moon's, still incomplete, 18mm line (what famous anniversary is it this year and who at Blue Moon sculpted American soldiers with open collar uniforms?) for the love of all that's Holy…… Anyway, noise was less, but still an issue; I could not hear GMs less than eight feet away from me, and my hearing is fine. I understand many dealers don't come because of the expense and ease of internet sales. I hope the fine folks at HMGS will work on drawing those smaller dealers back. It would be great to see stocks of Minifigs, Corvus Belli, and Essex back again. How much would we drop on the fine figs from Khurusan? Imagine if it were worth it for them to come! |
HMS Exeter | 21 Jul 2014 11:26 a.m. PST |
I have managed to restrain myself via a vis Khurasan, despite the allure of their lines. If they actually came to a con,…well, I'd probably wind up having to sell a kidney. |
Ed Mohrmann | 21 Jul 2014 12:11 p.m. PST |
How would HMGS compete with 'ease of internet sales' as a reason for dealers (small or large) not to attend ANY gaming con, whether it is in Fredericksburg, Orlando, Nashville, etc. ? |
altfritz | 21 Jul 2014 2:44 p.m. PST |
We didn't go so it was down four at least from last year. |
Syr Hobbs Wargames | 21 Jul 2014 3:41 p.m. PST |
Well if anyone else is disappointed with the 15mm offerings, we are having a sale of 15mm figures from Outpost Wargame Services, well at least until our hosting company makes the move to a new shopping cart. So the sale, buy 3 packs get a 4th pack free. All items must be in stock. link thanks Duane syrhobbswargames.com |
jdpintex | 21 Jul 2014 4:03 p.m. PST |
My first trip to Fredericksburg ans I had a great time. Spent more than I should've in the dealer room. And the dealers I was looking for we're there. Participated in some very good games. Food was okay and never had an issue with the toilets. My only issue was that I couldn't find any large scale decals for tanks (Brigade only had them for half-tracks), so I bought other stuff instead. Extremely we'll run convention and I had a lot of fun. |
BrigadeGames | 21 Jul 2014 5:42 p.m. PST |
We carry plenty of decals for tanks unless we were out of the ones you were looking for - link |
Extra Crispy | 21 Jul 2014 7:54 p.m. PST |
I used to go as a vendor bringing with me loads of 15mm good ness: Corvus Belli, Black Hat/Gladiator. Warmodelling, Baueda, QRF. I broke even most shows, lost a little money twice. Never saw any kind of uptick in mail order as people expect to buy their next batch at the next show. In all honesty, I don't do any shows anymore except ones here in Chicago…. |
rampantlion | 22 Jul 2014 6:40 a.m. PST |
I had a great time and thought that the gaming area and vendor area were great, but I was disappointed with the lack of dealers. Still a fantastic con for me though. |
nazrat | 22 Jul 2014 9:04 a.m. PST |
You are sorely missed at the shows, Mark! |
nevinsrip | 22 Jul 2014 6:23 p.m. PST |
I stopped attending when it left Penn. It's just too far to drive all that way to Va from Long Island for me. Too bad. I always enjoyed myself every time, I went which was pretty much from the beginning up until the mid 2000's. As for the Dealers Hall, it's just too expensive. No mystery here. Gas, tolls, hotel, meals, table fees and sundries are just too much to overcome when your making 4 bucks on a pack of figures. |
Sysiphus | 22 Jul 2014 7:10 p.m. PST |
Saw a big hole in dealer area, as well, when at Fall In in 2013. Expect cost of dealer space and ease of using internet are reasonable conclusions. Agree with previous poster on drive length to VA. Glad to read some of the past problems have been worked on. |
aynsley683 | 23 Jul 2014 10:57 a.m. PST |
A friend of mine is one of the staff at the 'con's and says the last h'con in Lancaster had 3700 last years h'con was down to 2900 and this year was 2400. Interestingly Cold wars in '13 and ''14 was bigger than this years historicon. Personally I went down bought a weekend pass but was only there for one day as the dealer hall was small and game players didn't make it worth it to come for a second or third day. |
Blutarski | 27 Jul 2014 5:29 a.m. PST |
Interesting to analyze the games run at HCon-14. Excluding the tournaments, here is a breakdown of the games listed in the catalog - Land (WW1/WW2/Modern) – 87 games Air (WW1/WW2/Modern) – 42 games Naval (AoS/WW1/WW2) – 32 games Euro Horse & Musket – 62 games American Civil War – 35 games Colonials – 18 games Rennaissance – 10 games Medieval – 12 games Ancients – 10 games SciFi/Fantasy/Pulp Fiction – 128 games B |
Long Valley Gamer | 27 Jul 2014 6:32 p.m. PST |
I hope members of the board read Aynsley's post.They probably know but aren't concerned. Less dealers and far less attendees…Lets call Cold Wars …Historicon which is what its turning out to be. |
VonShoot0 | 29 Jul 2014 11:18 a.m. PST |
Wow that is weird Aynsley I heard from my cousin who knows a guy who's sister is related to the Host's owner that this years Historicon had 5000 people and a pony. Too much sarcasm, I mean really folks can we leave the dead horse in the grave. We get it you don't like the current Historicon. You won't take the published numbers as facts because they are manipulated by the "Board". However, you are quite content with pulling up numbers from anyone else who support you argument. Come to Historicon have a good time, don't come to Historicon have a great time. Hell, run for congress because that is certainly the way they view facts. |
edmuel2000 | 29 Jul 2014 6:32 p.m. PST |
Von Shoot0: Membership: 2 days. First Stifle: 2nd day Thanks for dropping in. |
aynsley683 | 30 Jul 2014 4:02 a.m. PST |
Vonshooto I didn't say anything about my views onH'con anywhere (unless you can show me) I just commented on the numbers which were defiantly down from last year even you can not argue with that. As you say go or do not go I don't care what you do either I just made a comment on this topic as that is what this thread is about isn't it? The board and historicon is topic that others can talk about but I don't have have any real strong views on the subject but apparently you do. |
Chuckaroobob | 31 Jul 2014 8:46 p.m. PST |
The following is not intended to be taken seriously. I have the perfect solution: Move the Host to Fredericksburg. Everybody wins. Now we can get back to playing games. |
Nick Pasha | 01 Aug 2014 6:05 a.m. PST |
I started attending Historicon when it went to the New Carrollton/Lanham area. Then I moved with it to the Penn Harris and finally to the Lancaster Host where after years of being a dealer I made my way up the ladder to assist Giglio as Games director. Cold Wars too. My last Historicon was when they decided to move to Baltimore. Even though Fredericksburg is closer to Florida, where I have lived since '95, I have not gone. I wish the con would move back to the Host where I enjoyed many years of fun and good gaming. There may have been issues, but we always seemed to work it out, which added to the charm. As the years moved on things got better, the hotel provided more services and food options. But the Lancaster area is the draw. My wife and kids were able to occupy themselves very nicely. As they grew up they also volunteered. The whole thing had a family feeling to it. Maybe that's what's missing at Historicon. One other thing, I don't know who is on the board, but if boards everywhere would just let the convention directors do their job, and then criticize afterwards, there would be less issues during the con. Too many cooks. |