47Ronin | 27 Nov 2016 2:12 p.m. PST |
FYI, I played in a game with a couple of Canadians at Fall In 2016 in PA. Nice guys and good players, even though we had never met before. It got me to thinking. With all the drama about the location of HMGS conventions over the past few years, one group you never hear any complaints out of are the Canadians. Whether the conventions are North or South, East or West, the Canadians just show up, support the conventions and have a good time. Maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise, given how good an ally Canada has been to the U.S. over the years. Plus, they know that hockey is a cold weather sport, better played in places like Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston and Detroit (despite what the NHL may think) and, in the opinion of many (myself included), have the better national anthem. So here's a big "thank you" to all the Canadians who have supported HMGS (and the U.S.) in the past. We look forward to your continued friendship for years to come. |
Jamesonsafari | 27 Nov 2016 3:05 p.m. PST |
You're welcome. I think most Canadians realise that they don't have much say in where the conventions are held. If it gets to be too long a drive, they just stop going. |
ARMY Strong | 27 Nov 2016 3:36 p.m. PST |
If you don't like our National Anthem maybe you should move there with all the movie elite, but I due agree with the sportsmanship and great games they put on. But sorry out anthem is ours 100% American. |
wrgmr1 | 27 Nov 2016 5:10 p.m. PST |
I'm with James the Safari man. Your welcome. Approximately 30 Canadians attend Enfilade every year, not that many out of 300+, but we always put on games. Last year our group did battalion level 28mm games of Ligny and Waterloo, with 18+ gamers in each. Quite an undertaking, lots of logistics and planning. |
grtbrt | 27 Nov 2016 7:25 p.m. PST |
lol- that is funny about the National Anthem -You do realize that the original tune is a British drinking song from a club in London ? |
panzerCDR | 27 Nov 2016 8:01 p.m. PST |
I opened this link wondering what the connection between Canadians and Heavy Machine Guns (HMGS) could be. Perhaps in WWI in the BEF? I guess I have been reading too many acronyms for too long . . . |
TodCreasey | 28 Nov 2016 6:23 a.m. PST |
This is why Historicon is off the list for us now – even Lancaster is an 8 hour drive. But we easy going if the roads and decent to get there – our main issue is NY state weather. |
Moe the Great | 28 Nov 2016 6:55 a.m. PST |
NY weather? You know what they say, if you don't like the weather, at least here in Buffalo, just wait 5 minutes, it's bound to change. The gamers from the north are great folks. I look forward to seeing them every con. |
grtbrt | 28 Nov 2016 7:15 a.m. PST |
I agree they are great . even in re-enacting they make the effort . There are a couple of units -from Ontario- that come down to the Chesapeake bay area a few times a year for events. |
Marcus Brutus | 28 Nov 2016 7:47 a.m. PST |
The move of Historicon from Lancaster to Fredericksburg has made it just one bridge far for me to travel too (well probably two!) Lancaster seems to my mind to be a good compromise for the East Coast so hopefully it will move back north a bit. Add the currency exchange and its been 3 years since I've been to any of the big HMGS events. |
Bowman | 28 Nov 2016 7:58 a.m. PST |
…….our main issue is NY state weather. Surely not for Historicon? I assume you mean NY and Penn driving for Cold Wars. Yes, snow removal isn't the same as we are used to. At any rate, I drive to all three HMGS conventions and am a proud member of that society. I happily pay the fees to ensure the continuation of 3 wonderful cons that have no analogue in the Canadian scene. Plus, I get to hang out with my excellent cadre of American friends that I have made over the years. That's worth the drive for me. |
JMcCarroll | 28 Nov 2016 6:15 p.m. PST |
Historicon in Toronto anyone? |
Bowman | 28 Nov 2016 6:49 p.m. PST |
Too expensive. |
Charlie 12 | 28 Nov 2016 8:14 p.m. PST |
Ok, real dumb question… What's the convention scene like in Canada? (I honestly ask because, frankly, I don't know.) |
wrgmr1 | 28 Nov 2016 9:50 p.m. PST |
We have an annual convention in Burnaby B.C. (part of Vancouver), called Trumpeter Salute at the end of March. It's not that big, maybe 150 attendees. |
Bowman | 29 Nov 2016 7:26 a.m. PST |
What's the convention scene like in Canada? Smaller than what's in the US, but good quality and growing. I'm at the other side of the country from wrgmr1, in Ontario and can only talk about my local scene. The benchmark of all the local cons is "Hotlead" in Stratford. hotlead.ca It is the result of the hard work of jamesonsafari (see above) and his army of helpers. Then there is "Over the Top" in Brantford, run by the Lords of the North. lordsofthenorth.ca Then there is "Broadsword" run by the Hamilton Tabletop Gaming Society. htgs.ca There are other conventions in Ontario too, in the Toronto and Ottawa areas, but I'll let others chime in about them. I'm not familiar with them. |
bhall389 | 04 Dec 2016 4:44 p.m. PST |
We have made the trip to Fall In every year for the last 8 or 9 years. It's a 10 hour trip to Lancaster, a little less when it was in Gettysburg. Some of the guys make it down for Cold Wars as well. Fredericksburg is just a little too far from Southwestern Ontario, but honestly July is just too busy for me… Fall In has become an important part of my wargaming schedule, and we try to include a battlefield tour in when we can. Fort Ligonier, Gettysburg, Antietam, Brandywine, etc.,. |
mindenbrush | 05 Dec 2016 2:05 p.m. PST |
I missed Historicon this year for the first time in 6 years and did the Fredericksburg trip twice – 11.5 hours each way. I only missed it this year because of work commitments. Others I game with here in Montreal and Ottawa go alternate years just due to the distance. There are some very good conventions in Ontario – Quebec seems to have a distinct lack of interest – and I went to Hotlead for the first time this year. As I am moving to Toronto for work I hope to be able to get to even more conventions. |
zoneofcontrol | 05 Dec 2016 2:16 p.m. PST |
|
Bowman | 06 Dec 2016 9:45 a.m. PST |
Move Canada Now! A lot of Canadians would agree. |
zoneofcontrol | 06 Dec 2016 10:16 a.m. PST |
They can move it closer to me. I've visited a handful of times and would not mind going back! |
Terry L | 02 Jan 2017 4:26 p.m. PST |
I used to go to Coldwars every other year but now that we take a 35% hit on the dollar exchange rate it's getting to be a bit too expensive for me. I'd love to see some at par pricing for us Canuck to get in. That would help. |
Charlie 12 | 02 Jan 2017 4:31 p.m. PST |
They can move it closer to me. I've visited a handful of times and would not mind going back! Yes, please! I've only visited once, but had a great time! |
Tumbleweed | 02 Jan 2017 9:52 p.m. PST |
I recall some really nice historical conventions at a hotel called The Royal Connaught in Hamilton in the early 90's. The promoters were a great bunch of guys and the hotel had a two-story tall water slide in the pool, a great place for the kids too. I guess now it is a condo building? |