"ACW Gaming Convention?" Topic

10

same as Yellow admiral. Problem with limiting a time period is that you limit your audience as well.

Is anyone actually proposing this? Or is Bill just making more dust clouds?

- Ix

Johnny Con is already in place… Now attached to Nashcon, its a whole convention of games by John Hill. Once it was exclusively JR based rules, I see they are now including ASL. But still one of the best ACW based events similar to the SYW event in South Bend…

Madcam.

10

10

Obviously, I would be interested in an ACW Con. The problem is finding a location that would be accessible to the maximum audience. Preferably in a location with ACW history.

Fredericksburg?

Maybe just some of the small, carpeted rooms of the FCC would be enough? And a small place for vendors. Depends on the cost. May have to do this on their slow time of year. Just musing.

From the AP:

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – A study has found that northern Virginia is home to the single worst traffic hotspot in the U.S.

That spot is the stretch of southbound Interstate 95 from the Fairfax County Parkway to Fredericksburg.

The study published Wednesday by Seattle-based traffic data firm Inrix found the average traffic jam on that stretch lasted 33 minutes and covered six miles. Inrix counted 1,394 traffic jams there during the two-month period it conducted the study in March and April.

While I-95 represented the single worst traffic spot, Inrix found that overall the D.C. area ranks third to New York and Los Angeles in terms of overall traffic congestion.

The study analyzed more than 100,000 hotspots in 25 of the nation's most traffic-congested cities.

Other possible cities. All have major airports, all have connections to Civil War history:

Louisville, Kentucky

New Orleans, Louisiana

Nashville, Tennessee

Atlanta, Georgia

As those are all major urban areas, wouldn't venue costs and transportation issues be increased? Other considerations would be, " How far are these venues from the bulk of the ACW vendors?"

Besides, too many distractions in Nawlins!

Bowman,

All those are valid concerns. I believe that air cost go down when you fly into a major airport, so there is that to consider.

As far as NOLA, I heard that a convention once held there got more attendance BECAUSE it was the Big Easy.

IF you held the event in say, Atlanta, you will probably actually mean a near by city. For example, Little Wars is not actually in Chicago, but in Lombard, Illinois, 22 miles away.

You could hold it, say, near the Shiloh battlefield, but now you have to find a venue in that rural region.

Nashville is an excellent choice due to the fact that you can hold the event in nearby Franklin.

As far as ACW Vendors, that is a tough one. First, would the vendors come?

Second, WHERE are they? Old Glory is in Western PA, Good Ground is north of Atlanta, Cigar Box Battles in Franklin, Historique is near Louisville, Battlefield Terrain Concepts is in Virginia's Shenadoh Valley, etc.

The other consideration is how to do line up a con so it doesn't compete with the big cons.

And finally, you have the Field of Dreams question, if we build it "will they come?"

BUT, understand, I am not saying that this is Mission Impossible, but it won't be Mission Easy either.

8-10, depending on where it is and whether or not that city tore down any monuments…

Well Louisville is out, they removed the UCV monument on UofL campus. I live there. But this city would be a good central location. Indianapolis might be better

Don't forget Sash and Saber in NC. And Little Wars doesn't claim it is in Chicago.

What's wrong with Fredericksburg?

9, but in the north east area. The Gettysburg Convention center hotel is still in operation. Fall in was there a couple of times. If held in the fall not too cold or Snow and enough room for plenty of Games.

10

Indy would be a good place for it. Centrally located. Easy to get to, good transportation and hotel locations, lots of places to eat, and items of history here.

12

10, but very unlikely in Scotland.

Nashcon already hosts a ton of ACW games (Fire and Fury, Devil to Pay, Brother Against Brother) as well as "Johnny Con" with Johnny Reb and Across A Deadly Field. Stones River, Franklin, Thompson's Station, and Nashville are all within 15 – 30 minutes. It's ideal! Come to Nashcon in 2018!

Rally to NashCon!

Maybe it's just me, but if you were to have such a thing you'd be hard pressed to beat Gettysburg as a location.

Except that the reports say the Ike is falling apart. What would be other locations within Gettysburg?

Depends how big and if an attached hotel is required. Note that the Ike still hosts toy soldier and ACW militaria shows, and like the Host, no one is forced to stay there.

One problem with having it at/near an actual ACW battlefield is that it presents the gamer with conflicts about whether to game or site-see. But, then, I'm on the West Coast and so unlikely to attend anyway.

I think for an ACW-specific con it would be a draw, though you are likely right that some would indeed wander off. The only ones to complain about that in the past were the dealers though (understandably). Odd there were so few complaints about that while Hcon was at Fredericksburg.

Bob Moon has announced that he will be running TWO 40mm ACW games at NashCon!

– "Caldwell Clears the Wheatfield" (Gettysburg)

- "Spring Hill" (Tennessee 1864)

As a person who spends a lot of time at HMGS events running ACW games, I'd be interested, IF I can find the time that is.

How about Charleston, SC where it all started ? Moderately priced ,great food and sites to see .

Yes and no. We need to support the cons we've got. I suggest rules other than the four or five sets used at HMGS. I also would prefer 25-40mm and no computers making the decisions.

" I suggest rules other than the four or five sets used at HMGS. "

I'm not sure what you mean by this. As a casual observation, my experience is that many games run at HMGS cons are using home-brewed rules. I'm not really interested in playing home-brewed rules (others may disagree), as I'm more interested in playing a commercially available rules set. That way, if I like it, I can buy it and play it at home.

I'd also suggest that based on the recent FI con, I saw few ACW games using Johnny Reb, Fire and Fury (both brigade and regimental level) – which I think are perhaps the two most popular rule sets for the period. No disrespect intended to Brother Against Brother – but I have seen that mis-used to run larger games which it was not intended for. Kind of like my old group running big Zulu games using TSATF. Just my experience.

9-10

8-10 If it did not take too long to get there. My group live in NY where would it be held?

Too many issues would affect the outcome of an ACW only show. To consider it higher than a 5. Location, time of year, multiple scales or single scale events. Sponsoring groups ability to run a show. Incentive to attend. Target group range from the show. And many more.

Lots of interesting comments. It isn't a stretch to consider a convention within a convention concept that isn't a tournament. Advertised and handled effectively it could prove quite successful. So maybe maybe the folks in MS have a chat with the NASHCON folks and they come up with a NASHCON that's 50% open theme games and 50% ACW… maybe the ACW convention has a specific sub-theme each year. Maybe the folks out at Williamsburg Muster or one of the New England cons have a target of 50% open games and 50% AWI. Maybe the SYW convention guys chat with one of the smaller cons in IL, IN, or MI and come up with something. Heck, you have world wars, British Colonial conflicts, even Ancients without the tournament constraint, just as a 50% participation target, as potential options.