"If You Could Change One Thing About Historicon..." Topic

Make sure the automatic Glade/Glaxo aerosol dispensers are topped up with Petunia Prozac, Honeysuckle Halidol, and Lavender Lithium, to ensure a pleasant, peaceful, happy atmosphere for all the attendees.

"I went once, drove 575 miles with my family. I had a better time at Nashcon. I'll never go back. The people were certainly friendlier down south. No thank you."

You and your Russians are missed…………….

Thanks for all your efforts, Duncan, both past and present.

I look forward to watching all the games in the HAWKS room (including yours) at Historicon.

Holding CW during the reconstruction (I can't say remodeling) of the Host presented its issues, for sure. Lack of adequate lighting and difficulty of finding are definitely issues in a number of gaming areas. I hope future cons don't have to relegate anyone to the room down the long dark hallway past the Host staff bathrooms. (At the Events Desk we were advising would-be players to take water and provisions for the journey. "Keep going, really! It IS down that hall!") On the other hand, Distelfink is not for everyone -- the level of noise and lack of lighting are two deterrents for some attendees. Joe hack had the right idea -- floodlights. Maybe we need megaphones, too. When I run a game, my voice (never very strong) is shot by the end.

Now I'll shut up because my posts have been off-topic.

Your comments are always welcome, Dan.

"Holding CW during the reconstruction (I can't say remodeling) of the Host presented its issues, for sure. Lack of adequate lighting and difficulty of finding are definitely issues in a number of gaming areas. I hope future cons don't have to relegate anyone to the room down the long dark hallway past the Host staff bathrooms. (At the Events Desk we were advising would-be players to take water and provisions for the journey. "Keep going, really! It IS down that hall!") On the other hand, Distelfink is not for everyone -- the level of noise and lack of lighting are two deterrents for some attendees. Joe hack had the right idea -- floodlights. Maybe we need megaphones, too. When I run a game, my voice (never very strong) is shot by the end."

So other than that, how was your trip to Dallas Mrs. Kennedy?

Well your screen name certainly fits Grumble.

I didn't think the lighting was bad in Distlefink. It was always half empty except for Saturday night when full so most of the time the noise was not bad either.

"I didn't think the lighting was bad in Distlefink. It was always half empty except for Saturday night when full so most of the time the noise was not bad either."

I've been in the Distlefink countless times and never found it to be noisy, far from it. My friend Jim ran a 54mm AWI game Saturday night and he was at the far end of the tables and I could hear him clear as a bell, the lighting was fine as well.

So there you go.

Sorry so many people had issues with the hotel renovations; the Host was a dump in peoples eyes forever, now they are finally renovating it and the renovations are an issue.

Honest to Christ………………

"Sorry so many people had issues with the hotel renovations; the Host was a dump in peoples eyes forever, now they are finally renovating it and the renovations are an issue.
Honest to Christ………………"

You obviously haven't heard about the petition to have The Host Resort moved to the opposite side of Rt. 30.

zoneofcontrol: "You obviously haven't heard about the petition to have The Host Resort moved to the opposite side of Rt. 30."

Where do I sign the petition?

I have to admit that when it is full, the Distlefink can be noisy. Also in the past, sometimes (okay, often) all the lights weren't turned on. The past couple of cons I have noticed all the lights have been on, and perhaps they are using brighter bulbs too.

The lighting stinks in the one big side room where the guys from TSS put on their great looking games. It also stinks up by the hotel front desk too. It seems that more and more games are getting scheduled up there and I'm not sure why since it so dark in that location.

"You obviously haven't heard about the petition to have The Host Resort moved to the opposite side of Rt. 30."

How's the lighting on that side of the highway?

I said this all by myself:
"You obviously haven't heard about the petition to have The Host Resort moved to the opposite side of Rt. 30."

LOL – I typed that last evening just before shutting off the computer and going to bed. And just so you know… I was NOT drinking. I had a dream about Historicon being held in an open and functioning mall. It was a 2-story complex with escalators. The vendors were set up in the corridors of the mall. The GMs would just go into a store and move the displays and racks to set up their tables and games.

I don't remember EVER dreaming about anything related to wargaming before. So why not start with a bang?!?

link

In the UK we have a Wargames show in a shopping mall very good it is too..

So other than that, how was your trip to Dallas Mrs. Kennedy?

Well your screen name certainly fits Grumble.

Unfortunately, online communication doesn't allow readers to see the smile on my face and the tongue firmly planted in the cheek, or hear the tone of voice.

Double G, I hope we can meet face to face sometime. I think you'll discover that the moniker "Grumble" is part of the tongue-in-cheek bit.

The gamers who made it to the room at the end of the long dark hall seemed to be having a great game every time I went and checked. But it was fun to describe the path they would need to take to get there. Sometimes we need a little humor at the Events Desk.

For the record, I'm all in favor of the reconstruction now happening at the Host -- on the same side of Route 30 where it is now. Coming out from Lancaster, I'd much rather have a right turn than a left turn into the Host. (Seems I'm always in a bigger hurry when arriving than when leaving.)

I didn't think the lighting was bad in Distlefink. It was always half empty except for Saturday night when full so most of the time the noise was not bad either.

Thanks, Historygamer. As someone with a hearing impairment (and whose eyes aren't all that great) I'm glad to get the perspective of someone who has a different take on audibility and visibility. It helps me remember that my experience is neither definitive nor necessarily typical. Always a good thing to be aware of.

"How's the lighting on that side of the highway?"
Depends on which streetlight you stand under.

"How's the lighting on that side of the highway?"
Depends on which streetlight you stand under.

Outstanding.

The lighting is better cap, but the dealer hall walk is uphill both ways…….in two feet of snow……………

And I love your idea of the air fresheners contents, keep them coming cap.

"Unfortunately, online communication doesn't allow readers to see the smile on my face and the tongue firmly planted in the cheek, or hear the tone of voice.
Double G, I hope we can meet face to face sometime. I think you'll discover that the moniker "Grumble" is part of the tongue-in-cheek bit."

I'm just being a ballbreaker, no harm, no foul.

I do find it ironic though that for years we've been hearing about how the Host is a dump, now that it's finally being brought into the new century, it's a hassle due to the renovations.

The simple fact is we're caught in no mans land with these conventions; if it's held in a place like the Host, which truth be told is really not a convention center, then the dealer hall does not suit our needs nor do the gaming rooms due to the lack of space in the former and the noise/poor lighting in the latter.

If we move it to an actual modern convention center with plenty of room and excellent lighting, then the issue is it's too far/expensive/loud/my feet/back hurt from standing on concrete all day long/the hotels and restaurants are expensive.

IE, it seems that no matter what HMGS does, they can't win.

Maybe what HMGS should have done years ago is buy a property, convert it into a convention center that suits their needs as far as proper lighting, noise, comfort, price and accessability, ie, purpose built for wargaming. Then they could rent it out to other like minded convention types for board games, fantasy gaming, toy soldier shows, militaria shows, etc, etc, etc.

The issue is IMO gamers need a very specific atmosphere to game in and truth be told, 99% of the locations are not suited for their needs.

THAT is the fundamental problem………….again, don't take anything I say to heart and again, no harm, no foul.

Double G is a good dude with a very good sense of humor – that's for those that don't know him personally.

I have to admit that, while I don't know capncarp, he is beginning to grow on me as well. I better have that checked out LOL.

Yes, HMGS is in a bit of a bind for suitable facilities. The Host and the Ike were/are conference centers, not convention centers. Each happened to have a sports facility that the dealers could go into during the cons.

For those of us who have been attending way too long – we can recall that the dealer hall used to be in the Lampeter room, not the tennis barn, which is soon to be converted into a banquet hall (not sure where the parking for that will be?).

I can't say if the Lancaster Convention Center will be a good fit or not. It will depend on the ability to move gaming materials, dealer hall materials, and flea market materials in and out. I hope it works out.

I too have found the Distlefink noisy at times, but nothing compared to the FEC. Distlefink has also had is shares of lighting concerns – mainly because the Host didn't always turn on all the lights (assuming they had light bulbs in them).

"Yes, HMGS is in a bit of a bind for suitable facilities. The Host and the Ike were/are conference centers, not convention centers. Each happened to have a sports facility that the dealers could go into during the cons."

Absolutely correct.

I can imagine the Dillpickle room being full of gamers and game masters trying to hear and shout out over each other, that room is not suited for numerous games being run at the same time, plain and simple.

Gaming is an extremely unique activity, not sure there is a facility on the planet suited for what they are truing to accomplish.

So, no matter when the conventions land, someone somewhere will have an issue;

Hotels are too expensive
Not enough cheap restaurants in the area
The dealer hall is too hot/cold/luke warm
The dealers don't carry the stuff I want
The gaming area is too noisy/hot/cold/luke warm/lighting is poor
No carpets hurt my gunboats/back
The bar doesn't have Billy Beer on tap
The parking sucks
There are only 42 flea market sessions, I want more
There aren't enough historical games
There are too many historical games
There aren't enough zombie games
There are too many zombie games
The registration process took 12 seconds more than expected
The walk to the dealer hall is like the Bataan death march
Yankees up north are rude with their "you'ze" comments
Southerners are too charming with their "ya'll" comments (ya'll is more than one, right, just asking for a friend)
The ride sucks
The snow sucks
The heat sucks
life sucks

Oh well, can't please everyone.

You left out my favorite that someone actually said about FCC. "The urinal in the bathroom are too low".

You left out my favorite that someone actually said about FCC. "The urinal in the bathroom are too low".

Aren't all (male) wargamers supposed to have very good aim? Apparently not.

"You left out my favorite that someone actually said about FCC. "The urinal in the bathroom are too low"."

I knew I forgot something…………..as far as the low urinals, you never know when Vern Troyer is going to show up……………

"The urinal in the bathroom are too low".

Were those things urinals?!? I thought they were shelves to store your swag and merchandise while you were in one of the stalls.

Hooks on the inside of the stall doors to hang shopping bags, coats, gun-belts, etc.! And maybe a small gaming table in case you have to spend a long time in the stall.

You left out my favorite that someone actually said about FCC. "The urinal in the bathroom are too low".

"Aren't all (male) wargamers supposed to have very good aim? Apparently not".

I have really good aim, but when your gun is 3' away, even if you hit the splash can be interesting. At 6'6" I avoid all short person pissers and wait for the ones designed for normal sized persons.

Good list Double G. :-)

<"Oh well, can't please everyone.">

Nirvana and Valhalla just don't mesh well, ya know?
Besides, if we managed to make everybody happy, the Universe ends. (It's written in the HMGS charter, in _really_ fine print. After the ads. And the Concluding Statement.)

We've been through the Dealer vs Flea Market debate many times before. People are going to spend money at both. I remember dealers buying stuff from me and reselling it. Now the older players have a venue to dump all the stuff they bought years ago. The question is will the new blood be able to carry on? Are they interested? My number one wargame conventions for historical miniatures has always been HMGS cons in the east. Doesn't mean the other ones aren't good. Quite the contrary if you see the articles on the other shows. But I live in the area that founded HMGS and overall with some glitches it has served me very well.