writes:I returned this year to Council of Five Nations, the major gaming convention in the Albany, New York, region. I'm not able to go every year because the convention date often conflicts with my other obligations, so this was my second visit after several years away, and the convention is in a new location now (and has been for a few years).
The city of Schenectady, New York, has invested state and local money to reinvigorate an old vaudeville-era theatre and turn it into a convention center. The complex includes a stage, a movie theater, and several small shops.
Council of Five Nations uses one corner of the convention center - some space on the main floor near the ticket office and a cafe (The Muddy Cup); plus more space on the second floor and in the basement (all connected by stairs and elevators).
So if you enter Proctor's (the convention center), go to the ticket office, and turn right... you reach the convention desk, where you can sign in, buy event tickets ($2 USD), and get tips on local eateries (the safest bet is Subway, just outside the convention center).
Most of the miniatures-related events took place on the main floor, just behind the convention desk. There were five game spaces here. There was a lot of traffic from people passing by who would stop and look at the games - on Friday afternoon, it was mostly old ladies; on Saturday, it was elegant couples on their way to Spamalot (the musical) or young couples there for a movie marathon.
Also on the main floor was the vendors area - which, in this case, were two local retailers carrying a wide variety of boardgames, card games, miniatures and terrain. (There was also a sixth gaming area on a stage behind the vendors.)
Up the elevator, and you reached the second floor...
...where a doorway lead into a room with eight more gaming tables, mostly used for RPG events. (One table was booked for air-combat games, but the GM had to cancel.) There were two side rooms with five more gaming tables.
Beyond this was a long room with a window overlooking the floor below - this area hosted the Star Fleet Battles tournament, apparently the world's largest tournament of its kind. (Played without minis, alas...)
Back to the elevator, and the basement was a big black room with eighteen gaming areas (mostly for boardgames), plus demo tables for Battleground (the fantasy/historical minis game played with cards instead of minis - very popular throughout the convention) and TactDecks (a new dungeon game played with cards for terrain, characters and monsters - we'll be hearing more about this game soon...).
For some reason, most of the pre-painted mini games were booked the basement - lots of Wings of War and Axis & Allies: War at Sea.
(I forgot to take pictures of the basement gaming areas...)