Exiles review of a busy week

Well what a week I have had from the high of Blog-Con to a very low at work mid week. I want to thank every one who was at Blog-con for making my 40th Birthday weekend one to remember.

I may have shared this one but the second was all mine :)

Always great to start the day with a sunny smile

Not Christmas yet but we had our own three wise men.

I am looking back at Blog-con and see many positives, the venue was perfect Foundry made us very welcome and kept us supplied with plenty of hot drinks.The atmosphere was all I hoped and wanted it to be, very relaxed and friendly. A few bits I will drop going forward, the demos just did not fit in with the relaxed schedule I wanted, I am most grateful to Andres and his family for showing up and it was great to put a face to another blog but I think demos would need a more planned and scheduled event. The pick up games were just not needed as every one there was either playing a demo game or chatting. Talking to guys who where there we have decided that next year will be a one day event but with a planned meal and night out after for any who wants to. I plan to speak to Foundry once we have nailed down a date about maybe opening longer for just the one day. I will also encourage people putting on demos to pair up so they do not spend all the day demo running and get a chance to join the fun. I am happy to say that both Dave and Ian have agreed to continue helping with the Blog-Con 2014 planning, so keep an eye on the blog and like our Face Book page.
I was truly inspired by Dave's Blazing Dice game and along with the Zombicide board game I got for my Birthday I see a great an fun table top game. I have been buzzing all week about it and used all the birthday money (its great when family find you hard to buy for so give cash) to invest in a dozen or so figures and buildings to start my village. I have completed the first draft of the rules and once I have doctored a deck of playing card will start some play testing. I will be refining the game over the year and bringing it along to Blog-con 2014. Following Dave example i will be sharing all the materials I create with you either on this blog or on its own dedicated blog.
I was so happy to get an email from Curt drop into my email inbox this week inviting me to join in the fun of the Winter Painting Challenge this year, as you will have seen I preempted this invite and have started prepping away, I have almost prepped all my NWF figures, started on some SYW and FIW figures and I will have loads of Zombies and survivors.

Blast from the past.

I took a day out of my painting today to pop up to my Dads wargames room to grab a load of figures to take along to Blog-Con for people to try out some different games. One thing O picked up was our Nercomunda figures, I had forgotten how many we had and quite how different my painting was back then (1995), when I returned I took a few pictures so I can share my 20 year old paint jobs.

I took a quick picture of my load before setting off home, I have almost as much again to add from my painting room ready for the trip down on Saturday Morning.

So I have this silly idea......

I have heard from many a person how Crisis Antwerp is the Salute for Europe,

 and I sort of want to check it out. So I had a look at what else would interest me around there and boy did I find the making of an interesting road trip. So UK to Dunkirk and check out all the history that is found there.

Then you can go back one World War and visit Ypres.

And you can not go the Belgium without a trip to Waterloo

And then the show in Antwerp, I think you would agree it sounds like a great road trip, and what could make it better...
Doing it with a load of Wargames Bloggers..
I am not thinking of this year as I am very busy with Blog-Con but 2014 could be a go and it would give the continent bloggers chance to meet up for their own mini Blog-con.

As you can tell it is just a idea pencilled on a bit of paper at the moment but if anyone would be interested in joining me I am more than happy to start planning things like transport and accommodation (if you have not worked out yet I love planning events)

BattleTech set (very poor)

I bought this Box set well over a year ago as I loved playing it as a kid. As I want to run the game at blog-con I broke out the figures and must say if this is the production values they put into the game now no wonder it seems very poorly supported now, I know they used to have big European competitions in the 90's while now I only see one of the blogs I follow playing it now and then.

The figures are a very poor plastic molded piece of rubbish, the detail is almost not there and where the figure has been produced in more than one part no care has been taken sticking the bits together and they seem to have used a paste brush to put on the glue.

If you think of them as just game pieces like chess pieces or drafts then they are ok but as wargames miniatures they are shockingly poor. Fortunately the game is still as great as I remember and I have dug out and finished some very fine metal Mechs I had in the loft. I will paint up the plastic ones as they will be find for one off games (which lets face it is all I will be doing with this game)

I am very busy painting at the moment and will have plenty to show you soon, I am also heading up to my Dads this weekend and meeting up Loki and Kev so we can play test the Bloggers for Charity game and nail down once and for all the rules we will use and the figures we need.
Peace James

Another reason to attend Blog-Con

So Blog-Con is rapidly approaching and we are starting to get a few more games lined up, so far we have Dave with The man with no name challenge myself with a BattleMech game Ian is promising to bring along some of his board games and on the Sunday PanzerKaput has said he will bring along a VBCW game, Sunday will also see the bring all you can X-wing Game. I have a few people with arms still to twist  games still to confirm, but it looks like a BP game and a Musket and Tomahawk game plus I am working on a SAGA game.
The review table is building nicely with both Mantic and BattleFront agreeing to send products, I would also ask if anyone wants to bring along any rules sets they do so we will make sure they are well looked after and returned safe at the end of the weekend.
We have agreed on an area to be set aside for seating and general gossip hobby talk. What I need you all to do is pop over to the blog and answer the poll (unless you already have) that will give me an idea of how much tea/coffee and biscuits I need to bring. As an added incentive to those thinking of attending on the Saturday it just happens to be some ones 40th Birthday (I know some one else is having a big birthday that weekend too) so plenty of cake will be provided.

I would love it if all of you can spread the word again around the blogosphere as the success of this weekend rest fully with all of us bloggers I hope this will be the first of many Blog-Con's
EDIT: I have just had it conformed that Mike will run one or two SAGA demo games so if you ever wanted to try it out this is you chance.
EDIT2: I can now confirm that my Dad Paul Brewerton will be running a Musket and Tomahawk Game on the Saturday.

Peace
James (he does not look old enough) Brewerton

Blog-Con 2013

I am very happy to be able to announce that Wargames Foundry have agreed to host Blog-Con 2013 at their Foundry in Nottingham over the weekend of November 9th/10th.
What I want is for all you bloggers to have a great time be able to catch up face to face and also try out some different games. I would like anyone who would like to bring a game along to contact me with what game it is how much space they will need and how long a game will last. When I have a list of what games are going to be put on I will produce a list, while I do not want to get all formal and do sign up lists I think we will need to give the people putting on some idea of how many gamers want to try their game. My hope is that with a good bit of publicity we may get a few non-bloggers showing up and trying out a few games. If we can encourage some new wargamers then all the better also it would be nice if we can encourage along any youngsters. I have set up a new blog that I want to run as a community blog, anyone who wants to post on it just needs to let me know their email address so I can set them up as authors, on this blog you can tell all about the game you are putting on or maybe the painting/terrain demo you want to put on or simply can offer a lift to the venue. I will be giving the blog address to Marcus and it will be linked to the Foundry Website.
Foundry Miniatures Ltd
24-34 St marks Street
Nottingham NG3 1DE
United Kingdom

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The image below can be used on any of your blogs to promote the event. Lets show the hobby world that Bloggers can be the heart and sole of our hobby, I would love it if we can use are enthusiasm and passion to encourage a new generation of wargamers


 

Bloggers Ryder Cup (Blog-Con)

I have had another of my "good ideas" while walking my dogs this morning. As I have hinted the Bloggers Convention is a definite this year I am just waiting for confirmation on the date, I have been thinking about some sort of competition and think I have the idea to end all ideas. I am going to umpire a series of Musket and Tomahawk games set in the AWI , the twist is I want international Bloggers to play the part of the Americans via Skype ( I will have my laptop)or facetime  I will produce maps of the playing area for them to follow the movements but do the movment for the Internation players myself but all dice rolling and decisions are made by them. The British and Irish players will alternate between attackers and defenders in each game.
It is an idea I will make work, what I need to know if it you international bloggers would be up for this type of wargame. The score will be kept through both days and we will see who wins are own Ryder Cup.