Hello! JnR here with a bonanza of photos from Flintcon! As one of the few in the group who made it out (Old Sarge and Joe managed to make it out for a bit), I decided to focus on taking pictures of the fantastic games that were being put on. Not only were there miniatures tables, but a Pathfinder Society room, a board game room, and a painting station! It was pretty great.
One thing I would say that I really noticed was that this convention had a whole bunch of kids in attendance. Let's be honest: wargaming is an older hobby, so it's great to see people bringing the next generation to come in and have fun. I'm guessing that the "Children 10 or younger get in free" helped that a bit, and hopefully that catches on. Growing the hobby is the only way it'll survive.
So! Onto the pictures. I'm not going to caption these all, but I'll try to give a general feel of what I got from them. Some may have more pictures than others, which is me gravitating to games which match my own personal preferences. Not meant to be a comment on any game (they all looked great!), but rather my own interests
Also, if anyone was at these games and could expand on what happened, feel free to do so in the comments!
Black Powder Napoleonics (By Jon Carroll/Rider's Hobby Shop)
From one of the sponsors of the con! This ran both sessions (and I'll have more pictures in the next post) and each looked to be very fun. A lot of movement on both sides, but it looks like a hard French push (along with some flanking cavalry) backfooted the British.
A staple of the con circuit in Michigan, we have the classic computer-moderated naval game. I've always seen this game at cons but this is the first time I really got up close to it. The pictures and miniatures definitely give an real sense of scale to naval engagements (the one thing I could glean from the table was the giant oil slick from a Destroyer that got caught with its pants down). It's kind of funny that one of the oldest rulesets at the con uses the more modern technology than all the rest combined. There was a second game for this, but they sadly didn't put out the minis for it.
D-Day Themed Bolt Action (By Geoffrey Wing)
Another game that played twice, and given the terrain board justifiably so! I came to this table a bunch and it definitely looked like tough going up the beach the first time (given the defenses, can you blame them?), but the Allies seemed to rally after the tanks finally made it onto the table.
Full Thrust Star Wars (By Aaron Cain)
Another Michigan convention classic that has been around for almost a decade! This was a crowded game and merited two separate tables, but given the figures (Most the classic Wizards of the Coast models with a few custom-made-but-still-canon ships tossed in as well) it's pretty easy to see why people always gravitate towards it. There was a whole bunch of action, but in the end the Empire had minor victories on both tables (though a little longer and the Empire probably would have cleaned up on one of them). One of the highlights of the game (as told to me by a player) was an Imperial missile cruiser making mincemeat out of a squadron of Rebels ships and a friendly Star Destroyer with a full missile barrage.
You may have seen this one in the Spartacon pictures, but this wonderful game uses the Triumph! set of rules. I'm not familiar, but the armies on the field look impressive! A lot of back and forth between the two armies, but I got the impression that the Crusaders ended up getting the better of things.
Ilipa Rom vs. Carthage, 2nd Punic War (By Bill Hupp)
54s! This game looked fantastic and massive. In doing a bit of research, it's apparently using rules from Command & Colors: Ancients rules, with hex sheet and wonderfully made card holders for command. The game ran again in the second session, but I didn't manage to get any pictures of it.
Funeral for a Friend, ACW Sharp Practice (By Michael Ovsenik)
This was a wonderful game! I always love seeing the smaller scale musket battles, and Sharp Practice is a fantastic ruleset for it. In this case, the Confederate widow happened to have some arms stored within a casket, and both sides are attempting to get it. The miniatures were great, but my favorite touch was the musket smoke with flashing LEDs to represent musket fire was probably my favorite. In the end, the Union managed to run off with the coffin (and the prize inside).
Viking Raid (By Glenn Cooley)
A classic viking raid with tons of misadventures. The rules are simple and the objectives are simpler (Get treasure and get away) but inevitably things get complicated quick. The unlucky viking band in the middle ended up getting slaughtered by villagers, with one of his huscarls falling to a little girl. On one side, the palisade village managed to hold out while the monastery was raided. And of course, it wouldn't be a viking battle without a crowded fight on a bridge. Lots of fun and lots loot for all the players involved!
And that is all for now. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the Second Session soon, but hopefully this will be enough to tide people over.
- JnR
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