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Thread: GottaCon 2015 - 27 Feb - 2 Mar 2015

  1. #1

    Default GottaCon 2015 - 27 Feb - 2 Mar 2015

    Link: GottaCon 2015

    All,
    Another attempt to play Wings of Glory and recruit new wingers.

    I haven't committed to this yet, as there is a cost to this. Even for people hosting, they want money for attending the convention. However, I do want to host games, and there are members of the Forum listing Victoria as their home base.

    My plan:
    Friday Night Furball: Individuals flying planes, racking up damage to opponents for bragging rights or a prize (minis?)

    Saturday Afternoon: Defend London - Zeppelin Raid. Try to shoot down the Zeppelin before it bombs London. DH4s against the monster.

    Saturday Evening: Dogfight Challenge - Single plane against the same type, one-vs-one. Swiss system for a minimum of three games, depending on number of entries.

    Sunday Morning-ish: WWII Battle of Britain dogfight, or Defend the HMS Glorious off Norway. (this could be Saturday Morning).

    This is tentative, and can be adapted, if someone else would like to run a scenario or match? I have planes for my scenarios, but other can bring their own, if they have specific planes.

    As long as I have at least one player willing to play for each of the above (a few more for the Dogfight Challenge, please), I'll start proceedings to attend and set up the booth/table space.

    Please answer soon, as table space may be disappearing.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-02-2015 at 16:45.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  2. #2

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    What is the cost...?

  3. #3

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    Cost depends...

    Link: GottaCon - Registration/Ticket Sales

    If you agree to help host a game, you can get a partial credits/refunds on your ticket. For every four hour block of game hosting, you get about $12 off. So, if you get the Saturday day pass for $30.00, and you assist me with all three events that day, you will get almost all your money back (they won't give you a free ticket, they reserve some of the refund per day).

    I will get almost all my money refunded ($50.00 for the weekend pass), and I am running five events over three days, maybe more, if I get help. But you don't have to be crazy like I am. I would just like a few Forum members to show up and play. If I can call some of you staff, and you get money off your ticket, even better. Really fabulous? Perhaps win a mini or two to take home, as well.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  4. #4

    epiphanius
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    I'm certainly interested, will give the schedule a bit of thought and get back to you here...I may take some time off my Saturday job, or even the Friday, (so I'm nice and rested). I (will) have both WW1 and WW2 minis, though I haven't played the latter.

    Are you building the U.S.S. Hornet?

  5. #5

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    Presently, I'm looking at: Friday 7-11 PM; Saturday 9 AM - 1 PM, 2 - 6 PM, 7 - 11 PM, and Sunday 9 - 1 PM. The games shouldn't run right to the end of each 4 hour period, but you never know. We could restart a scenario, just cause. And I'm not asking any one person to do all the slots, just me.

    I will bring all the planes for the scenarios I plan to run, with some extras. I only have a few WWII planes, though. I'm looking for He-111s, Ju-87s, Me-110s, and any fighters that might flesh out my few planes (Hurricanes x4, Spitfires x3, Bf-109s x 6) for any Battle of Britain scenarios. I, too, haven't played a lot of WWII, and that mostly on Skype games.

    I'm not building a carrier, but Dave [clipper1801] is building a few.

    Check this out: USS Hornet in 1/200 scale

    He is looking at building an HMS Glorious, too. So, that might be on the table at GottaCon.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  6. #6

    epiphanius
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    Those carriers are awesome - I never considered building one that way. I'll have a couple of those WW2 planes - will need to get up to speed on rules before the con.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by epiphanius View Post
    ... I'll have a couple of those WW2 planes - will need to get up to speed on rules before the con.
    You're not the only one. It will probably be Skype games, if any, though, for me.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  8. #8

    epiphanius
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    I'll commit to joining the Saturday 2:00 pm slot (I should be suitably caffeinated by then). It would be awesome to get any available discounts on the ticket.

  9. #9

    Default Tentative GottaCon Wings of Glory Game Schedule

    In discussions with the GottaCon Miniature Coordinator to arrange the Wings of Glory appearance at the Crystal Palace, this is what I sent for their program and schedule:

    Friday 27 Feb 2015:
    Slots 3 & 4 (7-11 PM): Wings of Glory WWI - Friday Night Furball (Eight Players). It's everyone for themselves, you fly an early war plane until shot down or the end of the game. Anyone shot down respawns with progressively later planes, up to Fokker D.VIIs or Sopwith Snipes. The pilot that shoots down the most planes and/or inflicts the most damage, while taking the least, gets top bragging rights. No experience necessary, all equipment supplied (you can bring a favorite Wings of War/Glory plane to fly, it may not appear immediately in the game). Must bring a good sense of humor;

    Saturday 28 Feb 2015:
    Slots 8 & 9 (9 AM - 1 PM): Either Wings of Glory WWII - Battle of Britain Dogfight (Eight Players), or Sails of Glory Demo (TBD - up to Eight Players?). Battle of Britain will be No.1 Squadron RCAF Hurricanes vs Luftwaffe JG53 Bf-109s. Not an equal battle, but realistic. May be jumped by more Bf-109s or aided by Spitfires. Desperate defense of England. No experience necessary, all equipment supplied. Must bring a stiff upper lip;

    Slots 11 & 12 (2 - 6 PM): Wings of Glory WWI - London Zeppelin Raid (Eight Players). A Zeppelin (1/214 scale - 1 meter long!) is approaching London. London must be protected! Anything the RFC can get in the air will be thrown at it, training planes and kites, if necessary. Brave the dark and the many, many machine guns to bring it down. No experience necessary, all equipment supplied. Must bring nerves of steel;

    Slots 14 & 15 (7 - 11 PM): Wings of Glory WWI - The Dogfight Challenge (12 Players). Head-to-head combat, flying identical planes against an opponent. Swiss system competition, with a minimum of three matches. Win matches by shooting down your opponent or scoring the most damage. Standard Rules, and the Explosion Card counts as 18 points for damage calculations. Prize support by Ares Games. Prizes proposed for: Most Matches Won; Most Spectacular Flying (unusual damage draw, collision, weird event during a match); and the Bullet Magnet Award (most damage received in two rounds!); and

    Sunday 1 Mar 2015:
    Slots 19 & 20 (9 - 1 PM): Wings of Glory WWII - Battle of Britain (Reprise) or HMS Glorious, Norway 1940 (Eight Players). Hurricanes are being delivered to Norway to aid in its defence. The Luftwaffe is trying to sink the HMS Glorious (a huge 1/200 scale aircraft carrier!) before it can get all the planes away. Can 1930 biplanes (Sea Gladiators) keep the bombers (He-111s and Ju-87 Stukas) away? An authentic mission for 1940 Royal Navy and Royal Air Force forces recreated as a flyer challenge. Must bring a bag of horseshoes, or equivalent.

    It would really be nice if some of the local Victoria Forum members could come out an share their love of the game with the crowd. If I could get one or two players per session, it would be a start to the games, and might prompt spectators to join in. Especially nice would be someone bringing along an He-111 and/or a Ju-87 or two. If you prearrange it with me, I will add you to my staff list to get you a discount on your Convention fees. If you just show up, I won't be able to help.
    So far, the list of potential staff is:
    Shane [Skyguy001] from Deep Bay, BC (just south of me)
    B [LS650] from Victoria, BC
    David [epiphanius] from Victoria, BC

    I will need a PM from anyone wishing to be on the staff list with First and Last Names, and your GottaCon Registration number, if you have it.

    Ares has said they will provide some support for this event, so there are minis to be had, to offset the costs, too.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-02-2015 at 16:47.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  10. #10

    epiphanius
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    I'll post a question here, and pm you in due course, Mike. I'm happy to help out with the London Zeppelin Raid, and may play in / observe / or help in the others. My question is about the best way to take advantage of the discount for volunteers. I was told by an organizer I know (Jon, not a WoG player), that they typically arrange for volunteers before buying a ticket, then buy a ticket at a discounted price (Jon helps out enough that he gets in free). You mention getting a registration number prior to getting added as a volunteer.

    The Gottacon site is kind of ambiguous on the topic - here is the relevant link (I think: http://www.gottacon.com/how-to-register/ ). The info at that page says to get in touch with the organizers:

    "If you are organizing an event, a volunteer, an exhibitor or special guest at our show please let us know specifically how you are involved with our show and we will clear your account."

    So: should I drop them a line prior to buying a ticket?

    I will send along my particulars to you in a pm directly.

    Cheers,

    David

  11. #11

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    I'm waiting for an answer back from Paul, the Miniatures Coordinator at GottaCon. Not a speedy process, sorry.

    More to follow.

    Oh, and check this thread for news on the HMS Glorious: HMS Glorious in 1/200 scale
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  12. #12

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    So, the Miniatures Coordinator for GottaCon has provided that it is 1/3 off per 4 hour session each person works. As to how that gets implemented, I will know shortly (I hope).

    There will be mini support from Ares.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  13. #13

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    All,
    I have my hotel reservation and my Weekend Pass for GottaCon. The discount/refund happens at the door, so you pay for your pass now, and get money back later.

    Ares has said they would supply some prizes, just awaiting shipping info, now. I have been promised a specific table setup for the weekend, too. Now, I just need people to show up and play. Shane [Skyguy001] and I will be pretty lonely if no-one else signs up between now and 27 Feb.

    How does that saying go? "I can be in a crowded room and all alone, but I can be all by myself, and not be lonely." 4000 attendees expected for GottaCon 2015, unfortunately, they won't all be there for Wings of Glory. I'll get lots of exposure, though.

    This is the Crystal Gardens Floor Plan for the Con, and is one of three floors:
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    I should end up at the "Mini Free Play & Events Tables" in the top left corner, just across the main aisle from Mini HQ. Not a bad place, but I need some bigger signs and banners. Look at the floor space assigned to X-Wing, Warhmmer, Warmachine/Hordes, and even Flames of War.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-02-2015 at 17:14.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  14. #14

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    Very interesting!

  15. #15

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    I'll bring my WWI stuff.... I'm looking forward to a spin around the old patch... hopefully give more bullets than I get!


  16. #16

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    Would love to attend if I can make hotel and flight arrangements

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpybear View Post
    Would love to attend if I can make hotel and flight arrangements
    That would be great if you can make it!

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpybear View Post
    Would love to attend if I can make hotel and flight arrangements
    Quote Originally Posted by Skyguy001 View Post
    That would be great if you can make it!
    Shane,
    He was teasing. But, next year? We'll see who we can drag in.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  19. #19

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    Wasn't teasing, I would if I could . Sorry it is just not possible right now.

  20. #20

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    Just got word from two sources I really needed to hear from.

    David [epiphanius] and Bruce [LS650] in Victoria are working on their WWII skills and plane collections (Most importantly: an He-111 and two Ju-87s). Together with a certain box that is on it's way from Arizona, there will be a good mix of planes to fit both the Battle of Britain and Norway scenarios. We might even be able to squeeze in a Pacific Theatre scenario. I might be spoiled for choice, but we won't lack for planes.

    Jim Long, the Ares North Am Promotional Rep, is sending some prize support, and should be shipping it this week.

    26 days and counting!
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  21. #21

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    I look forward to pictures and details from the event, Mike. I'm especially excited to see how your carrier scenario plays out. It is such a splendid project, and I can imagine it will draw quite a few spectators.

    Wish I were retired and lived closer!

    All the best,
    Matt

  22. #22

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    I look forward to pictures and details from the event, Mike. I'm especially excited to see how your carrier scenario plays out. It is such a splendid project, and I can imagine it will draw quite a few spectators.

    Wish I were retired and lived closer!

    All the best,
    Matt

  23. #23

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    One day and counting.

    Life is what happens while you are making other plans.

    Ares sent a wonderful prize support pack, and it just cleared Customs. In Ontario. Four days travel from Vancouver Island.

    One of the Forum team that was trying to make the event was hit with an overtime request, so not likely to make an appearance.

    And my travel partner is on a mandatory training day until 4:00 PM tomorrow, with a three hour road trip to get to the convention.

    So, the Friday Night Furball is delayed until 9:00 PM, probably too late for most convention goers. However, everything else will run, just without any give-aways.

    Still, lots of gaming to be had, so all's good.

    Pictures to follow.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  24. #24

  25. #25

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    Looks as if we are both going to be busy this weekend then Mike.
    Have a good one.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  26. #26

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    Arrived alive, and got partially squared away.

    This was the abbreviated Friday Night Furball. Five players, with a few dragged in from passers-by.
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    Shane [Skyguy001], David [epiphanius], Troy Chard from Vancouver's BottosCon 2014 convention, and Dale Pudwell, with myself occasionally attempting to play while talking up the game to spectators.

    More to follow.

    PS: Not surprisingly, the Zeppelin and the HMS Glorious drew a lot of attention! Thanks, Dave! You can see them behind the table, in front of the display board.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 02-28-2015 at 12:46.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  27. #27

  28. #28

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    Really looking forward to reports on the carrier battle and the zeppelin raid - have a great time, Mike!

    All the best,
    Matt

  29. #29

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    Saturday morning

    Not as busy, showing a few people the game, but only intros, as they are on the way to other events. So, I started using the Excel spreadsheet WoG Log and random Damage sheets (Link: Downloads WWII Game Aids).

    8 turns in, Molders (JG 53) and F/O Little (No. 1 RCAF Sqn) go nose to nose at short range. The first random B damage was an EXP, and the second C damage was an EXP!
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    This also shows the set-up location and the blue water "Channel" mat for the BoB Dogfight scenario. Glorious sails (and probably sinks) tomorrow.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  30. #30

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    Thanks for your pictures Mike I hope your show went as well as our Hammerhead did,
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  31. #31

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    I like the water material, Mike - is that what you found at the fabric store that you mentioned on the Glorious thread?

    Have fun!
    All the best,
    Matt

  32. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by matt56 View Post
    I like the water material, Mike - is that what you found at the fabric store that you mentioned on the Glorious thread?

    Have fun!
    All the best,
    Matt
    Matt,
    That's the $5 bargain bin special. So, no going back for more.

    Rob,
    Still have a day to go, yet. Zeppelin Raid this afternoon, the Dogfight Challenge tonight, and the HMS Glorious tomorrow morning. Hopefully more pictures. Troy Chard will be contributing from his website, so more pictures of last night's game and others to come.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  33. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by OldGuy59 View Post
    Matt,



    Rob,
    Still have a day to go, yet. Zeppelin Raid this afternoon, the Dogfight Challenge tonight, and the HMS Glorious tomorrow morning. Hopefully more pictures. Troy Chard will be contributing from his website, so more pictures of last night's game and others to come.
    Great mike more fun to come then.
    Ours was only a one day thing, but in a much larger hall than last year.
    I look forward to seeing more of your pictures.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  34. #34

  35. #35

    epiphanius
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    I can say that the Zeppelin raid was a great deal of fun for all the pilots (less so, perhaps for some of the poor Zeppelin gunners). A group of new players definitely enjoyed themselves, and picked up on the rules. Mike did a great job of providing historical and technical background. The Zeppelin itself turned quite a few heads.

  36. #36

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    Sorry, pilots...

    After razzing the UK guys about their con, I fell over on arriving home, and then RL slammed me. Yearly taxes, college stuff I ignored and will now pay for, stuff around the house, including renewing a mortgage... It just kept coming...

    Also, that package of goodies from Ares showed up while I was on a field trip for a college class on Monday morning. I found out SWMBO REFUSED delivery at the door, when I got back in the afternoon!


    ....



    After I got over that shock, she told me why. Canada Customs slapped a $60 tax bill on it!


    Yes, the package is free of duty, but the Canadian Government applies taxes to anything delivered in Canada based on their appraisal of it's fair market value. So, if some nefarious individual is receiving packages of gold and jewelry, and claiming pennies on the dollar as value, Canada Customs will still charge the "fair value" tax. If you actually put the fair value on the package, even if it is labeled as a gift, you get the first $60 free, and any value above that is taxed. I don't know what Ares labeled the package value at, but with a $60 tax bill, it must have been pretty high.

    I phoned Canada Post and ended up talking to Canada Border Services (CBS/Canada Customs), and there is no way around this. No, I'm not paying for the contents, and no, I'm not keeping it, but if I don't want to pay the taxes, the Prize Recipient has to. Like I'm going to hand out prizes at a Con, and ask for tax money!

    To say that I was depressed is an understatement. I had to applaud SWMBO's good sense, as I would have refused delivery as well. In fact, I phoned the local post office to do just that after my discussions with CBS.

    The upside is I talked to two different merchants at the Con who are now bringing in Wings of Glory in Victoria and Duncan (1 hour North of Victoria, or 2 hours south of me). I stopped into the Victoria store on the way out of town Sunday, and they had a nice selection of stuff, including 6 Dual Packs. The exchange rate, and Canadian distributors are taking a BIG toll, though. The Dual Packs were $36 Canadian! Individual minis were $15, and the new bombers were $45! Gack! The owner did say, very enthusiastically, that he'd provide prize support for any future GottaCon.

    Anyway, for Dave [clipper1801], a HUGH Thank You for the Zeppelin and the Glorious. They did their jobs in spades! Both drew people across the games room floor by the handfuls, with cellphones flashing away all day Saturday, and all morning Sunday. Even some digital SLRs interrupted play as they hunkered down for tabletop shots. Not that I got lots of new players, but I did get to spread some news about the game, and some WWII history was thrown in for color. And Glorious survived, slightly burnt. AA actually saved it, despite shooting down a bomb-loaded Bf-109 when it was over the flight deck.

    AARs on the individual battles to come. I apologize for the delay, but three days of road travel, leaning over short tables and standing on concrete floors was a killer.

    PS: I'm a Jerk! Thank you very much to Shane [Skyguy001] and David [epiphanius]. Without their help, I wouldn't have made it through the weekend. Shane and I discussed the issue on the way back to the Comox Valley, and we decided that a three-person crew is needed for this size of display. One barker for the crowd, one (minimum) coach for new players, and one GM for running the actual game. Too much disruption for one person to answer crowd questions, help new players, and run a game all at once. I wanted more "staff", but proceeded without a full compliment. Lesson Learned. And again, thanks to David and Shane for their assistance, cause it was a life-saver.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 03-04-2015 at 09:48.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  37. #37

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    Great lessons learned, especially about the needed team work. I fully agree you need at least 3 and maybe 4 for any event-there is jsut too much to share and explain. That is one reason I have rarely wandered out to the Cons, it was much easier when I had my boys there to help; sadly the elf union forbids public showing . . . Glad things were active though, nothing worse than a vacant hall. Keep up the good work, meanwhile I am looking at more eye and bomber candy for the elves to produce, still pondering a large collapsible dam project . . . one with zero customs value : )

  38. #38

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    All,
    I boycott Facebook, but others don't. A fellow gamer from Comox sent me this screenshot:

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    This was during the London Zeppelin Raid. I remember this couple, and the lady's eyes were wide as saucers while we spoke. Did I mention that Lots of "drome business cards were passed out?

    I might be invited back...
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  39. #39

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    I am glad it worked out reasonably well, all things taken into account. I am truly sorry I couldn't attend.

  40. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by OldGuy59 View Post
    One barker for the crowd, one (minimum) coach for new players, and one GM for running the actual game. Too much disruption for one person to answer crowd questions, help new players, and run a game all at once. I wanted more "staff", but proceeded without a full compliment. Lesson Learned. And again, thanks to David and Shane for their assistance, cause it was a life-saver.
    Sorry to hear about your mishaps and further woes Mike. i thought that the British Postal service was tight but that is just taking the urine.

    With regard to staffing a session. I always take it one step further and have four members minimum.
    One floater added. This means each of you can get a bit of time off from one of the games to look around the show.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  41. #41

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    Well done, Mike & Co!

    Even with all the 'after shocks' it sounds like it was a good time. I look forward to pictures when you have time to post some.

    All the best,
    Matt

  42. #42

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    Up in Post #13, I was speculating that I'd be in the Mini Free Play area. Turns out I took over a bunch of Blood Bowl tables in the bottom right corner of the above map. It wasn't the center of activity that I get at BottosCon, but I was a small blip on an enormous event.

    The below images from the GottaCon Facebook Page: Facebook - GottaCon
    These tables were supposed to be Flames of War, but I think it was Warmachine. I wasn't paying too much attention.
    On Friday night, I was set up on the left end of the table row to the top right, and in this picture (Saturday afternoon), you can see part of the WoG display and table just in the top right corner. From the center top of the picture (left to right): Shane [Skyguy001] is sitting on the window ledge, taking a break, I am talking to a new player, Mark Janzen, and you can just see Dale Pugwell's left leg and arm in front of the table.
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    Same time period, but different angle, showing the mezzanine level we were on. This is looking from the right bottom corner of the above map, to the left along the bottom of the map (I should mention that you can only see to the center of the map in this picture, labeled "Level 2", just to give you a bit of scale):
    On the left side of the picture, you can see the WoG table, my belly, David Bagshaw [epiphanius] behind the table, Mark Janzen on the end of the table, with Dale Pugwell in front. The Zeppelin is coming onto the table, as we start the game, and more people come along later. This was the game I was running when the people in Post #38 showed up.
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    Last edited by OldGuy59; 03-05-2015 at 10:07.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  43. #43

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    Great. New pictures and a good flavour of what it was all about as well.
    Thanks for adding these Mike.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  44. #44

    Default Friday Night Furball

    The Friday Night Furball was exactly that. Getting to the Con, later than planned, the "Organizer" was not that organized, and my "reserved for the weekend" table was...

    "Somewhere around here. Perhaps there is OK?"

    Then, get my display set up and minis out, and fend off questions and requests. I didn't get all the names of the participants, expecting to get some pictures, but... It was a Furball.

    The setup was in Post #26 above.

    There were, at least, six players on the table, using two Snipes, an SE5a, 2 D.VIIs, a SS D.III, and a Moraine-Saulnier? Yup. Troy wanted to fly his plane soo badly. His funeral.

    Goofing around, with me pointing at the joust, and Shane [Skyguy001] laughing beside me, as an SE5A and a SS D.III do the mutual kill thing (I think. I can't remember why we were goofing around. It was something special. I don't even remember who's planes these were.)
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    (Image from Troy Chard)

    The close-up, nothing marked or indicated, but I think this was a mutual kill.
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    (Image from Troy Chard)

    A Facebook image from David Bagshaw [epiphanius]. From L-R: Unknown participant in rear, David in front, myself, and Shane.
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    The Moraine-Saulnier smokes an SE5a!
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    (Image from Troy Chard)

    A D.VII lights up the same SE5a.
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    (Image from Troy Chard)

    A close-up of Shane's fire indicator. This is a large pipe cleaner with some paint. Very nice color on the table, if not too appreciated by the pilot.
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    (Image from Troy Chard)

    And toward the end of the Furball, a plane goes down to fire and bullets.
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    As I didn't have any prizes to hand out, I didn't keep very good track of much in this game. By the time I got back to the room and did some posting and coordinating of stuff for the next day, I was done. More so than I thought, if I missed so much of the evening.

    Interesting point though, was that there were some gentlemen playing Wings of Glory on the tables when Shane and I showed up (again, we were originally supposed to start at 7 PM, but when work intruded, I asked to have the scheduled game moved to 9 PM). The players were not part of our Aerodrome community, and I didn't get all the names. Darn! Too rushed, and tired.
    (Image from Troy Chard)
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  45. #45

    Default BoB Intercept over the Channel

    Not too many pictures of this, in fact, the only good ones are above in Post #29.

    This was me running a solo game, and talking to people passing by. A few people played a turn or two, but were on their way to other things.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  46. #46

    Default Zeppelin Raid on London

    Surprise (not)! The Zeppelin didn't make it all the way onto the map.

    The Zeppelin is starting it's approach...
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    The defenders swarm the the thing, and four or five planes perish trying to take out the monster... But take it out they do! David Bagshaw [epiphanius], Mark Janzen and Dale Pugwell participated all the way through, with others joining and departing as the scenario progressed.
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    Crew shot up, reducing firefighting and defensive shooting. Burning out of control, and then... Collisions. It really didn't stand a chance. The defenders, despite a few planes crashing and blowing up, had a lot of fun!

    Thanks to Dave [clipper1801] for the victim and the management cards, and Neil [Skafloc] for assistance with the "rules".
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  47. #47

    epiphanius
    Guest


    Default

    Thanks for posting these, Mike - and for your considerable efforts in travelling, setup and especially: teaching.

  48. #48

    Default Saturday Night Dogfight Challenge

    This was a dog's dinner.

    Set-up:
    The tables in the assigned play area were all 24 inches wide. Too narrow for head-to-head play. Another thing with the set-up that wasn't according to my request months in advance.

    Also, the GottaCon "organizers" depended on an online application to manage their event, called Warhorn (Link: Warhorn.net). It requires the organizers to place the schedule in the app, and for all the attendees to sig up for an account and log in. Once you log in, the organizers have to Authorize you to register for games. There were slots for GMs and Players. Now this sounds good, but in practice, it was a mess (I'm being polite, I used other words throughout the process of experiencing this app and this weekend). The organizers never provided a printout of the weekend's events to any of the GMs that I know of. All the GM's were expected to go get their own lists for each of their scheduled games. Searching through the GottaCon listing of hundreds of games was a pain, and the "search engine" was lobotomized or non-functional. Really, the only way to find an individual listing was to scroll through the entire weekend. Once I registered, I did have a listing of my scheduled events, but I didn't see any way of outputting the listings in a printout or page view. I really didn't care about any of my other scheduled games, as I expected people to come and go during the events, and perhaps learn the mechanics and the game.

    However, I wanted to run a Swiss Paring for this, and I would have liked a bit more input from the organizers. As it was, besides having to go and arrange for wider tables from the Open Board Game section, I never did get a list of players out of Warhorn. I needed to have access to the app, on the gaming floor, using a smart phone or wi-fi capable laptop, to find out who was supposed to be playing. I had five players milling around, so I abandoned the attempt to get a list, and ran the Challenge without it.

    Really, it didn't matter who had signed up, I had players, tables and minis, so... Play!

    The Challenge:
    I had Gerald Moore and Christian Tervo, two gentlemen from that Friday Night group who were playing on their own, Troy Chard from Vancouver, and a complete novice, Clint Sinclair. Shane and I rounded out the group. With no prize support, and an odd number of players, I jumped in to teach Clint as the first match. So... As you can imagine, not many pictures of this event, either.

    Two games ended as pilots flew off the tables. Good thing I went and found wider tables, or this might have happened a bit more. Also, some of the pilots drifted away, as other events started before we finished all the pairings. But after two losses, most could see the eventual outcome, and with no prizes to motivate them, they went elsewhere.

    This is a shot of the tables I requisitioned, with Troy and Clint talking over the Challenge. Troy came out on top with three wins, his absolute best performance ever. He actually started to anticipate and counter his opponent's moves. This was a big turning point for him, as he thought the game is finally starting to click for him.
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    Clint, as a first time player, beat everyone he faced to be matched up with Troy, and came in second! I think a very positive outcome for him, and a potential new addict. His first game against me was very ugly. I was all over him, like white on rice, doing short ranged, +1 damage, and just turning his plane into a screen. However, he got a few good shots in, and lit me up. It was the hits and fire that took me down, and gave him the win. He had 2 points left in his plane, with a mit-load of "0"s.

    NOTE: Unless someone out there can advise differently, if your Con Organizing Team is using, or considering using, Warhorn, consider opting out or another Con. The Warhorn site is bannered with "Superior Event Management", but management from my perspective was the last thing I experienced from this application. And they were looking for donations to keep them running...
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 03-05-2015 at 14:18.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  49. #49

    Default HMS Glorious - Norway Scenario

    Last game of the weekend, and I had lots of attention, if not a lot of players.

    The Set-up:
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    Four Bf-109s, two escorts and two bombers. Two CAP Hurricanes off the Port beam, with two ready on deck.

    The first CAP Hurrie gets in range of the Escort, and blows up.
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    Close-up of the A damage boom chit:
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    The second Hurrie takes a hit and catches fire
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    Bomber one is lit up by combined Hurrie and AA fire:
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    When will the Glorious AA Crews learn. Don't shoot down bomb-ladened aircraft while they are over the flight deck!
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    Close-up of the crash. An aircraft for 55 points and a 250kg bomb for 55 points more. I didn't have the special damage rules, nor Neil's [Skafloc] special damage deck for carriers, so I drew two D damage chits. No special damage, but there was a deck fire from burning aviation fuel raging away.
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    The C damage chit was for the straffing attach on the near 4.7" AA gun, just below the fire.

    A ready Hurrie launches from the aft deck, as a Bf-109 is splashed by AA fire.
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    The second CAP Hurrie is sent swimming (cumulative damage from guns and flames).
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    AA gunnery hits the next Bf-109 and smoke belches from the engine.
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    The next AA hit takes it out of the sky. Another escort is taking a straffing run at the carrier, and a spawned bomber is coming in on another run. The ready Hurrie attempts to take out the bomber before it reaches the Glorious.
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    The straffing Bf-109 is splashed by AA fire.
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    The last bomber is on it's way in, with the ready Hurrie on it's tail.
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    AA gunnery does it again, with a barrage of 4.7" flak (markers on the mat around the Bf-109), and the octuple 2pdr rear turret combining fire. It was too much for the Bf-109.
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    The Glorious survives with a burnt and holed forward flight deck. Fire damage was counted, and I rolled for any future special damage, and burning aviation fuel ran into the elevator shaft. Nothing caught fire or blew up, so the British win this one. Two pilots to fish out of the drink, and five enemy pilots to recover.

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    110 points of bomb and plane damage, and 16 points of straffing and fire damage. Really, only a flesh wound, with 270 points total damage rating.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 03-05-2015 at 15:09.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  50. #50

    Default

    Well done Mike! My previous post suddenly dissapeared, but let me send you again some and
    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

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