Without a Paddle: Spartacon 2013 Report

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Spartacon 2013 Report

Hall overview

Another good Spartacon has come and gone. I think I made it down in record time - no snow or ice this year! With record high temps in the upper 50s, it was a great day in downtown Lansing.

As for the con, the first thing to note was a new room, across the hall from the usual venue. This one is MUCH nicer. There was even carpet! And some lounge chairs. And no headache inducing echoes. So major plus there.

I started the day joining one of my long-time gaming colleagues in an ACW game using Regimental Fire and Fury. The scenario was a portion of the Battle of Atlanta. The minis were incredibly well painted, especially for just 6 mm (!) and the terrain very well done. The setup was very well organized, with all units, terrain, etc. labeled. It's just that none of us were familiar with the rules, and it was a bit overwhelming at first. In the final analysis, I'd say I like the rules and they show great promise, and I'd like to try them again, but I have so many other irons in the fire at the moment the ACW stuff will have to wait. As for the outcome, I was on the Confederate side. It was basically a straight ahead assault on the Union positions that more closely resembled the Somme. My buddy, already notorious for unlucky dice (I know, every gamer claims to be, but this guy is a sight to behold), was in for a rough day. The Union player directly opposite him kept rolling 10 after 10 after 10 (good in this game), while he kept rolling 1, 2, 3, etc. Unreal.

So on to game two. The plan was to join Dave Winfree from I-94 Enterprises in a CY6 game, but we were a little late getting back from lunch. Dave is a good guy and was more than willing to accomodate, but we had enough extra players that in the end we went off and played a side game using the planes I had stashed in the car. We combined two of my Pearl Harbor scenarios into one and had a nice four player game. Once again, the dice were against us! It got kind of comical after a while: Need a 9 to hit, roll an 8. Need an 11, roll a 10. Need a 6, roll a 5. It was crazy. In the end, the American shot down two Kates, but one P-40 was out of ammo and skedaddled, and the other Americans were square in the sights of the Zeroes before we ran out of time. I think they enjoyed it.

As for purchases, of course I left my list at home! But I ended up getting the Road to Rabaul scenario book, some new flight stands, and a nice assortment of new planes and decals from I-94. If you are into CY6, I highly recommend I-94.

Without further ado, some photos: