Thursday 8 May 2014

Blog-Con Two: an After Games Report


A bumper update here on the Blog to cover the really excellent Blog Con 2 this weekend just past in Yorkshire. Staged at Elvington Air Museum in wonderful weather, there were 13 Bloggers including myself who made the trip for a really excellent day’s gaming.


If you’ve not been to the Elvington Air Museum near York, I can warmly recommend it. It’s easy to find, with great parking and good accommodation in the VC room for a couple of games. Having the canteen just outside the door was also a great feature!

The first game – The Return to Serenity Flats – was played by 11 of the Bloggers and featured the various forces of the law attempting to arrest the famed desperado, Budgie Ray. It was an absolute blast. I reprised my role from Blog Con 1 as the Sheriff, but had just as little luck. 









 Once again I was out-smarted by the other lawmen, especially Canadian Mountie Curt Campbell and the dreaded Pinkertons, and was reduced to running after the 3.10 to Yuma express to try and catch up in a depressingly familiar scene which echoed back to what happen in Blog Con 1!






A great game with multiple fatalities, all humorous. I felt truly sorry for Lee’s Dalton Gang gunman, who complied with my call for him to drop his weapon (he was carrying an illegal weapon in City limits…), only for me to sheet at him when he did so (…littering, including dropped weapons, also being illegal within City limits). Sorry, mate!



The second game was run by me. Entitled “Get Carter”, it featured a raid across No Man’s Land by volunteers from the 8th Batallion of the Northumberland Fusiliers seeking to recover their captured Captain. I’ve placed the scenario onto Google Drive, and you can find this in the section on the right of this Blog entitled “Playtesting Scenarios, Campaign Diaries, Play-Aids and Painting Guides”.










I really enjoyed running the game, which turned out to be the typically frantic close quarter fighting trench raid which the Northumberlands only just lost when German Eingreiftruppen swarmed down the communication trenches. In retrospect, perhaps the scenario allows the German Eingreiftruppen to arrive a little too early, but there was genuinely not much in the game by the end. The Germans won, but only just.










   




Post-Blog Con 2, Dave, Marian, Curt, Sarah, Phil and me enjoyed a truly handsome meal at the St Vincent Arms in Sutton-Upon-Derwent before adjourning to The Old Rectory in the village where we were spending the night. Both the pub and the B&B are highly recommended if you are passing that way, with the St Vincent Arms serving immense “Yorkshire Portions”. A great end to a fine day’s gaming, with a huge thank you to Dave for organising and to everyone for attending!

32 comments:

  1. Excellent report, your game looks ace. I may try it out soon when we have all our troops and such painted and ready to go!

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    1. Thanks Alex! I've also posted the "Winter Sports" cards and markers in the side-bar on the right with the scenarios. I know the last thing you want to see if more cards to make up.......but if you or anyone else would like them, they are there!

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    2. I shall take a look! I am sure I can muster up enough strength to knock up the set!

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    3. There's very few cards in fact, and far fewer than the amount you did last weekend!

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  2. It was an excellent day out. I really enjoyed myself. It was a treat to get a game in using your collection as well.. I be along at Partizan.
    They truly were Yorkshire portions at the St Vincent...very enjoyable !
    Looking forward to Blog Con 3... Where I have plans for new scenario involving Rooster Cogburm and his evil twin Black Bart Awdry....

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    1. ...Black Bart Awdry....now how can that just not be a fantastic game!!??!!

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  3. Disappointed I missed out but a damn good read Sidney!

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    1. You were very much missed, Fran! But hopefully you can make Blog Con 3!

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  4. Haha, two pics of me, both fiddling with phone/camera! The missus will be only too happy to tell you how typical that is.

    A great days gaming followed by a thoroughly pleasant meal. Cheers for the writeup. Here's to Blog-Con 3!

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    1. Great to meet you, Phil. It was a very fine days gaming. Looking forward to catching up again at Evesham! Make sure you bring your camera and phone!

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    2. Oh don't you worry, I shall! ;-)

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  5. Excellent report! I always love to marvel at your beautifully crafted terrain.

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  6. Dang - am I ever sorry I missed that :D

    Still. Next time :D

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    1. Your imagi-nations game looked equally terrific. You had a perfect excuse, Mike! See you next time.

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  7. I enjoyed both games - excellent stuff. However, as WWI is a (reluctantly) growing interest I bought the TFL rules. They'll probably never get beyond the reading stage, but the game certainly piqued my interest.

    Thanks to all for a great day.

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    1. Gary, it was awesome to meet you. Your late arrival as von Stumpfhaussen was perfectly timed. sSe you at the next one!

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  8. It indeed was a wonderful trip up to York Sidney, thank you for taking us! I'm still trying to work off that immense Yorkshire meal we had at the pub. At the rate I'm consuming food and drink on this vacation they'll have to grease my flanks to cram me into the plane for the way home. Thanks again!

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    1. Thanks Curt! What an amazing weekend! It was such a pleasure seeing you and Sarah and taking you both up to Yorkshire. I'm already hunting out more by the Decembrists! I can't envisage that Dutch portions will be much smaller! Have a great time in Holland!

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  9. Thanks for the game mate, had a great time but don't I look Mr. Grumps on some of the photos LOL

    Ian

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    1. Nonsense! That's the look of concentration! Great meeting you Ian. See you for the next one!

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    2. Nonsense Dave....since when did you see a train controller smiling?? Concentration, I say....just the sort of professional chap to be running the Serenity Flats Railroad and Locomotion Company Inc. :)

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  10. Looks like a whole lot of fun! Beautiful figures and terrain...

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    1. Simon, you'd have loved it. Hope to see you at Blog Con 3 if you can make it, or otherwise up at St Albans one evening.

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  11. Most excellent report and pics, yes Elvington is a fine place, put a couple of WWII games on at Battlegroup North back in the day, highlight at the one was the Spitfire fly over, the sound of those engines and the speed, beautiful planes.

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    1. It's a great venue, Phil. We didn't have a long time to look around, but what we saw was really impressive. We were all in awe at the Victor!

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  12. Two great looking games. Just wish I could have made the day!

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    1. I think we're trying to run Blog Con 3 in the South, so fingers crossed you will be able to make that.

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  13. Absolutely, a great day's gaming, and now on to BG3!

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  14. An excellent report, Adam.
    And additionally some inspiring pictures of your awesome WW1 boards. I'll keep them in mind when starting with mine. ;-)

    Cheers
    Stefan

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    1. You're very welcome, Stefan. Just let me know if there's anything more you need :)

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