The Adepticon Experience
It’s one thing to read about what goes on at Adepticon or another major Con on the internet. It’s quite another to experience it yourself.
I am not new to conventions. I have been to BoLSCon, to the old Games Days (back when they were 2 1/2 day events), and smaller regional conventions. Until this year I had not been to Adepticon. the reason for that is partly because I knew I wasn’t practiced enough to have a real hope of winning anything, and partly because I had never before played with a group that went. The latter changed when I moved to Austin, TX last year and started playing with the Fly Lords. These guys are as passionate about gaming as anyone I have ever met. They paint, they play, they come up with original scenarios and campaigns, they participate in every tournament they can find a way to attend. It’s infectious! When they started making plans to head to Chicago I jumped on board.
I knew I wouldn’t be ready to seriously compete at any of the major tournaments, so I decided to go with the sole intent of having fun and meeting people. A number of the painting & modeling clinics caught my eye, but they were already full up when I registered in January. Mental note- register earlier next year so I can attend those. I did sign up for the 40k team tournament as one of the players on a Heresy-era C:SM team. The other guys were also playing just to have fun, and I would be able to borrow a complete Emperors Children army from another local. I also signed up for the Warmachine/Hordes 50pt Friday tournament. The Austin Warmchine community is still pretty new and I haven’t played much since moving here May of last year, but I already had a fully painted Legion of Everblight force and I could show some support for a great game in its first year at the Con. Those two events filled out my Friday & Saturday events. I left Sunday open to relax, meet people, maybe play some pick-up games, and try to take it all in. A large group of us drove the 18 hours up to Chicago on Thursday and came back the following Monday. I did have my doubts, especially whether my idea to go but not seriously compete would be worth the effort.
On to the Con itself. The place is huge! Over 1000 people travel from all over the world, including some of the biggest names in miniature gaming. Warhammer 40k is the defining system at Adepticon, but WHFB, GW Specialist Games, and now up-and-coming systems like Flames of War and Warmachine are represented as well. Add to that the diversity of companies, models, and rules available in the vendors area and you have a three day orgy of miniature gaming. There are multiple ballrooms/conference rooms filled with more tables and terrain than you can imagine. Every attendee was given a “swag bag” when they signed in, filled with novels, a few scenic resin bases, models, and even the rulebook for a new Old West themed game. I was surrounded by countless conversations all about gaming. Which armies people are playing. What they think about some new rule or system. How they painted or converted some fantastic model. Think of it as something similar to the conversations you have with your gaming buddies but taken to a million times higher level. The prizes are bigger, the armies are awesome, and almost without exception the people are great. When the games end for the day you go out and have a great time at dinner with people you’ve just met. You do this for three fantastic days and then go home. From what I’ve seen on the internet, I’m not the only one who is already itching to get back next year.
As for my decision to stay away from the ultra-competitive side of things, it did nothing to dampen my experience. I got to watch as a number of my friends took home trophies and share in their happiness. One of the best games I had was in the team tournament when Bushido Red Panda and I played a Tyranid and Dark Eldar team. They were fairly young, in their late teens or early 20’s (I think). The Tyranid player was still learning her army, and they were both still figuring out the tactics of the game, but they were having fun, and they were a blast to play with. She even had Spore Mine earrings to go along with her army. The idea of the hyper-competitive convention scene is a myth. Oh sure, there is a small percentage of players who have real expectations of taking home top prize, but it really is a small percentage. Most people were there for the same reasons I was, to have fun, to meet people, to enjoy the spectacle, and to geek out over with friends for a long weekend.
I managed to achieve my goals. I met a lot of great guys (and gals), and it was kind of cool having some pseudo-celebrity status when someone recognized my writing here on BoLS. I finished with a respectable record in the Warmachine tournament- losing one game to the eventual overall champion because of a small 1/2″ mistake in my first turn that meant I lost a key model early and eventually cost me the game, and another game because of a little bad luck and another small mistake. In both cases I feel like it was my lack of practice rather than shoddy generalship that cost me, and I’m ok with that. My 40k team finished in the middle of the pack in that tournament, and we were all fine with that result. There’s some talk that maybe next year we’ll come up with a really great theme and display board…..or not. Maybe next year I’ll try my hand at the 40k Nationals tournament….or not. We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I find my passion and enthusiasm for gaming has been rejuvenated by the experience, and I’m getting excited about BoLSCon just a few months down the road.
If you haven’t been to a major convention, I can’t recommend it enough! BoLSCon happens at the end of July, and there are many other local conventions happening all the time all around the country. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a competitive gamer, its an experience you should try out at least once.
