Poldercon 2017 - planning ahead

Poldercon 2017

That is a long way off, I know.

In my head, one way to do the games I like, is to do demos. I did this in the past and enjoyed it a lot. I hope (assume?) the ones receiving the demo had the same feeling! Anyway, I think it is time to give something back and I want to do some demos at the next Poldercon. I've selected 2, namely This is not a Test and Check Your Six!. Why 2? Well, remember my attention span? When I did demos in the past you could be busy one hour and have nothing to do for the next hour, and repeat. Plenty of rest in between so no troubles there.

Then comes Poldercon. 4x 90 minutes of gaming and one long break. Looking at something new for such a long time turns out to be more then I can handle comfortably. Something that I'm comfortable with can easily extend that, including friendly banter. But what about the 2 games? Well, I don't know what will interest people. Will a Post Apocalyptic 28mm game be more interesting then a 1/600 air battle or vice versa? Depends on the people attending, doesn't it? So if I plan 2 games of each, it will be quickly apparent which one is more popular then the other and I can always go 3 for one game and 1 for the other. Or 4 of the one and none of the other. But let's compare the 2.


This is not a Test (TNT)

• Post Apocalyptic
• 28mm
• 90-120 cm square battlefield
• 2 players

Check Your Six! (CY6!)

• Historical (WW2 or Modern)
• 1/600 (but can be played right up to 1/144)
• 120 x 180 battlefield
• 2-4 players plus GM controlled bombers when apllicable

This will attract 2 very different players (or my clones). I'm assuming the smaller scale stuff will be less popular but I can entertain more players per game.

So, what do I need to do to host these games? As it turns out, not that much!

TNT released a demo/starter scenario a few weeks back, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and printed a full pack with all of the paper minis, markers and references, laminated the entire scenario and asked Erik to bind it for me in Tilburg (as there is no shop that does that here). So that part is sorted, I just need to glue the mini's onto cardboard and prep them. The game calls for 1 house to have a heater with drinkable (well, sort of) water that your gang has to tap and get off the table. By keeping things simple (and TNT isn't that complex) 90 minutes for a short game plus explaining it on the fly does not seem as a impossible task. Scenery wise I'm building stuff for Crisis this year anyway so that is sorted too. Making a wargames heater is a piece of cake for me so no problem there either. I should have more then enough time to get it all done plus experience cause Erik read the entire rules and scenario pack and he is dying to try it out.

C6! is a different ball game. It would be a WW2 game (to avoid having to teach about radar homing and infrared missiles as well) I'm eyeing either the Bombing the river Bug scenario from Mustangs converted to CY6!, giving the Germans tons of options (which may not be so smart) or go simple 1944 and have the players attacking a GM controlled B-17 force that is defended by the other players.
Aircraft wise not a problem as I have loads (shop like levels of lead to be honest) and they are easy to paint well. A dozen B-17's and 4 fighters on each side (2 per player) should do it. (exactly 20 bases, which is not a coincidence at all....no really), for the Bug scenario I actually have the Russians painted and would only need to invest in parts for the Ju-287 as that isn't made and I need to convert it...something I relish doing. I already have a hex mat suitable for the game, bases are on the way, scenery is not needed (well, I could add a laminated target to put on the table but as the focus is to down the bombers I think I will pass on that). I have no idea if I can coax Erik or any of the other Frostgrave players into this, just for a few games to try out if my teaching skills still add up.

Both games will need no to little investment of money (which is pretty vital right now!), some investment of time and some planning to get everything sorted. Sofar I have no plans to take it to other conventions, as Impact is next month already, at Figz I will give a foamboard demo and at Crisis I expect to be working again for PSC (but that is never a certainty) and those are all the shows I know of. There is Ducosim too but I don't know the dates for that, being a mostly boardgame oriented venue. Of course, I can always take them to other shows in 2017.