I’m back from Historicon 2019. This is the premier historical gaming event on the east coast of the US. Attendees can find tons of games to play, presentations to listen to, sit in on painting classes at Hobby University, see a large number of manufacturers and resellers and/or just look for deals at the flea market. All that and all in one place!
I went up with a buddy of mine on Thursday and drove home Saturday night. The vendor area and flea market opened on Thursday, so it was a good option for me. I was able to get in a couple games, buy some stuff, take a couple Hobby University classes and spend a bit of money. Of course I also got to run into a large number of gaming buddies that I don’t normally see very often. As usual, a fun time.
The big change this year was the location. The convention moved to the Lancaster Convention Center in downtown Lancaster Pennsylvania. The new space is very nice. Large rooms for gaming, and with one exception, very good lighting. The layout was spread over five floors. The flea market was held in the basement level, the vendor hall and tournament rooms were on the first level, the club gaming room and event registration was on the second level, The main gaming hall and board game area was on the third level, and the Hobby University was on the fourth. The presentation rooms were on the side building, which I guess was technically the third level (it had is own elevator and stairs).
I do have to say that the food was a definite upgrade in quality and not badly priced. It was sometime not clear what food was being severed where and when, but I’m sure they will do that better next year. Of course, being downtown, there were plenty of restaurants to choose from too!
On a less savory topic, the bathrooms were great. If you have been to many wargame conventions, you know that not all attendees are the most careful…. Not an issue this time, the bathrooms were up to date and had cleaning crews cleaning them regularly throughout the day. It did not hurt there are a lot of them too!
The one area that needed more explanation to attendees was the parking. The main garage that connected the hotel and conference facility was not too large and filled up quickly. There were other garages, but if you were not bold enough to ask an attendant, you would not know which ones. This was important, as the designated garages were basically free (you could collect a voucher next to registration at the convention). If you did not know to do that, you could end up in a private garage and pay more (still discounted) on park on the street, which had a limited time limit. It all worked out for me, but they will need to provide a little more information to attendees next year (maybe just include the instruction on the registration email and have a sign at the convention for parking information and vouchers).
With everything in balance, it was a wonderful event and great time. If you are a gamer and are within driving distance of Pennsylvania, you need to check it out!
- Manteuffel