HEADING TO HUZZAH! PORTLAND, MAINE

Had some extended hours in the evenings this week putting together a newly designed set of player aids (made of wood using pegs to track information)--note to self, don't have "good ideas" less than a week out from a convention game.  Nevertheless, the time management worked out, and my Huzzah! game is now packaged and ready to load--and pleasingly compact: one large tub and three small.   So, for now, it's rest up;  do  a bit of printing tomorrow (reference sheets and such), and then...

...roll on up the road to Maine.  

 Excelsior!

HUZZAH! CONVENTION GAME PREP

This is a quick post to share the madness that is my game preparation. This week is the lead up to the excellent Huzzah! gaming convention, where I'll be running my aforementioned Loot the Baggage Train scenario on Saturday morning.  For our friends across the pond, this is a participation game, as are all the games at US conventions. Normally, at this stage of the process, the game is ready to go and it's just a matter of final inventory and pack up. This year, however, I'm behind where I normally am in the process (for many reasons). Thus, I am on a tight schedule to wrap up the remaining prep between now and Saturday morning. Thankfully, I don't have to actually paint any figures, but there are other things to be done. Tonight, the time was devoted to adjusting the terrain for the six player convention game (the playtest only had three), as well as getting the figures sorted and ready.

The geometry of the terrain will be important given that there will be six players converging on the baggage train, so the relative distances, the placement of baggage guards, and the cache locations must be equitable. I spent a good amount of the evening working out these points.  The playtest didn't help with these since it was  only with three players and on a smaller table.  Once done, I was ready to take the next step, which is to mark and label the terrain outlines with masking tape (above)...

...this particular game has fairly complex terrain, so there is more up front work than normal in this step.  The picture above shows the table in the process of terrain removal....

...Once the game mat is marked, I then pull and bag the terrain.  I combine this with digital photos of the setup as well.  When I get to the convention, all I have to do is roll out the battle mat, pull out the bagged terrain, spot it in on the table in the marked location and configuration, and yank the tape: poof, all set up! I double check things with the digital photos or use them as a backup in case something comes undone.

I also broke down the figures and separated them into player-commands. This step really brought home that the convention is nigh!

My goal was to take care of the figures and terrain tonight, to include packing them up. I didn't get that far. I'll be packing the game up tomorrow and then shifting emphasis to getting the components of the game system ready--my friend AJ has a laser and we spent the day on Sunday producing some player tracking boards to support game play. These will replace the paper tracking sheets seen in the post on the playtest, and I believe they will really help to facilitate play (both for the players and for me running the game).  I'll need to stain, paint, and put labels on those this week. To get that done, I'll have to really manage my time well.  I'll have a separate post showing those later.

So there, dear readers, is a window into my over the top convention preparation.  I find that time spent in preparation like this more than pays for itself when setting up a game under convention conditions. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Excelsior!

LOOT THE BAGGAGE TRAIN!: HUZZAH! CONVENTION PLAYTEST GAME

 One of George's dragoons shooting it out with two of AJ's Croats

A series of events have put me behind where I'd like to be in in relation to the upcoming Huzzah! convention--and the game that I am going to be running there!   I finally was able to put together a small playtest this last Friday. Given the limitations on time and prep, my aims were specific, looking to proof the rules, the tracking systems, and an overall reality check on the mechanics.  As a result of this playtest, I'll be doing some important revising of the scenario and rules before Huzzah!  Thanks to AJ and George for their suggestions!  I did not come away with many pictures or much of a narrative given that I had to take a hand in playing, taking notes, and running the playtest.  However, you will find an excellent synopsis of the action on AJ's Wargaming Blog.  In this report, I'll briefly outline the scenario,  share some points from my perspective as game master, and share some eye candy (of course!).   As usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX....

"It's quiet. Too quiet. I don't like it..."

 

The game title is "Loot the Baggage Train!" (30 Years War):  This game represents that moment so characteristic of this age when the lure of looting the baggage train overcame any  interest in the battle. In this game, players will control a file of dragoons, croats, or "Polish cossacks" as they all converge on a semi-abandoned baggage train. Loot the train; loot the other players. It's every man for himself: the player who comes away with the most swag, wins. As you can see, it will be a very serious affair...

The scene is a baggage train area centered on a post-station, with stable and a few lodgings clustered around.  A few demoralized guards remain.  These can put up only a token resistance, and the players have the chance to buy them off and turn them on the other players (like I said, a very serious game).  The playtest setup (above) was rather minimalist, but it allowed me to test the geometry of the action as well as the travel times across the table.  The convention game will have more touches, showing roads and having more features to round out the look of the game. The level of the game is 1 figure = 1 man. Originally, each player was going to run 6 figures, but the playtest, with three players running 5 figures each, clearly showed that this would be too many: probably the most valuable lesson of the playtest!  As a result, the convention game, with six players, will probably have 3 or 4 figures per player (I'm still mulling that one over).

Sprinkled about the area are potential swag locations (some blanks), marked by my Universal Activation Markers  (the green disks, if you aren't familiar).  I had a separate sheet listing what was in each. Given that I was playing in this game, I placed these face down and blindly. This turned out to be a good mechanic: face down=undisturbed spot.  Face up =discovered.  I'll use this in the convention game. 

The tracking system for each figure (above left) worked well enough, but there will be improvements between now and the convention to streamline and make it work better. With any luck, and a big assist from my friend AJ,  I'll have a much less fiddly version of these made out of wood using pegs.   You may also notice the old school wooden Risk pieces (which I picked up on eBay) used as tracking markers (above left) and activation markers (above right).  I like the look and feel of them, and intend to use them in the future as well.

The set of tactical markers I produced worked well enough in the game, too. Above, one of my trusty dragoons kneels to cover his mate as he works his way down the street. 

In the playtest,each player ran 5 figures. Above, the Croats lined up before the playest, In the convention game, there will be two sets of Croats, along with three sets of dragoons, and one set of "Polish Cossacks." Each figure will have a mounted and dismounted version. In the playtest, each side also had a cache, represented by a pack horse, but these wound up being peripheral to play and more of a distraction, so they'll be dropped.

 

AJ suggested that the rules could be adjusted for Old West Shootouts. Looking at the above picture, I must say that the situation certainly is reminiscent of "Dodge City."   

Speaking of pictures, these low level games do tend to produce cinematic moments rather unlike other games, which is a large part of their allure...

My dragoon leader (above left) charges down the road to deliver a pistol shot from horseback (which missed) at AJ's Croat.  (Above right) Two of George's dismounted dragoons hold the stable yard against a mounted dragoon trying to crash his way in. 

Again, thanks to AJ and George for helping with the playtest, from which important points were gleaned--as usual.  Not only will the game be much more ready for the convention, but I will be much better able to run it given the valuable practice. 

Excelsior!