Historicon 2026

I managed to make it up to Lancaster, PA for the HMGS convention Historicon. It wasn't guaranteed that I would make it, one of my dogs has been dealing with some medical issues and luckily my girlfriend is a wonderful human being and agreed to take care of my dogs while I ventured north to roll dice and push lead. 

I am a fan of the Lancaster County Convention Center as a venue. Not everything is perfect but there isn't much to complain about in my opinion. There are plenty of inexpensive parking garages nearby, the facilities are top notch and there are good food option.

The theme of the convention was the American War of Independence (a no brainer with the 250th anniversary of our nation). There were reenactors in Continental Marine uniforms and plenty of themed AWI games. There were other games not in theme as well. Here are some photos of different games I stopped and watched:

Attendance seemed healthy and it was a pleasant surprise to see new vendors offering different products. One of the new vendors was Podrek Miniatures. They were offering quick-play rules and 3D printed figures for 6mm games. The rules and ranges included ACW, Sc-Fi and Renaissance Italian Wars. 

Chase, the proprietor, was also offering demo games for the Italian Wars variant. The rules were aimed at 5-10 units per side on a table size of 1'x1', 1'x2' or 2' square and length of about 30 minutes. 

If you know me, you know I love 6mm, I love pike and shot and I love bite-sized games so it's no surprise that I bought two starter armies (French and Imperial/Spanish) and the rules. 

My good buddy Rob joined me at the convention and we managed to get in a game of Ravenfeast Big Battle (more on that here in its own post) and we also participated in one of the themed games, a refight of Brandywine using beautifully painted 28mm figures and Black Powder rules. 

Rob and I (and everyone else playing) enjoyed our time with the game even if the GM had a bit of a laissez faire attitude about GMing and there were only quick reference sheets for about half the players. In the end, the Americans "won" because they managed a draw. 

Later that evening, Rob's son managed to join us and we played some gladiator games with the always fun Blood Sweat and Cheers rules. 

It was another great time at an HMGS convention and I managed some nice purchases: a miniature storage case, the Italian Wars armies and a book on Scottish civil wars and feuds during the 16th century. Rob and I have been attending these things for nearly three decades and I always cherish the memories made from these get togethers where we catch up, eat unhealthy food, drink beers, push lead and roll dice.