Channeling My Inner Dragon…and Tank.

a toy figurine of a woman standing on a green dragon

Two weekends ago I went to my first conference hosted by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, which may come as a suprise to some of my readers. I’m a big fan of strategy board games with Command & Colors or Overlord rules like Memoir 44, but am completely new to miniatures. I like stepping out of my comfort zone, particularly if its among people passionate about their hobby and craft, and I never get to play enough games, but I was a little anxious heading to the Historicon convention in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was worried my gaming ignorance would annoy die hard gaming fans. (Or that the intensity of the die hard gaining fans would annoy me :-)) Turns out I had nothing to worry about and it was an incredible time. For one thing, being in a convention center filled with dozens of meticulously crafted boards with carefully painted miniatures worth thousands and thousands of dollars was amazing. Even if I didn’t enjoy playing, I would have enjoyed it as an art exhibition.a box of miniature figures

a group of people standing around a toy battle field

a group of people standing around a model town

a model of a town

And participating was tons of fun. At every one of the games I played, fellow participants/opponents were super friendly and willing to help walk me through what my best strategy was, even if it resulted in their loss.

The theme of the HMGS summer conference was “100 Years of Tanks” but they also offered games with fantasy, sci-fi themes, and non-tank historical themes. The first game I played had a Game of Thrones theme and I got to command flame throwing dragons.

a group of people around a table

a toy figurine of a woman riding a dragonThe “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” session required singing Broadway hits to reroll…

two men in clothing posing for a photo
Thank goodness I grew up watching musicals

The favorite game of the event was playing on a board crafted by Board2Death Terrain. Fun rules, great camaraderie with other players, and a board so beautiful in detail I was wishing I could afford to buy one just to hang on my wall as art.a game board with a group of people and a hole in the ground

a toy soldiers in a small building
A peek in one of the hidden bunkers
a toy battle scene with people watching
Flamethrower attack

If you enjoy miniatures or even just playing complicated board games, these conferences are great and worth giving it a try. Perhaps I’ll see you at the next one!

Full Disclosure: I may receive affiliate credit from links in this post or on this site which will help fund my travels. Thank you for your support!

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