Flames at Templecon

This past weekend I attended Templecon in Warwick RI. I have been to two prior Templecons (07 and 08) but missed last year because I wanted to go run a marathon in a mountainous desert. It was good to be back and interesting to see a con where warmachine is the sole game in the Grand ballroom and Games Workshop shares a small conference room with Gear Kreig and Heavy Gear.

However, there was a Flames of War tournament (1750 mid war) that I was pre-registered for and excited to take my tournament list (a nasty German Grenidier list with 88's, stugs and a KV1 support by assualt group led by Schmidt). However, unlike any other tournament I have ever been to, it started on time and when I arrived at 10:15 for the 10am registration it was already models down. Taking the time to walk around, I was actually glad of this, since the people there were pretty serious.

First, I would have been the only one there with unpainted and un based models. Hell, my 88's don't even have troops glued on. The competitors had elaborately painted and based trays to carry their models from table to table. I would have stood out quite conspicuously.

Second, it looked like the people actually knew the rules. My only hope of reclaiming my tournament champion prize (from 2008) was for there to be a small tournament comprised solely of the ignorant or the stupid.

Last, they played without break for 8 hours. This directly interferred with my desire to both eat food and consume alcohol.

Anyway, the lists were interesting, ranging from Desert rats with lots of cruiser tanks to lots of artillery to a massive soviet tank battalion. The most amusing list was a panther company that had a total of 7 models on the board. This seemed stupidly easy to beat, but it turned out to do ok.

Not sure who won, because I wandered away to play Twilight Struggle (US vs. USSR in the Cold war) and when I came back they were done and the LARPers had taken over for a Neo-Victorian gas mask chic event.

Sorry about the lack of pics, but I forgot my camera at home. Suffice it to say that the "least" painted armies all included decals. Was pretty cool.

It's great to see mid war i still popular. Soon enough it's going to make a come back . I love that assault platoon and I miss it in late war.

James

assault platoons are cool! heh