Cold Wars 2023 Convention Recap 

As a non-historical wargamer I'm always impressed (nay jealous) with the table layouts and productions. Fantasy and Sci-Fi war games just never get such good looking tables.

My guess is Recession + Venue + Adepticon = lower attendance. I appreciate you guys give constructive feedback to HMGS.

In terms of the food service, something I've seen at some shows which was very successful is inviting food trucks to the site. Especially for those venues he mentioned that didn't want to provide food service, that could be a solution.

Here, in the UK, I attended the Beach Head 2023 wargaming convention, held at the Bournemouth International Centre on the secoond weekend of February. It was packed. On both days, I was hosting (along with my son) a participation game of "Hunting The Tiger", which is the demonstrator for the Panzergranate WW2 rules system. One player operates the Tiger tank, while the other players operate 4 to 5 Shermans (of various types) and attempt to hunt down & nail the Tiger. The Tiger killing player becomes the Tiger player for the next game. We played nine quite interesting games of this, observing a lot of interesting tactics, including the use of smoke, over the weekend.

I understand not liking a venue but I wouldn't think of a game convention as a trip to Hawaii. There for the games. I put on a monthly games in my game barn where I have to make a 45 minute round trip between games to get food for everyone. No one stops coming because of the venue.

I remember discovering the existence of these tabletop war games as a 10 year old. I was HOOKED. A better way to put it would be I was OBSESSED. I asked for mini game figures for Christmas and my birthdays. Didn't matter if they were historical battle games or trolls and goblins from fantasy games. I played with them the way I wanted. Loved them. Although I really wish I knew about the games the pieces were intended for and got into the while table top scene. These games still fascinate me

Sad to hear of the lower attendance. I'm posting from the UK, where our shows are a little different (typically smaller one-day events, but rather more of them). Vendors and organisers report that attendance hasn't yet recovered since our Covid lockdown. Trends suggested things would pick up over 2023, but recession ... 😞 Keep calm and carry on guys. Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

You guys are so dedicated to the hobby and seem so organized, I love it, can't wait for the interview!

Huge shout out to HMGS and the volunteers. We Pastimes on the Square had a decent show but it is a far cry from the past. As vendors what we heard over and over was the dislike of the venue. How about the Hershey area for Cold Wars? It is the off season so pricing is reasonable. Transportation network is great and no city traffic. Tons of hotels in the area. Large convention site with hotel. Lots of shopping and kids activities in the area. Once again thank you to all the HMGS staff and volunteers without you there is no convention.

The hobby doesn't have enough youngins' coming up anymore. We've been at this tipping point in my area for quite awhile.

One possibility is that this is the first Cold Wars since 2020. People may have found other local cons or simply readjusted to having only two cons a year (Historicon and Fall Inn).

As someone who has to travel from the west coast, the locations of the HMGS shows make it difficult to attend. Flying is 2 hops generally, then a drive, plus limited hotels (if you don't stay at the main hotel). Compared to Adepticon ... Chicago ... easy 1 hop flight, tons of hotel options, etc.

I appreciate the honest discourse about the venue. I can see how it'd make or break a convention to a certain point. Great vid as always! :)

I looked over the Adepticon vendor list. I recognized 9 vendors we've had previously. Only one was a stalwart, Michigan Toy Soldier. Four were vendors we've had at Historicons only, Warlord, Firelock, Crocodile and Miniature Building Authority. Two attended both shows, Badger and Griffons Lair. It does not explain our having 32 vendors instead of the more normal 50.

This was a very well produced video, most hobby videos lack this level of production values. BZ

It also occurred to me that someone with good Social Media skills needs to volunteer to help HMGS use 21st Century communication technology to advantage (and if there are no volunteers, then HMGS should seek someone out to help with this).

After reading most of the comments below, it occurred to me that someone with a wargaming RU-vid channel might want to do some research and locate the various wargaming clubs around the nation (no doubt beginning locally) and then doing a show every month [or every other month], promoting those clubs and giving them some publicity, so that gamers in each area can find a club and get involved in the hobby, and so that those who are new to an area or new to the hobby can figure out how to connect with other like-minded folks.

All the negative things absolutely need to be talked about. But you do a great job in the video of capturing some of the positive parts of the show - some great games and the people who were there seemed to be having a fantastic time. The impromptu interview with Ed Miller of DelVal Gamers was an excellent addition to the video. Thanks for doing the video.

Thank you for coming up and visiting us at hobby university.

The weather was also threatening snow and ice, which is par for the course in Pennsylvania where March is usually one of the worst months for winter weather. It didn't really materialize, but people make their plans based on expectations as much as reality. I didn't think I was going to get to go because of that, but I ended up hosting a game (for the first time ever) when they put out the call after deadline for more games. There was talk for a while that they were going to cancel one of the cons, and because of the unpredictable weather I suggested the obvious one to get rid of was Cold Wars. The venue was bad. There's no getting around that. The employees of the hotel were helpful, but the labyrinthine layout and the fact the elevators were working erratically made it a chore to get around. I am not sure why they put so much emphasis on readily available concessions at all times since many people leave for lunch anyway and the hotel food prices are always exorbitant. I almost never eat at the hotels, especially since I have two young kids in tow.

Not specific to this particular organization; but something that could be undertaken by miniature gaming clubs and organizations would be to volunteer to run events at more general tabletop game conventions. I have been running various tabletop board, card, miniature and roleplaying games at regional conventions for many years. These organizers are always looking for people to fill slots on the schedule and will generally be open to almost anything within reason. Some of the larger conventions will even dedicated entire ballrooms to miniature games when there are enough on schedule. I have seen a number of historical games alongside the sci-fi and fantasy miniature games and in my observation everyone gets along quite well. And most onlookers are very impressed with the quality of detail in the historical table setups. In summary, if historical (as well sci-fi and fantasy) miniature gamers were to broaden the range of events they attend, they will generate more exposure among gamers at-large and could very well bring new blood into the hobby.

Eutaw Springs and the Alamo? I am sorry i missed this one. There are a lot of smart, capable people in this hobby and I’m certain we can make some positive plans for the future. At minimum, I’m in a place now where I can plan to travel more and participate in events.

Great review! Valley Forge, been once wouldn't rush back, didn't go this time. The venue did nothing for our group, too spread out, no real epicenter, getting to the vender/Wally's area was a trek, on-site food was meh etc etc. John Hollier raises some excellent points. The Host is our ideal venue and checks all the boxes from John's list, but obviously you'll never please everybody.

I agree with the HGMS President on the one hand- Complaints without proposed solutions don't help. On the other hand, when clubs like yours HAVE offered solutions without being acknowledged that is extremely frustrating. I guess enough people have not made a big enough stink and offered help or solutions. I wish you all the best of luck.

I don’t the range of locations their looking for but the Greenville NC convention center should meet every requirement(catering might be a stretch but then again there are several local food trucks that will show up to events)

I agree with your comments on the convention site and member participation. I did not care for the site and did not attend. Also, time was a factor this year. Keep up the great work on Little Wars TV!!

Awesome! Would love to attend one day.

It's strange. The "chopped up" aspect of the gaming areas is, in fact, a big plus. VFCC is almost completely free of the noise and lighting issues that afflict so many other East Coast venues.

I used to go to most of the HMGS ("NORTHEASTERN") cons. I drove and flew to many from Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (states where I was assigned). I thought it was great when HMGS talked about expanding its cons. They went to Fredericksburg, which was very helpful to me and my friends because it was closer. Then the Northeast whiners found it too difficult to make the drive, along with other complaints. So of course, HMGS complied with the whiners. I have not been back to an HMGS "NORTHERN" convention since. I now stay regional: NASHCON, SIEGE OF AUGUSTA, RECON, HURRICON.

The Grognards need to be less hostile to people under 55 for the audience that attends these sorts of shows to grow. I am 38 now, but when I went to one of these events in my early 30s I was personally exceptionally turned off from ever going again. I should be the ideal future ambassador for this hobby, I love wargaming, love painting historical, love talking history, and have probably close to 20k painted 28mm ACW, Naps, WWII and Republican Roman figures. I play locally with friends and have gotten friends from 40k and the like into historicals. But while some older gamers are really welcoming, most seem like they would rather see the hobby die than interact with anyone who isn't eligible for social security. If they don't want to watch the slow death of the hobby, they have to change their attitudes. And i imagine the shrinking attendance at historical shows is related to that. I go to many gaming conventions that are not historical conventions and have a great time. Just my opinion.

Sorry to here about the attendance, love the video, thanks.

My very first wargaming club used an old church hall every second Saturday and for new members were able to use the spare armies on hand if they didn’t have ones of their own yet

There are a lot of very nice tables here in the video. Therefore I'm jealous especially because we don't see so much 18th century wargaming in Germany.

The carpets make me feel travel sick! Hats off to HMGS team for putting on three conventions of (compared with UK and Europe) epic scale with just 7 guys on the committee. My gaming bucket list includes a trip to a US convention but after your report I won’t be busting the bank to fund a trip to Cold Wars.

I think smaller regional cons is the way to go. I think attendance is dwindling because interest in the hobby is dwindling. I think we should be focusing on creating smaller get-togethers that more people can actually go to, and then once more people actually spend more time throwing more dice, they'll be more willing to travel to the bigger once-in-a-while type events like this.

HAHMGS (Kansas City Mo.) - I've seen many of our Old Grognards die off and few younger people (computer gamers) filling in the gaps ! Local chapter at one time had 150+ paying members - now somewhat fractured here locally into about 8 "gaming groups" and about 5-6v"local conventions" per year with each interest (Historical, RPG, Board Games) each having their two (2) conventions per year here in K.C. Mo.,

I like the venue for the sole reason that it's close to Philly and easy to get to. I went last year but couldn't make this this year due to a family conflict. I also feel like maybe this one was less well advertised in the lead up? IDK

Really interesting as we don’t really have big convention style games here in the UK. Derby worlds was the closest taking place over a weekend and seeing traders, demonstration games and the WGRG ancient/medieval world championships. The venue at Valley Forge looked massive like the UK Games Expo at the NEC, but that is mostly traders and board games. What were the actual numbers through the door? The only other thing I’ve been too are the Lardy games days which are generally run in one big hall.

As a member of Lard America, I can confirm that we tried to organize a slate of club games but there were only 2 submissions and many GMs either did not plan to go because of the venue or due to other commitments. Personally, I was dismayed by the lack of vendors including the two I planned to purchase stuff from, but for me it was mostly choosing instead to go on a Spring Break/Spring Training trip to Florida with my family. Getting stuck all day Friday at the airport and not getting home until late at night put me off driving up just for Saturday. Well, that and the vendor thing. The venue isn't the best, but I agree with Ed's comments!

Fantastic recap of the show, it looked like there were some fantastic games and tables on display, and as someone in the UK even if this was relatively quiet and small it looked impressive. Its also really interesting hearing about the HMGS as we don't have anything of equivalence and our conventions are pretty much 1 day events. Looking forward to seeing the detailed interviews and white papers, not much i can offer in terms of suggestions or contributions but I do have to. First one, I'd love to attend one of the HMGS shows in the future, international flights will always be expensive but travel wise the shows always seem to be challenging to get to being away from the main international ariports so requiring extra travel time, i dont know if much can be done about it but maybe there could be useful guidance for travellers to make it smoother? My other suggestion, its its to do with the HMGS website, they really need to add some photos! The tables people put on look beautiful and are a big showcase to draw people in, the website in comparison is relatively dull and corporate with a few small images rather than big impactful imagery of the great games on offer and display!

HAHMGS Border Wars Con (KC Mo) - Reduced people there and fewer vendors in Holiday Inn with multiple games in 7 gaming sessions ( 2 Fri/4 Sat/ 1 Sun) - convention wargaming is an OLDSTER Hobby who die off and the young play video games !!

Watching sausage being made

I personally only attend shows now to participate in the tournaments scene. Usually filling up a whole day. They are locked into a certain spot and that’s practically my entire day. I’ll visit vendors and Wally’s through a break during the rounds and not much more. By days end I might stroll through a few rooms to look at games and tables but never find anything interesting enough on my part to jump in. I find that a good part of the fellow gamers in our group follow about the same practice.

My husband and I are war gamers, him more so than me. And we are local (Northern Maryland in Havre de Grace). I don't think you need less conventions, you just need convention centers to fit your populations. Much like HAWKS does. Community Colleges are plentiful in our area. They make great venues for weekend events. They are usually affordable, and the fees go toward a great cause. Scale down the smaller turn outs, and remember, it is going to take time after covid (many groups lost older members to covid), and focus on inspiring young folks (like college populations, and teens). The populations are aging out, and not as many people have been joining. Any videos show a 40+ year old population. My husband and I struggling with getting our friends involved- it is still seen as an old man game. Podcasters and RU-vidrs like yinz are changing that, but it's slow going.

Personaly I think its a great location. I wish I had been able to make it.

Need a big show south of DC.

Anything is better than that old hotel in Lancaster it used to be at. Attendance is not down because of the location, attendance is down because HMGS keep jacking up the cost and giving very little in return. Tack that on to the fact that Adepticon is the next week. Lots of people used to go for just a day. Now a day pass is $35 and they push their Memberships on you the whole time.

I like the venue, probably went one side to other 6 times. Sad missed games I wanted to at least see the miniatures and say hello to gamers only hear from on line.

Maybe I missed some surrounding context, but did the president of HMGS really say he doesn't poll the members to see what they want? Couple this with a venue it seems no one likes, it doesn't surprise me that attendance is low. Also don't dismiss suggestions if the folks making them don't have time to volunteer. (Sorry if that last part sounds bitter.)

I didn't like the initial confusion of not knowing where was what at; being that it was my first time there; nothing was marked or no signs were put up (what is ups ith you Pennsylvanians and your phobia of signs?) and the general misunderstanding of "buildings" i.e. "Oh; it's in the other building." WHAT OTHER BUILDING? It's all 1 building?! After that; it wasn't too bad. Sure, the 5 minute walk is something but no different than the Host's which I love dearly but that is 5 minutes up/ down hill one way! This was easy with elevators and I needed to work on my cardio so I took the stairs as often as I could. Out of the games us HAWKS ran, mine were the only ones to have 0 shows and I attribute that to the game I was running. Magic & Tech is super new and still in development. My gundam game still drew in a decent number of people. Still; a few of our games were light but as for me; my goal was accomplished and my game will continue to evolve and improve. See you all in Historicon.

The games and gamers looked like they all had individual fun. However, this felt like the most depressing LWTV output so far! As ever with shows and conventions the amount of support is vital, finding a centralised area that provides what the punters want i.e. easy transport, good accommodation, non-disperse showing areas, good bring and buy (flea market), participation games etc. I hope HMGS and their shows get new life and maybe this Colonial can re-invade the North American terrain.

Recommend shifting Cold Wars to the Fredericksburg site. This answers the demands of our southern members, and reduces the weather worries. Consider moving Fall -In to the Mohegan Sun Convention Center in CT. Weather in that area is not bad in November, answers demands from the northern members, and does not compete with New England shows which tend to be in the Spring. The CT venue is under-utilized, so good prices can be found. Also plenty for families to do in the area as well as at the casino. Multiple historical museums nearby - Submarine Museum, Mystic Seaport, and Bradley Air Museum (one of the country's top 10).

How about opening it up to historical BOARD wargamers? Looks like there's plenty of room and, for those of us who don't generally play miniatures games, it would give us an event more focused than, say, Origins.

I didnt even know that this convention was happening.

What really tends to push me away from wargaming/strategic boardgaming, both of which I'm interrested in, is when some more veteran player tells me "You didn't play well, you should've done *continues to explain what I should've done for half an hour*, after every single turn I do. Like, dude, let me make my own mistakes, I don't want to play perfectly I want to have fun playing. If done once, maybe twice, it would've been ok, but when done constantly, it just becomes exhausting to me.

The solution is to bring HMGS back to Virginia and have Cold Wars in Fredericksburg. Not sure what hotel venue would be used but probably something right off I-95, wouldn't be far from Historic Downtown, the battlefields, lots of restaurants and other shopping, and it would be convenient for nearly everyone in the central east coast.

Does early March weather play a role in attendance? I'm on the north side of the Great Lakes, but we're still having snow that makes driving long distances done with one eye on the weather forecast.

Great report, I really must get to one of the US shows sometime

Move at least Historicon back to Fredericksburg. At least there, more people on the east coast have access to it and the convention center and accommodations were adequate.

Hey, Zack's back! Why did Greg say being back at the Valley Forge Hotel was for the worst??

Perhaps clubs within 50-100 miles of these conventions should step up and arrange shows around 2-3 months before hand and publicise the major convention. That is, with financial support form the major convention. Local shows promote the hobby in your area, bring people into the hobby. This might happen if you don't charge admission for attendees. Relying on one organisation to arrange conventions sounds a bit limiting

Think Fedelis is on the right track. Additionally, Covid seems to have changed a few things in society, at least here in Europe. You have learned to get along without a few things and the catch-up effect has already fizzled out.

Didn't Cold Wars used to be held in Ocean City? As a former resident of the Eastern Shore, I can say there are also hotels in Salisbury that would work for what HMGS wants. /shrug.

John Hollier is absolutely correct. If you're going to take the time to make a list like that, you should also be putting in the effort to contribute.

Me and my friends live in South Carolina, we'd love to come to one of these conventions but there is never anything nearby. It's always in the Pennsylvania area.

Adepticon is two weeks later than this show. It is usually about the same schedule every year, so 'beans' I say to that as a reason.

But after all, it looks like you have fun and thats what counts at the end. :)

Meanwhile, here's me with my 2mm Altar of Freedom...

Do you know of any conventions/historical gaming clubs close to North Carolina? I’m interested in this hobby but PA is a bit of hike.

I would love to attend one of these, but I'm from around WNY and have a hard time justifying a super long road trip. Would HMGS be interested in having a con on the other side of the state? Say, somewhere around Pittsburgh or Central Pennsylvania? I feel that it could expand the reach of the hobby, although I don't know how feasible it is for HMGS since that is a bit further away from them.

Looking at HMGS' website now, and all of their events look to take place in PA. Perhaps they should look at incorporating the rest of the country and expand from PA/east coast. Additionally, scheduling their event so close to Adepticon (2 weeks) needs to be avoided going forward perhaps.

Hollier can solicit input, but the Board is awfully tight lipped about info that could inform input. Forget all other data points. Just info on attendance at the cons is husbanded like nuclear launch codes. If I had understood that VFCC was the only option, and they had entreated member support to try to prop up a show that really needed some love, I WOULD HAVE GONE.

As someone who used to be involved in running East cons, it’s not true that the BOD hasn’t polled members on their preferences…. That being said, I’ll stop short of spilling any Tea.

Are all of HMGS’s conventions in PA? Wish there was something a bit closer to central Ohio.

Im in the philly area (Go birds) and have been trying to find info on the DelVal Gamers group, but nothing is coming up. Any chance I could get some help? Ive wanted to do HMWG for a while

I want to congratulate the Valley Forge Casino Resort for having the worst cheesesteak I've ever eaten.

While I appreciate the LWTV crew providing HMGS with feedback and alternatives to fix whatever happened at CW23 (some of which I do agree with), I think you are really jumping the gun here. From my experience as both a writer and Army officer, anecdotal and/or eyeball information doesn't mean squat unless you give me cold, hard numbers to back it up. My response would be "unacceptable, go back and try again." At this point we only have theories and we should not be pursuing those until we have a spreadsheet showing tabulated results and analysis from surveys and other fact finding mechanisms keyed towards specific stakeholders such as attendees, GMs, vendors, those who attended, those who did not, etc, etc, an ad nauseum. Some say we have too many conventions, some cite the "greying of the hobby" and others the venue. Yet what if the issue was a one time situation caused by holding CW23 too close to Adepticon and little else? I remember when someone went with his gut and decided we should move to Baltimore, so give me numbers to look at so we don't react for the wrong reason. JMTSW YMMV

The problem is, there just aren't many options for this type of convention. Ocean City would've been an even worse disaster. The con has been hemorrhaging attendance for over 10 years now. Remember what happened the last time people tried to take the convention "to the next level" and in a "better venue." HMGS ended up getting sued when people revolted over the hotel prices at Baltimore and had to cancel. Attendance was down almost 1,000 within 3 years from that and hasn't recovered.

Are there any good historical wargame Cons in the southern USA? I'm in Florida

Did I hear correctly, the president ask if anyone was actually prepared to do, what I can only describe as "his job", for him? Lol.

I don't think this was advertised well enough. This video is the first I heard of it.

Its 15mm ?

Why do you need all-day food service? Non-gaming conventions don't have that. People eat breakfast before the show, maybe hit a vending machine or have a snack in the afternoon and then go out for dinner someplace. Just seems like you are limiting your options based on what appears to be a "but we've always done it that way" option. It would be great, sure, but don't eliminate venues based on that.

I always had a hard time trying to connect with a historical game club, everything in my area is Warhammer

I'm in Europe but I know I'm still avoiding cons because of Covid. Hopefully things will pick up soon.

Always easier to say than do, but if you don't embrace change you tend to wither on the vine 🤔

Is Little Wars going to Adepticon???

Why would the venue suddenly be a problem , when last year at the same venue (according to the video) you had twice as many vendors and a much bigger crowd? That doesn't ring true to me. I would suspect that this is the first big event since the pandemic. It makes more sense to me that people have changed their behaviors due to the pandemic (in terms of not easily leaving the house and getting out into the real world again). In addition, the current recession coupled with inflation, may not leave as many discretionary dollars in folks travel budgets, and if the competing Adepticon convention was on the same weekend (and if it was not competing for attendance in past years) then that may be another reason as well (planning to make sure you avoid holding conventions on the same weekend going forward is a must). All that being said, if the convention paid for itself and the attendees had fun, then it was successful. However, HMGS should define its goals for the convention and figure out in advance what success means to them. You can't know if you succeeded or failed if you don't know what you are trying to do in the first place. How to grow our hobby is another question. The real key, as you mentioned in your video, is that if people really want the hobby to grow and for attendance to increase, they must get involved and volunteer to help. Submitting suggestions after the fact is not the same as pitching in and doing some of the work in advance. Seven folks on the board is not enough to sustain and grow the hobby; If each of those seven had only 5 people who were willing to help, you would have 42 people working on the project, instead of a mere handful. It makes sense to work on getting that additional help for the board members. I don't know how many wargaming clubs are in your area, but if there are 14 clubs around, then each club would only have to provide 2-3 volunteers to help out, and you would have those additional 35 members to help the board. If your club puts some of the (apparently) endless energy (displayed on your channel) into solving the problem, I am sure you will have great success. I wish you good luck over the coming year.

has anyone got any 6mm zulus ive just started up 3weeks ago need some painted if possible but not costing alot as in uk benefits art good pay thank you

Dropping to two cons would make me sad. I hope there is a way to find a great venue and revitalize the community without losing a con.

Tampa/St. Pete FL is a warmer venue… I’m just saying.

What did me in is everything in my life has doubled in price except my pay. Just can’t justify the expense these days.

Inflation pared with the drop in available income.

GET HIM TO DO ONE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I did notice a lack of youth mate.

Meh... I hate to be a real $&!# but I crunched the numbers on my last (potential) trip to a regional convention. It was going to cost me well over $200/game. I simply cannot justify that expense when I can play weekends with people I already know for a fraction of the cost (drive time and lunch perhaps). Do NOT do the math or you will not want to go to a convention again.

for we canadians covid restrictions at border and a not well liked venue

Looking forward to your white paper, because I really do feel that HMGS has lost a lot of direction. They had been benefiting from the fact that they were the only game in town for a large community. Now, they're the only game in town for a shrinking community, and unless they address that, things are going to keep dwindling away.

The venue is pretty crap. I know several people that wont go there. Also unless you are on the HMGS mailing list then no one knows its happening. I dont understand how the people managing this cant get a little add or mention on wargaming channels. They need some younger people who are more in touch with younger people and the means to get the name out.

First