Fall In 2012 Plans

The event listing for the various miniature wargames being run at this year's Fall In was posted, and just like with Historicon, there are far too many games I'm interested in playing. At best we'll be going up Friday around midday and catching some afternoon and evening games, with a full day of gaming on Saturday and heading home on Sunday. I'm intrigued by this year's theme, the war of 1812, but I'm concentrating on getting in games for periods I have a real love for: Ancients, Medieval, and World War II, as well as a smattering of sci-fi and fantasy wargames. My top picks for Fall-In 2012 games after the jump.

Fall-In Friday November 2

Man, coming up late in the day is going to be a bummer as I'll be missing some really good looking games: "Steel Curtain", a Fireball Forward WWII game at noon, Miles Reidy's "The Battle of Lundy's Lane" at 1:00 on a table full of Architects of War terrain, the dungeon crawler "Dungeon Hack!" and the Black Powder game "Sanderhausen" at 2:00. The earliest game I think we can make would be at 3PM.

21st Century Russian Civil War, 3:00
With a short running time (only 2 hours), and in a scale and period I haven't tried, I'd love to take a swing at this modern clash between U.S., Russian and terrorist forces. Sounds neat!

Barbarossa Kamfgruppe, 4:00
There are a ton of WWII wargames being run with Barbarossa, a rules set I'm not familiar with. With a 1 hour play time, encouragement for wargamers of all experience levels, and the temptation of prizes, I am sure we'll get at least one game in of Barbarossa.

Super Sized Space Hulk, 4:00
Warhammer 40K was my first exposure to the concept of wargaming, and though I'm well versed on the lore and background of the game, I've never had a chance to play the universally acclaimed Space Hulk. While it's unlikely I'll be returning to 40K I'd love to get in a game of Space Hulk to see what all the fuss is about.

Roman Civil War, 6:00
Hey an ancients game! Despite using a rules set that isn't Hail Caesar, I'd love to take a shot at running the big man himself.

Twice Reborn, 6:00
A hypothetical battle (can fantasy games be hypothetical? Aren't they all?) between a reborn Sauron, his balrogs and nazgul and an alliance of dwarves and elves. An epic battle and only 2 hours long!

Castle Siege, 7:00
I am a sucker for beautiful terrain, and I can't believe a wargame designed around an assault on a castle during the 100 Year's War won't be impressive.

Alien War, 7:00
I don't know anything about this other than it's a sci-fi bug hunt, but the description made me laugh, " take on hordes of bugs on a distant, fairly awful planet. You won't like it there "

Die Harder, 8:00
A "Die Hard" wargame? I LOVE seeing game masters stretch the bounds of what a wargame can be. Probably my favorite action movie ever, I'd love to get in on this.

Fall-In, Saturday, November 3

This is a family vacation, so I'm pretty sure we won't be able to make it to the 9 AM games, opting instead for a leisurely breakfast with the wives and kids. I'll have to get over my disappointment at missing another Roman Civil war game, "Mehr" a Black Powder game in 15mm, and "Atlantic Wall '44" which uses "conventionized, fast play rules" (which I think is essential to pulling off a successful con game).

The Taking of Villers-Bocage, Normandy France, 10:00
A massive Fireball Forward game. We became a big fan of the rules after being introduced to them at Historicon. I'm hoping to get in a game or two with our Soviets and Germans before Fall-In, but I'd love to get in a big game at Fall-In.

Bloody April, Skies Over Arras, 11:00
We own Wings of Glory, and the only reason it doesn't hit the table more often is that we only have the card planes rather than real models. I'm sure this is going to be a good time.

Medieval Jousting Tournament, 12:00
I've thought about using the large scale Papo figures for man to man combat. Running only 2 hours, I'd like to see if they add anything to the experience. Plus, this totally seems like something my son could grasp.

The Yoke of Rome, 1:00
Another ancients game pitting the barbarian chief Albatross against his Roman nemesis Gingivitus!

Assault on a Klingon Mine and Strategic Materials Depot, 1:00
Not the most evocative game title I've seen, but there were a number of sci fi games that caught my eye at Historicon and I'd love to get a chance to run a Klingon ship this time.

Guadalcanal, 1942, 2:00
Another Fireball Forward game, but this time with a shorter running time (3 hours), the author himself Mark Fastoso, and in a theater I've never had a chance to try.

BOLT ACTION Demonstration Presented by WWPD, 3:00
I started listening to the WWPD podcast a few months ago, and despite not knowing a lick about Flames of War, found the group a lot of fun to listen to. Hoping to stop by and see the guys putting on their demo game.

The First Tank Battle: The Battle of Gabr el Ahmar, 4:00
I love tanks and I love trying to do something with crummy forces. I must be the only one looking forward to running hapless Italians blundering across the desert.

Sky Galleons of Mars, 5:00
After a long day of intense historical action, I'm hoping a fun game of "colorful ships and buckets of dice" will be a nice palette cleanser.

CY6!-Operation Bodenplatte, 6:00
There are a number of games of Check Your Six! being run at Fall-In. I've heard good things about it, and the games I've seen at other cons looked like fun. Would really like a chance to try it out.

There Will Be Blood, 7:00
Another sci fi game, this time using Silent Fury home rules. I'm a rules nerd so I like seeing how other folks write and adapt rules to fit their situation.



That is a ton of games, and the conflicting start times and lengths means I'll only get to play a few of them. Besides the games I'm hoping to see the WWPD live show and hit the dealer hall of course. Fall-In runs from November 2 - 4. Can't wait!