• Category Archives Field Reports

  • CaptainCon 2022 – For your consideration

    Posted on by gdaybloke 1 Comment

    For several years now, one of the most important events on Lost Hemisphere’s calendar has been CaptainCon, February’s bestestest tabletop gaming convention held in Rhode Island. Since that very first road trip when a bunch of us piled into a minivan and sauntered across the border into the wilds of the North Eastern United States, getting together with friends and peers at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick has been a touchstone for us, and of course, at this point we’ve raised tens of thousands of dollars for our chosen charities as part of the Lost Hemisphere Charity Raffle.  Covid put paid to the idea of a 2021 event, but it’s back on the docket for 2022.

    I’ll be blatantly honest, we don’t know yet whether Lost Hemisphere will be in attendance for 2022. While vaccines are being administered, we still harbor concerns about gathering in convention-level numbers, and at this time it’s also unclear of border policies that will impact travelling from Canada into the United States for leisure/pleasure purposes, and perhaps more significantly, policies that would impact our return home.

    To that end, we have received word from the New England Privateers regarding their policies that will impact the running of CaptainCon 2022. We absolutely wish the Privateers every success with CaptainCon 2022, regardless of whether or not we’re able to attend, and thus we share the following information for your consideration, that you can determine for yourself if CaptainCon is something you can slot into your agenda next February.

    CaptainConFebruary 4-6 2022
    Warwick RI

    CaptainCon Policies: LINK!

    Of note for Canadian travelers with border concerns

    For our Canadian friends for 2022, we recognize there’s still concern about the border being closed due to COVID-19.  So you can pre-register for your events with confidence, we will make an exception to the refund policy.  If the Canada/US border is closed by either side on February 1, 2022, you can request and receive a full refund for all of your pre-paid badge and event fees if you need to cancel, regardless of when you bought them.

    CaptainCon Covid Policies: LINK!

    Vaccinations:  The best thing anyone can do to help protect themselves and their community from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.  We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE everyone who is medically able, whether you’re attending CaptainCon or not, to get vaccinated as soon as you can.  However, due to the logistical and legal considerations, we WILL NOT be requiring proof of vaccination status to attend CaptainCon.

    Masks:  As of the writing of this page, current CDC and state guidelines strongly encourage all persons who are not vaccinated to wear a masks while indoors with others who are not in their household.  CaptainCon follows this same advice.  We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE anyone who should or wants to, to wear a mask while at show.  However, we do NOT require attendees to wear a mask nor will we enforce a mask mandate unless conditions and public health requirements change. 

    Policies are, of course, subject to change, so be sure to check the above links to make sure you have the most up-to-date information available.

    The situation is in constant flux, with the delta strain causing current concerns, and making hard and fast policies in the face of the evolving landscape is very difficult indeed, but the Privateers are monitoring CDC recommendations and their mindfulness of potential border concerns for us Northern types is appreciated.


    Field Reports 📎and tagged

  • I get it, we miss cons, but…

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    As the global pandemic continues and we sit through another wave here at the Gdaycave, with numbers on the rise and nearby cities going into modified lockdowns once again, I’m fearing for the conventions of 2021, should any happen. CaptainCon has already been cancelled for 2021, so we won’t be there to run our annual charity fundraiser, and it’s becoming more and more likely that there’ll be no GenCon next August.

    Yes, this saddens me, yes, it sucks dirt, but every one of us who values our own health, let alone those of the more vulnerable members of our families and communities, should be taking every precaution we can to halt the spread of COVID-19 by limiting outings, avoiding gatherings, and doing whatever we can to ensure that we’re not vectors for the disease to spread.

    That’s why I was somewhat aghast when I head that Anime Dallas took place a week or so ago. Then I read that the convention organizer and his daughter were exposed to someone with COVID a week before the convention, and still went along anyway, showing cavalier disregard for the health of every person at that convention – vendors, guests, attendees – and everyone in their circles.

    Briana Lawrence wrote an editorial which delved into the whole affair more effectively than I can right here. I encourage you to go read it, but I’ll post some snippets below.

    “The entire weekend Anime Dallas was going on, many—and I mean MANY—people took to social media to say how bad of an idea it was. This wasn’t just convention goers, but industry folks who were perplexed that a convention was going on when there has been a massive, ongoing spike in cases. After all, this was one weekend after Thanksgiving, and we’d all already been advised to not travel or have large gatherings.

    But what makes the Anime Dallas situation even more frustrating is that the con chair reportedly knew better, too.

    As reported by Anime News Network’s Lynzee Loveridge, not only was the con chair advised by several people to NOT hold the event, but the con chair had been exposed to someone with COVID a week prior to the event.”

    “… Swasey posted on Facebook about the safety measures being taken and reassured everyone that he, his daughter, and the rest of the staff did not have COVID. Of course, he failed to mention that he’d been exposed. “

    “We can’t reach the point of having a solution to the pandemic if we keep spreading it around and making it bigger than it already is.”

    Ignoring the pandemic, pretending it’s not a thing, is doing NOTHING to halt its progress. More and more people are dying. A hospital in Reno converted their parking garage to hold 700 beds for COVID patients, for crying out loud. This isn’t going to go away by itself.

    I want to go to GenCon. I want to go to CaptainCon. Heck, FanExpo isn’t even a gaming convention and I’d love to go. But one of three things are going to happen.

    • One, Everyone – and I mean everyone – starts taking this more seriously, starts listening and adhering to medical directives, actively taking efforts to stop the spread, and we get on top of this. Once it’s quenched, we can look at gathering again.
    • Two, Everyone gets vaccinated. Everyone. This will take time and the conscious participation of the populace. We’ll reach a point where we can look at gathering again.
    • Three, enough people continue to ignore the severity of the pandemic that more and more people die and the lockdowns and restrictions continue.

    I know I’ve harped on this before, but this Anime Dallas thing has be dumbfounded, that someone could so wilfully disregard the health and safety of hundreds, and from there into thousands, of people.

    Don’t gather. Socially distance. Wear your freakin’ mask.


    Field Reports 📎and tagged

  • Lock & Load 2020 cancelled

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Social isolation and distancing is hard on all of us, especially those of us that turn to tabletop gaming as a social outlet, a coping mechanism, and more. It’s also hard on the FLGS’s who rely on regular custom from their playerbase, and as some logistics services and distributors adjust to the current state of the world (for better or worse – see the current Diamond issues for example), the companies that make the games we love are running into issues too. We saw Adepticon cancelled,  SDCC has been nixed, and earlier this week Privateer Press sadly announced the Lock & Load would not happen this year. You can read the announcement below:

    LOCK & LOAD GAME FEST 2020 CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS

    April 20, 2020

    As we approach just two months before the scheduled dates of Lock & Load GameFest 2020 with great uncertainty about what the restrictions will be regarding large public gatherings come June, we have made the decision to cancel this year’s event.
    To say we are disappointed to have to do this is an understatement. Lock & Load is our favorite event of the year, the event at which we get to spend the most time with our community, and of course, this year, we were to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Privateer Press. But as it’s been for so many other events that have had to follow a similar course, this decision is made in the best interest of our attendees and staff with the expectation that it is also unlikely such events will even be allowed in Washington State anytime soon.
    In lieu of our live Lock & Load events, we are now planning a series of events that you’ll be able to experience from your very own home. We’re planning streaming events as well as online previews of the year to come, and we’re moving the exciting narrative event that would wrap up the Oblivion storyline to the Summer Rampage [Home Edition]. We’ll also have exciting prereleases and exclusives available as well so that, even though we can’t all meet up at Lock & Load like we’ve been doing for the past 9 years, we’ll still get to enjoy some of the annual Lock & Load celebration together.
    As well, we will be cancelling this year’s Iron Gauntlet World Championship. All player qualifier points will remain and apply towards next year’s Iron Gauntlet finals at Lock & Load 2021. All registered ticketholders will soon receive an email with their refund options. We will sorely miss seeing everyone at Lock & Load this year, but we look forward to 2021, where we’ll be celebrating like Privateer was turning 20 all over again.
    Wherever you are, we hope you and yours are safe and well.
    Matt Wilson
    Chief Creative Officer
    Privateer Press

    I know a lot of fans of Warmachine and Hordes are bummed, but Privateer – like the organizers of other conventions that have had to be cancelled – are in a no-win situation here, and the only socially responsible option is to cancel the event. Previews will shift from being presented with a panel to video streams, and from the look of things they’re steering the Oblivion storyline to at-home  rather than convention-centric storyline events. We’ll miss the smiling faces and chances to make bee references around Hungerford, but the flip side is, if all goes well, we won’t lose any of our friends in the gaming industry or player community to COVID-19, and we’ll all see each other at events on the other side of all this.

    Somber post is somber, but it’s important. Stay safe, practice social distancing,and wash your damn hands. No amount of gaming is worth your life, or the life of someone you hold dear.

     

     


    Field Reports

  • CaptainCon 2020 and Fundraiser wrapup

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Morning, kids! Who missed me? I’m back from CaptainCon and pretending that I’ve recovered from the rush of running our annual charity fundraiser, my shell-shocked rambling through Sunday, and the subsequent day-long drive from CaptainCon back to the Gdaycave. It was a heck of a con, and with many smiles to be had with friends that we only get to see in person once a year, because apparently we haven’t mastered teleportation yet and distance continues to be a thing. The main thing, though, is that thanks to the generous contributions of everyone who provided items for the prize pool and everyone who came to CaptainCon and purchased tickets for the fundraiser, we raised…

    $5540.00

    This year’s fundraiser was a huge success, and we (ie, Lost Hemisphere and the New England Privateers) are just plain thrilled with the results. I should show you some pics of happy people…

    Before I do, I want to make a special note. Amy and Andy – who help with the fundraiser year after year – scored a super sweet brass raffle drum for us to use this year, that can hold approx 2500 tickets. At one point I filled the drum to the brim, so jampacked that the tickets inside wouldn’t even move when the handle was turned, and there were still plenty of tickets that hadn’t made it in. We sold over 5000 tickets in the end…

    Continue reading → Post ID 21155


    Field Reports

  • CaptainCon Fundraiser Update

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Rosies750It’s been  almost three weeks since our last Fundraiser update, and we’re about the same timeframe away from CaptainCon itself. Seems like a good time to remind everyone that we’re running our annual fundraiser in Rhode Island at CaptainCon, February 7-9. What, you’ve got somewhere else to be? Come engage in a variety of tabletop gaming shenanigans, and support our fundraising efforts to benefit Rosie’s Place, the first women’s shelter in the United States, having opened their doors to help women in need in 1974. Conveniently, the same year I was born. Coincidence? Well, yeah, most likely, but still…

    Prize support continues to roll in, and today I want to tip my hat in particular to the New Jersey S.O.B’s, hosts of the Bokur Brawl, for their contributions.

    Not only are they contributing a very industrial looking Martian Menace force for Monsterpocalypse…

    Continue reading → Post ID 21155


    Field Reports

  • CaptainCon Fundraiser Sponsor Update

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Rosies750

    We sit on the cusp of a new decade, with the last Lost Hemisphere post of 2019. As we move into a new year, brimming with new opportunities, new challenges, I thought we’d end on a positive, shining a light on some more sponsors of the 2020 CaptainCon Fundraiser, now little more than a month away.

    The gaming community gathered at CaptainCon has helped us raise funds for worthy causes, and it’s our honour to be raising for Rosie’s Place, the oldest women’s shelter in the United States, helping so many women in need year after year. I had mentioned in the last update that Ninja Division was contributing, and I’m delighted to say they’ve come through in spades.

    • Doomseeker
    • Deadfellas
    • Luchador!
    • Raid & Trade
    • Raid & Trade: Cora the Specialist
    • The Agents
    • The Agents: Mission Critical

    Unless I’m mistaken, I think I’ve even got an spare of the exclusive Snorri Nosebiter card for Doomseeker somewhere around the Gdaycave that I can add to the stack… and while Deadfellas may be a light game of zombie mobsters, it’s been the source of much amusement since we showcased it back in 2015. It even made the trip to Pennsic!

     

    And then there’s these guys. Atomic Mass hit the ground running at GenCon back in August, and haven’t looked back. Marvel: Crisis Protocol has been a huge hit – and a lot of fun to paint and showcase here on Lost Hemisphere – and we are delighted to have their support for the fundraiser!

    • Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Core Set x3
    • Hulk x3
    • M.O.D.O.K. x3

    Some lucky raffle winners are leaving with a whole bunch of superheroes!

    There’s more prizes coming, including contributions from our pals in the NJ S.O.B.’s and Privateer Press, and of course, there’s still time for you to take part in prize pool as well.

    From the original announcement:

    Where do you come in?

    You can help. Every year we fill the prize table with stuff from the Lost Hemisphere prize pool and also from various gaming industry sponsors, but we also turn to you, our readers, and ask if you have something you’d like to donate. In the past we’ve had  fully painted armies donated by the community, new in box product that was otherwise collecting dust, even one-of-a-kind paintings. With your help, the prize table can be amazing.

    So you can do one of two things (or, preferably, both):

    1. Email me at gdaybloke@losthemisphere.com and tell me how pretty I am… also, let me know if you or your gaming community can help us out with the prize table. New In Box or fully painted models only please. This is open to any and all game lines. If you think you can help us raise funds for a worthy cause, get in touch.
    2. Actually attend CaptainCon, and bring your generous heart with you. We want an awesome prize table, yes, but we also need people there to buy raffle tickets. This is an opportunity for you to directly benefit women in need, and with any luck to walk away from the prize table with something particularly shiny at the same time.

    I look forward to hearing from  you, and to seeing as many of you as possible at CaptainCon.

    Here’s to 2020 and all the new painted miniatures it will bring.


    Field Reports

  • CaptainCon Fundraiser Sponsor Update

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Rosies750Welcome to your early December update regarding the Lost Hemisphere Fundraiser at CaptainCon 2020! Will you be in Rhode Island from February 7th through 9th? Will you be enjoying good times playing Warmachine, Guild Ball, 40K, a dizzying variety of board games,and otherwise living your best geek life? Will you be taking a chance and supporting our efforts to raise funds for Rosie’s Place? Prize support is being locked in, and someone has to win all this stuff!

    KR Multicase, long time favourite cases of the Lost, will be sending a selection of their fine cases, including:

    • Backpack43 (BP43 including trays)
    • Standard Aluminium (A/DL1 including trays)
    • Standard Card Case (KRM including trays)
    • 2x Half Card Case (KRH including trays)

    Our friends at Modiphius are stepping up to the plate and welcoming you to the tabletop incarnation of one of the most successful video game franchises in the world, with:

    • Fallout: Wasteland Warfare 2-player starter
    • Fallout Wasteland Warfare RPG expansion

    And while we may not yet have specifics as to what we’ll find on the prize table, we also have support commitments from Dust USA, Ninja Division, Dragon Forge Design and Tectonic Craft Studios. Yeah, they’re being teases and haven’t yet told me exactly whatthey’re sending, but I’m excited to have them all on board!

    Of course, it doesn’t end there. The Fundraiser has been so successful in previous years not only because of sponsors like the above, but also because of the contributions of members of our broader community.

    The Bones of Orboros, donated by Gramut

    More than just a field agent who’s sent us pics from Lock & Load, Gramut is also a generous soul.

    • Baldur the Stonecleaver
    • Bradigus Thorle the Runecarver
    • Megalith
    • Woldwarden x2
    • Wold Guardian X2
    • Woldwatcher
    • Woldwrath
    • Celestial Fulcrum
    • Blackclad Wayfarer x2
    • Blackclad Stoneshaper x2
    • Shifting Stones x2
    • Stone Keeper x2
    • Druid Stoneward & Woldstalkers

    Ashlynn Army, donated by Bill L

    This one’s actually a blast from the past. Bill won most of this army almost a decade ago at Templecon, and has added to it over the years before offering it up for CaptainCon 2020. Will it find a new home with you?

    • Ashlynn
    • Mules x3
    • Rover x1
    • Nomad
    • Mangler x1
    • Vanguards x3
    • Custom Rocinante
    • Galleon
    • Gun mages + UA x2
    • Precursors + UA
    • Sam and the Devil Dogs
    • Blythe & Bull
    • Anastasia di Bray
    • Aiyana & Holt
    • Harlan Versh
    • Rhupert Carvolo

    From the original announcement:

    Where do you come in?

    You can help. Every year we fill the prize table with stuff from the Lost Hemisphere prize pool and also from various gaming industry sponsors, but we also turn to you, our readers, and ask if you have something you’d like to donate. In the past we’ve had  fully painted armies donated by the community, new in box product that was otherwise collecting dust, even one-of-a-kind paintings. With your help, the prize table can be amazing.

    So you can do one of two things (or, preferably, both):

    1. Email me at gdaybloke@losthemisphere.com and tell me how pretty I am… also, let me know if you or your gaming community can help us out with the prize table. New In Box or fully painted models only please. This is open to any and all game lines. If you think you can help us raise funds for a worthy cause, get in touch.
    2. Actually attend CaptainCon, and bring your generous heart with you. We want an awesome prize table, yes, but we also need people there to buy raffle tickets. This is an opportunity for you to directly benefit women in need, and with any luck to walk away from the prize table with something particularly shiny at the same time.

    I look forward to hearing from  you, and to seeing as many of you as possible at CaptainCon.


    Field Reports

  • CaptainCon 2020 Fundraiser – Rosie’s Place!

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    We’re running a little later than usual this year, but it is my pleasure to announce that for our 2020 Annual Fundraiser at CaptainCon, Lost Hemisphere – in conjunction with the New England Privateers – will be raising funds once more for Rosie’s Place, Boston’s longest running women’s shelter. We raised on behalf of Rosie’s back in 2016, and we’re very pleased to be partnering with them again for our fundraising efforts this coming February.

    Rosies750

    Background

    Rosie’s Place was founded in 1974 as the first Women’s Shelter in the United States. Operating out of Boston, MA, Rosie’s Place supports and helps literally thousands of women in need on an annual bases, and does it without any City, State or Federal funding. On top of that, 88 cents in every dollar donated to Rosie’s Place goes directly to services for poor, underprivileged and homeless women.

    Rosie’s Place offers emergency services – meals, beds, health and wellness care – to those in need, as well as things like language classes, job and housing search assistance, advocacy, stability – they even maintain an outreach van to get to those who can’t get to the shelter.

    I hope you’ll join us at CaptainCon, and that we can count on your help in making the fundraiser a success.

    What are we doing?

    As with previous years, you’ll be able to find us behind a table covered with all sorts of prizes pulled from the Lost Hemisphere Prize Pool and donated by a variety of sponsors and supporters. We’ll be selling tickets all Friday and Saturday, and after the Team Tournament ends on Saturday night, we’ll start drawing numbers. We draw your number, you get to pick whatever prize you wish from the prize pool. It’s that simple. We’ve done this for several years now, raising thousands on behalf of our chosen charities, in an effort to give back to the broader community and help those in need.

    Where do you come in?

    You can help. Every year we fill the prize table with stuff from the Lost Hemisphere prize pool and also from various gaming industry sponsors, but we also turn to you, our readers, and ask if you have something you’d like to donate. In the past we’ve had  fully painted armies donated by the community, new in box product that was otherwise collecting dust, even one-of-a-kind paintings. With your help, the prize table can be amazing.

    So you can do one of two things (or, preferably, both):

    1. Email me at gdaybloke@losthemisphere.com and tell me how pretty I am… also, let me know if you or your gaming community can help us out with the prize table. New In Box or fully painted models only please. This is open to any and all game lines. If you think you can help us raise funds for a worthy cause, get in touch.
    2. Actually attend CaptainCon, and bring your generous heart with you. We want an awesome prize table, yes, but we also need people there to buy raffle tickets. This is an opportunity for you to directly benefit women in need, and with any luck to walk away from the prize table with something particularly shiny at the same time.

    I look forward to hearing from  you, and to seeing as many of you as possible at CaptainCon.


    Field Reports

  • Judgement: Loribela Runeflask

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Judgement came to my attention a little while ago thanks to our friend Shoshie and a few other souls. In a miniatures market with some excellent MOBA style games out there, it takes something special to stand out. I’m not talking about rules or backstory – I’m talking something to immediately catch your eye as you cast  your gaze along the shelving at FLGS. Some companies have pushed on a genre for their skirmish and MOBA games – Sci-fi, high Fantasy, Gothic horror, Steampunk, Wild West, many others, and hybrids thereof. The crew behind Judgement decided to stand out by upping the scale. Models for Judgement are 54mm scale, significantly larger than other models on the market, meaning that the game is immediately eyecatching.

    We’re seeing more and more fantastic artists turning away from gaming pieces and painting miniature figures and busts purely for artistic display. While a lot of gaming companies make game-playable figures that are absolutely display worthy. Judgement’s designers are producing models that are each designed to be display pieces, complete with some incredible scenic bases (eg, Zaffen Ironhelm’s shipwreck, or Piper’s illusory projection). They may have started a more Fantasyish theme, but has since thrown genre to the wind and now you get a dwarf in a mini flamethrower tank  and a demon-summoning halfling, alongside an orc assassin and more.

    Continue reading → Post ID 21155


    Field Reports Reviews

  • GenCon2019: The Big Photodump

    Posted on by gdaybloke Comment

    Alright, it’s now September, almost a month since GenCon and there’s still more stuff to unpack and show you. I’m wading through the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare rules, I’ve got some sweet Ninja Division masterclass resins to show, but I think it’s time to just throw a giant pile of photos at you while I can still loosely remember what I was taking pictures of! Some of these pics were taken off-site and are just part of my overall GenCon experience,some have also already been shared on my Instagram. Enjoy!

    The first game played this year wasn’t even at GenCon. Rather, Ninja Steve cracked open Shadows of Brimstone: Forbidden Fortress! Our team had a samurai, a monk, a ninja and a geisha. Guess which one I played 😉

    Continue reading → Post ID 21155


    Field Reports