DBA/HOTT/DBMM @ GaryCon Next Year?

[skars]

Would there be interest in either a pickup or sanctioned DBA/HOTT/DBMM game at GaryCon next year? (2024) 15mm scale is my preference but I'm open to suggestions.

[chicagowiz]

Jul 9, 2023 22:59:14 GMT -6 skars said:

Would there be interest in either a pickup or sanctioned DBA/HOTT/DBMM game at GaryCon next year? (2024) 15mm scale is my preference but I'm open to suggestions.

What do you mean by sanctioned?

I'd love to throw down some of my Etinerra-based armies in HOTT 2.1!

[rayotus]

HOTT. I haven't played that in a minute. I have pic of myself somewhere playing it at Gen Con 1978

[chicagowiz]

Jul 11, 2023 8:14:32 GMT -6 rayotus said:

HOTT. I haven't played that in a minute. I have pic of myself somewhere playing it at Gen Con 1978

Different HOTT, perhaps?

[rayotus]

Hordes of the Things. Related to De Bellis Multitudinous and De Bellis Antiquatus.

[rayotus]

15mm fantasy armies (HOTT) on normalized bases. Simple movement. Combat on a 2' x 2' field.

[rayotus]

I will own up to (but am not proud of) the fact that I tossed two Plano boxes of 15mm armies for HotT because I couldn't find anyone interested in taking them at the time I was moving.  Painted. Some customized.

[flightcommander]

Wasn't HoTT published early 90's?

[skars]

Jul 11, 2023 23:20:16 GMT -6 flightcommander said:

Wasn't HoTT published early 90's?

Yeah I am pretty sure that is the case, but it's easy to cross the streams

[skars]

Jul 10, 2023 10:36:58 GMT -6 chicagowiz said:

Jul 9, 2023 22:59:14 GMT -6 skars said:

Would there be interest in either a pickup or sanctioned DBA/HOTT/DBMM game at GaryCon next year? (2024) 15mm scale is my preference but I'm open to suggestions.

What do you mean by sanctioned?

I'd love to throw down some of my Etinerra-based armies in HOTT 2.1!

I just mean an official game scheduled by the convention as opposed to a pickup game in open space

[rayotus]

HAHAHAHA. Sorry. NOT 1978. I'm not that old. I would have been 11 in '78. I meant 1998. Oh brother. Now, I understand the confusion. My first Gen Con's were 97 and 98 in Milwaukee. I played HotT at one or both of them.

[rayotus]

Could we do multiple boards side by side and play in teams. Like - one side is generally "evil" or non-human or non-historic armies. The other side is historic, good, primarily human. No troops can move outside their own board but it somehow would look like a massive battle with a really long front on either side. If played in rounds, the front could shrink/condense but remain side driven. If more people from one side when than the other, in the next round extra players who don't have an opponent could donate one unit to a player on their side. Haha.

[rayotus]

4 hour event. 3 rounds of play. After 3 rounds each side rolls a d6 and adds the number of players left on their team. That determines the outcome from Total Victory to absolute defeat.

[Starbeard]

I played in a few DBA and HOTT tourneys in the UK and really enjoyed the experience of coming squarely last almost every time. In CA a friend and I tried to get a DBA thing going but the only way it worked was to make it a casual "pick up" tournament. We had a box of armies and a table and anyone who wandered over could have a game. Only the first game against a given opponent counts, winner gets a prize.

From my mild experience playing with the UK groups, three things are imperative: a theme, prizes, and commemorative goodies for all participants.

Theme could be tricky if you don't already have a playerbase. For a first tournament, you might come up with a suggested theme, say "Gods and Dragons" for HOTT or "Alexander's Wide World" for DBA, but with an "all armies are welcome, loaners available" disclaimer.

The best prizes I experienced were for an annual HOTT tournament where each year was a fortress BUA with some relevance to the theme and the tournament's name & year somehow mentioned on it. Usually the participation prize was everyone getting a d6 with the tournament's name & year printed on the 1.

[chicagowiz]

Jul 12, 2023 8:14:45 GMT -6 rayotus said:

HAHAHAHA. Sorry. NOT 1978. I'm not that old. I would have been 11 in '78. I meant 1998. Oh brother. Now, I understand the confusion. My first Gen Con's were 97 and 98 in Milwaukee. I played HotT at one or both of them.

I didn't want to call you out, but yea, I was confused - that's why I asked which HOTT.

As far as your suggestion - HOTT has a campaign system AND I've been reading a series of blogposts on a gent who did something that I think we could easily adapt for convention play. hordesofthethings.blogspot.com/2023/07/its-hott-knockout-episode-five.html

Plus, I'd be happy to set up some wargames in my campaign world to help resolve some things left undetermined in my world. All games count and affect the world.

[Starbeard]

I wish I could find it again, but years ago I stumbled upon someone's blog about a big battle campaign—Arthurian, I think—where instead of playing with a territory map to determine matches, they played one long 4-hour game on a big circular table with all players in the match. There were a few extra rules about replacing lost units and reserves, and faster movement when not within X" of any enemy elements. I ended up solo playing something similar as a test and thought it was a really neat way to play.

[skars]

Jul 12, 2023 11:58:19 GMT -6 Starbeard said:

I wish I could find it again, but years ago I stumbled upon someone's blog about a big battle campaign—Arthurian, I think—where instead of playing with a territory map to determine matches, they played one long 4-hour game on a big circular table with all players in the match. There were a few extra rules about replacing lost units and reserves, and faster movement when not within X" of any enemy elements. I ended up solo playing something similar as a test and thought it was a really neat way to play.

I have not played Triumph! but have heard great things. I _have_ had the pleasure of participating in and running DBA tournaments and events out here in the SF Bay Area over the years, and would be open to suggestion on format.

Some options presented by the quorum and what I was considering:
1. Tournament. Bring any army, or from a specific book/campaign. Can be loads of fun with enough players signed up to participate like Starbeard said because it largely relies on bringing the aforementioned minis and enough players to have multiple rounds.
2. Big Battle DBA/HOTT - you basically give each player an army and general but play on the same table and select one general as the CnC per side.

3. Narrative Tournament - similar to what Ray was saying, separate tables or one large table that players stick to their own game each round but it contributes to telling a larger story usually with players associated with teams or factions.

I have run each type of events and should have enough minis to account for ~6 players comfortably. I think I can probably travel relatively well with them, but if there is enough interest and people want to bring their own minis, perhaps we can plan something larger.

[chicagowiz]

I've no experience in playing in DBA/HOTT tournaments or competitions. TBH, I'd rather play for story and fun than for prizes and rankings.

[Starbeard]

I don't know too much about the American DBA-HOTT scene, but my observations about the British groups is that the "goodies" helped draw in the numbers, but nobody really cared who won the day. Like a band tour tee, they were really there for commemorative purposes of having a good time together, and some groups would get very creative.

However, you are also right to be wary of a straight up tournament. DBA players can be very regulatory, treating each game like a round of chess. The setup and deployment rituals must be observed to the letter, measurements and rulings must be exact, and if something is amiss your opponent will often let you know. The chess-like nature of it is what draws many to the game family, after all.

If you want to run scenario style games at a con, where certain rules (like setup) may be ignored or altered, you will need to specify that explicitly, and you may have fewer players wanting to join. However, you might also get more people new to DBA who want to try it out, and those DBA players who take the call will be more likely to appreciate your tack.