Adepticon 2012: Part II

Simply getting to Adepticon with army in tact is an experience all in itself. I had my army figured out months ahead of time and spent the money on a Battle Foam case, this proved to be almost a requirement. I flew to Chicago with a bag for my clothes, a bag for my army and a small separate cardboard ‘picture frame’ for my simple display board. Two things about traveling, number one is spend the money on a good case if you are going to fly (more on that later) and make certain you have some extra room for the return flight! After the event was over I had to buy another bag to carry all the things I just could not live without that I bought (or won) at the event, conveniently enough there is a Target less than 100 meters away from the hotel.

Just getting there is half the battle!

Make sure your bags have wheels, are easily identifiable and have some sort of marking on them – just on my flight there was three other people with the standard green Battle Foam bags, and you don’t want to mix those up. My army consisted of 60 Marines, 4 Rhino’s, 2 Razorbacks and 3 Land Speeders which all fit in a P.A.C.K. 432, which also just happens to meet carry on requirements for domestic flights. Between that and my carry on for clothes I had my two bag maximum, so I tried to sneak my display board through and managed to make it undetected. My display board was the one thing I considered dropping from the trip, but I was ever so thankful during the event that I decided to keep it!

Display Board - You're Doing It Right!

At the Championships on Friday and the Combat Patrol on Saturday my display board was single most important piece of equipment I brought. You can easily use your display board to carry models between games, keep track of destroyed units and hold your beer on. All that and it doesn’t talk back – perfect partner I say! My plan had been to use my army transport to move between games and boy am I glad I didn’t. There is no time to pack up everything and then unpack it again for each game, you need something that you can easily move between games and a small 16” x 22” display board fits the bill perfectly.

Now, don’t be surprised when you get to the event by all the carts and various other methods people use to move their armies around. Yes, that’s right – I said carts. People put their army display on the top of the cart and then keep everything from snackie cakes and pony kegs underneath. Basically they take the display to the next level and make it the all encompassing refreshment and gaming center that we always wanted. Not practical for someone getting on a plane, but for people who live in the area it’s easily the most fantastic gaming accessory I have seen.

Army Transport - and Refreshment!

Another thing helpful tip is don’t make the mistake I did of booking a late flight, rookie me booked a  flight arriving in Chicago at almost midnight. Take my advice and book a flight arriving late afternoon or early evening so you can get a good night sleep and enjoy the evening. After flying all afternoon I was anxious and wound up when I arrived and didn’t get to sleep until around one am, and then it was up at seven to get breakfast and be ready for the championships to start at ten. Do yourself a favor and arrive a bit earlier so you have time to unwind and explore before getting a good night sleep, if I could change anyone thing about the trip it would be an earlier flight into Chicago. Arriving early also lets you register early and saves you the time of waiting to do it Friday morning before the Championships starts. 

still practicing_

Tallarn