I only learned about this game convention a couple of weeks ago, as someone I know mentioned he is going there and there might a table available (hint, hint). So, a couple of emails later I had a space reserved for game demos at Tracon Hitpoint 2023 (https://2023.hitpoint.tracon.fi/). While it may not be a big event, or focusing on wargames, I had a great time through the weekend although I drove back and forth a couple of hours on both days in dreary November weather.
Frankly, I haven’t publicly demoed a game before, so the first day breezed by trying to do the whole set up while explaining various aspects of the game to anyone who happened to walk by 🙂 I was quite pleasantly surprised to have lengthy discussions about the project. There may not have been that many people being interested in the game, but those who took some time really wanted to know how this game functions and what my plans are. This time, quality over quantity (sorry, Stalin)!
The mistake I made on the first day was trying to set up the whole game. It took me most of the day to just get going all the while explaining some aspect of the project. 1758 Fort Carillon is not a small game. It will have a fairly sizable map and quite a few counters (exact amount is still TBD). That is how it is, and that is how I want it to be. Actually, one of the first things that came up was that the over-sized map was really good and well-liked. With potentially a high number of counters on the map, more room means a better play experience which was brought up by several people. The map I laid out was one that was printed at a print shop and came out physically much larger than expected. But, this may have been a blessing after all – it is easier to play and looks really nice (sorry if you don’t have the space!!).
On Saturday, the “game session” didn’t get far. I barely managed to play a full turn as I was demoing small aspects of the game and answering questions. Sadly, that was the busy day and Sunday was very quiet. I did get a few really interested guys to spend some extended time at the table and ask tons of questions about the background of the project, the historical setting, and of course, the game itself.
Big changes are hard to make this late in development but small tweaks definitely are welcome. There could be a good idea here or there that would enhance some aspect by making it smoother, easier, faster, or just … better. Sunday went by swiftly too, and I left with a great deal of notes to finetune the project, one way or the other. First priority, as always, is to ensure the rulebook is clear, complete, and accurate (which it still is not). Once it is good enough, I will upload it to the website.
Smaller tutorials or even full scenarios were requested due to the sheer size of the campaign – I had considered one as a tutorial but this could be expanded to ensure there are faster scenarios and not just the big campaign which will take more than an evening. Now I am starting to see the logic behind the Strategy & Tactics game (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113369/ticonderoga-battles-lake-george-1755-1758) which came with several small scenarios as well.