Over the weekend of April 3-6 we headed to AdeptiCon in Lombard Illinois (A suburb of Chicago). This was our first time attending this event as we were just getting back into tabletop war gaming. We were like kids at Christmas, excited with anticipation for the surprises to come. If being a first timer was not enough, we decided to get in touch with the guys in Ireland and offer to cover the event as well!

Once we got the go-ahead, planning was in full swing. We purchased cameras, lights and other necessary equipment and we put a lot of time into research as what we thought should be covered. We planned and packed and planned some more!

The day finally came and we got up early and drove to the Westin Hotel/Convention Center and the parking lots were already full! When we walked in there were many people milling about. We could hear noise coming from a large group in one of the major rooms off to our left. We hurriedly checked in and got our passes and swag bags (filled with awesome bonuses). We then decided to do a walk through first to devise a strategy on how we should cover this. We first walked into the first convention hall and there it was, the mecca of Warhammer. The room was packed to the seams with players of this widely popular game.

The tables stretched as far as I could see and there was barely room to move between them. Some players wore costumes or colourful hats and the army displays were quite amazing. It was obvious to one who does not play this game how serious some were about it! We wandered off to the vendor area and found it at this time to be walled off from the game area and they were setting up still. It was not to open till 6:30 that evening to allow those who were holding a VIP passes a special first peek. This is when I learned one of the important reasons for purchasing a VIP pass, you get first look and first opportunity to get those show exclusives before the general public, along with the extra special swag bags (just ask Dawn, she was all about the VIP swag bag).

It was during this time that we started setting up times with different game companies to do our interviews with them. Can I just say that everyone was a pure delight to visit with. It was honestly a pleasure seeing people who are so passionate about their craft and the industry they belonged to. The camaraderie between the companies was fun to watch. There was several times during our interviews or conversations with a representative that one from another company would come up and poke fun at them. There were laughs and handshakes and hugs for everyone.

From the vendor area we then wandered through the long hall to the demo area and where some of the other smaller companies were set up. It was really nice to see how this show was organized and to make it so player and guest friendly. Four of the other convention rooms were also set up for other gaming systems to hold their tournaments. We wandered from room to room in utter amazement at the assortment of games being played and the incredible amount of people that were here. I honestly did not expect this, especially on a Thursday in April. I lost count on the number of different gaming systems being played or demoed at this show. A partial list would include: Warhammer 40K. Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Warhammer Historicals, Warmachine, Hordes, Flames of War, Malifaux, Wreck-Age, Dark Age, Rivet Wars, Wraith of Kings, X-Wing, Bolt Action, Dust, Freeblades, Battletech and many, many more! This was a gamers paradise.

Let me just say, if Warhammer 40K was your game you were extremely well represented here there were several companies that sold terrain and bits for you. Forge World and Black Library were there offering Adepticon Specials all weekend long. Black Library even had three of their more popular authors there to sign books. The lines at these stands were never small. While wandering through the huge crowd of the 40K tournaments to check out the action we came across one of the owners of our FLGS who was playing in a team tournament. While wandering who else do we find, but my brother Chris and his team playing! I knew he was a 40K player but I didn’t know we was going to be there, how cool was that!

Everywhere we looked we saw people having a great time and now it was our turn. Dawn sat down and played a quick demo game of Dark Age and seemed to really enjoy herself. It played nicely and the miniatures were pretty good looking. We then got down to work and started filming video for the show. We had a great time with everyone and I have to say Dawn did an outstanding job interacting and interviewing everyone. It was hard to believe that this was our first go at this. It was apparent as the weekend went on she got more comfortable working in front of the camera. We did many of our interviews the first night and then I came across the Myth booth and I had to play a game. So I sat down with Keith Lowe and the guys and we had a Cracker Jack of a time. What an awesome game and a great bunch of guys to hang out with! We liked the game so much we bought a set right on the spot. If you haven’t seen it yet grab one as soon as you can, I promise it will be a great time had by all!

As I have said we meet a lot of great people throughout the weekend and we enjoyed every minute. A few stand out to me, one being Ronnie Renton the President and CEO of Mantic Games. What a terrific person who is very passionate about his products. Meeting him was like some fans are to sports stars. Then on top of that being personally invited to a sit down chat with a select few was a tremendous honour. Truly one of my best moments in recent years and to top it off the gigantic box of scenery that I received as the AdeptiCon pre-order was amazing.

As I have said before there is enough in that huge box to keep a gamer busy for a very long time and will lead to some amazing games, whether you are playing Deadzone, Warpath, or any other sci-fi/steampunk game system. The guys over at Ninja Division were so excited about their current Kickstarter, Super Dungeon Explore: Forgotten King and the energy was infectious. They also let slip a hint about their upcoming project, a game about zombies and bunnies, yes bunnies. Everywhere we turned we saw another awesome game, miniature or piece of scenery. It was such a great weekend and we could not believe four days could go by so quickly.

What did we take away from this amazing weekend? Well for starters, a bunch of new games and miniatures and a bruised pocketbook. But more importantly, a re-energized passion for gaming and an appreciation for all game systems and their players. This was a great event that was family friendly and we had our two youngest sons with us on Saturday and Sunday and they had a blast. Our youngest Benny even made a new friend with George, Ronnie’s son.

So, we will definitely be returning next year and hopefully we will provide even greater coverage for all of you. One of our secret projects is to find a way to get the BoW crew over here, which would bring the house down! I guess it is not so much of a secret now.

View the AdeptiCon videos HERE!

Gianna Lomax

A big thanks from us at Beasts of War to Gianna and Dawn for covering this event for us! We're glad you had an awesome time! - BoW Ben

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