Hello! I have had a lot of friends asking me about Nashcon 2014. Here is a link to the official HMGS-Midsouth Nashcon website: http://hmgs-midsouth.org/conventions/nashcon/ (The PEL is available on this link too.) The convention will be May 23rd – 25th – 2014 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs – 700 Cool Springs Blvd. Franklin, TN 37067. The hotel is a first class facility in a great part of town (Cool Springs) that offers numerous dinning, tourism and shopping options (this makes Nashcon an especially appealing con to bring your spouse and/or kids to).
If you are visiting from out-of-town, here is what CigarBoxBattle recommends: Cool Springs offers many great breakfast locations (J. Christopher’s & First Watch), lunch (Drake’s, Maniac’s, Oscar’s Tacos, P.F. Chang’s, Chuy’s), and dinner (Carrabbas, J. Alexander’s, Amerigo). There is also a very close mall, Cool Spring’s Galleria. We also recommend a trip into charming downtown Franklin for window shopping, cafe’s, and dinning. The Carter House, McGavock plantation, and Fort Granger are our “must see” American Civil War historical sights. If you want to explore out a little further, we suggest a short drive to the Stone’s River battlefield in Murfreesboro, TN.
Well, it looks to really be shaping up to be another outstanding convention this year. This con just continues to pick up momentum and gets better every year! Some of the highlights for me this year include:
* John Hill – author of “Johnny Reb” and “Squad Leader” will be running his new ACW rules “Across A Deadly Field”. John will also be accompanied by one of the orginal play-testers and developers of “Johnny Reb”, Dean West. We will be running a 28mm Shiloh – East Flank game with John Friday afternoon, so come over and roll some dice if you like! There will also be a big 15mm Gettysburg game on Saturday and a 15mm Piedmont game on Sunday morning.
* Buck Surdu and Chris Palmer of the HAWKS will be at Nashcon again running games. Make sure to get into a “Look Sarge No Charts” or “GASLIGHT” game and play with the authors! These guys always put on great looking and well run games.
* Bob Moon’s ACW games are always excellent, with well painted figures and superb terrain. Get into one of Bob’s games if you can.
* Stephen Huckaby, the owner and editor of ACWGamer.com e-zine will be at the convention getting the scoop. Make sure to show Stephen some Southern hospitality and subscribe to his e-zine!
Nashcon is a regional convention that is “just the right size”. The majority of the gaming is set up in the center of a large ballroom, with the vendors around the edges. I’ve found this creates a lot of fun energy at the con. I also like this set up because you can dash over and buy some figures while you are waiting for you opponent to move! The con also uses numerous smaller rooms for tournaments and themed games. Typically you’ll find all of the 40k gamers in one room, ASL in another, Flames of War, etc. There is something for everyone! Nashcon also has a great flea market, so bring all of you old minis, games and rules to sell!
Hotel Update – Book your room now! If you previously had problems booking online, try again since Nashcon has since added more hotel rooms. If you have problems booking on the website, call the hotel. If you continue to have problems, please contact me on cigarboxbattle.com and I’ll forward your concerns to the Nashcon BoD! The hotel usually fills up due to Memorial Day weekend, so make sure to book your room ASAP or at least by May 5th.
See you at Nashcon!
Cory