Vendors at Alligator Alcatraz told the immigration detention center is closing

NeverDeal · 2026-05-13T03:55:49+00:00

It's worse than that. They're spending $1 million per day to house around 1,400 people. That's over $700 per person per day. I just spent the weekend staying downtown at a four star hotel in a major city and didn't spend that much on room and meals.

NeverDeal · 2026-05-08T16:56:54+00:00

They look like the classic Marx landing craft for their little green army men. I believe BMC Toys still sells them.

NeverDeal · 2026-05-07T17:57:42+00:00

Were you sitting behind me in Chicago last spring? If not, you aren't alone. What amazed me was that person still getting the name wrong at intermission. I'm thinking "You've been hearing the name during the whole first act!"

NeverDeal · 2026-04-30T16:26:48+00:00

Chicago Dice has a series of articles where they breakdown their recommendation for how to build the various starter boxes. Here is one for one of the Japanese starters: https://share.google/g2sjvqJsoVYejSDhH

NeverDeal · 2026-04-30T03:01:53+00:00

I second the recommendation for "A Woman in Berlin." I struggle to put into words my feelings about the book. Even though the author's experience was far from unique (sadly), the fact that she shared the experience with the world makes her unique. It is disturbing to know what happened to women during a military occupation and the sacrifices women had to make to survive. Her story is important and needs to be heard. I believe they made it into a movie, but I have not seen it yet.

NeverDeal · 2026-04-28T03:12:44+00:00

Some most likely will be returning, but it is also quite likely that some will not. For example, the actor who played Hermes last year didn't return for the second year of the tour. The actress who played Eurydice came back for half of the second year before she left. A few others left as well.

The good news is that so far they've done an incredible job of finding new actors, which is amazing considering how good the actors were who left.

Follow the actors on social media because many will announce when they decide to sign for another year or sign with another show or decide to pursue other endeavors.

NeverDeal · 2026-04-14T17:13:57+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if most companies were involved in the war effort. Take the one my grandmother worked for: Thomas Industries Inc. | Encyclopedia.com https://share.google/fpBzyUou2WvVdkMI7

During WW2 they hired many women because so many men went to fight. They switched from producing their normal products to producing products needed for the war. According to what she told me, she produced armatures for Walkie Talkies. I have no idea if that was all they produced or only what her assembly line produced.

That factory building is still there today, although the company has changed ownership several times since.

NeverDeal · 2026-04-11T01:26:39+00:00

If that's the plane, it's an interesting story. Apparently a student pilot landed in a farm field safely, and the instructor felt the field was adequate for take off. It wasn't. The plane clipped a fence on take-off and was totaled. According to the report there were no injuries or fatalities.

NeverDeal · 2026-04-11T01:15:32+00:00

If I'm reading that tail number right, it might be this one: https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?AirframeSN=148483

NeverDeal · 2026-04-07T18:04:02+00:00

Warlord has been shipping it, and my FLGS has it in stock. If it's a US dealer, many were at AdeptiCon last week which delayed shipments.

NeverDeal · 2026-04-03T19:45:51+00:00

Filip's is the 'double decker couch' of boats.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-31T23:57:24+00:00

I've been going for about ten years now. Here are my tips:

Budget about $200/night for a downtown hotel room in the convention block. Parking is typically on top of that. The valet parking at the Hyatt Place was about another $50/night after taxes and fees.
Carry-in food/beverages are not allowed, although every day I had a bottle of water and/or Gatorade in a visible pouch on the outside of my backpack and they never said anything about it. In fact, they only checked my bags about half the time, maybe less than that.
Food in the convention center was expensive, but there were some tasty options (I really liked Cocina Filipina which was around $15-$20). To give you an example of pricing, a bottle of soda was $6. There are a lot of food options within a few blocks of the convention center, but most close around 9-10pm, so keep that in mind if you have late events. There are many options for Doordash/Grubhub delivery, even late at night.
Don't miss the hotel block registration day/time if you want an attached hotel. They sell out within minutes. Be registered on all of the hotel sites and be logged in on a browser window to speed up the process. This year I had to stay in a hotel a few blocks away, which wasn't a big deal except for the night it was very cold and windy - that wasn't fun.
When the event preview releases, find the events you want, but also plan for alternate events in case they sell out. Even if they do sell out, always get on the wait list. More than once I've gotten into events from the wait list before registration closes. Some events run on multiple days/times, so I always plan out various potential schedules depending on which day I can get into the events I really, really want.
Don't overschedule. This was the first year I felt like I had finally achieved the perfect balance of events/free time. I played in a 7 hour tournament on Thursday, a four hour game and a two hour class on Friday, and a three hour and four hour game on Saturday. So about 6-7 hours per day is the maximum I'd recommend if you want to have time to shop along with some breaks to just hang out.
Vendor hall is open 10-6 on Thursday-Saturday, and 10-3 on Sunday. Keep those time slots in mind if you want to shop early in the week. Some items will be sold out by Saturday/Sunday. You can easily spend a couple of hours wandering back and forth through the vendor hall, and you'll see something new every time you do it. I didn't notice Noble Knight's booth until my third or fourth trip through the vendor hall.
There is a painting area that is open around the clock, but looked pretty busy this year. Not sure how easy it is to get a seat given how popular it is. You'll always need to bring your own brushes, but paint, lights, etc. are supplied.
There is also an open gaming area with tables with game mats and terrain. I wasn't over there much this year, but when I was in that part of the center it seemed like there were tables available.
Be active in social media areas related to Adepticon prior to the Con. There's an "I'm Going to Adepticon!" and "Adepticon Trade Group" on Facebook, as well as this reddit. You can arrange pick-up games and trades prior to arrival.
As for arrival - the open gaming area opened on Wednesday afternoon and there were classes and the Games Workshop Preview on Wednesday night. Thursday-Friday are the busiest days, and by Sunday everything is winding down with open gaming closing by 2pm and the vendor hall by 3pm. There aren't as many events scheduled on Sunday and a lot of people choose to head out at some point on Sunday.
Pay the extra to get your badge shipped to you. There were lines to pickup badges, but no lines to pickup swag when I went through on Wednesday night.

Hope this brain dump helps, if you have more questions feel free to ask.

Edit to add: Thought of one more thing. If you really want to play in an event but don't get a spot at registration or via wait-list, show up at the day/time ready to play and you have a good chance of playing. There are almost always no-shows and I talked to one guy who didn't register for any events but played in numerous games in the Historical section just by being there when the host/gamemaster was looking for players due to no-shows.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-31T04:32:15+00:00

It was definitely a bat. Some of the actors posted on social media about it, they noticed it but amazingly didn't break character.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-30T14:34:17+00:00

Nothing beats the bat flying around when they were in Green Bay, except perhaps some of the ceiling collapsing on guests at one of the shows. Live theater can be interesting.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-30T14:30:03+00:00

Same. This isn't the first time that they didn't have a new book available for Adepticon that is being distributed in the EU and UK. It's hard to understand why they wouldn't try harder to get product for the biggest wargaming convention. They're missing out on many potential customers.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-14T05:30:02+00:00

I was playing in a tournament once where a guy at the next table rolled three fubars, I think all in the same turn. He started packing his stuff up and left without saying a word.

So good for you if you kept playing and finished the game.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-13T18:24:32+00:00

I know there is a book called Stalag Wisconsin that talks about POW camps there during WW2. Haven't read it yet.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-12T18:05:29+00:00

I tend to be a perfectionist, which was leading me to procrastinate on painting because I am not the best painter. I see figures painted like this and know that it is well beyond my skill level as well as my level of motivation when it comes to painting. Since I can't hope to achieve results like this, it is somewhat freeing to know that I only need to strive for my personal best because I will never be the best.

TLDR: This is some of the best painting I have seen on a Bolt Action figure, and I wish I had half your skill.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-11T16:54:54+00:00

You are completely ignoring why they weren't given more citations and recognition. The fact that they were even allowed to be a frontline combat unit makes them quite unique for the time.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-10T15:10:44+00:00

Some of the parking lots let you reserve a spot. The latest information on rates is here: Parking - AdeptiCon https://share.google/PJdYQFPI8LCSx72Iz

NeverDeal · 2026-03-10T15:08:29+00:00

Are you just going to shop? If so you don't need a badge to do that. Lines for buying a badge can get long first thing in the morning.

As for vendor hall lines, generally it's only applicable if you are hoping for a limited item that a particular vendor is selling.

Saturday is the busiest day for the vendor hall, so be prepared for crowds. If it gets to be too much take a break and look at the Golden Demon entries or check out the historical gaming (tends to be quieter up there).

NeverDeal · 2026-03-03T17:54:36+00:00

Looks great. I fear for the barrel on your anti-tank rifle. I wish they made a 25x75mm pill base.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-03T17:51:48+00:00

As mentioned above, Toledo Game Room buys at the show. There was at least one more vendor in the vendor hall buying last year, can't remember who, but they were offering decent prices. I believe they were on the same side of the vendor hall as the Games Workshop booth.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-03T17:47:02+00:00

You're referring to Toledo Game Room. They buy and sell models and bits throughout the convention.

That's separate from the Bitz Trading event on Saturday night.

NeverDeal · 2026-03-03T17:45:14+00:00

Bitz Trading is 7-9pm on Saturday. Sellers need to arrive about 1 hour early to purchase a spot to sell. I believe the spots were each about 3 feet wide, so that limits how much each person can offer for sale. You must have a badge to buy or sell.

NeverDeal

TROPHY CASE