Our first year at Adepticon was enough to add it to my list of favorite conventions. Creativity and camaraderie run rampant among the hobbyists and gamers alike. Everywhere you turn, you can find another stunning display. After our fantastic experience at Schaumburg last year, the Calamity Crew had to come back for another round! This year, Mikey and Sam joined me again.
Even though it was our second Adepticon, it held many firsts for us! First of the firsts… it outgrew the venue at Schaumburg and was moved to the Baird Center in Milwaukee. In the eight years I’ve been covering conventions, this is the first time I’ve seen a convention move to a new venue. And I have to say… while it has a new body, it kept the same beautiful soul present in previous years.
The drive was very familiar, most of which was the usual route we take to Chicago for C2E2. Of the whole drive, the only issue was the surprising amount of “no left turn” signs in downtown Milwaukee. Tip for anyone going to visit, Google Maps doesn’t know these intersections and will tell you to make those left turns!
We stayed in the Milwaukee Marriott Downtown, only about a five minute drive from the Baird Center. Personally I prefer to be right in the action at a host hotel, but the complete lack of craziness while checking in was very nice. It’s not often we’re the only ones in a hotel lobby. Once we unpacked and got in a nerdy mood with some Magic the Gathering, we took the quick trip over to the convention.
The outside of the convention center successfully concealed the crowd of con-goers as we approached. The main registration area was absolutely packed with people shopping at the lobby booths and waiting in line for badges and Adepticon swag. It was immediately overwhelming. Thankfully the staff is happy to help wayward wanderers. Once we made it to the correct lines, I found one of the founders of Adepticon working to keep the badge lines running smoothly.
Matt Weeks has helped me get a press pass for the past two years. He’s an absolute champion. After all the crazy hoops I’ve had to jump through to get press access at other big conventions, it was incredibly surprising (in the best way possible) to see one of the owners of the convention taking personal responsibility in facilitating coverage of the event. And even though they were busy dispersing badges, he still took a few minutes to give me some insight into the move to Milwaukee. We decided to pick up that conversation on Thursday when I visited registration to get my official press badge.
While Mikey and Sam continued to work through the various lines for registration and swag, I decided to pop up to the fourth floor and check out the Content Creators Meet-up. There were several familiar faces from YouTube, and even some green folks. Da Gof Rockerz (@dagofrockerz) had just taken off their costumes to pack up for the evening. Ted and I chatted about their plans for the weekend, specifically about their upcoming show at the X-Ray Arcade on Friday night. After their show last year fell through, we were so excited to see this one.
Our initial exploration of the Baird Center revealed a few things. Obviously, it’s huge. Essentially two buildings connected by the upper floors, each level of the center features plenty of Adepticon action. The event rooms were very easy to find, especially with the maps in the Adepticon app. We identified the rooms where our tournaments are taking place, the Open Play area, and the exits that weren’t available for entry. Unfortunately they were the exits closest to our parking garage.
By the time we finished exploring, we decided it was time for food and games. We walked up and down West Wisconsin Avenue looking for somewhere that wasn’t packed and was open past 8pm. Of all the restaurants I listed to try on this trip, Fil Fil was not one of them. It didn’t even show up when I searched for places near Baird Center. It’s a hidden gem! The Mediterranean style sandwiches were exactly what we needed after a day of driving and walking. And since they’re open much later than surrounding restaurants, they’re a great option for some post-con grub.
That beef shawarma certainly hit the spot. A spot that told me that I was way too mentally exhausted to get through a late night game of Warhammer 40k. So we went back to the hotel to catch the end of the Warhammer Preview Show and rest up for our first full day of the con.
When planning for Adepticon 2025, I decided to sign up for as many events as I could. Originally I would have been playing in the Warhammer 40,000 Flex tournament. I use the term tournament loosely, because the Flex is more focused on the fun and casual side of 40k. Competitive play can be a grind. At Adepticon, some players go three rounds per day for multiple days. With adequate breaks between rounds, those are 10-12 hour days. In the face of that reality, I can safely say I’m on the “fun and casual” side of 40k.
Due to overbooking myself, I decided to sit out of the Flex tournament. I instead focused the first day on exploration. After picking up my true press badge from Matt at registration, I got to hunting for stories. It started at the front corner of the vendor hall with Bombshell Miniatures (@bombshellminis), where I met the sculptor Patrick Keith. They were offering preview models from their upcoming Kickstarter campaign, which happen to fit right into the Trench Crusade game that’s been so hot lately. While picking those up, I was struck by their set of rocket bikes, some of which had a bit of a Fallout vibe. There goes my first impulse purchase of the convention.
The floor was alive on Thursday as hordes of eager gamers hunted for deals. I had a chance meeting with Tim, known as Crabbok (@crabbok_ig) on YouTube, checking out game mats. His channel is the main thing keeping me even close to the pulse on Star Wars miniature games. Star Wars Legion got several updates in recent years, leaving me in the dust. A conversation with the helpful crew at the Asmodee booth revealed some very interesting things coming for the game that certainly got my attention. But that is a story for Saturday…
Next stop was at the ever crowded Trench Crusade (@trenchcrusade) booth. Relics of the demonic World War I setting adorned the shelves and fans participated and spectated demos of the game. James Sherriff, one of the game’s sculptors and designers, spent a few moments talking to me about the excitement swirling around this game. He and the team are extremely grateful for the opportunity to build the game alongside the community. I sure am excited to get back into the trenches with my Iron Sultanate warband.
From the grim dark to the even grimmer and more darker, I stumbled upon another content creator I’ve been following for years. Black Magic Crafts (@blackmagiccraft_official) was running demos of their new game Idols of Torment, which features some truly gruesome miniatures. My favorite had to be the trench coat chain monster. It has strong Hellraiser vibes. Jeremy also offered a tip about the nearby restaurant Mader’s. If you want dinner at peak hours, make a reservation early.
Ready for more impulse purchases? Two Fallout enthusiasts walk into the Modiphius booth at Adepticon. Ken (@box2tabletop) and I scanned through all they had to offer. He was grabbing sets to offer as prizes for his upcoming Wasteland Warfare tournament while I looked for models that had been sold out online. Luckily they had a ton of those. With help from Sam and Mikey, we were easily able to pool together a purchase that qualified us for a free promo mini. We picked up an NCR Ranger to go with Mikey’s cosplay.
The vendors of Adepticon always put on a great display. From the immersive dungeons and docktown of Dwarven Forge (@dwarvenforgeofficial), to the unique and wild creations of Smashbash (@smash_bash), there is something incredible to see everywhere you look in the exhibitor hall.
Speaking of awesome displays, Mark Henry of Goblin’s Hut (@gobble_inz) showcased a variety of props and miniatures enhanced by his Dirty Down products. Of course, my entire attention is directed at the pieces of T-60 held high above the table. Since switching my painting focus back to Fallout, I have delved deep into the dirt with the Rust and Verdigris liquid effects. Once you get it thoroughly mixed up, it effortlessly creates some wild effects. I plan to enhance my apocalyptic wasteland with the Gore and Moss effects too!
The final stop before our lunch break was at the huge MiniWarGaming booth. With the expansion of the venue came the expansion of Ravaged Star. The beautiful gaming tables dominated the space, with hordes of monsters and warriors clashing in epic battles. Many of the MiniWarGaming crew were there, including Skari, Josh, Luka, Matt, and Dave. I chatted with Matt and Josh about their upcoming Fallout Factions series sponsored by Modiphius. I immediately volunteered for vault duty. I’ve wanted to visit their studio, the MiniWarGaming bunker, for a while now and Fallout content would be the perfect opportunity.
After a solid few hours of talking and geeking out over so many incredible miniatures and creative projects, it was obvious we all needed a break and meal. When looking at restaurants near the Baird Center, I found a strip of places across the street from a sausage factory. Mader’s Restaurant happened to be one of them. While I plan to try it at some point in the future, we decided on the Milwaukee Brat House. It was the right choice. Honey mustard is my favorite sauce and their menu features a brat all about it. Their dry rub jerk chicken wings were some of the best I ever had. No matter where else we try, we are absolutely going to the Brat House again.
Since we stayed at the Brat House until we got Happy Hour prices, the second leg of the day was much shorter. My main priority now was seeing what Dr. Rhino (@drrhino) had been cooking up! This year he came not as a player, but as a designer. I caught the end of a demo for his new game Psychopomp, a grim fantasy skirmish game steeped in real world mythology and religion. It is meant to be truly adaptable to how you want to play. Chess pieces represent characters so you can use whatever models you’d like. The level of customization can scale to allow for a casual or more thorough gaming experience. I’m more than tempted by the adaptability of the game and will be testing it out soon!
Next I was absolutely schooled on miniature paints. Dan of Bear Cavalry Paints (@bearcavalrypaints) once asked why most paint companies don’t explore sustainable sources for their product. He hunted for plant-based pigments and materials that were either eco friendly, compostable, or recyclable. The Bear Cavalry are warriors for nature, and wish to create no waste in the world. I will absolutely be finishing off my Trench Crusade models with the “My Name is Mud” texture paint.
Oddly enough, the prize room was my last stop before we headed back to the hotel to unload our loot for the day. While getting ready for Adepticon, I posted in the “I’m going to Adepticon!” Facebook group about how excited I was to be going for another year. Sydney Johnston replied to say how she was most excited about reuniting with the other volunteers and her Adepticon family. Having cultivated several convention families, I was immediately intrigued by the story.
Sydney, a 15-year veteran volunteer, started working the event with her father and brother. A number of gleeful volunteers were all happy to share a few moments and stories about the event, especially about the upscale to the new venue. Sydney and several others described it as a family reunion, since they all participate and care about the convention and making sure everyone has a good time. Then Jason Dyer, the creator and admin of the “I’m going to Adepticon!” group, walked in to talk about how the day was going. He claimed guardianship of the group and keeps it a safe space for fans of the convention to connect and share helpful information.
Just before the masses exited the building, we headed back to the hotel to relax before dinner. The combination of the drive and the excitement from meeting so many people knocked me out. As soon as I unpacked my things and sat down on that comfortable bed, I was ready for a nap. That nap turned into a very chill night with dinner and movies in the hotel while I saved up as much energy as I could for the next day. Cue the Fallout music!
If I was going to spend a whole day playing any one game, it would be Fallout. That’s exactly what I committed to this year at Adepticon. The morning started very early for me. The rest of the crew was still snoring as I was getting bloody and bruised to head out into the wasteland. Having forgotten an umbrella, I was quite concerned as I listened to the storms outside. I must have had a high Luck score for that morning, because the rain let up just as I was about to leave for the Baird Center.
I was head to toe in costume. From my Red Rocket water bottle, to the Nuka Cola lunchbox in my Vault Tec messenger bag, everything I carried was Fallout themed. Really wish I had brought a Fallout jacket. Damn, it was cold that morning. In another stroke of good luck, there was absolutely no line to get into the front entrance. I was able to get through security and get all the way to the opposite end of the convention center in plenty of time to get comfortable for the tournament.
Ken provided a great experience once again and I was very happy to be part of it this time. A mighty display of Fallout props, miniatures, and merch marked the tables that belonged to the Dirt Haven Dust-Up event. Several immersive battle zones were set, looking like places right out of the games. The reactions from Ken and the other players as I walked into the room in a full vault 111 jumpsuit, blasting Diamond City Radio from my Pip-boy, were priceless.
I unloaded my squad of Survivors for the game. Boone from New Vegas was my leader. He’s a great shot with the hunting rifle and very long range that dominates most of the battlefield. Sturges and Piper from Fallout 4 were my objective runners, with Sturges focusing on Lockpicking and Hacking while Piper took care of Searching. Every good team needs an unhinged maniac. I picked Jones from the Slog in Fallout 4 for the job. With sturdy armor and a chainsaw, he was a force to be reckoned with. My secret weapon turned out to be the floating Eyebot, which I call “Redna” because of its red accents.
Once Ken reviewed and approved all the lists, we were paired up for our first matches. My first match happened to be against a Caesar’s Legion player named Jesse. Unfortunately for Jesse, Caesar’s Legion is the one faction that I have a decent amount of experience against. He put up a good fight and was the only person that managed to take out any of my models, but even Legate Lanius couldn’t survive the combined killing power of Boone and Jonesy.
Between the first two rounds, I met a few of the other players like Joe Noonan (@joenoonanmn) who recently got back into painting after nearly 40 years away from the hobby. He has already won multiple competitions since returning.
The second match was against Jake who fielded a very durable batch of Nuka World Robots. Led by the Nuka Cola Girl herself, the bots were able to take the center objectives of the board for long enough that I couldn’t catch up on points. Boone’s Hit Squad managed to take out nearly all of the bots by the end of the match, with only one surviving to return to Nuka World. Jake would go on to win first place in the event with two wins and a draw, as well as win best painted army.
Sam and Mikey had arrived by the time we finished the second round and we took a break for lunch. Everyone scattered to find various concessions on the upper floors. We grabbed some noodles and rice dishes before finding a place to eat before the next round. One thing we quickly noticed about the Baird Center, there are plenty of quiet corners to relax away from the energy of the exhibition halls or game rooms.
Upon returning to the wasteland, I was paired up with my third round opponent Earl. The member of Badger Games was playing in multiple events over the weekend as well as entering the Armies on Parade on Saturday night. Earl played the Institute, which included some very annoying invisible agents and a speedy engineer that almost won him the game. He was up by three points in the final round when my Survivors pulled out all the stops to come back and win.
Of the three rounds, Boone’s Hit Squad killed all but one of the enemy models and only lost a model once. I topped the Kills category with 18 total, and ended up near the top of the Objective Points category with 21. The one loss took me out of the running for 1st-3rd places, but I was still very happy to experience my first ever tabletop wargame tournament. Dirt Haven Dust-Up was a ton of fun and I cannot wait to play more Fallout games again next year.
Everyone walked away with multiple prizes too! In addition to the trophies and minis that Ken himself provided, both Adepticon and Modiphius added paints, minis, and game accessories to our prize pool. On my turns, I claimed a promo Mr. Fuzzy mini and a couple bottles of Nuka Cola Victory. I’ll have to crack one of those open when I start my upcoming Fallout 2d20 campaign.
The Fallout players went their separate ways and the Calamity Crew went back to the vendor hall. We stopped by a few places so I could show off the costume. Mikey and I talked to Josh again at the MiniWarGaming booth, this time about the various Fallout RPG characters and stories we’ve created. Visiting Modiphius again, we got some information about some of their upcoming convention exclusive promo miniatures. Previously available in specific incentives, the King of the Park, DJ RedEye, and Bottle & Cappy miniatures will be going to events in 2026. They could barely contain excitement for the upcoming Fallout Factions releases.
We couldn’t spend much time on the floor before it closed, so we decided to head back to the hotel to get dinner and prepare for the Adepticon Afterparty at X-Ray Arcade. This was when we found another restaurant that needed reservations. The Swingin’ Door Exchange was one of the highest rated places I found and it was only a block away from our hotel. We tried twice to get a table in there over the weekend, both unfortunately at extremely busy times for them.
But in Milwaukee, there’s always another restaurant just a short walk away. So we went to The Social American Tavern around the corner. Of course, my bloodied appearance and vault suit drew plenty of looks. The food took a little longer than expected, but nowhere near unacceptable for the peak hours. In an interesting move, the manager offered us gold chocolate coins and a discount on our orders. It was welcome but unnecessary. The food was all well worth the wait and we weren’t in a rush.
After a much needed short rest, I changed back into photographer Steve and we headed down to the X-Ray Arcade. We arrived shortly after the first band Slaughter Party had just finished, entering into comfortable local music venue vibes. Arcade machines lined the front wall, facing the deep space reserved for the stage. In the downtime between bands, the bar and merch tables were lively. Wanting a full scope of the venue, we went out onto the patio behind the bar.
Ted met us on the patio and shared some of the plans they had for the show. We practiced an Ork war chant he would use for crowd interaction. I gotta hand it to him, the man knows how to put on a badass performance. His boys, the Grots, would later spread pom poms throughout the audience to cheer for their teams as well. Ted introduced me to Mike, one of the founders of the Dragon Fall charity gaming festival. He told me about their founding in 2020 and their involvement in the community.
When we went back inside, we were immediately hooked by the action. The Eradicator took the stage with a guitar and a squash racket. I hadn’t heard of his music before this show, but I sure do remember it now. It was like musical comedy in a heavy metal format. You could bang your head to the rocking beats as much as laugh at his hard opinions on various sports. It was ridiculously entertaining and made for a great time.
Once the Eradicator leapt off the stage and left to rest up for his squash match in the morning, the crowd prepared and eagerly awaited the Orks to arrive. The Grots and crew helped set the stage for their arrival while I decided to try the bar’s special cocktail for the night. Since I had to rush through it before the show started, all I could say was the Salted Dragon was very ginny and very grapefruity. Pretty refreshing for a warm windy night.
Da Gof Rockerz arrived in a furious storm of beats about krumpin’ da ‘oomies and playing blood bowl. I’ve been wanting to see them play live since we met Ted and Aaron at the last Adepticon and wow, it certainly did not disappoint. Things got pretty rowdy as Aaron started a series of mosh pits near the stage. It was all in good fun, but I definitely had to keep an eye out for random elbows and shoulders while I took photos of the band.
The show featured Grot boxing, a human head pinata, a Grot story time skit, and all the dakka you could want. They absolutely shred too. After the show I hit the merch booth and bought both of their albums on vinyl. We thanked Ted for a great time and headed back to the Marriott to end the night. Saturday would be another early, but considerably less bloody morning.
Saturday morning was cold and rainy as gamers lined up for the security checkpoint to enter the convention center. Luckily the line moved quickly, so we didn’t have to stay in the cold for long. Once inside, we went straight for the Star Wars Unlimited area where we were scheduled to play in an event.
For those unfamiliar with trading card games, a sealed event is where you open up several packs of cards and build a deck to play with. Sam, Mikey, and I are still pretty new to the game, so we decided on this type of event to have some casual fun. Once I retrieved a coffee and breakfast sandwich from the nearby concessions booth, we opened up our packs and started building.
My card pool had a Captain Phasma leader card and a surprisingly large amount of First Order cards to go with her, so I gave it a shot. My first game was against Ethan, a very good player with a tricksy Admiral Ackbar deck. Phasma came hot out of the gate, but Ackbar outmaneuvered and outlasted her assault.
The second game was against a new player, who just learned the game the day before. Despite how green she was, Brooke put up a great fight with her Darth Vader deck. Vader is a powerful leader that can turn the tide of the battle the moment he comes into play. Phasma had to work fast to take him down. The Phasma leader card paired with the Phasma unit card did the job.
One player dropped out before the third round, so Sam ended up with a bye. Mikey and I were paired against each other, so we opted for a quick game before taking the prize pack to add to our collection. Mikey’s Major Vonreg deck was speedy, but didn’t hit quite as hard as the double Phasma.
The event ended with plenty of time before lunch, so I went hunting for some more photos and stories. The MiniWarGaming booth still bustled with life as we passed by, chatting briefly with Dave about blood effects and future projects. Sam picked up a deck box to hold his new Star Wars cards, and we stopped at Asmodee to check out their stock of accessories.
We unloaded our new cards and accessories into the car before heading to Miller Time for lunch. It was perfectly positioned between the parking garage and the South entrance to the Baird Center. The food was good, but we were all a bit disappointed that nothing on their menu was beer battered. It seemed to be an odd omission for a beer themed restaurant.
Lunch ended with enough time to check out the Golden Demon displays before going to our next event. The Golden Demon competition sees entries from some of the best miniature painters in the world. We know a few of the entrants too, like Dr. Rhino who submitted a beautiful demonic Fulgrim model. Unfortunately the Horus Heresy case was empty when we stopped by, so I wasn’t able to see it in person.
After soaking up tons of inspiration for my own painting plans, we went to the room where Mantic was hosting all of their Halo Flashpoint games. Ever since seeing the game at Adepticon 2024, Mikey and I have had an interest in the models at the very least. Since then, our friend Morgan had purchased so much of the game that he let us borrow a couple of models, dice, and rules to play in the Master Chief Challenge.
Typically Halo Flashpoint is played like team deathmatch in the video games. Two teams of four fight against each other over some kind of objective, or simply to score kills. The Master Chief Challenge, which was in a very informal state, pitted four copies of Master Chief against each other. I’m a huge fan of the web show Red vs Blue, so I painted my model aqua to look like Lavernius Tucker. Mikey was using a model Morgan had painted to look like Leon-011 from Halo Wars.
The game was a ton of fun, but a little off balance. Mikey kept ending up in the crosshairs of two other players, while Tucker struggled to get even a single kill. I finally got one with a sniper rifle just before the end of the game. Since we ended quite early, we spent a while talking to the other players and the game organizer. I had a chance to talk to Drew, a member of the Truth & Reconciliation podcast, about the game’s competitive scene and things we want to see added to the future. I confirmed with our host and later again at their booth that Mantic has stretch goals in mind for where to take the game next, and that some big things are coming in the future.
Speaking of the Mantic booth, Drew gave me a $10 voucher he won at the nationals tournament. I just had to go check out what they had. Mikey ended up buying the Spartan edition box, which comes with everything we need to play a full game and more. He and I also bought copies of the new Fireteam Phoenix, one of which is going to Morgan’s already huge collection.
While checking out the big displays of Star Wars Legion, Star Wars Shatterpoint, and Marvel Crisis Protocol miniatures, I spent a few moments with one of the Asmodee reps to talk about where Star Wars Legion is going. New box sets of models for the Rebels, Imperials, Republic, and Separatists are all coming soon, with even more on the way. I am particularly excited about the “build your own leader” kits, one of which allows you to build your own Jedi master and apprentice.
I suddenly remembered another item I was looking for at the convention. One of the next pieces on my workbench will be the Boston Bus from Fallout and I needed a good yellow paint for the panels. My first and only stop for the paint was Monument Hobbies. They were very helpful and willing to advise me on what shades would give me what effects. After making my selection, I came to discover “Wizard’s Butt”.
When Monument Hobbies mixes a paint, they will end up with off colors that don’t match their range. They bottle these small batches into what they call Wizard’s Butt. All I had to do to get it for free was show them a photo of something I’ve painted with their paints, take a selfie with them, and post it to social media. Easy way to get some free paints to try out! They gave me two bottles, one a chalky magenta and the other a light gray with a slight green tint.
While Sam and Mikey continued shopping, I made one last stop at the prize room to talk to Sydney and her dad Dennis. They welcomed me in and shared a ton of stories about their experience with the convention, how they value the community, and how they dealt with the growth of the hobby and the show in general. They also told me about how the 40k Flex tournament and Adepticup challenges formed as a result of the more competitive nature of mainstream Warhammer. They consistently give attention to the lesser known games and promote a mentality of sitting around playing games and having fun with your friends. It was very inspiring to hear them talk about how much they love this convention. It’s great to know Adepticon is in such good hands.
Since our main goal of the evening was visiting the Armies on Parade, aka Adepticup, we decided it was best to get an early dinner. We dropped off even more bags at the car before heading to the 3rd Street Market Hall. For those of us in St. Louis, this place has the same vibes as the City Foundry. Looking for a reprieve from the cold outside, and thinking about our upcoming trip to Japan later this year, we decided to eat at Kawa Ramen & Sushi. The Hellfire Ramen I ordered warmed me right up and gave me a solid amount of energy to finish off the night strong.
The night would have finished strong with or without us. The Armies on Parade, held on the first floor near the main entrance to the convention center, was packed full of spectators and gamers trying to get their eyes on the impressive displays of painting and craftsmanship. It was here I met Paul Sparks, the lead photographer for Adepticon. When I say he was stressed out trying to get photos of everything, I am understating it. Paul was very passionate about including every detail of every event in his coverage of the convention. Still inspired by the stories from Sydney and Dennis, I offered to help Paul by contributing some of my photos to the Adepticon albums. I already knew I was the only photographer to cover the afterparty show the night before.
It wasn’t long before Paul introduced me to Greg Sparks, who was essentially the director of operations at the convention. Paul said he wanted me on his team for next year, which I humbly obliged. I have eight years of experience shooting photos at conventions and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon, so I am happy to help Adepticon and its attendees in my own way.
Paul also introduced me to Aaron, who was the only other photographer helping him to cover the event. We agreed to pool all of our resources after the convention so it could be slowly posted over time to promote next year’s show. With future plans in place, I continued capturing the displays before the winners were announced.
Expert crafters and painters, Duncan Rhodes, Eric from Eric’s Hobby Workshop, and Louise from Rogue Hobbies, were in attendance to judge the displays. With such a large array of entries from different game systems and types, it was hard to keep up with all of the winner announcements. Overall the Adepticup was a fantastic way to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of these hobbyists outside their respective tournaments. And a great way to cap off our Saturday night.
We returned to the hotel, had a few celebratory drinks of my cocktail Red Rocket Fuel, and played more Star Wars Unlimited until we were too tired to think.
Unfortunate weather reports forced us to play Sunday by ear. St. Louis was forecasted to have high winds, rain, and possible tornadoes and hail. We started the day by checking all of the weather sources we could to determine the best time to leave Milwaukee. With the worst of it seemingly over by 6pm, we figured we could have a nice chill morning with checkout and brunch before last minute shopping.
Checkout of the hotel was quick but rainy. Luckily we got everything loaded in the car without getting too wet, and the rain had mostly stopped by the time we got to the parking garage. Opting for another easy on-the-way option, we got brunch at the Build-a-Breakfast, Build-a-Burger restaurant. After the rollercoaster of the weekend, I figured their Warrior’s Breakfast would be fitting! We spotted Earl leaving the restaurant shortly after getting our food and he described it well. It was a great “put yourself back together” meal.
For the final walk through the convention, we had two primary goals. First, I needed to visit the raffle booth. I had bought a few tickets and happened to win a prize. They gave me the choice of a few party games, art prints, and miniature sets. After all the miniatures we had already bought over the weekend, I chose the party game “I’m Kind of a Big Dill” which is about trying to catch your friends exaggerating their stories.
The second objective was a failure. We attempted to get more Star Wars Unlimited cards for the great deals we saw the day before. Of course, we were struck with the final con day sales curse and they were all cleaned out!
With the afternoon quickly passing, we decided to hit the road back to Saint Louis. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t bad once we made it into Illinois. From there it was a windy but clear path home.
Adepticon 2025 is easily one of my best convention experiences. I know I say that about a lot of cons, but damn. This one not only grew substantially from last year, but took things to a whole new level. A new city with new people and connections. Milwaukee was so much fun, with great food and stunning architecture all around the Baird Center. I want to thank everyone that took the time to share their stories and their art with me. You all make the trip more than worth it. I’m so excited for next year!
We also brought home a ton of stuff from this con. Most bought, but some gifted and some won. I have a new mountain of Fallout minis to paint and plenty of new paints to try! I will certainly be keeping an eye on many of these companies and games as they continue to bring great things to the community.
The rest of this year is up in the air for the Calamity Crew. We have tentative plans for ASTL, ACEN, DragonCon, and Archon. In all likelihood, only some of those will be happening for us. At the very least, I will see many of you around eventually. Until next time, friends!
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