Promotional banner for Fall In 2026 Nov 68 at Wyndham Resort and Convention Center Lancaster PA Special Operations in History theme with HMGS logo and hashtag FALLIN2026

Dispatches From Fall In ’26

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Fall In, hosted by The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, is in the books. Let’s check out some highlights!

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HMGS, or The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, have been hosting conventions as long as I have been alive! Historicon, their flagship event, was first held in 1984 and since then they have added Cold Wars in late winter / early spring and Fall In, held in Autumn. All three events are primarily historical gaming conventions, but there is loads of Alternative History, Sci-Fi and Fantasy gaming to be had as well. The best thing about these events is the spectacle of the larger games and gorgeous tables that are the product of months of preparation. GMs really go all out for most of these games and it can be a truly wonderful sight to behold.

Detailed miniature battlefield diorama with villages roads forests and painted toy soldiers arranged for a battle on a game table
Tabletop wargame layout with hundreds of miniature figures dirt terrain cliffs and a blue river on a large mat in a room
Tabletop wargame diorama on a long table with miniature figures trees buildings and roads laid out in a classroom or conference room setting
Tabletop wargame battle multiple groups of painted miniature soldiers positioned on a textured battlefield players arranging troops and measuring ranges with rulers and dice nearby papers and pens visible on the table
Tabletop wargame setup on a large grid tabletop with miniature buildings roads trees and fields surrounded by players rolling dice and moving pieces
Scale model battle scene uniformed infantry marching in a line carrying red white blue flags beside a wooden wagon on a grassy diorama
Large tabletop wargame scene with miniature soldiers ruined buildings smoke effects and dice on a game mat
A detailed tabletop war game diorama with miniature troops rivers roads trees and small buildings arranged on a grassy battlefield flanked by adults observing
Tabletop wargaming setup with armies tanks and terrain pieces at a convention players and spectators in the background

This year, Fall In featured close to 550 registered games that attendees could register for ahead of time. Many of the more popular games filled up quickly, but many more had open seats and welcomed walk-up participants. On Saturday morning I gave my seat away for one game due to time commitment issues. When I came back to observe, the GM and another player gifted me a unit of cavalry to control. It should be noted that there are tournaments held at these cons as well, usually for Bolt Action, Flames of War, DBA, as well as 40K and Star Wars Legion.

Tabletop wargaming scene with castle wall sections along left edge clusters of painted miniatures on a green mat and players in the background
Tabletop war game in progress with blue ocean tiled map miniature shipsfigures cards and dice across the surface
Group of people playing a tabletop wargame around a large table with castle ruins and miniature soldiers on a battle map

But that was not all! Plenty of non-tournament, non-historical games were featured throughout the weekend. There was a spectacular Warhammer Siege game played with 7th edition rules and 4th edition miniatures. There was a Man O’ War game featuring six different fleets in which I was lucky enough to participate. And there was a Siege of Helms Deep MESBG game played with a fully operational model of the stronghold.

Shelf filled with colorful boxed Man Oapos War miniature sets arranged in rows depicting ships and fantasy battles for display or sale of board game miniatures
Top down view of a store display with a green toy airplane on a cardboard box and clear tubs of miniature War Master figures in plastic packaging beneath a wooden shelf A handwritten sign warns about a firm price and discounts on multiple items
Close up of a Games Workshop Citadel Colour aposEpic Battle Paint Setapos box being held showing the illustrated battle scene on the cover
Boxed Games Workshop product titled aposMighty Fortressapos on a store shelf with visible Citadel Miniatures branding
Open cardboard box filled with gray foam bricks and plastic bags containing small game parts or miniatures

Last but by no means least, all of HMGS’ events feature a spectacular vendor hall with loads of new and old wargaming items, and the extremely popular Wally’s Basement, which is a flea market with some truly spectacular finds.

It was a wonderful weekend filled with far more games I wanted to play than I was able to play. I am already clearing my calendar for next year!

author avatar
Grayson "The Hungry Halberdier" Brill
Gray was lucky (and old) enough to buy a box of RTB01 space marines new off the shelf and the rest is history. His passion for miniatures and game development has lead him into sales and production roles for tabletop companies, and on Quixotic personal ventures as well. He loves retro, historical and indie gaming, has a keenly honed sense of nostalgia for 40K and WFB, and loves to paint. Most of his gaming is done with his two sons who are just discovering the joys of the hobby, and the rest of his time is spent reading History, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, or painting minis and writing games for fun.
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