IADS: The Game at Historicon 2025 – A Store Owner’s Perspective

A few weekends ago, Your Hobby Place – Alexandria made its first post-COVID trip to Historicon, one of the largest historical wargaming conventions in the country. We were honored that store manager Mr. Mike Cooley decided to bring IADS: The Game along for the ride — even if it was just a single copy!

That one copy wasn’t because of lack of enthusiasm. Quite the opposite — Your Hobby Place has sold out of IADS: The Game thrice in the past three weeks. “We restocked you just days before Historicon, but I could only bring one copy because sales have been so high,” Mike told us.

Mike described Historicon as a high-energy gathering for serious historical wargamers, with the Vendor Hall packed wall-to-wall with like-minded people. While Your Hobby Place’s booth offered a range of titles, IADS: The Game drew attention for its unique blend of military-inspired strategy and approachable gameplay.

“It’s a fast, fun, affordable game — an easy sale,” Mike said. “The rules are well-designed and intuitive, so I can explain it to anyone in minutes.”

That ease of teaching is a huge asset for a store owner. Mike explained that many Alexandria customers — both military personnel stationed nearby and visitors to D.C. — have limited time, storage space, and appetite for learning complex rules. A compact, portable, under-an-hour strategy game hits the sweet spot. He used the word "grabbable" to describe how easy it was to snag, buy, then pop in to your luggage for a quick game at an airport during a layover.

Mike also pointed out that the game’s design — a balance of tactical depth without unnecessary complexity — makes it easy to demo and fun to replay. “It’s the kind of game people can pick up between longer sessions of something else ,” he said. “And it’s not fluff — the mechanics matter.” Mike went on about the game's design describing how a game that's easy to describe/demo to his employees is a game that's much easier for his employees to understand and sell to customers!

Historicon itself offered some great moments for IADS: The Game. The single copy "sold out" quickly, and curiosity from convention-goers reinforced Mike’s sense that the game stands out in the historical wargaming space, even alongside big-box titles. He noted that its portability and straightforward mechanics make it ideal for travel, casual play, and teaching new players.

“Presentation matters,” Mike said. “Your flyers were gone by the end of the first night.”

Con attendees picked up our flyer, asking "What is this?" To which Mike had a quippy response ready to go: "It's an awesome, quick military game. You lottery draw back and forth for weapons, and then you get to start blowing each other up within minutes."

We’re grateful to Mike for sharing his perspective — and for continuing to champion IADS: The Game to new audiences. His feedback confirms what we’ve been hearing from players at demos and conventions: fast, fun, and accessible strategy games have a place alongside the classics.

Next up, we’ll be joining Your Hobby Place at NOVA Open, with more demos, more games, and hopefully more copies to keep up with demand!

-- Madonna