Warhammer Fantasy Battles Tournament – March 13
A reminder that we are having our next Warhammer Fantasy Battles tournament on Saturday, 13 March starting at 10:00 a.m. This will be a 2000 point tournament, with a $10 entry fee. Prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, Best-Painted Army and Best Sportsman. In order to allow our players to begin preparing for the official Games Workshop ‘Ard Boyz Tournament in August, we are going to use the ‘Ard Boyz scenarios from 2009 for this tournament, which are available here.
This means that, in accordance with the general ‘Ard Boyz rules (available here) we’ll be doing 3 rounds of play. However, these will each be of 2.5 hours, not 3 hours duration as stated in these rules. There are also a few other exceptions to these rules–specifically, we are playing with 2000 points, NOT 3000 as stated, there IS a $10 entry fee for this tournament (though not for the official ‘Ard Boyz one when it occurs) and, while there will be no actual scores for painting or sportsmanship, there will be prizes for both. Also, it’s important to note that scoring is based on the scenarios, so pay strict attention to them. You don’t want to be the guy who demolished his opponent and failed to gain the objectives!
Note that you MUST have at least TWO COPIES of your army list WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE TOURNAMENT. One copy will be collected and kept by the TO; the other you will keep and provide to your opponent for his/her inspection at their request. Army lists can be generated by software like Army Builder, printed from programs like MS Excel or even hand-written, as long as they are complete and legible.
More details will be provided at the start of the tournament and all questions will be answered then!
Warhammer 40K Tournament – 20 February
A reminder that we are having our next Warhammer 40000 tournament on Saturday, 20 February starting at 11:00 a.m. This will be a 2000 point tournament, with a $10 entry fee. Prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, Best-Painted Army and Best Sportsman. In order to allow our players to begin preparing for the official Games Workshop ‘Ard Boyz Tournament on May 15, we are going to use the ‘Ard Boyz scenarios from 2009 for this tournament, which are available here.
This means that, in accordance with the general ‘Ard Boyz rules (available here) we’ll be doing 3 rounds of play, each of 2.5 hours duration. We will NOT be using the usual Swiss pairing; rather, the pairing in Round 1 is random, then in Rounds 2 and 3, players will be ranked according to their total points scored and then paired sequentially (so highest points plays second highest, third highest plays fourth highest, etc.) No players will play each other twice. This is the pairing system used for the ‘Ard Boyz tournaments, so we’ll use it and get used to it! More details will be provided at the start of the tournament and all questions will be answered then!
When life hands you lemons…
you get a reminder of just where all those old paper cuts are. 
But you can’t dwell on the gloomy side, so let’s play a little game of “Fortunately, Unfortunately”…
Unfortunately, we had a pipe break in our bathroom and make a nice little flood.
Fortunately, the building slopes to the front and the water followed the wall.
Unfortunately, we did have some games on the floor.
Fortunately, not all that many.
Unfortunately, they were some of the pricier ones (mostly thanks to Fantasy Flight).
Fortunately, only fifteen games (of our hundreds) got wet.
Unfortunately, it’s not worth an insurance claim.
Fortunately, the cleanup and repairs are covered by the landlord’s insurance.
Unfortunately, that includes ripping out our entire bathroom.
Fortunately, we can still use the Bookshelf’s.
And so it goes.
Of the fifteen games that got wet, only one is a complete write-off. Of the others, the boxes are warped, but all the components are fine – so we’re adding Axis and Allies D-Day, Beowulf, The Hobbit, Prophecy, Diplomacy, Android and Warcraft the Adventure game to our in-store demos! It’s an ill wind that blows no good.
That leaves us with a few box-damaged but entirely playable games that we could be convinced to sell at a deep discount (duplicates of the ones we’re demoing, with the exception of Diplomacy). So, if you’re interested, come on in to commiserate (and turn our “Unfortunately” into a “Fortunately” for you).
Heroscape is all good news lately. Not only are we seeing a nice resurgence locally, with a dedicated group of players battling it out in-store every Friday night, but we also have restock on all Wave 1 (Mallidon’s Prophecy) figures. So, in celebration of all that, we’re going to offer 20% all Heroscape in-stock items for tonight only – 6 to 10 PM (just because I can!).
Warhammer 40K Tournament – February 20
A reminder that we are having our next Warhammer 40000 Tournament on February 20. Entry is $10. This will be a 2000 point tournament, taking us another 500 points closer in army size to the big show–the official Games Workshop ‘Ard Boyz Tournament being held on May 15. More information to come on that!
For the February 20 Tournament, however, we need to start asking players to sign up, so we can ensure we have the space, tables, terrain, etc. that we need. So, starting right away, please let us know in-person at the store, by phone (768-8748) or by email (jackie@thunderbay.com) if you intend to participate. Thanks!
Flames of War Tournament – January 31
A reminder that we are having our first Flames of War tournament on Sunday, January 31. This will be a 1275 point game, using army lists from any current Intelligence Briefing in published books up to and including Hell’s Highway, or from any Official Intelligence Briefing on the Flames of War Website. Please note that this will be a Late War game.
Because of the time that each round will be expected to take, we would like to ensure that the first round starts at noon. Accordingly, we would ask that players show up at 11 a.m. or shortly thereafter; the store will be open early on January 31 for that purpose. We are anticipating 90 minutes per round, so we should be done by 5:00 p.m.
Please ensure that you have an army list with you, clearly showing the points breakdown of each platoon in your force, as well as a points total. Remember, 1275 points is a HARD cap.
There will be prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, Best Sportsman and Best-Painted Army.
All tables will pre-set with terrain. The following scenarios will be played:
-Round 1 - Hold the Line
-Round 2 – Fighting Withdrawal
-Round 3 (if required) – The Cauldron
Swiss pairing will be used throughout.
If you plan to participate, please try to let us know by Friday, January 29.
Warhammer Fantasy Battles Tournament – January 23
The general rules and scenarios for the Warhammer Fantasy Battles tournament, coming up on January 23, are now available for download. We also have copies in the store. A reminder that we are asking players to arrive at the store at 10 a.m., for a start of the first round no later than 11 a.m. on January 23.
Updates!
Just a reminder that tomorrow is our every-second-Friday WOD scenario, running until 10 PM. Other gamers/games welcome of course (we’ve heard rumours that a Rogue Trader game is being considered, and we do have a store copy of the WarHammer Fantasy Roleplay system that’s begging to be demo’d!).
And Saturday brings our WarHammer Fantasy Battles tournament – it’s a smaller turn out than our 40K fanatics, so tables will still be available for open play. For the participants in the tournament, the store will be open at 0900 (we recommend arriving at 1000 for a start time of 1100).
Let the games begin!
Harbinger On Tap
No more torturing the L5R players – Harbinger is officially available today.
Thanks for your patience, guys – although it was great fun to watch you drool, it really did make the floors too slippery.
New in Stock!
We’ve been busy restocking after the Christmas rush, and have lots of new games in the store as a result.
The biggie (in all ways) is Planet Steam, a Fantasy Flight release of the German game (with English rules).
But that’s not the only new game in town – we have Android, Granada, Havana, Through the Ages, AquaDukt, Geek Wars, Ergo, Chaos, The War to End All Wars, FITS, Tzaar, Colonia, Duck Duck Safari, Perikles, Age of Discovery, Pickomino, The Dutch Golden Age, Grind, Beowulf, Okko, TransAmerica, Bushido, Ingenious, Labyrinth (and Master Labyrinth and the Labyrinth card game), Senji … and more. Plus restocks of new (and old) Yu-Gi-Oh! tins, Call of Chthulu LCG, party games (including some adult versions for Valentine’s Day), dominoes – and the list goes on and on. 
Abstract strategy, Eurogames, American-style confrontation, war games, card games, board games… I think it’s fair to say that not only do we have the best (and most eclectic) selection in town, we have a game that will suit any style of player.