This is a review of the DESOLATION OF STOCKPORT event hosted by GBHL James and Jamie, who I like to think have become very good pals of mine in and out of the hobby. So I'm kinda like a proud father lol.
So firstly a big thank you to you guys you should be proud as for myself and many others it was my first tournament, but after attending I cannot wait to get a hall pass to the next one.
The enthusiasm from everyone involved was so infectious and everywhere you looked there were faces filled with utter joy at being involved their own little testing situations (of which there were many), and despair (in a good way) at losing that 50/50 roll offs for the 10th time!
The venue as everyone I'm sure would agree is perfect for this kind of weekend with a mass of boards and scenery, friendly staff, element games store on site and food/drink served to you at your table mid-game! We couldn't ask for more. From what I can gather from the other gamers there this weekend we didn't realise how lucky we were to have this on our doorstep.
So the tournament itself was seven games spread over two days, four on day one and three on day two.
I was quite apprehensive due to it being my first tourney and me not being as polished on the rules as most but I had no reason to be everybody was uber helpful and some even pointed situations out to help me at a cost to themselves mid-game (jolly good form!).
The games were scenarios mostly from the new DOS sourcebook with a "To the Death" and a custom "Take and Hold" scenario thrown in the mix.
The 500pt force I used consisted of-
Faramir/a-horse/h-armour/shield/lance
8 Knights of minas tirith with shields
Beregond mounted
11 Guards of fountain court/shields
Madril
8 Ithilien ranger/spears.
I was drawn with Will Poynter in my first game of "Rescue".
I'd played this scenario famously on the channel and got hammered by James so was a bit apprehensive.
We rolled off to choose our roles and I was "Attacker ".
Will's force was a Mirkwood jobby with Thranduil and palace guard, then Tauriel with mirkwood rangers!
We set up as per instruction and a nervy cautious face off ensued.
Neither of us were 100% confident on our rule knowledge but we played the game in good spirit think we both really enjoyed it.
Gondor ended up with the victory although we did on many occasions forget thranduils spell which demanded courage tests to charge him and his guards ............. graciously Will said he thought it wouldn't of affected the outcome due to my bodyguard rule on many of my force which was true but I still felt he had been a little hard done by.
But like I said he was gracious in defeat and we were both smiling at the end. He was a truly nice lad, I had a lot of time for him which proved to be the case with loads of guys I met over the weekend.
On to game two, with a spring in my step from officially having a 100% record on the tourney circuit! Oooouuush!
My chest was puffed up, crowds parted as I walked around, playboy bunnies were bringing cups of tea...... Then....... My opponent walked over like a grinning mountain of a man
- the mighty Ed Ball says "come on Steve, I've got Yoooouuuuu!"
My chest sunk in people knocked me over and playboy bunnies kicked sand in my face! (Note- some situations my be exaggerated for dramatic effect!"
Same scenario opposite roles, so I was defender this time and Ed had to kill Faramir with his three (excessive) fell beasts.
This is long one so "get ya paints out guys" lol (nod to james there)
Turn 1.
Ed automatically had priority and kills Faramir- roll credits,
Jokes aside I'd heard of Ed and seen Ed in vids etc so wasn't sure what to expect but what a great guy. Don't think it would have been the same tournament without such a big personality there. Fair play Ed, was a pleasure meeting you fella.
Ed played this how he should of done and did even give me hints throughout. I just had no chance.
So one win, one loss.
We had a break food in house, burgers, hotdogs, curries the kind of stuff which us gamers need to replenish wounds and might.
On to the afternoon and a new scenario.
BLOCKADE!
So game three and I'm paired with Louis Aplin who I kinda knew from meeting very briefly when I took my son to a "War of the Ring" tourney at Warhammer world maaaaany moons ago.
Louis' aim was to stop my mounted Faramir leaving the opposite boards edge using his dwarfs!
Stupidly I assumed I had this in the bag and there was no way he could stop me in time so decided to dawdle around and make it a bit interesting rather than just march off and get the win, after all I had mounted Faramir the win was in the bag!
Nope! I cocked up and got charged he killed faramirs horse and time then ran out before I could do anything.
Very frustrating draw for me but it was still fun and it was a lesson learnt.
So last battle of the day and I get drawn against Rob, again I know I sound like Mr. nice but Rob was a truly friendly approachable guy who was happy to help a noob along.
So the tables were turned this time as Rob plays dwarfs just like Louis but with Rivendell knights as a support warband, it was Rob who had to get his Kings Champion from one end of a six foot board to the other!
This time I took no chances I thought my tactics through. I decided I needed to surround his leader but keep his knight at bay for at long as possible to stop him counter charging my knights. My rangers proved to be enough of a distraction to make this happen and I was able to despatch his dwarves in the fashion of which I pre imagined using My knights as hard hitters with Faramir and my Fountain Court Guard with F4 D7.
All in all it was probably the most well organised and executed game Id played and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rob took the defeat like a gent and we shook hands as the day drew to a close.
On came day two with the same amount of anticipation as the first, I started to feel comfortable with my force and the things I needed to do to make the most of it.
First game of the day.....Seize the Prize!!!
First opponent....Damien O'Byrne, a true gent among men and great to finally meet Damien after seeing him in the GBHL recent batreps and unboxings etc.
So another Dwarven elf alliance stood between me and my third win. This time Thorin, Legolas and Bilbo were the main players in a decent looking force. This time my tactic was to let Damien burn some might to get the prize before me which I was happy to let him do so as I sat back and reserved my might to win fights on Thorin. I then moved in all at normal pace and joined Damiens force on the centre piece of the board as Bilbo failed not once but SEVEN! times to dig the artefact up. Damiens and My Rangers exchanged arrows for most of the game whilst a tactical chess like game ensued over the artefact.
In the end with both sides mightless and exhausted and after a few very tense dice rolls toward the end time was called and Damien got the win as eventually he used a lowly dwarven warrior to dig the prize up. A win I was more than happy to concede to, as the game itself taught me hell of a lot about placement in tight multiple battles and another situation where I needed to take the initiative and just use my knights high movement to get to and take objectives......... Damn you O'Byrne, damn you to hell!!!!!! lol only kidding great game buddy and really look forward to getting a few more played with you soon.
So on to game two of the day.
To the Death!
This was a game against a fella who before this tournament I never even spoke to on the forums or anything, Thomas Williams.
A great guy and a fella with good taste, another Gondor player.
Wed spoke a few times over the first days antics and we got on really well so was a pleasant surprise when we drew eachother in battle.
His force was very similar to mine with Faramir, Damrod, Denethor, Citadel guard, Guards of fountain court with a few rangers and standard warriors thrown in. No knights though, RESULT! (I thought)
So the game ensued and again tactically I was very happy with how things were going, I had a clear plan to split his force and pick them off using bow fire and knights to charge the stragglers in the river then whittle him down and slaughter his leader. Great tactic but for some reason around turn three I thought ahhhh sod it! and charged My Faramir into his thinking "Sit back lads, Ive got this!" Nope, Faramir you muppet you failed to strike on about a million dice then got trapped and died!!!!
Again my noob head had kicked in and instead of thinking of the scenario and points etc I just wanted a fight!!! lol Doh!
So my only chance of getting anything from this game was to break him to get a draw. Which I was doing successfully and time ran out it came down to needing one kill in the last turn but alas it wasn't meant to be and I lost. I couldn't of lost to a nicer bloke though. Very humble and a pleasure to game with. Great fight, I really enjoyed it.
So Final game, and last chance to redeem myself from previous slip ups.
It was a custom scenario "Take and Hold"
I had drawn a wee Scot by the name of Alan Wolstenholme, another cracking lad who liked a bit of banter and was a great opponent.
So It was Gondor Vs Dwarfs again! Led by Gimli, Kings Champ and Alfrid!
Now I knew these were going to tough little puppies to kill and with Alan using Alfrid to his full extent to boost Gimli to a million points of might I knew I had to get him to waste some of that said might!
So ensued was a pretty cagey first half of the game where I had to rely on alans eagerness to get into a fight with Gondor by using Heroic marches etc and use my rangers and Beregond to pick off loose dwarfs here and there which was working out great for me (probably the best shooting turns all weekend).
It got to the point where I was happy to send in my infantry and my knights wgich again was working great I was winning fights I really had no right to win againt Gimli and the kings champion. Before I knew it he was broken which was great for me with I think only 3 meagre casualties. This bloodlust was to be my downfall as i hacked my way through the dwarfs untill it came to a point where Alfrid was in combat with a dwarf with shield against a knight of minas tirith on the charge supported by a Ranger and a single ranger also.
So we roll off I win the fight easily with another 6! (of which I seemed to be throwing constantly to kills his force), and I had the option to strike the dwarf or Alfrid........ Obviously my noob head said Alfrid as Def 3 means he was toast and I could chalk up another kill, Little did I realise that killing Alfrid brought Alan below 25% thus ending the game and Alan had very cunningly placed a single dwarf on the prize behind a rock so I totally forgot about him and it gave Alan 5 pts for being closest uncontested to the prize where as I only got 3pts for the kills Id been concentrating on so much!!!!
Nooooooooooo! lol. Another mistake I would never make again and this is what playing the game does it trains you to be a better gamer and use tactics you ay never have thought of because someone used them against you. Congrats Alan you I was happy to play in that game with you buddy I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't of lost to a nicer bloke.
So the tournament came to an end and the room was filled with tales of battles won and lost, we heard about other numerous mistakes and what if's........... But not one person had a bad word to say about the whole weekend it was enjoyed in the right way and ran without hiccups or brain farts as James would say.
This being my first tournament was something I have to wholly admit is something I am so happy I decided to take part, there was a little bit of me that almost decided not to come because I thought its just not my scene and I wouldn't have anything in common with the gamers etc but I couldn't be more wrong. Im not your typical gamer I don't think but then again who is? I couldn't pigeon hole anyone there as there were so many different personalities and characters I just wish Id have done it years ago.
Id personally like to thank My buds James and Jamie you have started something guys and am not sure if you have been able to stop and realise that its going to be huuuuge in the future. The time and effort you guys put in is admirable and I think the turn out this weekend should prove how much of an impact you have had on the hobby.
I would also like to thank everybody foe making my first tourney what it was and that includes guys I never even played or maybe didnt get chance to chat to as you all just being there and enjoying it created an atmosphere that Ive never experienced before, well done.
Obviously there are a few names Id like to mention also who really stood out for me and hope to keep the friendship going that were forged in the fires of battle.........
Jan "the Dutch Guy" as he introduced himself to me with a grin the size of Stockport, your a great guy dude and it was my pleasure to get to know you. We are now FB buddies so you will have to put up with my posts of baby pictures and videos of my dog, sorry about that!
Soren "Mr hangover" lol. Another great gay from overseas and a great personality to boot. We didn't get chance to meet on the battlefield but we will correct that in the future.
Elliot " young Abe Lincoln" Get saving lad for Sept
Again these three so far I didn't even battle with but really made me feel welcome and at ease.
Barry and Gary, both from my ancestral roots on the green isle, two truly nice, friendly guys. Theres not much more I can say about these two other than chatting to them was like wed been pals for years not minutes.
Mertaal and Thomas Great to put a face to Mertaal and again both these guys made me feels really welcome and at ease.
Damien, Tom and Ed it was only a matter of time before we crossed swords (not in a man love way) and look forward to doing it again soon.
The Shadow and Flame guys, your work is outstanding and the pics although are amazing don't do your work justice. Seeing them close up, just WOW!
All in all I could write another 10 pages to try and cover the community feel and the social side of it but Id still be no where near explaining it exactly as it is. All I can say to anyone in two minds about taking the plunge is, DO IT! You wont regret it and you might even like me realise you've been missing out on something that brings people together in a way like no other.
I will now sign off I may edit this as I remember things So if I missed you out it wasn't intentional its just there was so much going on my little head almost burst.
Steve aka ste271276
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) but it would have been worth it for Thermo's Gandalf impression alone.
