Warhammmer Escalation League at The Gamers Realm!

Interest in Warhammer Fantasy Battles is peaking in North Texas with the release of the 8th edition rulebook and the new Blood Island starter box, and The Gamers Realm in Richardson will provide players the perfect outlet for building a new army and mastering the new edition rules for play, via their Warhammer Escalation League!

The League will run for ten weeks--beginning play August 15 and running through October 23--with play beginning at a modest 1000 points and increasing in two-week intervals by 500 points, until by late October players have a completed Grand Army force of 3000 points! Interested participants can begin building their army immediately; participation requires only a single purchase of a GW boxed set of at least $25 value, with the stipulations that it be something which supports the army you intend to play, and actually appears in your army list by the third two-week cycle of play.

Although participating in each cycle of the League will be the ideal way to build an army for WHFB8 play, TGR recognizes how real life can interfere with one's desire to get in as much Warhammer as possible, and so have structured the League so participants do NOT have to participate in all five. Players can join the League at any time, and may remain in the League even if they miss cycles. As an incentive, however, TGR will offer prizes at the climax of the Escalation League, for which participants MUST have played in at least three cycles!

To further distinguish their Escalation League, TGR will have dedicated scenarios on-hand for each of the five cycles...and a huge Warhammer Fantasy Battles tournament in-store for top qualifiers, to climax the campaign!

TGR's Escalation League will require all models be assembled and based; painting, decorative basing, and all of the other aesthetic aspects of the Games Workshop hobby so important to the tabletop experience will be encouraged and have certain in-League rewards, but are not strictly required for participation (this is an Escalation League, after all, with a paramount goal encouraging participation in WHFB!). All currently in-print Army Books will be allowed; players with an interest in playing a possible variant list must see league moderator Jonathan at TGR who will rule on whether it will be allowed.

And if you are a Fantasy veteran, do not discount the value of participating in the League: graduating-size battles with your existing army will be a convenient way to learn how it will adapt to the 8th edition ruleset, and your expertise will prove invaluable to the opponents you face on the tabletop new to the Old World!

Interested hobbyists can make their qualifying purchase today and beginning unit construction toward cycle one of The Gamers Realm's Warhammer Escalation League, beginning August 15. See TGR for any additional details. Epic adventure awaits!
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North Texas Blood Bowl

The Dallas/Fort Worth area will see a new season of Blood Bowl begin in August! With rules available at http://www.dfw-bb.com using the LRB6 ruleset dowloadable from GW free at http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m780049a_Blood_Bowl_Competition_Rules.pdf.

Hobbyists interested in the Old World antics of this kind of 'fantasy football' are encouraged to meet at GW Grapevine Mills on Sundays (or anywhere, anytime in North Texas convenient to two or more league participants) and experience the hilarity. And remember any local stockist can order everything needed for you to play from the Specialist Games section of the GW website!

Warhammer Blood Island Starter Set

Games Workshop will release the 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles starter box set September 4th. Blood Island will feature High Elves versus Skaven; the defenders of Ulthuan starter box army includes two regiments of foot, a cavalry unit and a magnificent general on monstrous flying creature.The Skaven will counter with massed infantry of ratmen plus Poison Wind Globadiers and at least two hulking Rat Ogres!

These all new models will join the recently-released Skaven army book and model inventory and October-releasing new High Elf inventory. If you are considering either (very potent) force as your commandery of choice for WHFB8, you will be spoiled for stunningly-sculpted miniatures--and if either Goblins or Dwarves are your preference (both of which will also see new supporting model releases in upcoming months) now is the time to find one of the remaining WHFB7 Skull Pass starter boxes still on a local retailer's shelf--once those are gone, all of the included models (which, like the upcoming Blood Island contents, form the core of an outstanding beginning Warhammer Fantasy army) will go with them....
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North Texas 40K Summer Playoffs at HobbytownUSA!

Do you have what it takes to command your 40K army through to victory against all comers? Could you claim a $500 shopping spree as grand prize? Find out this summer at HobbytownUSA Dallas, as they host the 2010 North Texas 40K Playoffs!

Players will sign up at HTUD to compete in one of four preliminary brackets on weekends through the summer, four players in each bracket playing two win-or-lose rounds, with the four winners of each bracket advancing to face each other in a single Final Four day of combat at the end of August; these finalists will play three rounds, one game against each of the other three finalists--and that winner will claim forty-first millennium supremacy for all of North Texas!

Entry fee is $25 to participate in one of the four, four-player qualifying brackets. There will be no additional charge to the finalists for participation in the Final Four round. To register, players must have a fully-painted 1500 point 40K army and a printed, valid army list to turn in to judges from a current, inprint codex. These qualifications *must* be met; any player who arrives on the day of his preliminary bracket with a less than fully-painted army and/or an inaccurate, illegible or invalid army list will forfeit their slot in that bracket to a registered, present Alternate and will not receive a refund of registration.

Will it be worth it? Sponsors HobbytownUSA Dallas and Games Workshop are putting up a $50 prize of GW product for *each* of the four preliminary bracket winners--and the hobbyist crowned North Texas 40K Playoff Champion will take home a $500 gift certificate to HobbytownUSA Dallas as Grand Prize!

See HobbytownUSA Dallas to register for one of the limited sixteen preliminary round slots, or the North Texas mailing list accessible from http://www.adeptusnorthtexas.com for latest details, answers to questions, etc.

Preliminary Bracket Dates:

1. Sunday, June 27
2. Saturday, July 17
3. Sunday, July 31
4. Sunday, Aug 8
5. North Texas 40K Summer Playoff Final: Saturday, Aug 21

Results: Astronomi-Con Dallas 2010

The first Astronomi-Con Dallas was a resounding success on all fronts: a national-scale 40K event returned to North Texas and was impressively supported by the community, something appreciated not only by Astro organizers, host The Gamers Realm and all sponsors but by Games Workshop, as well...and the near sell-out roster of players got to experience the very best weekend the hobby has to offer!

• BEST OVERALL: Clay Smith (Orks)
  2nd Place: Christopher Allen (Space Marines--Iron Hands)
  3rd Place: Michael Sanford (Daemonhunters)
• BEST SPORTSMAN: Christopher Allen (Space Marines--Iron Hands)
• BEST ARMY: Billy Pistole (Traitor IG)
• BEST APPEARANCE: Michael Sanford (Daemonhunters)
• BEST GENERAL: Raymond Nerpel (Chaos Space Marines--Death Guard)
• BEST SINGLE MINI: Nam Nguyen (IG)
• BEST TERRAIN: Dave Pakalnis (Tau Empire)
• BEST ARMY LIST: Kyle Foster (Space Marines--Ultramarines)

Result: Pre-Astro Terrain Table Tourney

Eleven dedicated hobbyists brought their Astronomi-Con-tuned 1500 point Warhammer 40K armies to The Gamers Realm to test their mettle against the kind of terrain, missions--and scoring!--they will face in two weeks, when the Games Workshop Grand Tournament Circuit comes to North Texas via Astronomi-Con Dallas!

Thanks to those who submitted tables for use in the upcoming GT: six new additional tables will supplement those supplied by TGR and other sponsors, all with customized, dedicated scenarios written by the Astronomi-Con staff. Interested players can still register to participate at http://www.astronomi-con.com --where you will face opponents, and their Astro armies, like these Pre-Astro event winners:

• BEST OVERALL: Dennis Ovens, Imperial Guard -- 78 points
• BEST SPORTSMAN (and Second Place Overall): Brady Allen, Tyranids -- 77 points
• BEST APPEARANCE (and Third Place Overall): Clay Smith, Orks -- 74 points
• BEST GENERAL: Mark Pollet, Chaos Space Marines

The tournament winner collects a membership to any future Astronomi-Con of his choice AND a ticket to this year's GamesDay (including limited edition miniature!) courtesy of Astronomi-Con and Games Workshop, and the other winners collect gift cards courtesy of The Gamers Realm--total prizes awarded for the day exceeded US$200 in value...just a taste of what is to come at Astronomi-Con itself

Congratulations to all participants, as so many games literally came down to final turns; special kudos to Ian Kershaw and Dave Pakalnis, Best Sportsman runners-up, and Sid Stallings, Best Appearance runner-up. Thanks to ringer Steve Burroughs, from a grateful event moderator...and to everyone at The Gamers Realm, for sponsoring today's Pre-Astro event, and on June 19 and 20, 2010, Astronomi-Con Dallas!