Adepticon 2014 Part 2

I came out to Adepticon on Thursday evening to pick up my badge, unload the stuff for LotHS and socialize a bit with folks I only see once a year at this event.  My first day of gaming however was friday morning bright and early for the Lord of the Rings Championships.  The over a decade old, often maligned scapegoat of the GW game systems is a great strategy game at its core and a great rules system developed by Rick Priestly and Alessio Cavatore. I never quite understood the hate directed to the game by the GW masses, mainly because its written by the same guys that wrote
stuff for the all the other games and the IP for those games, like anything in the fantasy or science fiction genre always, even if it doesnt realize it, borrows from Tolkien.

Jeremy and I battling for the hill Round 1

 The game has taken it lumps last several years with the completely unnecessary re-branding of the game which only fractured the already fringe gaming community, This move was the set up for Games Workshop to fight tooth and nail to retain the license in order to manufacture figures for the new Hobbit films. Games Workshop succeeded but then somehow decided to destroy the line by producing most of the new figures for the game in their much reviled finecast material which has kept many people from buying the figures. Games Workshops bread and butter with LotR figures were the sales from collectors not just hobbyists. Releasing the majority of figures in a material unfriendly to both was pure idiocy.

Daves G's Dwarves here are the best I have seen of the new releases and best I've seen in good while. awesome job.

This event itself has suffered as a result. I've been around for the highs and lows, seen the dwindling effects year by year on Adepticon and our other local tournament Bilbo's Birthday Bash. This attitude also reflects upon its status at Adepticon. From room placement, to neglect in prize support to even the tourney format. For years the game format was always Good Vs Evil often requiring you to bring two armies to avoid mirror match ups. However when you struggle to get twenty people in an open event at a convention as large as this, such requirements become impossible. As a result the tourney  had no such faction stipulations and it was just a straight up swiss style event. I wish I actually read the tournament rules on format better, although I am not sure if the decision was made after the fact
based on the declared number of good and evil  players (if thats the case they should have reached out the players because I am sure alot of us could of brought different armies)

Kyles Games of Thrones themed army was very well done, however done as the Starks I think he should have went with a different color scheme. Love the warg with glowing eyes in cave. Models had good highlights as well as Stark iconography

 My games with my Rohan force resulted in a Minor Loss, and Minor Victory and Draw. Rohan played pretty well, only in the first game did I wish I had another 10 models however we played the scenario wrong and if we did not I dont think It would have mattered. I hadnt played the game in a year and my memory of the new rule set was pretty weak. I am really only playing in this as an excuse to paint LotR figures and see people I like and have a good time.  I played two new players who I hadnt met before, they were both great and we had a good, fun games however both players had Wood Elf Armies with Legolas, and since I was also running Legolas, it made the game less of a Lord of the Rings game and more a generic tourney match up, kind of not what I am looking for when I play this game once a year.

Jeremy's Castle and its Castellan.

 I played my pal Jeremy in round 1 who deservedly beat me out in the Best Appearance category by a couple points for his awesome entirely converted Dol Guldur Orc and Evil Sprit army with fantastic castle with spooky lights. You can tell he slaved on this project its won BA and both Biblos and this season, so congratulations are in order.. I knew I wasn't beating him going into it as I always get hurt on not having enough conversions in my army and I decided with all the other stuff I was doing this year I wasn't doing an elaborate display so I wasnt surprised nor disappointed.

John S' Orcs who are seen in the first photo above playing what looked like a really fun game with all the trolls. I never actually played a game where trolls get to square of against each other.

 I must say this year with guys I know from the Minneapolis area joining the LotR fray who are stellar hobbyists that  the modeling and painting was the best I have seen in along time versus the number of participants, I would say probably 1/3 of the field was in contention for the Best Appearance award within 5 points or so and that is pretty impressive.

Eric H's , awesome converted Burdur and Cave Troll goon Squad.

In end the event did leave a bitter sweet taste in my mouth, while I am glad there are new people playing the game its decline in status and current state of affairs with Games Workshop as far as releases and the closing of all stores with anywhere to play other than demos make its lifespan clear.  I cant see this surviving at all past the release of the final Hobbit film so next Adepticon is the last hurrah, and thats IF we even table space considering the size of the event and attendance (the team tourney was dropped this year)

Personally I think we should demote ourselves to "big game status" and some sort of huge themed event across 3 or 4 tables..it would make thing less tournament like given the game thriving in Good vs Evil situations and take the pressure of the Tournament requirements, but I dont make the decisions in that department, but I actually do for one of the other quirky fringe games I play, Legends of the High Seas, it was the first return of Pirates since 2011 and great rowdy, cannon blasting time was had by all, Thats coming up in my Adepticon 2014 part 3.