Wizkids Celebration Event 11th February 2006

As the Heroclix© community in Teesside is growing, so too grows the Travel Club to make the aventure to Loughborough University for the Wizkids® Celebration Day. Four of the five Tees Valley local authorities were represented, with Sean Harte and Craig Woolnough travelling from Hartlepool, Steve Hunt coming from Darlington, Paul Atherton and Matt Barker from Middlesbrough and Steve Date representing Stockton. If we can just nab someone from Redcar & Cleveland we may get the full set for next time. The two Ste's had kindly volunteered to pick up Matt and Paul in Boro and meet at Teesside Park to save a bit of driving so Crimson Duck only needed to convert his Zafira into a 7 seater and collect Craig at 6.30 am for the latest tour to begin. It was fortuitous that a phone call was made when waiting at the car park in Teesside Park as it was then discovered that we were both waiting in different places in the same car park. D'OH! Great way to start the day. We still managed to be on the A19 as the 'Fellowship of the Clixring' by just after 7.00am. I think the start may have been a little bit too early for Paul though.

As mentioned earlier the League of Extraodinary Hockey Shirts* were joined once again by Craig Woolnough and this time by two new hardy souls looking to make the long adventure for the first time. Matt Barker and Paul Atherton joined us for another superb day of games and gags (this time Matt was competing with Crimson Duck for the corniest jokes award). The regulars were looking forward to seeing some old friends and hopefully getting a sneak peak at the Collateral Damage© set for a sealed booster game or two.

Stopping off at Woodhall Services as usual for breakfast a la McDonalds, we still made good time and arrived at Loughborough before anyone else at around 10.00am (better than getting stuck in traffic and being late) which meant we could help to set the tables up before most of the other gamers had arrived. We greeted Col when he turned up with a big gorilla hug (ok then - I did) and after registering to play Heroclix© and listening to Anup and Jules's welcoming speaches were were eager to tear into some Collateral Damage© boosters.

I definately think we set off too early for Paul

The format for the day was a three booster 300 point Constructed Event using the fabulous and anxiously awaited Collateral Damage© set. We spread out around the room as the ever efficient Judges Jules and Darren had already allocated our first round pairings and eagerly gave away £15 each for three boosters. I was paired with Howard for the first game and having opened my boosters and saw that I had a Superman™ Blue (Rookie) I had to use it, it was the law. We had discussed on the journey down that a Supes Blue pull meant he had to be used and a "Superman Blue Electric Boogaloo" Team name be issued, and so it was. As Superman™ Red (Experienced) was also pulled it was a simple matter of joining him with his blue counterpart and adding a Veteran Azrael and a Eddie Fyers pog made up 299 points and what I though looked a fairly strong line up on paper. This consigned Manhunter™, Eclipso™, Trickster™(2 of, both Veterans), Ice™, Captain Cold™, Clayface™ a Hive Trooper and someone else I can't remember straight to the storage box.

Howard v the Duck: The first game against Howard started well enough. In fact I was casually thinking it was in the bag after 20 minutes as Howard hadn't scored a hit and I hadn't missed leaving Metamorpho™ KO'ed and Ragman™ and a Veteran OMAC™ having took 3 damge each. Howard had placed an object token on a building roof and it was a great place to plant Azrael™ and launch my assault. Alas, I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by managing to miss a Rookie OMAC™ on seven consecutive attack rolls (needing seven or less on each roll). This enabled Howard to regroup, launch a retaliation and, after a seemingly endless sequence of successful Regeneration rolls, Howard was very much back in the game. A Critical Hit on Azreal™'s super click (8 move/charge, 9 attack, 17 defence/combat reflexes, 1 damage/support after taking six clicks) when a ten was needed helped seal the victory for Howard. A younger more impetious Crimson Duck may have squeeled like a pig and immediately thrown his dice into a furnace. The new super-cool, relaxed Crimson Duck (when playing Heroclix at least) simply shook hands and wished Howard luck for the future games. I actually really enjoyed the game, despite being defeated.

The shambles otherwise known as "Superman Blue Electric Boogaloo"

Howard moves his Metamorpho into just the right position for the Eddie Fyers pog to finish it off - then Superman™ meets hot OMAC death, both of him!

Having lost the first game I knew any realistic chance of reaching the last four were gone so was resigned to making sure I enjoyed my next two games whatever the outcome. Just as well really! My second game saw me come up against Paul Atherton. Yup, inevitably a 377 mile round trip could not prevent us playing against each other (as Ste D played Matt in Round 3 too) but to be fair I hadn't played Paul before as I am generally Judging ... plus I couldn't really complain as a Father and Son had been paired with each other on the next table along. A cagey start as both players used cover and stealth/Batman™ Team Ability to move into position was suddenly ended when I realised that both Supermen had the Superman™ TA. D'OH! for the second time today. Just shows how often I use a Superman™, in fact I do believe this was the first time I have ever used the big blue boy scout in any of his incarnations. So having realised I could shoot through Paul's stealth I immediately went on the offensive and attacked. It went pretty well until I tried to attack Green Lantern. It appears that whatever Kryptonite-fuelled shielding device the OMAC in my earlier game was using GL had got his hands on it as I could not hit him for love nor money. Every other round after resting he would running shot me and hit and then I would miss him - it was hopeless, especially once my attack values started to drop. Ho hum, played two - lost two and an absolutely horrendous points total that I dare not mention.

At least beating me put a smile on Paul's face and got another win for one of the GamesWorldUK venue players. Would you believe he even did it with my dice because he had forgotten to bring any? The humiliation, the disloyalty of the cuboids, the yellow rings ... thats it, it was the yellow rings, I should have changed them. Then again, how the Green Lantern hurt me when I was surrounded by a yellow aura? Oops, I've gone into geek mode, time to move on.

I did at least manage to eat my lunch whilst getting thrashed by Paul. Ginsters and Coke anyone?

I think I must have been on the bottom table for my last game, but I think I was playing in the Top Table Room because of my opponent. For the third round I was paired against newcomer to the Heroclix scene Becka (and I am guessing that she was sitting next to her Dad for moral support, not that she needed it against me).

Becka ran/Tk'ed/flew her team straight up the map to face me, so I thought it was only fair that I do the same. Orion™ took a big hit, but it only seemed to make him better. Becka's combined force started to do some damage and things were looking pretty even. THEN Green Lantern must have passed the Kryptonite shield he procured from the OMAC on to Orion™ as I managed to miss him with three consecutive rolls in the same round needing seven, seven and then six. Don't you just love games involving dice? I would like to say I let Becka win because she was young and a girl ... but if I did it would be a lie - she hammered me.

Well after another shambolic offering of random number generation between 2 and 12 - or in my case between two and six, I ended the tournamant on a mighty 0 - 3 record with less than 300 points to finsh dead last (I assume as noone could possibly have done worse).

Becka ... the third person to give me a hammering on the day

Anup announced the top placings, which I just missed out on by about 30 places, and Ste Hunt had faired the best of us. With a record of 2 - 1 he finished in the top eight at 5th and collected a Matches Malone for his effort. Unfortunately as we were looking at an earlier finish only the top 4 were involved in single ellimination today so he was knocked out too. So close and yet so far ...

We didn't have the best of events as a venue with our final records as shown below (bear in mind that Paul and Matt's wins also came against me a Steve Date respectively)

Name	Wins	Losses
Stephen Hunt	2	1
Matt Barker	1	2
Paul Atherton	1	3
Craig Woolnough	0	3
Steve Date	0	3
Sean Harte	0	3

Better things were to come for some of us later in the day, but as far as the above is concerned apart from Mr Hunt we maybe should have stayed in bed. On a side note, Ste H's second win actually allowed the eventual tournament winner to just scrape into the top four, so in a small way he did decide the outcome of the tournament (ok, clutching at straws there).

In case you were wondering about our mental state - just take a look at the two pictures opposite and I feel convinced that you will no longer be in any doubt at all about our level of sanity, or lack thereof. Well you have to have a laugh don't you?

He really does look uncannilly like Lex Luthor, so why does he hide behind the Superman hockey shirt? Here he poses with his look-a-like Heroclix.

In the deadtime between the main event and the start of the Battle Royale events I try out the latest line in Wizkids fashion accessories ... the Heroclix booster ear-rings.

After the travesty, ahem, I mean the tournament was over for the six of us we all (apart from Paul) took part in Battle Royale events using another Collateral Damage© booster (each). I know this sounds like making excuses early ... and indeed it is .... but my booster pulls sucked. OMAC, Speedy™, Blue Devil™ and Ragman™ all in their rookie form added up to a less than amazing points total that on several tables was tripled (one booster beat it with one figure and had three veterans to go along with it). In the circumstances I thought I did ok. I managed to hang on in there with Blue Devil and the OMAC until there were just two of us left and then the opponent who had just an Experienced Blue Devil took me out to make the final. Mind you he wasn't standing much chance in that one with about two clicks of health left against some players who were unhurt (what the heck were they doing for an hour and ten minutes?).

In the meantime Paul was playing in the final of the hastilly arranged Junior (under 16) event against my third victor Becka. We didn't get to see or hear much about Paul's game other than that he won. Obviously we hammered him about it but I think it's fair to say he had the last laugh as he recieved a nice pile of prizes which included none other than Hal Jordon (as if he hadn't done enough damage with an Experienced Green Lantern).

There were some players at the tournament who won some games ... apparently

When all the games were over the presentations were made. To my utter astonishment and absolute joy I was awarded the fellowship prize. Both Anup and Jules mentioned the effort that had been put in to supporting Approved Play and posting on the forum sites over the last few months. It was really nice, but very embarrasing when they said my name and I realised it was me they had been talking about. The two of them must know me better than I thought as they gave me one of the cool Blue Judge T-Shirts I was enviously eyeing up that Daz was wearing today (this was a bonus for me and Daz as it meant that I didn't have to mug him in the dark and steal his later on). I was also given a really nice folio binder with the Wizkids Approved Play logo on and asked to present Daz with one (this was a bonus for me and Daz as it meant that he didn't have to mug me in the dark and steal mine later on).

I was also given a groovy Fat Flash or "The Flab" mod that had been created by Steve Lidgett, the tournament winner as it happened. This was a great prize and a very personal one for which I thank you all. Other goodies included a Johnny Storm Chrome Mailaway LE and a pick of half a factory set of Collatoral Damage©. Does this mean I am one of only three people in the country with CD LE figures for a week or two? Come to think of it does it mean I am the ONLY person in the country with Clark Kent, Tornado Tyrant, Arthur Light, Kate Spenser and Ralph Dibney? How cool is that???????

The sponsoring venue wasn't forgotten either as Anup provided me with some fine quality Wizkids doormats to take to Paul's shop. My wife obviously approved of them as she took what look at them and said "What the hell is that crap you've brought home now?" Some people just don't appreciate the finer things in life.

Here I am captured on camera for the second time today (how the hell did that happen?). This time I am seen posing with "THE FLAB". In case you are wondering I am the one at the rear of the picture in the Punisher T-Shirt whilst the Flab is the one at the front in red

On the drive home I experienced the Twilight Zone that Ste Date had entered last time we travelled to Loughborough. Having stopped of at our usual and favourite Woodhall Services and making the near fatal comment "We will have enough petrol to get us to the A1" I was very close to running out of petrol in the middle of no-where. Too close in fact as with 10 full minutes of flashing warning light I reckon I was just about running on fumes. We luckilly hit a Shell Petrol Station (thank the Lord for the miracle of Shell) on a road near Pontfract somewhere, after turning off the M1 in desperation, to a huge cheer from the passengers. It was even loud enough to wake Paul up and nearly give him a coronary. It would appear Paul isnt a moring person, or a late person, or a good travelling person although to be fair in the confines of the back row of a Zafira he was probably running out of air.

After that it was easy going, apart from struggling to find the A1 again and somehow jumping into another dimension to end up on the opposide side of the A19 near Thirsk (I have no idea how those magic roadworks can do that) and being very, very tired. We got home eventually, but the journey that took around three hours on the way down had taken over four hours on the way back ... strange but true.

The rest of the gang looking very fuzzy at Woodhall Services. Not sure if that was the camera or just my eyes. It was a great day, but another long one and very tiring

Once again, a great big THANKS to Anup, Jules and the other judges and all the participants for a fabulous day and a great event. See you soon for the Nationals!