Tournament 11th September 2005

Ok, to start things off lets just say that the journey from Hartlepool to Bognor Regis makes the expedition of the Fellowship of the Ring look like a Sunday morning excursion to ASDA. It was a looooong journey by car for three excitied travellers taking around 8 to 8 and a half hours each way with a single stop off. It was a lengthy distance and time consuming effort but well worth it for what turned out to be not only "The Best Four Days in Gaming" but also the longest four days in gaming and the best four days in insomnia!

After leaving Hartlepool at around 10.30 am on Wednesday morning and taking respite at Woodhall, our new favourite service station, we arrived at Butins at around 7 pm to find that pretty much everything on site was closed and the place was deserted. We wondered if we had the right Butlin's Camp. When we found the check in area we quickly got our keys and two meal passes for the three of us (don't ask - it was a real saga) we shuffled the short distance to the Horseman Events area.

Horseman were well prepared and had taken a considerable technological leap from the major problems of 2004 and despite a couple of very minor problems we were loaded up with Gencon passes, tickets and freebie vouchers in a matter of moments. We were there early and alone, but I would like to say thanks for the efficient and very professional way we were dealt with by Ratty and Co. it was the antithesis of last years debacle with the most disinterested and unfriendly volunteer you could have imagined (incidentally he was at Gencon 2005 and is now renamed by us 'Gollum'). Thanks Horseman, you were really great this year, so well done to you.

After eventually finding somewhere to eat as Butlins had closed the resteraunt we were allocated along with most of the rest of the site (very poor), we had a couple of beers, chilled out and the relaxed in the luxurious surroundings of the adjoining standard appartments we had booked. The fist of many head injuries occured with the very low roof on the first floor apartments and poor lighting on Wavecrest Drive, but I am sure everyone who had first floor accomodation can identify with the strange bumps on all our heads that appeared throughout the four days.

The League of Extraordinary Hockey Shirts* taking things very seriously as ever!

The next morning we rediscovered that one of our number is really not a morning person despite the happiest wake up tune ever on Mr. Date's mobile phone. It is not often that I wake up and immediately start dancing a jig whilst I run a bath (yes I had a bath - three infact - and I changed my tee-shirt twice a day!) that was some catchy tune and became one of the two Gencon 2005 Anthems we developed.

We scoffed a quick breakfast and rushed with eager anticipation to Centrestage to be informed there would be a late start as everything was still being set up. This was entirely Butlin's fault and fairly unavoidable but advance notice the night before would have saved at least one bout of indigestion. It was not a lengthly delay and the League of Extraordinary Hockey Shirts* were soon signing up for their first Heroclix event and invading the unprepared trade stalls.

Although the hired hands looking to inspire us to try a High Stakes Drifter game were very tempting, you know what I mean, we had 3 clixs of willpower each and managed to maintain focus on Heroclix almost exclusively for four days, interrupted only for the odd demo and foray into the trade hall to spend our cash and increase the total booty haul. Incidentally, the bar was way too close to the gaming areas for my liking, there really was no excuse not to drink and game late.

Not a morning person!

The Heroclix games that were planned and delivered by the team of Judges were varied and provided a good depth of different styles of play for those who wanted to try out different themes. The main events are all discussed in more detail at the links detailed below but overall I have to say that Wizkids' staff and envoys did a magnificent job. Kudos to Anup, Stuart, Jules, Darren, Matt, Fanboy Phil and Drew and apologies to anyone else involved whose name escapes me. You certainly provided me with my most entertaining games of clix EVER and it was really good to get to know you guys a bit better over some beers and intellectual conversation (ok that bits a lie).

To be honest, the first couple of days of Heroclix games felt very similar to to the usual one on one games and some I enjoyed lots and some less so thanks to some wretched dice rolls (several of the players I played later enjoyed similar luck too, my condolences to you) and my self-confessed cheese allergy. The last two days I LOVED! I went into role-playing mode as of the Armor Wars celebration. Once I had pulled a Herbie pog, nothing and I mean nothing, was going to stop me creating and enjoying my 'Herald of Herbie' Team and trying to get all available power ups on the little tin man. SHAME ON YOU to all those who instantly ran in and killed the Herbster, but you could not spoil my fun. The final game was class. Flying Vampire Herbie was so close to pushing to try to deal the killing blow to Sentry that it was difficult to concentrate without laughing and he would have got away with it if it wasnt for you pesky player killing him first - Boooo Hissssss!

Anyone who joined in or witnessed the Mandarin's Tomb game saw how I like to play my Clix. "I am the Mandarin, bow before me". Thanks to Drew for a great scenario and giving me the opportunity to use my cunningly prepared Astral Plane Mandarin a second time, to the Mindarin who appeared to have no parents and to all the players who took part, especially those who stayed to the death - MY DEATH!

Sunday was just something else entirely. Is it clix? Is it rugby/american football? Is it an RPG? Who knows but I loved it. Please, please, please use a similar format again! By a long, long way the best and most fun games of clix I have ever had! Extra Kudos to Anup for the scenario and to Fan By Phil for the way he kept the RPG feel with the way he Judged! I can't overstate how much I enjoyed the day and hopefully helped others to have some fun along the way too. Getting to the semi-final was unexpected to say the least, reaching the final was insane and coming as close as we did to sniffing victory was a Brucie Bonus. Thanks to everyone who nominated us for the Fellowship Award and congratulations to Marlow and his partner (sorry I forgot your name) on the take down of Dark Phoenix to claim the win. You may have won but you cant take the damage we did to Nimrod and Dark Phoenix from our Fanatics - we will be back to challenge again next year! HAIL KOBRA!!!!

Despite playing clix all day everyday we managed to squeeze in an extra game of Drunken Clix in the appartment on Thursday Evening. The rules consisted of no figure you had ever used before was allowed and the same went for tokens. The only Battle Field Condition was madness and hence I managed my first two double sixes of Gencon (to critally miss for the fifth and sixth times respectively). It was a very funny game that I recommend everyone to try. Be warned however, you may end up giggling like a girl and taking photos of people taking photos!

Although it is self-proclaimed, I also claim the most ridiculous Theme Team ever played from the Drunken Clix. By pure fluke after selecting Gorilla Grodd™, Parasite™ and Doomsday™ I noticed that each of their right arms was in a very similar pose and thus the they had a theme. However, on consultation with the officious Judge Matt Hardy the next day I was informed that I would not be allowed to field the motley bunch as a Theme Team at any event he was in charge of. Disapponiting to say the least, but I think we had ample revenge when his 'Hardly Ultimate X-Men™' faced our Kobra™ Cheese Hunters in round three of the Wizkids European Venue Challenge. Not a viable theme indeed!

The giant Wolverine Vs Sabretooth hanging from the ceiling was very cool, but Versus is a bit hardcore for us so we stuck to having some fun games of Heroclix.

Not only using an entire team of Rocket Reds but taking a photograph of it - wayyyy too much beer!

I ably demonstrate the most ridulculous theme for a team.

The North East contingent's found it difficult to handle the number of dumpsters they saw and encountered over the course of Gencon 2005, is it just coincidence that this is the most used 3D object and it never breaks? At least not all of them were being carried by Superman. Incidentally, can anyone refer me to the Comic Book Series or Graphic Novels in which Superman runs up to his opponents using Hypersonic speed, hits them with a dumpster and then runs off and hides around a corner for the full issue? I think I must have been in a coma for that as I have absolutely no recollection of it! This drove the group to alcohol very early in the Gencon 2005 experinence as the photographic evidence to the right shows.

Many new friends were made over the course of four days from near and far as well as getting reaquainted with some old friends not seen in a while. It proved that the UK has a fantastic Heroclix Community. Lets prove it by all posting our news and views on the Yahoo group and Realms of Albion and show the Yanks we mean business!

A small sellection of the UK Heroclix Community - THREE CHEERS FOR US, Hip Hip HOORAH!

Can't wait to meet up with many of you again and have some more great Heroclix adventures. Sign us up for the Collatoral Damage© event in Loughborough Jules - we will be there (well I will at least anyway). See you all there and hope you all had safe and uneventful journeys home. I cant say who, but one of our number tried to get in the car next to us at a service station by accident. It may not have been so funny if it were anything like the size and colour of my car or had it not been occupied at the time! Laugh? I nearly wet myself!!!

Driven to drink by dumpster abuse!

A highlight from the most ludicrous game ever - note the tea bag and coffee whitener tokens being used.

The Heroclix was over. The North East had been represented and we could hold our heads up high. Between the three of us we managed one win, (Joker taking out the Dark Phoenix), four other finals (losing - HOORAH!) and two fellowship awards. Not bad for a brand new venue, but we now have a reputation to live up to as well so look out Gencon 2006.

I have said it before but I feel I must say it again, BIG THANK YOU to Wizkids for supporting these events. The prize support was excellent, the friendly Judges made playing always a pleasure and never a chore.

Drew's Mandarin scenario was excellent, despite depriving me of many, many hours of well needed sleep and almost causing Kobra to collapse with exhaustion at the semi-final stage on Sunday. Thanks Drew. The lovely things you gave me will make some really nice participation prizes for Sunday's event too, so on behalf of all my players who were not at Gencon, THANK YOU.

Even Rancor's get freebies at Gencon.

After another long drive, that at around 3pm I thought was going to be endless, we were home to divvy up booty and bid farewell to the fellowship of Gencon for another year. Mr. H decided he had had enough Southern Comfort so kindly threw the remains on my drive for my dog to lap up, just what he needed to go with the valium he was taking to reduce the shock of the fireworks. It appears that we also had a fourth passenger return with us disguised as a member of the League of Extraordinary Hockey Shirts*.

He says his name is Wilbur and he was wanting a lift back to Headland in Hartlepool where his family all live and they worship at the Curch of the Esoteric Order of Dagon. When he arrived at my house he spotted that I had just bought the Call of Cthulhu X-Box game and I just can't get rid of him now. He mutters strange chants in the night and enjoys long baths. He has drawn strange mystical symbols around the house that resemble pentagrams with an eye in the centre. If he doesnt leave soon I really think he might drive me totally insane! Mmwwhhaa!

Crimson Duck out.

Deep one in disguise.

[Dark Phoenix Clash] [Astral Plane Adventure] [Colesseum Clix] [Iron Man Awards] [Armor Wars Celebration] [Wizkids European Venue Challenge] [Mandarin's Tomb] [Envoy Appreciation Event]