Specials & Specialist Gaming

Specials and Specialist Gaming are what we consider one offs and unique events that embody the best of the games club and are either a day or evening event, one that embraces the game and the fun social aspect of gaming in a  friendly open atmosphere. So what you can look forward to:

The games played each night at the club are extremely varied, and while board games are a big feature we also have fans and players of Warhammer (8th edition Fantasy, 40k and Age of Sigmar), X-wing, Malifaux and Bolt Action. In addition to more traditional Wargames, we also have groups who regularly play RPGs.

Organized Play exists to help you explore more of those possibilities. By supporting a wide range of events and gaming experiences,  our previous organised plays saw an X-Wing night, a Bolt Action Sunday and a Gaslands Session. Our players found it helped with new and varied army lists, find more games, meet more players, explore more gaming opportunities.


The Games Club is though at its heart a place to play games and the more people who pop down and game the greater the number of new opportunities and gaming ties we can find. Nottinghamshire and the surrounding places have a wealth of great gaming companies and players, we aim to see that we all get a chance to meet and great.



Quiet Gaming Sessions

Join us for our special Quiet Gaming Sessions – all the same fun of our Tuesday Nights Board Gaming Sessions but with much less hustle and bustle!

Its a quieter spot which provides an atmosphere in which to explore and enjoy board and tabletop, but within understanding as to the sensitive needs of visitors within autistic spectrum or other communication and sensory conditions. The session takes place usually on a Sunday 4pm till 8pm, during our usual opening hours. Siblings, families, carers and friends are welcome.

Tournament play

We have also seen organized Tournament play and a team up with a local Card Games Organiser and groups and ProjectTHISNG, which saw over 50 players testing their skills at a Yu-Gi-Oh. It allowed players to test their skills, both in card play and skill, with the usual inter game friendlies.

Bolt Action Sunday Gaming provides opportunities for new army lists, innovative play styles and historical thematic squads for custom events and play styles. with the new army lists and rules from Warlord Games and complete innovative new challenges.

When you play in our Special Events and Organized Play, you’ll become part of the larger gaming community and engage in something that helps cross all social and political and the sexual orientation. We aim to see people having fun and enjoying themselves.

And last, but not least…

There is also the Opportunity to learn about HobbySpotz and ProjectTHISNG, with our Hobby Space and Community Space. We also have ties to the local gaming community (Tabletop Industry Coffee Mornings and Socials) and those who run it from makers to designers and artists and writers.


Playtesting

We are part of ProjectTHISNg (see above,) however we also work with and part of the overall groups to help facilitate playtesting for developing and experienced game designers.

We realize that playtesting is one of the more crucial aspects of game development and testing which helps you the designers understand where your players perspective lies. we also understand that Predicting players and how they play your game and read the rules varies with ever players experience. Player enjoyment and experience plays a huge role in player retention, and this is where playtesting comes in handy.

https://www.meetup.com/Playtest/events/285268152?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=share-btn_savedevents_share_modal&utm_source=link

We can help with.

  • Gross Playtesting: Test the most basic running model of the game, help you look out for the basic faults in the gameplay.
  • Private (NDA) Playtesting: Carried out by contracted play testers. To find more glitches in gameplay and formulate the game for broader testing.
  • Blind Testing: A group of testers whith  no prior experience of the game tests it during blind testing.
  • Final Playtesting: it is the last phase of playtesting, and is done before the game launch. This playtesting version is close to the final version of the game.

We have players who can help you and your game.


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On Saturday the 15th of December Wargames Foundry are going to be hosting a Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader participation game.
 The game is being run by Andy and Gareth, a pair of veteran gamers who are providing all the models and scenery for the game.
Their blog is www.talesfromthemaelstrom.blogspot.co.uk Contact so they have an idea about numbers.
Open from 10am and games will be running between 11am and 4pm. Anyone is welcome to drop in and take control of a squad from one of the factions battling it out on a destabilized Imperial world.
Company founder, Bryan Ansell, will be there at some point in the day. Betting he hasn’t seen a game of 1st edition Warhammer 40,000 in decades.
The company has found a very old master mould for a pair of fishmen with science fiction guns, Bryan Ansell converted from fantasy models to play test Laserburn and later on Rogue Trader. A new production mould is under way so they can have them as giveaway models for anyone there on the day.
Well what you waiting for, and hopefully an opportunity to chat to Matt Adlard who is trying to garner support for a Games club at the factory.
 Tea, coffee, biscuits and possibly even cake for anyone who turns up!!

 

While Nottingham may be the Spiritual Home of tabletop gaming in the UK, Alex J Huntley is it seems to help to cement this image by helping put Nottingham on the map again internationally in both gaming and with his model making business by teaming up with Nottingham Trent University to develop and run an exciting model-making Courses. The course aims to teach you the skills to make dynamic figures that will stretch your creativity.

Image result for nottingham trent university

Model Sculpting Course

Saturdays 10 am – 4 pm, two weeks
Indicative maximum class size: 14
Nottingham has an excellent reputation in the war game and fantasy model making industries, and at NTU we are pleased to announce a repeat of this unique two-day course for enthusiasts who wish to immerse themselves in this world.
Course Code; CSCFMM
Course Dates; 28th October 2017 – 4th November 2017
Course Fee; £180.00
Course Description;  Led by Alex Huntley of Warploque Miniatures, one of the UK’s most exciting model-making companies, the course will teach you the skills to make dynamic figures that will stretch your creativity.
Over the two days, you will focus on superheroes, bizarre animals or any other creature of your imagination. The course is completely practical, so you’ll be engaging with a hands-on project from the start.
This course is open to anyone aged 16 and above.
On this course you will:
•build a simple armature
•sketch in plasticine
•sculpt in fast-drying materials
•turn a 2D design into a 3D piece of art.
What will you gain?
By the end of the two days you will have a model to take home to continue painting, and the knowledge of how to create more. The course will also introduce you to the techniques used to produce miniatures for resin and metal casting reproduction.
This course is ideal if you are interested in the war game and model making industries.
You might already have a concept you want to develop and are looking for advice and new skills, or you might want to create models purely for pleasure and your own games.

Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813

Warploque Miniatures website

This is or looks to be an interesting and exciting project and shows how tabletop games companies can be both generous with their knowledge and engage with the hobby on many levels. For those who don’t know, Alex Huntley is the owner, writer and sculptor of the highly successful  ArcWorlde, a 32mm fantasy wargaming miniatures for gamers, painters and collectors, which launched on Kickstarter in 2013. Their original goal of £5,000 was completely blasted alt textthrough and by the end of the campaign they had managed to raise a truly massive £57,019 in pledges,  A second run at Kickstarter Battle for Troll Bridge hitting £10,663, then finally the third instalment Trouble in the North raised a whopping £21,108. Helping to expand the World of ArcWorlde into new territories.

Originally a model maker as a child Alex Huntley started to show off his works via blogs and internet forums developing a loyal following. This was then proven with the number of people who both took up interest in his original Kickstarter and also actively spent time sharing details with everyone they knew, helping to blast past the pre planned Kickstarter pledges and see sudden changes in how he was running the campaign. yourself to keep going.

Of cause there is a multitude of model making and gaming companies out there and many would wonder about the necessity of further saturating the market with another, as we have seen several just recently collapse, like Spartan Games and and Tor, however that is not what this is really about and more about helping others develop skills to create something that at the very least help to create bespoke minis and models that appeal to the maker and at best see something that is edgy and less about mass market and more about what makes you want to buy because you really appreciate the miniature, something which captures the imagination.

So who will be going to such a course and why, well anyone who has ever gamed and thought I can do better, anyone who has looked at a miniature and felt I wish they made X model or just those who want to understand how to improve existing skills and develop or new comers who are eager to start their own dreams of being a miniature designer.

So what will you be looking at with the course, well at its core people will be introduced to the skills required for creating their own three-dimensional characters and bringing their ideas to life. through the process of making Image result for alex huntley miniature sculptingsketches and taking ideas from peoples heads and develop the model through the process of creating a wire armature out of wire, and then building up modelling putties to the finished component. Learning about the creative process, through practice and the experience of both the teacher and others.
Well if you are a budding miniature game designer and want to learn how to sculpt, an existing converter who wants to develop skills or new to the hobby and fancy developing then this is something that will appeal to a lot of readers.

#Warmongers #tabletopgamingnews #WhispersfromtheLeadBelt

Ok just a quick one and a pre warm-up to the event, the local branch of the Primus Shard (A collective name for groups who play Gates of Antares), Nottingham have teamed up with Warlord Games to offer a charity campaign event with proceeds going to the Firefighters and Air Ambulance Service. Tickets are £15 & include lunch!Expect to play 3 scenarios using your 750 point forces.They are also offering Prizes for:
Best Looking Army,
Sportsmanship, most unlucky,
plus a painting competition for all Antarean armies,
Single figures and units.Kick off at 10am finishing at 5pm Saturday 9th September 2017Having previously run events like Gates of Antares Tournaments, as well as participation and demonstration games, the club has come together to put on the charity fundraiser at Warlord games HQ, Store Centre which is where the group’s numerous members meet each Tuesday. To find out more about the Gates of Antares event please check out the link below and will see a full review after the event, .Gates of Antares Charity Event http://www.warlordgames.com/event/antares-charity-boot-camp/ by Warlord games 9th SeptA4_LANDSCAPE
#warlordgames #GatesofAntares #Nottsevents #WhatsonNotts

Nottingham Gamer Petitions Ikea to build Gaming Tables

Ok a bit of light news for a change, with everything being so heavy and dark in the news its always nice to have something that raises a smile and the spirits.

Image result for board gaming table examples (Table an example only and not to be confused with any Ikea actual products)

(Table an example only and not to be 
confused with any 
IKEA actual products)




Brad Smoley it seems is it seems both passionate about gaming and socially aware with regards how many in the community are cash strapped in these hard times and so has decided to petition IKEA to help out the fellows gamers by having them design, build and sell gaming tables. However this is not as crazy as it might sound.
There has in the community been several attempts over the years to develop a gaming table that provides for the gaming community at large and as a family dining table. However funding and costs have always made this inappropriate.
Brad Smoley it seems is it seems both passionate about gaming and socially aware with regards how many in the community are cash strapped in these hard times and so has decided to petition IKEA to help out the fellows gamers by having them design, build and sell gaming tables. However this is not as crazy as it might sound.

And here is why Brad decided to petition IKEA, as an industry leader in sleek and well designed home furniture with an ethos that started as an idea in the woods of southern Sweden more than 70 years ago and what now has become ‘The IKEA Concept’ an ever evolving design processes still improving. So if they are ever evolving and designing new lines then it is reasonable that a product that could see grow in sales would be something that they would be interested in and it would allow gamers who already buy book cases and storage units for games to extend the look to a table.

With IKEA’s existing ranges and lighting ideas this could turn out to be something of a game changer (No pun intended) and one I would very much like to see happen.

Brad Smoley’s Letter to IKEA

IKEA


The board gaming community is passionate and particular about their gaming accessories. They are also a large group with disposable income. There have been many attempts in the community to develop a high-quality table appropriate for both dining and gaming, but few have been affordable enough for the community at large to enjoy.

That is why this petition has been created. IKEA is an industry leader in creating multi-functional furniture at affordable prices. The tabletop gaming community is already a heavy user of IKEA’s KALLAX product as it is an efficient way to store and display their gaming collections.

An affordable multi-function dining table designed by IKEA with an under-table storage area/gaming surface would be an incredible addition to not only IKEA’s line up of products, but the board gaming community’s list of essential gaming accessories.

And the Petition has been open a couple of days and has already garnered over Twenty two thousand petitioners, Let’s make it happen!

Petition Ikea to design and Sell a Gaming Table

If you have been in the Industry or merely just watching the tabletop gaming news will know that the once owner of Saxon Miniatures miniatures was looking to sell the business in order to expand the company range. The core concept they were looking at was to develop a merged take-over were the current owner and sculptor in order to allow them to expand the range of miniatures.

This is an interesting concept as the current range of figures are exquisite as the Saxon Warbands below show.


And for a while, it seemed that Saxon Miniatures was going to fall by the wayside like so many great companies however it Warlord Games has just come to the rescue… With an interesting news announcement.

Warlord Games Warlord Games is delighted to announce its acquisition of the Saxon Miniatures Dark Ages ranges from History Maker.

Paul Sawyer, Head of Product Design at Warlord Games, says “One of the cornerstones of the Warlord Games offer is our Hail Caesar game and the very first Warlord products were plastic Early Imperial Roman Legionaries (ten years ago!) so this period of military history is very dear to our hearts. The Dark Ages are a popular and exciting period for wargamers so when Saxon Miniatures wbd01(2)became available we jumped at the chance to add it to our Hail Caesar range. Renowned author, John Lambshead has already almost completed writing the first of three supplements covering this period and we hope this will be released during 2018. We are delighted that Colin has agreed to carry on sculpting for us and adding to this great range. We’ll be releasing these gorgeous figures as soon as we possibly can so keep an eye on our email newsletters and social media channels.” ‘
And to quote Colin Patten, the owner of History Maker, said: “I am really pleased to announce that Warlord Games are the new owners of the Saxon Miniatures Range. To be honest it will be a great relief to concentrate solely on the sculpting while a super-efficient machine handles all the rest, including the shows! Look out for a constant stream of new figures, warbands, and armies. Lastly, a huge thank you to all my customers – you will never know how much you were all appreciated“.

What this news from Warlord games sees is an expansion of their Arthurian –  British & Saxon lines, and adding newer aspects like El Cid, and a variety of Normans, Saxons and new an invigoration of Viking Warbands and with what looks like a restructuring of the company, sudden lack of vacancies, could mean that the company is about to expand its line and the company profile. This would tie in nicely with the Warlord Games anniversary of Bolt Action 2nd ed release and also intertwine with the upcoming launch of a new collection of Tank War sets, set to be released in the fall of 2017, a new license deal with the BBC on Dr Who and bringing Tim Bancroft onto the Warlord team to help develop the Gates of Antares development and communications and finishing with the upcoming Blood Red Skies.
So Exciting times ahead.

 

GW & Ninja Division Licence Deal–Latest images(2)

In what has been seen as a sudden flurry of activity by GW with the release of new AoS Generals handbook, BloodBowl, Necromunda and other exciting activities like the Devir Licenses Games Workshop Characters for Wacky Racing Game:  Gretchinz’ is the second surprise with regards licensing. As GW has just announced a licensing deal with Ninja Division to develop an Interactive Card Game ‘Doom Seeker’ set against the popular background of the Warhammer Fantasy Old World background.

Set in the ‘Warhammer Fantasy’ Old World the game is rumoured to be a Card Game “Current name of Doom Seeker” where the players take the role of a Dwarven Slayer (Think Gotrex Troll Slayer series by William King, Not Buffy Vampire Slayer .Ed) the aim is to die with the most Glory and glorious way. Where everyone is out to fight and slay the biggest and most terrifying monsters, with the one who dies with the most glory winning.
Everything one has heard suggests that this will be a group based game should prove both a fun game and visual feast as its looking to be overseen by Ninja Division’s Co Owner and it’s Creative Director John Cadice. So for those worried about the look and style should be reassured.
However, with GW’s tendency towards protecting its core product it is very unlikely (to impossible) that we will see Chibi Dwarf Slayers unless they go with a  Kickstarter or release exclusive model.
This will be a self-contained game and according to rumours going to contain everything needed to play. Inc, Game cards, dice and tokens (Probably thick  Card stock,) and a retail price of around £22 to £27.
Release date is expected Mid Spring 2018


 

N-Fx Game Design Studios pushes out newline of Terrain for Gates of Antares

 

 

N-Fx Game Design Studios A division of N-FX designing and manufacturing, have started what seems to be an interesting and possible exciting new line for both |Warlord Games popular sci-fi game Gates of Antares and branching out towards products for the miniature and war game industry. Crystals.


Scale: 28mm
Resin
Made to Order

While many in the core design industry may know of N-Fx, they are still a small entity in regards a wider knowledge of the gaming industry, however it is looking like that is about to change with an interesting new release Resin Crystals. However what makes these a particularly good resource is that they have a round base allowing them to be placed into a standard skirmishing mdf base hole allowing terrain to be placed anywhere on a board in more interesting ways.


Requires Assembly

Each set contains 4 different crystals that are between 25mm and 35mm tall. They are designed to fit on a 20mm or larger base, and can be used to create exciting terrain features or unique basing elements for larger models.


They are of cause available from the N-Fx Webstore, and through Warlord Games Store and really  do allow the casual gamer to put some bling on the table and with a little create and thought, including a few small flashing led’s placed under the crystals really could make it a blinging table

This is a fun line and could see the company really moving places in the future so one to watch.

So after this interesting little tibbit from last months Necromunda ,

 

So exciting times for Games Workshop in the release of Necromunda; And even better not a re-release of the old system but a newer developed system designed around a sleeker WH40k.
If you’re new to Miniature Gaming you may not be familiar with Necromunda, except as tales of the Glory days, often reminisced on by gronards and Oldhammer gamers, well it was a favourite  with many in the gaming community as it was a way to take a gang of misfits and both progress theme through a game and develop their story as they fought or died in the dark underbelly of the Hive worlds. It allowed players to dive into the underworld of the Imperium, allowing players to control their own Hive Gang augmented with black market cybernetics, gene modifications and scavenged or stolen weaponry. And while WH40k places you in the macro scale of General of a vast army Necromunda goes the other way with a microscale approach of Gang leader, looking out for gang members.
According to sources at the Forge World Open Day, Andy Hoare believes, “They’re absolutely nailing it in terms of how to keep all the great stuff, yet adding to the new system and in order to bring in new things, like Hive Secondus, The Ash Wastes, new gangs.
And,
 
“We’re broadly looking at a game based on the 8th Edition 40k mechanics, but tailored to a form of skirmish warfare. We’ll see the addition of Action Points, which will be used to active gang members (in a similar way to how Space Hulk works). Different actions will cost different points, for example activating a Heavy Class Ganger will cost 2 Action Points, however, a basic Juve Ganger will cost only one.
 
We’ll be looking at a release schedule very  much like BloodBlowl, this see a,
‘Preview’, launch of the initial box set. Like BloodBowl it will be a self-contained box with steady releases.
 
The box itself will contain the Escher and Goliath gangers which have been seen already, the rules, game accessories and terrain either similar to or most likely Shadow War terrain as the Specialist Games studio do not have the resources to produce terrain solely for Necromunda, so they are trail blazing the Shadow War release with all the cool terrain that was released with that boxed set.
(This does highlight the small nature of the specialist Games team and the explanation to the cries of why not release X,Y,Z sooner) and subsequently in individual kits until present. The rules will allow for play in the way players are used to on gangways, ramps and gantries, but also in tunnels making use of the Zone Mortalis tiles available from Forge World.
 
We will see all the gangs from Hive Primus (See Below) return, along with the gangs from Outlanders and Fanatic. We will also see new gangs and some expansion of the fluff on Necromunda.
HIVE SECONDUS was written about in the Fanatic days, a Hive terrorised,  overrunning with an established Genstealer cult, subsequently nuked by the Necromunda Defence Forces to rid the planet of the infestation. However, the Hive topples on its side with most of the Cultists surviving. This results in the Defence Forces building a large trench system in the surrounding Ash Wastes to isolate the remains of the Hive from the rest of the planet.
Even better it was hinted “We will be visiting this intriguing story in the future!”
Keep your eyes on Warhammer Community for all the latest news and previews.
More Pics coming shortly.

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