A Hui Hou coffee shop was transformed Saturday into J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world Middle-Earth, as tabletop miniature wargamers from across the province came to Main Street to battle it out for top prizes in the monthly tournament.
The weekend event was organized by a handful of hobbyists on behalf of the Ontario Strategy Battle Game League, a 655-member competitive league and gaming community for aficionados of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Warhammer.
But this isn’t a game where you pull the pieces out of a box, ready to play.
The preparation begins months in advance, as players order their monsters, warriors, heroes, villains, calvary, buildings and infrastructure, and then assemble and paint the intricate miniatures. All the models are produced by Games Workshop.
In tabletop miniature wargaming, players enact battles using miniature-scale models on a scale model of a battlefield. Each character possess qualities such as strength, agility, intelligence, and health that help determine the outcome of their actions.
However, nothing is pre-ordained and outcomes are determined using probabilities and a roll of the dice. There are also comprehensive rule books that guide the players. Points are awarded for scenario themes, miniature painting, and sportsmanship.
“Myself and three other members, we’ve been working on this tournament for about a year, to get it ready,” said Newmarket resident Don Barnett, who is also an administrator of the league’s Facebook page. “It was a lot of fun. It went really well. It was sold out.”
Barnett has been a “huge fan” of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books and movies since he was a child. And, combined with his love of tabletop games and clubs, made him a natural for helping to organize an event of this kind.
“A lot of the gaming terrain pieces are modelled from scratch,” he said, about the trees and other various aspects of the battlefield upon which the game is played. “Everybody contributes to that part of it.”
About 30 players came out to Saturday’s tourney, carting their own homemade armies or forces, and other game pieces. Certificates were awarded for such things as Best Painted (miniature), Best Sportsmanship, and Best Theme.
The next tournament takes place in Ottawa on Saturday, Dec. 1.
To learn more about the Ontario Strategy Battle Game League, visit them on Facebook
~With files from Greg King
