Death Area: An Inside Look at Killzone Design #1

Reposted from Wolves For the Wolf God (01.09.12).

As promised, here is the first article about our involvement in Special Operations: Killzone. At the moment we are not sure about the length of the series, but expect at least two more. Hopefully by reading these articles you will be able to see Killzone for what it is and what it has been during the transition from v2.0 to v3.0. The entire Killzone team is very proud and extremely excited to bring you the new edition of Special Operations: Killzone and with the following articles we hope to share our excitement with you as well as the process of reshaping Killzone into what it is now.

Article #1 is going to cover the story of how Joe and I become part of the Killzone crew, some of the general changes we had to make and the challenges we had to face with v2.0 after AdeptiCon 2011 was over.

Enjoy!

Battletech: Tactical to Strategic

When people generally think of Battletech, big fighting robots probably jumps to mind first. Then come the thoughts of playing the game on a dining room table (or in my case, tray tables). People have played Battletech, and still do, on just about every conceivable surface. Why? Because its a great pickup game, just open the box and off you go. It's a great formula for quick fun and its one that works all the way up to big conventions, Origins, GenCon, even AdeptiCon.

On the other hand, there is a limit to the variety that that system brings. We've all played the megagames, two teams with vast quantities of units fighting each other over some nominal objective. And there's a variety of things you can do with that, but they're all tactical. Winning that game, meeting that scenario's objective, or just killing some more Imperial Guards, Waffen-SS, Elves, or Uruk-hai, they all begin when the game starts and end when the GM calls time. Battletech has been no different and it has worked well. But what if you wanted to do more?

Warhammer Fantasy: The Times They Are A-changin'

Let's get right to it and cover two of the biggest questions/concerns received from the community at large about the Warhammer Fantasy Battles events at AdeptiCon 2012!

First off, we have a very big announcement! The single most common question we have received from the community is about the legality of the Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos book from Forge World. I am happy to say, that after careful consideration, we have decided to allow it. As of today, all units, Special Characters, and army lists from the Forge World book Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos will be legal options at AdeptiCon 2012! This includes the newest Chaos Dwarfs army list - a triumphant return indeed! Please note that you cannot mix Chaos Dwarfs/Demons of Chaos/Warriors of Chaos in a single army, as that follows the Alliance rules.

This decision was a lengthy one, as we wanted to have ample time to review the rules and make sure they were appropriate for our events. After much deliberation we have decided that they most certainly are! Like with every other army book, please make sure that if you fielding anything from Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos you bring a copy of the book with you and make it available to your opponents at all times. Most players have a general idea of what typical Warhammer Fantasy Battles units are capable of, but as this is a specialty book, we want to make sure that you have a copy for your opponent’s reference. This announcement also means that we will no longer be using the IndyGT Dwarfs of Chaos list for AdeptiCon 2012. I know Kevin Coleman and his team put quite a great deal of effort/work into that wonderful book, but for the sake of consistency, we will be using the Legion of Azgorh rules going forward.

Warhammer Fantasy Battles in the 2012

It's that time of the year again! AdeptiCon 2011 was another record setting year for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and this year promises to be even better! Additionally this is AdeptiCon's ten-year anniversary, so if you haven't registered already...what are you waiting for!

Cutting right to the chase...what are we changing? This is a convention for gamers, by gamers, so the feedback you provided last year is what we are using to shape the future of the Warhammer Fantasy Battles events. The It's How You Use It tournaments will be returning on Friday and will now be comprised of three longer rounds instead of the four shorter rounds from last year. In response to feedback you gave us last year, we will also be adding more time between each of the games. Now that we have a little more experience under our belts with 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles, our scenarios will be more inventive and better paced for the scale of the tournaments. We will also be working to increase our staff numbers and complete paint judging in a timely fashion.

Speaking of staff, we are looking for a few good men and women to help with the events this year. We have organizers, but we are in need of paint judges, rules judges, and general help. If you and your friends are interested in helping in any capacity, please <a href="http://www.adepticon.org/?page_id=5">contact us</a>. I know everyone wants to play in these events, but we could definitely use more volunteers over the course of the weekend.

That’s about it for right now. The Warhammer Fantasy Battles draft rules have been posted. Look for another article soon discussing a few other event changes and tweaks. I hope to see new and familiar faces this year, and that this year will be the best yet!

- Alex Gonzalez, WFB Coordinator

Tournament Terrain Design Contest

This year, as part of the 10th Anniversary of AdeptiCon, we are proud to announce the AdeptiCon Terrain contest! At its core, the contest is simple and straight forward. We are looking for a few talented people to showcase their creativity when it comes to designing terrain. This is a chance to show off your best work and pick up some great prizes in the process!

We will accept designs for single elements (see below), full terrain pieces, and completely themed terrain sets. Winners will not only get the satisfaction of knowing that thousands of gamers will enjoy playing on their terrain, but AdeptiCon will reward the best submissions with AdeptiCon Weekend Badges, prizes from our sponsors, event vouchers, and cool swag!

• 1st Place: $100.00 in retail product of your choice from any one of our AdeptiCon sponsors, an AdeptiCon Weekend Badge and we will pick up the tab for one hotel night on the AdeptiCon weekend at the Westin.
• 2nd Place: $75.00 in retail product of your choice from any one of our AdeptiCon sponsors and an AdeptiCon Weekend Badge.
• 3rd Place: $50 in retail product of your choice from any one of our AdeptiCon sponsors and an AdeptiCon Weekend Badge.

Entries that do not qualify for one of the top prizes, but are still usable will receive an AdeptiCon 2012 Weekend Badge.

Celebrating Ten Years of Miniature Wargaming Awesomeness!

We've come a long way in the last decade, from our humble beginnings as a regional convention with 150 attendees, to an extravaganza drawing over 1500 attendees from across the globe. Regardless of whether you've been with us from the start, joined along the way, or have yet to experience the excitement, passion, and excellence of AdeptiCon, this is the year that you won't want to miss! Pre-registration will open in October. Clear your schedules and start making travel plans, because AdeptiCon 2012 promises to be the premier celebration of the miniature wargaming hobby.

What: AdeptiCon 2012! Ten Year Anniversary!
When: April 19th - 22nd, 2012
Where: Westin Lombard Yorktown Center (Lombard, Illinois)
Make Your Hotel Reservations Now!

Check back over the next several months as additional news becomes available concerning the convention, pre-registration, specific events, special guests and more!

Warhammer 40K Championships Live Coverage Details

With AdeptiCon nearly upon us, we wanted to walk you through what we have been doing to prepare for The Independent Characters coverage of the AdeptiCon 2011 Warhammer 40K Championships finals.

On Sunday we will begin our pre-game Show at 9:00am CST. We will be talking about our experiences at the event up until this point and airing video interviews with notables in the Warhammer 40K internet community, convention staff, Black Library authors, and other surprise guests!

Around 12:15pm CST, just as round 3 in the finals is getting underway, we will begin our in-depth coverage of the final two tables of the AdeptiCon 2011 Warhammer 40K Championships - live! We will be broadcasting live from multiple angles, including directly overhead both tables to bring you all the action up close and personal!

We hope to provide you with pre-game interviews of the four players involved in the final rounds, as well as a post-game wrap up. The winner of the AdeptiCon 2011 Warhammer 40K Championships will be at one of these two tables! You will be able to watch the entire thing on Ustream by visiting The Independent Characters Ustream channel (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-independent-characters) or by clicking on the link on the right. Additionally you will be able to interact with other fans and the hosts of the show live via chat throughout the event!

We will be running one more test broadcast on Sunday March 27th at 11am PST if you would like to see what we are up to! You can find out more information on The Independent Characters website.

Carl and Geoff
The Independent Characters

Warhammer 40K Championships Mission Objectives

After the release of the Warhammer 40K Championships Primer missions, we received some incredibly constructive feedback concerning the scenarios as a whole, and in particular some of the individual mission objectives. This feedback, as well as the results of several primer missions over the Winter, gave us a general idea of what people want to see out of this new format.

The final mission objectives for the AdeptiCon 2011 Warhammer 40K Championships can be found here. Additionally they are also attached at the end of the Warhammer 40K Championships rules and the primer missions. They are presented in alphabetical order and not in Scenario format. The exact combination of mission objectives, deployment options and any special rules will be revealed the day of the event. Additionally, at least two of the following mission objectives will be repeated throughout the day.

Too Many Tables: Tackling Terrain

Over the past three years, we have been hard at work rebuilding, retooling and adding to our existing terrain collection. Make no mistakes, this is a massive project that has consumed thousands of volunteer hours and has been responsible for numerous hobby knife accidents! All told, we have produced 150+ Warhammer 40K tables, 70+ Warhammer Fantasy tables and a whole host of additional tables for other events like Warhammer Ancients, Warmachine/Hordes and Lord of the Rings.

Our Warhammer 40K tables span a range of thematic settings, from frozen ice worlds to Necron homeworlds, each table has been crafted to have a distinct feel, while still maintaining a coherent approach in terms of the types of terrain present and total table coverage. Each table contains 6 to 8 pieces of terrain and each piece is built in a modular fashion so the terrain flats can take additional elements like trees, rocks, alien cacti and crystals.

The terrain project for AdeptiCon 2011 involves fleshing out our existing terrain sets, adding some additional elements to terrain flats, repairing any damage suffered and adding some significant line-of-sight blocking features to every Warhammer 40K table.

Old Stuff Day: Smells Like Team Spirit [2006]

In observance of Old Stuff Day, I thought I would repost this great 2006 Road to AdeptiCon article by Leslie Pratt discussing the finer details of team tournaments at AdeptiCon.

The team tournament concept takes our favorite game formats and makes them better by adding a key element – friends. What game doesn’t get better when you get to pair up with 1-3 of your closest friends to take on the world? In this article, we will explore the team tournament format and discuss ways to add "team spirit" to your team – to mold you into a single force rather than just adding more people to the game. And while it’s nice to know that there’s someone putting an army on the table who’s NOT trying to kill you, it makes the experience a lot more fun if you actually feel and act like a team.

The great thing about team spirit is that at AdeptiCon, it’s not only encouraged, but actually rewarded – there are several awards just based on team spirit and team theme. So get out there, act like a team, and let your freak flag fly!