It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It might not be Christmas for another four months, but the Bolt Action Grand Tournament is upon us this weekend! Once again, the world’s greatest WWII wargame returns to the hallowed halls of Britcon, in the heart of Nottingham, for a winner-takes-all showdown to decide the final Grand Champion of Second Edition! This year will be extra special, as it marks the very last Bolt Action: Second Edition Grand Tournament – for one last time, some of the very best players in the world will be duking it out for glory before we welcome in Third Edition.
Joining us for the weekend? Here’s what you need to know!
Where Am I Going?
Britcon is held at Nottingham Trent University’s city campus events and conference centre, right in the heart of wargaming’s spiritual home.
For a full list of directions and parking options, please see the below link:
https://www.bhgs.org.uk/britcon—venue–directions.html
When Can I Turn Up?
The games don’t begin until Saturday, but the venue will be open from Friday at about 5pm – if you’re able to get there, please turn up and register on the Friday evening. It only takes five minutes, but the more people we get registered in the evening, the quicker and smoother everything can start on Saturday! When you pop in on Friday, you can also grab a warm-up game with a friend on one of the awesome GT tables, and head to the bar to sample (responsibly) a pint or two of Ale Caesar, the Warlord-sponsored event beer!
On the Saturday and Sunday, the venue will be open from 8am – it’s always good to be nice and early!
Who’s In Charge?
Your TO team for this weekend will be Colin and Gary Betts, ‘Wee Man’ (aka Ruaridh!), and myself – you’ll be able to spot us in our burgundy Warlord shirts! If you’ve got any questions or concerns, or need any advice, just grab one of us and we’ll be happy to help! You can also pop over to the Warlord Games stand and chat to the staff there (see below).
What do I need to bring?
Your army is always a good place to start! Please also bring three printed copies of your army list, all the relevant rulebooks you need, and all of your gaming accessories (dice, tape measure, templates, etc). It’s always best practice to bring two full sets of Order Dice in different colours as well, just in case your opponent has the same dice as you! Don’t panic if you turn up on the day and find you’ve forgotten something, though – the Warlord Games stand will be selling a full range of gaming essentials, although if you’ve left your army at home, we might not be able to help you get it painted in time!
Anything Else I Should Know?
Britcon is an absolutely amazing event, packed with traders, tournaments, and all manner of awesome displays and demonstrations, as well as a well-stocked bar. It’s absolutely worth taking some time during the weekend to get to see it all – just make sure you’re not late to your table for your next game! In addition, there’s a long-standing tradition of the players and organisers decamping to one of Nottingham’s many nearby pubs on the Saturday evening for a few hours of good-natured banter with likeminded wargamers – everyone is very welcome indeed, and it’s a great opportunity to swap war stories from the day’s gaming!
Don’t forget, we’ll also have our event stand at Britcon this weekend, with great deals (and the aforementioned tournament essentials!), as well as a chance to get your hands on the brand-new Hail Caesar Epic Battles! In addition, we’ve got two special guests – on Saturday our master of all things vehicular, Studio Painter Darek Wyrozebski, will be on our stand dispensing his hobby wisdom. On Sunday at 1pm, the Terrain Tutor himself, Mel Bose, will be on hand, bringing his boundless enthusiasm and knowledge – both are well worth a chat if you want to up your hobby know-how!
It’s nearly time for the Bolt Action Grand Tournament – if there are a few sleepless nights of painting ahead for you, good luck! We can’t wait to welcome you all to Britcon this weekend!
Marcus
