March of the Idiots: Beards of Phwoar!

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to The Asylum. Today I bring you the latest in our March of the Idiots series, in which I detail Asylum Wargaming's misadventures in many and varied tournaments.

I had the pleasure of competing at Beers of War: the Second Draught over the weekend. A Kings of War tournament that mixes organised play with alcohol consumption, this is the second Beers of War event, and one I have been looking forward to for some time.

Why was I looking forward to it so much? Because I thoroughly enjoyed the first event in February, that's why. Asylum Wargaming's Steve JohnSnow and I entered under the team name Kings of Phwoar!, and we didn't win a single thing other than the Wooden Spoon (you can read all about it here). But it didn't matter; we had a great time playing a cool wargame with sporting opponents who were drinking beer; what's not to like?

Unlike the first Beers of War, however, I wasn't teaming up Steve JohnSnow, as the angry hobbit was suffering with a migraine. Instead I found myself partnered with seasoned Kings of War player Steve Wallace. As Steve is, like me, blessed with a magnificent ginger beard, we altered our team's name to Beards of Phwoar!. Steve fielded Abyssal Dwarves, and I took to the field with the same trusty Undead who served me so well at the first Beers of War...

Steve and I in the process of losing to the prosaically named  BOLLoCKS

...Three matches later and we were dead last with no wins, having lost in turn to the Grim Squeekers (Tom Robinson's Salamanders and Ian Davies' Ratkin), BOLLoCKS (Kevin Haney's Basileans and Chris Cowburn's Ogres)* and newbies Eastern Bloc (Rob Czechwyn's League of Rhordia and Josef Makosz's Goblins).**

But who cares? Well, maybe Steve, but certainly not me. As with the first event I had a great time and met some cool people. Not only that, but organisers Lee and Luke Fellows made sure we were all well fed with a free and decent lunch. So, I ask you once again ... what's not to like?

Another aspect of Beers of War I really enjoy is the Arbitrary Army Award, in which the competitors vote for the tournament's best painted army. For some reason my motley assortment of incomplete and only partially painted Undead failed to win a single vote (outrageous! I demand a recount!), but Kev Haney's third-placed Basilians, Chris Cowburn's second-placed Ogres and Ben Casey's winning Herd army richly deserved each and every vote. I salute them.

Ben Casey's Herd

Chris Cowburn's Ogres

Kev Haney's Basileans

In conclusion, the Fellows brothers can be very proud of their event. They've put together a great little tournament with a cool theme. It's relaxed and played in a friendly manner by players who want to enjoy both the game and a few beers, and aren't interested in being power players or rules munchkins. It's a challenge for experienced players, and welcoming to new ones. Hell, they're even tolerant to borderline mentards like yours truly.

So if you're in Yorkshire and you like Kings of War and/or beer, you could do a lot worse than contending any future Beers of War events. Needless to say, I'll be there, and I presume I'll be partnered with someone called Steve...

...And who knows; maybe we'll finally win a match?

Beers of War: the Second Draught was held at the Westgate Common Club, Wakefield, and was won by the National Elf Service (Chris Prince's Elves and Richard Tomlinson's Brotherhood), with the Cult Armies of Bacchus (Mat Green's Romans and Ben Casey's Herd) and the Scottish Renegades (Andy Meechan and Craig Alexander's Undead) taking second and third respectively. If you're interested in attending the next Beers of War event, then keep an eye on the Facebook page for details...

...I'll see you there.

*Who won despite team members Kev Haney and Chris Cowburn knocking it back like George Best...

**...Who also won despite being so new to the game they might as well have been reading the rulebook for the first time.

Another Round? Another interview with Luke Fellows

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to The Asylum.

As part of Asylum Wargaming's continued support and enthusiasm for organised play, Steve JohnSnow and I are pleased to announce we are attending the this year's Beers of War event. A Kings of War tournament, Beers of War is a relaxed combination of wargaming and ... yes, you guessed it ... beer. Regular readers will know Steve and I attended the inaugural event last year as the Kings of Phwoar! team*, and we're very much looking forward to this year's event.

In anticipation of Beers of War 2, I recently interviewed the organiser—and star of YouTube smash Luke's APS—Luke Fellows about both last year's event, and his expectations for this sophomore tournament.


You've run your inaugural Beers of War event since we last spoke. How did that go?

It was great for a first event, and we [Luke and event co-organiser Lee Fellows] loved running it. To be honest, I don't remember much after dinner as I was drunk! Jokes aside it was great, and we learnt a lot. We were glad it came together as well as it did; for a first event it went really well.


Tell us a little more about Beers of War 2: the Second Draught.

Beers of War 2 is being held on 8th July in Wakefield. This time it's in a new venue, Westgate Common Club. It's a bigger place with cheaper beer for the people that don't win games...

Last year's event in full swing.

 So what are you changing this time?

Nothing much has changed apart from the venue. Also the terrain I've built will be more suitable for a movement-based game like Kings of War. The terrain I built for last year's event looked great, but was a little hard to navigate around, so I've fixed that for this year's tournament.

And how’s your YouTube channel going?

The channel is going from strength to strength, but looking after our baby daughter has reduced the time I have available to paint and film. I still aim to post one video a week, and I'm sure my regular viewers understand.


Kromlech Iron Reich Goblins, as recently seen on Luke's APS.

Luke's shiny new bike.

Aside from Beers of War and Luke’s APS, what else is new and shiny in the world of Luke Fellows?

Funny you should ask! I've bought myself a new motorbike, just so when I have some down time I can let my hair down by riding around the Yorkshire Dales and Moors. I've also launched a new YouTube channel called Luke's Ride Outs, so anyone into bikes can watch me on there as well.


And to sign off, what does Luke Fellows do when he’s not painting toys or ruling YouTube?

Changing my baby daughter's dirty nappies. Washing my baby daughter. Feeding my baby daughter. Watching In the Night Garden with my baby daughter...

...But if I get a few hours here and there I go out on the bike for a ride. It's surprising what a ride can do to my productivity!

Thanks for your time, Luke. Steve and I are lookforward to seeing you at the event.


Tickets for Beers of War 2: the Second Draught are still available here. Steve and I will see you there, and a full report of our misadventures is coming your way next week.

*Last year Steve and I won two and drew one on our way to winning the Wooden Spoon; this year we're going one better by losing all three matches. You heard it here first!

Check out Luke's superb YouTube channel for stacks of
miniature paintin', terrain makin', ass-kickin' goodness! 

March of the Idiots: Asylum Wargaming Get S.L.A.yed.

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to The Asylum.



Today I bring you a further episode of March of the Idiots, in which I detail Asylum Wargaming's misadventures in various tournaments across the country. And, as promised, Steve, Spud and I have been misbehavin' again...


Not content with getting out asses handed to us at the recent Beers of War tournament, we decided we'd quite like to get our collective butts kicked in another event. As luck would have it those nice people at Daruma Productions were happy to oblige...

The event in full swing

With the release of their S.L.A. Industries: CS1 skirmish game on the horizon, Daruma hosted a CS1 tournament on Sunday 26th February in Doncaster. Designed to stress-test both the beta version of the SC1 and the tournament rules, it not only more than fulfilled its promise of a knock 'em down, shoot 'em up event, but also underlined just how good the CS1 rules really are. Better yet, not only were some juicy new releases on offer, but lunch was also provided. Result!


All this ... and cake!

So how did Spud, Steve and I do? Well, not so good...


Whilst Spud and I started the day off with victory over Steve and Daruma's Brad (who was on hand to teach us the rules!), things then went down hill rapidly. I lost in my second game, and poor Spud's new favourite faction, the Carrien, were decimated by Steve's Shivers. But that doesn't really tell the whole story...


The 9th versus a pack of Carrien

Shivers

The most important thing is we had a cracking time. So good, in fact, that Steve and Spudly are now S.L.A. Industries converts. I already knew it was cool ('cos I'm old enough to remember it form the first time 'round), but now my colleagues have caught the bug. This illustrates the strengths of S.L.A. Industries: CS1: it's a really neat, elegant system supported by great miniatures. With its evocative setting, lovely art (thank you, Dave Allsop!) and a great line of merchandise, this is another addition to the U.K.'s pantheon of excellent indie games. And CS1 is only going to get better. With more releases in the pipeline (including the truly gruesome Cannibal faction!), S.L.A. Industries: CS1 is going from strength to strength ... and we at Asylum Wargaming can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeve.



A big thank you to the mighty Matt Birdsall for his excellent photography.

S.L.A. Industries: CS1 is available at our webstore. Go get 'em, tiger!





Merch-entice!

Spudly do right.

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to The Asylum


Tonight I have a little more ChillCon '17 goodness for you. Now, for those of you who are unaware of ChillCon, it's Chilling Wargamers and Asylum Wargaming's very own wargaming show, and it debuts on 27th May at Ecclesfield School in Sheffield (full address below). Believe me, it's going to be all the awesome. How do I know? 'Cos I know all the stuff we've got lined up for you, that's how do I know.


One of the things we've got is merchandise, so feast your eyes on our model and media superstar Spud Tate as he models the limited edition ChillCon'17 tote bag and mug!


These precious gems have been supplied by our co-sponser Daruma Productions, publisher of the fabulous cyberpunk skirmish game S.L.A. Industries: SC1. How can you get your grubby hands on some? Easy. The first one hundred lucky blighters through the door will receive some awesome loot (as supplied by our lovely lovely traders); the first fifty of those punters, however, will get said loot inside one of these stylish ChillCon '17 tote bags (Spud not included). A-maze-balls!

Spud's bag, everyone. Remain calm.

We're also producing a very limited run of fab ChillCon '17 mugs. Whilst I'm not at liberty to say exactly how limited they are, suffice it say they're restricted to a number between eleven and fifteen. Yes, that limited. If you're really lucky you might even get one of the clean ones.


ChillCon '17 will be hosted at Ecclesfield School, Chapeltown Road, Sheffield, S35 9WD on Saturday 27th May, 2017.  Click here for a useful guide on how to find us. You can also find a full and up-to-date list of traders here.


So what are you waiting for? Start queuing now!

Missed his mouth again.

Tickets are available here. You can also save £1.00 by buying your tickets in advance. For every ticket sold we will donate £1.00 to the following charities:

The three of us involved in the organisation of ChillCon—Steve, Spud and myself—have picked these charities as they all mean something to us on a personal level. Please take a moment to visit their sites and consider making a donation. Thank you.




ChillCon '17 is sponsored by Daruma Productions' S.L.A. Industries: CS1...

...And Word Forge Games.
 

March of the Idiots: Asylum Wargaming at Beers of War, part two

Hi, I'm Paul, and I'm here to tell you all about Asylum Wargaming's misadventures at Beers of War...

If you're joining is us for the first time and don't know your Beers of War from your beer goggles, then let me fill you in. Beers of War is a Kings of War tournament organised by the mighty Luke Fellows of Luke's APS (if you don't know what Luke's APS is either, then why not check out my interview with Luke?) with combines organised play with free beer. Winner. Entrants form teams of two, with each fielding 750 points each, so quick yet challenging games are guaranteed.

As promised, Asylum Wargaming were in attendance. Our very own media star and host of Chilling Wargamers, Spud Tate, joined forces with Mr. Nick Williams to form the team Nick Marine Sunday. Meanwhile Asylum Wargaming's very own angry hobbit, Steve JohnSnow, had the misfortune of forming Kings of Phwoar! with yours truly. I use the word 'misfortune' advisedly, as I played my first game of Kings of War on the evening of 10th February. Beers of War was held on 11th February...



Spud Tate: king of war!

Luke and his brother (and co-organiser) Lee were a lot better organised. Not only were all the tables adorned with excellent gaming mats, but they also sported a wide variety of top-quality scenery, all created by Luke himself.

Suffice to say Spud's day went a lot better than mine and Steve's. With two wins and one draw, he and Nick finished third in the rankings, AND his force of Abyssal Dwarves was voted third best painted. Bravo, Brother Spudly, Bravo!



Mr. Nick Williams, everybody.

And Kings of Phwoar!? Well, we won something too ... even if it was only the Worse Team award.


Yep, with a record and two loses and one draw out of three games, we didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory. But no matter, we were there and we enjoyed ourselves, so job done. S'only a game, right?

Rumour has it Beers of War 2 is heading our way July. Rumour has it Kings of Phwoar! and Nick Marine Sunday will be competing once again. Rumour also has it the only way is up for Steve and I, right...?

In full swig ... sorry, swing.

March of the Idiots: Asylum Wargaming at Beers of War, part one

Hi, I'm Paul, and welcome to tonight's edition of The Asylum.

Last time out I detailed the forthcoming Beers of War event, a Kings of War tournament hosted and organised by our friend Luke Fellows at Luke's APS. What I didn't mention is that myself and the pocket rocket that is Steve JohnSnow—my friend and partner at Asylum Wargaming—will be entering Beers of War under the moniker The Kings of Phwoar! Tonight therefore, as part of our March of the Idiots series—in which I detail Asylum Wargaming's entry and misadventures in various tournaments—I bring you an insight into The Kings of Phwoar!'s entry, and the mighty miniatures we'll be packing.

Beers of War is a co-op tournament of two-man teams fielding 1500pts (750pts per team member) worth of death and destruction. Steve has variously gone for
Undead
Abyssal Warriors
Gloranthan Ducks
Orcs
and I've elected to been told by Steve that I'm using Undead. This works just fine for me as I've been collecting Undead—more specifically Skeletons—for decades, and have a metric ton of those boney bad boys in the attic. Time to dust some off, me thinks...

So, here are some of the miniatures (in varying degrees of readiness!) I'll be fielding at Beers of Beer:

A Revenant King

A Troop of Revenants

Some Skeleton Archers

Some partially completed Skeleton Archers

Some Wights

 
This is, of course, just the beginning of the 750pts, and I'll be adding a few bits and pieces between now and Saturday (Saturday? That soon?!? Zoinks!) So stay posted, Inmates, 'cos I'll keep you up to speed. Until then...

...Stay crazy.