Their guidelines received mixed reviews from hobbyists, but how do the GW tournaments compare to other major events?
We posed a question of the rules to people on our Spikey Bits Hobbies FB group (which you should totally join if you are not a part of already)- when these events were first announced. Some of the more generic things, like no outside food, are fairly standard for big events. Still, some other things initially caught our eye…
Then we realized, we haven’t carefully read a ton of event rules. So, we wanted to give GW a fair shake and compare their rules to some of the other big conventions out there. If you want to see more about the modeling side of things, you can check that out here.
We’ll be taking a look at the AdeptiCon Rules and Dragon Con to compare them, so we’ll see where tye may be more lenient and more strict. If you want to see and compare for yourself, you can see all the event rules for AdeptiCon here, and Dragon Con here.
GW Tournament Guidelines Compared to Other Major Events
Well, first up is length. The other two major cons are pages long, whereas the GW is relatively short. Does this open them up for issues? Possibly, but some of the other things may just be a little frivolous. We’ll see though since this is GW’s first big event in some time, they may be a little rusty on the laws.
Age Restrictions
The first thing to note here, GW put a pretty strict 18 and older policy on the event. AdeptiCon has no such restriction, Dragon Con puts the age at 16 or older. GW also says if you are under 18 you have to be supervised at all times. While this may just be to cover themselves so they aren’t responsible for any kids, just an interesting note. Especially because GW put this at the top of the list.
GW Rule:
- No children under the age of 18 years will be admitted to the Venue unless accompanied and supervised by an adult aged 18 years or over. GW takes no responsibility for children under the age of 18, responsibility shall remain with the parent or guardian of the relevant child at all times.
- children under the age of 16 need to keep a parent (or guardian) nearby at all times.
Photography Restrictions
This might be one of the biggest differences between the Cons. GW put in a very strict banning on professional photographers. It doesn’t say much about the general public, so this may not seem bad at first, but think about it this way. If you run a website, YouTube channel, Social Media, etc… and if you make money off of any of it, you are technically a professional. Thus, this is saying no content creators can come to the event and photo anything. Whereas the others not only say photos are fine, they actually encourage it!
GW Rule:
- The unauthorized professional use of photographic equipment is prohibited at the Venue.
AdeptiCon Rule:
- General filming and photography during the event is not only permitted, but it is also encouraged! In most cases, attendees will be extremely flattered to have their armies/models photographed. In all cases, please be respectful of the attendee’s models. Always ask permission before photographing or touching anything and try not to be disruptive during games in progress.
Dragon Con Rules:
- We love all the great pictures that our fans take at Dragon Con, and we’ve seen some really creative ways of taking photos, too. Still, if everybody at Dragon Con brought a selfie stick, we would have a big problem. Like your mom always told you, you’ll poke an eye out with that thing. And that would be unfortunate because dressing like Nick Fury, Slade Wilson, or Leela is only fun on Labor Day weekend.So, please leave your selfie sticks and other hand-held extenders for cameras or mobile devices at home. If you still want to get a picture with that guy in that awesome Mad Eye Moody costume, ask a friend to take it. Or ask a stranger. And if you still want to take a selfie, it’s cool with us. Just use your arms.
Harassment & Searches
Searches can be done at most events, whether they be gaming-related or not. So some people were upset about the search policy, but think about the last time you went to a basketball game (with COVID it’s been a while, but try), you are searched almost every time. So that does make sense.
One important thing to note though, AdeptiCon has a very long and very helpful layout of how they will handle harassment. We wish GW did something like this because nobody wants to be harassed. You hope people would just not harass anyone, but it does happen more than you’d like to think.
So maybe next time, GW can throw something like this in.
GW Search Rules:
- GW and the Venue both reserve the right to conduct security searches to all persons attending the Event and their possessions.
Adepticon Harrasment Rules:
- AdeptiCon is committed to providing a safe environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Harassment or unwelcome conduct, whether verbal, physical, visual, or in any other form, is strictly prohibited. AdeptiCon’s anti-harassment policy applies to all persons involved in the operation or attendance of the convention. AdeptiCon will not tolerate harassment of anyone by anyone, including participants, exhibitors, hosts, or AdeptiCon staff.
AdeptiCon has put a lot of time into that part of their rules, so if you want to see everything, go check their rules out.
Costume Policies:
The costume policies have a lot in common, where you can’t have real weapons, no dressing up like military or political affiliations, nothing military originating after the 1900s, and common decency rules. Where the biggest difference comes in, everything must be inspired by GW models or artwork. Meaning if you just want to dress up as something crazy or generic, they have the right to refuse it. Costumes are one of the coolest parts about cons, this just really limits that. Final thoughts, they are missing some key points and are stricter on some points as well.
GW Rules:
- Costumes must not utilise, in whole or in part, any real, scaled or replica weapons.
- Costumes that indicate allegiance or affiliation with any real political or military movement are strictly forbidden.
- Costumes must be designed with health and safety and public decency in mind.
- Costumes must be inspired by or relate to the worlds and universes created by Games Workshop.
AdpetiCon Rules:
- Questionable items can be brought to the AdeptiCon registration booth during operating hours to be checked for compliance with this policy. Items purchased in the Exhibitor Hall which violate this policy must be wrapped and immediately removed from the convention premises.
- 20th and 21st-century uniforms may not be worn as costumes. These include any uniform that can be construed as a military uniform from any country or a uniform worn in an official capacity, such as security guard, police officer, deputy, fire marshal, paramedic, etc. Active duty military personnel are permitted to wear their government-issued uniforms.
Dragon Con Rules:
- Dragon Con has a clear *no weapons* policy that will be enforced. All weapons must be non-working and peace bonded. No functioning projectile weapons – including water pistols, silly-string guns, and ping-pong pistols. Bladed weapons must be cased or sheathed at all times. No clowning around or showing off in the common areas. Any weapon used in an offensive manner will be confiscated and rule #7 enforced. We expect you to use good judgment; with your help, we can continue to allow peace-bonded weapons – thanks!
Still, overall, nothing too wild or out there compared to bigger conversions for miniatures and gaming in general. It seems like, if anything, perhaps Games Workshop’s attendance guidelines may be a little “lax” compared to other events?
What do you think about the differences? Will you be attending the GW tournaments?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
