Conventions add up fast with hotels, food, and fees, but Bourbon & Bolters bundles it all into one luxury Warhammer-style retreat that stacks up the value.
Updated on September 16th, 2025, by Rob Baer with the latest information and price comparisons.
It’s Friday night at a big convention. You’re starving, waiting in line for overpriced pizza, juggling your dice bag and a lukewarm soda. Your hotel is three blocks away, you’re splitting a double queen with three other players, and tomorrow you’ll have to fight for table space.
Now swap that with this: you’ve just wrapped a full day of games on curated tables. Dinner is chef-prepared, paired with a glass of bourbon. Afterward, you kick back in a private lounge, maybe jump into a D&D one-shot, or draft some Magic before heading upstairs to your private suite.
No stress. No waiting. Just the best week of your hobby life. That’s what you’ll get with Bourbon & Bolters.
Breaking Down the Value
Sure, the $3,750 ticket might make you blink, until you compare it to what most players already drop on a big event week:
- Hotel for six nights: $1,500+
- Meals, snacks, drinks: $800+
- Con badges and tickets: $300+
- Bar tabs and rideshares: $400+
- Stress, noise, and waits: priceless in the wrong ways
That’s over $3,000 before factoring in luxury accommodations, pro-led workshops, and a curated community. Bourbon & Bolters pulls it all together with no hidden costs, no food court chaos, and no folding chairs.
What Sets Bourbon & Bolters Apart
This isn’t just another Warhammer event. It’s a full retreat designed for players who want their hobby to feel as polished as their armies.
- Six nights in a luxury Outer Banks estate
- All meals, snacks, and open bar
- Narrative Crusade campaigns and two RTTs
- Daily workshops and hobby classes
- A community of players who care about good games and good vibes
Forget Monster cans on wobbly tables. This is the 40k equivalent of upgrading from a rusty Rhino to a Land Raider with leather seats and drink service.
The Hobby Dream Team
You’re not just rolling dice, you’re learning from a stacked lineup of hobby experts:
- Brent from Goobertown Hobbies and Casey from eBay Miniature Rescues are dropping army-painting speed hacks and enamel symbol stamping magic.
- Kenny Boucher from Next Level Painting, the airbrush wizard himself, is showing off tricks that’ll make your army pop.
- Brad Chester is running the RTTs, giving tactical coaching along the way.
- Mike Haspil, spinning narrative gold in Crusade games while joining hobby projects like a true bard of the tabletop.
This is basically the Avengers of the miniature painting and gaming scene, except their superpowers involve pigments, dice rolls, and winning RTTs.
The Venue: The Black Stallion
Image Credit: Kees Outer Banks Luxury Rentals
Forget hotel ballrooms with bad lighting. Bourbon & Bolters takes place at The Black Stallion, a massive luxury estate in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
We’re talking:
- Private rooms with ensuite baths
- Multiple bars, including a tiki bar by the pool
- Hot tubs, saunas, and game rooms
- Arcade machines, shuffleboard, fireplaces, and working Wi-Fi
Even boxcars sting a little less when there’s a hot tub waiting upstairs.
All-Inclusive
Every ticket includes six nights in private rooms, all meals catered, and an open bar. Morning coffee, bourbon at night, and snacks whenever you feel like it.
Each attendee gets their own space, no futons, no fighting for showers, no awkward CP reroll discussions while waiting in line for a bathroom.
And the food? Forget microwaved burritos. It’s chef-prepared meals every day, the kind that fuels long days of gaming without sending you into a food coma.
The Bottom Line
So, is $3,750 too much? Or is it the smartest investment you’ll ever make in your hobby?
