Every beginning also has an ending. Come see the Top 5 40k tournament series that are no more.
Warhammer 40k tournaments started way back in the mid 1990’s with their Grand Tournament circuit, That recipe was was watered down by Games Workshops trade sales team into smaller store based “Rogue Trader” Tournaments that were run once a month at some stores.
From there larger events were born (both sponsored by GW and done independently as well) as the hobby expanded in the early 2000’s.
Some of those tournaments have stood the test of time (like Adepticon who is on year 14), and some including GW’s own events have fallen from grace.
Here is our picks for the best ones that we may never see again:
5.) ‘Ard Boyz Tournaments –
The case could be made that the Ard Boyz tournament series was designed primarily as a sales gimmick by GW’s U.S. Trade Sales team.
Stores held a qualifier round, and the top 3 players that won would move on the a regional event, and then a finals hosted by Games Workshop.
It featured a higher points limit than was played at the time (3000 for Fantasy and 2500 for 40k), and enticingly lacked a painting requirement to encourage players to buy additional models for their armies (that they wouldn’t have to paint for these events). There was also no sportsmanship component to ‘Ard Boyz that was common at the time, which led to more than one heated moment at qualifiers.
While extremely popular at the time, the “battle-points-only scoring” and “lack of hobby effort ethos” may have led to the slow decline of hobbying in general with the veteran gamers that we see today.
The tournament series was never never officially canceled by GW, it just never returned in 2012 after the person responsible for it left the company due to medical issues.
4. The Necro GT
The Necro was one of the tournaments that started in the early 2000’s as the hobby really started kicking off. At first it was a Fantasy tournament, but the organizers quickly expanded to 40k as well.
They had tons of special guest from Games Workshop over the years that even included I believe Andy Chambers, and generally sold out their events.
Located in Orlando, FL it was a great excuse to take a mini vacation as well as to play some toy soldiers.
The Necro did not return in 2008 I believe.
3. Feast of Blades GT
Feast of Blades or FoB started around 2009 and featured a very novel idea of state qualifying 40k tournaments here in the United States, the winners of which could play at the FoB invitational in the fall/winter of the year in Denver Colorado.
The missions were pretty fun and generally well though out though the years.
The tournament expanded over the years to include a normal 40k tournament in addition to the invitational, as well as smaller skirmish games like Infinity and even Magic the Gathering.
Feast of Blades will not be returning in 2015, and their web domain is now parked.
You can, however, find coverage of the last three events on Spikey Bits.
2. The 11th Company GT
While I’m not sure when Neil & Pat started their tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina I do know that this even was one of the most ground breaking that I ever went too.
They really embraced the idea of brackets so that most players would have a great experience, and had some other cool ideas too like “community dice” and table mats that showed the outline of where terrain belonged.
Plus the guys really cared about the event and worked hard to make sure that FAQ’s and questions were all locked down. This was for sure no cookie cutter event, and it will surely be missed.
The 11th Company GT will not return for 2015.
1. The Games Workshop Grand Tournament Series
The Games Workshop GT Series was the golden era of gaming for a lot of 40k veterans out there. The series started in the mid 1990’s as a hotel event, but then quickly grew to encompass the Baltimore Convention Center.
These were great events where hobbyists both competitive and casual flocked to show of their latest army, and compete of an award of some kind. It was a magical time for the hobby.
Over the years there were events held in different locations in the US such as Chicago, Atlanta, and even Los Angeles. 2006/07 Saw the organization of a national GT “circuit” that even included a Los Vegas event as well.
Overall the series was dominated by one player, the venerable Marc Parker, who won a GT with a different army EIGHT times that I know of.
The Games Workshop Grand Tournament series did not return in 2009.
Well there you have it. As they say nothing lasts forever, and the great lord Tzeentch would be quick to agree.
These were all great events and each and every one of them will be missed, even the ‘Ard Boyz series which some say did more harm that good for the hobby.
Some of you folks our there may remember some of these, so please share your stories about these great events so that the current generation of hobbyists can revel in the glories of old.
#bringinghobbyback
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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 also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), 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 1980s, 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.
