The Bulwark

This year there will be several tournaments and organized play events that members of your FLGS will be participating in. Collectively members of the Bulwark often call themselves “Team Chico” when playing in these events to represent a solidarity and consistency of butt whoopin’ us Chicoans deliver;  this also helps organizers either separate us or keep us together to ensure a fair seeding, go with whatever story you want.

That being said one of the worst experiences imaginable is to roll up to a tournament only to find out you cannot participate because of banned cards or an incomplete knowledge of the rules.  A lot of these tournaments take time to prepare for.  Painting, planning, and playing dummy games are all fun but really just whet the appetite for a more hard core and competitive gaming moment.

Fear not, below is your hyper linked salvation!  The Bulwark has compiled the tournament rules for some of the most anticipated Kublacon events.  There are major changes in some, smaller tweaks in others, and some just point out the audacity that is needed sometimes to ensure gamers play a fair match.  The Bulwark’s unofficial motto of “If you have to cheat at [insert game here], then you have more problems in life than cheating at [insert game here]” is all well and good when playing with locals, but while it remains true even in the strangest lands, miscommunications can sometimes lead to people becoming frustrated.  The rules below sort out what happens when pride, ego, and Kublabucks are on the  line to make sure everyone has a great weekend; especially the winners.

A Game of Thrones – Apparently there is a banned list! The format each game at Kublacon is in LCG Constructed. Also, note the tweaks in supporting with titles.

Common/Uncommon Grab Bag – This event uses the Magic: the Gathering Comprehensive Rules as revised February 1st 2010, which is a mere 171 page document.  On top of that, when you approach the grab bag bin, you must dip your hand in and remove a grips worth of cards.  You will be expected to hold on to these cards from anywhere between 5 – 15 seconds, and/or to turn your grip up and down.   All players will abide by a consistent set of rules.

One World By Night, Always Comes Evening LARP – While the game’s own house rules can be found here, One World By Night has their own set of rules by it’s representative player council. Those rules can be found here.

RPGA – Even the RPGA, a fan club and cooperative player body, has its own set of rules to abide by.  While most of the rules are common courtesy and can be summed up with “Don’t be a dick” and “if you have been a dick about it, please don’t play with us”, there are a few points that are interesting.  Mostly Wizards of the Coast is just covering all it’s bases with this one.

Warhammer 40K – Warhammer has a set of rules for tournament play that not only rewards savvy generals, but also well rounded hobbyists and people who are just fun to play with.  The Rogue Trader system judges wins versus losses, sportsmanship, and craftsmanship of an individual’s army.  Along with the almost Biblical tome known as the Warhammer 40K Fifth Edition Core Rulebook, the Rogue Trader system has its own set of rules here. Unlike other games Warhammer is very modular, keep this in mind when building your army. Points totals, special rules, and special events may all be included in the specific tournament you are playing in.

With all of these events going on, it’s very likely some where missed.  Many of Team Chico’s Diplomacy players “the Beer and Blades Club” will be trying to get into pick up Diplomacy rounds early on, and remember Catan regionals are held at Kublacon. If you would like to see something posted, comment  below!  The entire program for the convention can be found at Kublacon’s website or behind this link.

If you were a part of the dozen people who preregistered for Kublacon with the Bulwark you already know about all the events that are happening leading up to one of the biggest gaming conventions on the West Coast.  For the next six weeks the shop will be open 7 days a week prepping for the event. Up until Kublacon you can assume that we are open and doing business while offering some exciting events.

Tuesdays, A Game of Thrones – I will be ordering several chapter packs so we will have access to as many cards in our pool as possible. Don’t forget to use sleeves for all of your cards as they are required for tournament play.

Wednesdays, RPGA – Don will be running a lot more events, after playoffs that is, to help power level characters to the next level bracket. If you want any mods specifically send an email to him or myself. You can reach Don at boucher@build.com

Open Gaming Thursdays – This is your best chance to try to get groups together for any odd ball games you want to do.  Remember there are a lot of card games that draft or demo at Kublacon, and I am able to get most games at cost with 24hours notice. Let me know if you guys need anything.

Fridays, Vampire The Masquerade LARP – The Sacramento Valley is full of LARP games for Vampire: The Masquerade. If you want to take part in the OWbN LARP going on each night at Kublacon now is the time to make a character to get some XP under your belt and get to know some of the local PCs. Let me know if you need rules, have questions, or need help in any way. Also you can email the local LARP staff at NHBNstaff@irondragongames.com.

Saturday, Boardgames – Several boardgames have regional tournaments at Kublacon, including qualifiers for Diplomacy. Let me know if you want to organize any board game events. Diplomacy and Catan are just a couple of the major games having large scale, free to enter tournaments this weekend.

Sunday, Warhammer – The local group will be focusing on finishing, touching up, and tweaking armies for tournaments. Glue and paints will be on hand for free use, so swing by if you need something.

On top of all of this we will be having a surprise contest at Kublacon for all members. More details will be posted as the con gets closer and full details will be presented Thursday the 27th of May.  Remember Team Chico is having a show of force Thursday night in the atrium before con. Either the atrium or the bar that is.

It’s that time again. As we ramp up for the road to Kublacon the local RPGA chapter is starting to prepare for a great weekend of adventure in the Forgotten Realms. Word around the campfire is the RPGA will be hosting a live action role-playing event which will have premium items and story awards offered to the participants.

Don Boucher has put together a 1-4 table to allow new players the opportunity to beef up their character before this event. The RPGA is Wizard’s official Dungeons and Dragons fan club, which publishes free episodic adventures for characters to participate in. These adventures typically last 4 hours, and at the end characters receive XP and loot prescribed by the module.  Playing in the RPGA allows you to play in a wide network of games hosted in homes, conventions, and gaming shops across the country.

If you are interested in joining this group on Wednesdays all you need to do is bring yourself and some dice, they typically meet at 6:30 but new players are encouraged to arrive at 6:00.  The Bulwark Open Library Project has the Dungeons and Dragons core books available, for use in the store.  If you haven’t given D&D 4E a try, now is the perfect time. If you have any other questions about the RPGA email Don Boucher at boucher@Build.com.

Every Memorial Day weekend for the last three years, I and a small sortie of friends have sallied into the heart of Burlingame beyond the Bay Area for what I feel is the perfect con. I like to think of it as a “Goldilocks” con, it’s not too small and it’s not too filled with people, it is just right.  Kublacon has enough people to keep you busy with diverse events, and a small enough crowd that you can actually get into these events.

My first year I went for the OWbN LARP event, and traveled with someone who was excited for the Harry Potter Card Game tournament that was going on, I didn’t even know there was a Harry Potter Card Game at the time.  The next year I met some great guys at a keep-and-kill for the Wiz Kids Battletech game and wound up winning a whole lance of mechs; I didn’t own any so the organizer lent me some minis.  Last year I was introduced to the RPGA, and played in a Fallout LARP of all things. The whole convention is a mixed bag, and you often run into games you have never heard of that are a lot of fun. Everything is represented here, from the hard-line commercial games like Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer, qualifying games for international Diplomacy and Catan tournaments, and a smattering of the independent publishers who worked hard for little pay on something they love.

Each year Kublacon is held the Friday before Memorial Day, up to the holiday on Monday. This year it takes place at the same time, opening registration begins on the 28^th and the convention closes on the 31^st.  It is held at the Hyatt Regency in Burligame, right next to the airport.  The Bulwark will be offering members a reduced price in registration as we qualify as a gaming club.  For only $30 you get an entire weekend of gaming, a full schedule of events can be seen here.  Please be sure to register before April 15^th.

Over the next few months, we will be announcing events leading up to the Bay Area gaming convention. Feel free to jump into the excitement as we go to a con with a little bit of everything.  Our community has more to offer than you may think and now is the time to come together and get ready for the tournaments, events and excitement of one of the largest cons on the West Coast.

We have a very aggressive RPGA schedule over the next few weeks to prep our ambassadors to Conquest Sac and really want to give them a good showing of our judge capabilities.

Help us up by signing up for tables listed now through 3/17.  If you are interested in judging feel free to replace one of the current judges and let me know.

Also we are going to try to run a 1-4 game this coming weekend Sunday at 1:00pm.  We will fire off if we get at least four players by tomorrow afternoon otherwise I’ll fold the table and send an email announcement.

I look forward to the upcoming weeks of gaming,

Chris “The Don” Boucher

Thanks Don! I have added all the games to our schedule on the right.  To see all of Team Chico’s schedule use this Google Doc.

Wednesday, February 3^rd the Bulwark will be hosting a Welcome to the RPGA event.  This event will be organized by Don Boucher and will help the community create, and play characters in the Living Forgotten Realms setting hosted by the Wizards of the Coast’s premier fan club, the RPGA.

The RPGA is a fantastic way for players to get involved with weekly games, without the commitment. It can be hard to regularly attend an event, and the RPGA publishes episodic modules which wrap up in anywhere from 3-5 hours.  This system of anecdotal play makes it’s perfect for your character to be there one week, but not the next. The RPGA is also a national organization, meaning you can play your character at conventions, game days, and at weekly sessions anywhere in the country!

We will be opening our doors for free to new players on the 3^rd in order to let everyone experience this great organization, and everything it has to provide. Remember membership in the RPGA is free, and in order to get started all you need is a pencil, a paper, and good attitude.  Be there at 6:00 for character creation all supplies provided.

The Bulwark is pleased to welcome Team Chico RPGA every Wednesday night! The RPGA is the official fan club of Wizards of the Coasts, who publishes free episodic modules.  To play in the RPGA simply bring a first level Forgotten Realms 4^th edition character. Playing a character in the RPGA has a lot of benefits, you can drop in or drop out of a group at any time, and your character is playable throughout any RPGA game in the nation.  The Team Chico RPGA group meets every week at 6:00, and is always welcoming new players, characters, and prospective DMs alike! If you have any questions, or would like to create a new character email the Team Chico RPGA coordinator Don Boucher at boucher@improvementdirect.com!

James Stremel will be hosting this 8 hour module on the Green Table this Saturday. All slots for this module are filled, but alts are welcome. This event will include a hosted lunch, if you are interested in signing up for an alt position, please have a level 9 – 10 RPGA character with an Adventure History.  Also, open gaming will be allowed while this module is being ran.