August 23, 2007

News from the Origins 2007 Convention

http://wizkidsgames.com/mechwarrior/mw_article.asp?cid=41543

The Clan Nova Cat spirit quest event for this year was hosted at the Origins 2007 convention in Columbus, OH. Players actually helped determine the outcome of in-story events by their play during the convention. Michael Miller helped referee the event for Wizkids, and has posted a recap of all the Mechwarrior action over at the Wizkids site. Here are a few excerpts:

The final war in the Nova Cats vision quest was actually more about House Kurita trying to call for help from another Clan. House Kurita had contacted the Rasalhague Dominion for help in pushing back the Nova Cats, but Clan Jade Falcon decided to scratch its claws on the Rasalhague world of Alrakis. DragonDawg tried his hardest to fight for the Dominion, and ended up winning the day, but his Bears just couldn’t push back the Falcons enough to help Kurita in its time of need. DragonDawg brought along a motley crew of units that worked very well together: Phelan in his “Vengeance” and Mila Mazur and Scott Graves running around in Bannson’s Raiders Solitaires. He also brought some Combat Techs, Thunderbird Battle Armor, Thunder Launchers, a Bishop, a certain mercenary Kelswa we all know and love, and a few other units such as a Bannson’s Sprint. All of his wins helped out the Bears, but in the end Clan Jade Falcon defeated the Ghost Bears 11 wins to 10.

So, after following their vision quest, the Nova Cats have sent a clear message to House Kurita: The Dragon throne has been corrupted, and only they can help the true heir ascend and take her rightful place. Emi Kurita will return with the Nova Cats, and the false Dragon will fall. Only with the Nova Cats at their side can the Dragon be whole and pure once more!

Posted by Discoshaman at 04:32 AM | Comments (0)

Battletech Firestorm Invitational, Houston 2007

Houston is hosting a Battletech: Firestorm event this year. “This event is a combination of pilot convention, competition and all things BattleTech®. All pilots are encouraged to attend, no matter what the experience level.”

For more information, contact http://www.MechCorps.com/Invy2007

What is Battletech: Firestorm? Here’s a quick overview from the website:

“

VGCORPS presents the ultimate giant robot simulation experience!

For the first time at A-Kon, you can be the pilot of a multi-ton armored behemoth. Come play Battletech Firestorm™ in our completely immersive Virtual World Battlemech™ combat simulator pods. Engage your friends and computer opponents for explosive head to head combat in the most realistic Battletech cockpit simulators ever produced. Prospective mechjocks should report to the PODBAY on the third level (convention side) in the San Antonio B ballroom. Missions run 24 hours a day. While you are there, check out our exclusive line of Battletech™ merchandise. Uniformed VGCORPS personnel will be roving throughout the convention to answer questions and pose for pictures. For more information, vist us online at www.vgcorps.com.” . . . When seated in the Tesla IITM System cockpit for your BattleTech: Firestorm game, you will be amazed. The BattleTech game is like nothing you have experienced before. The main screen is a window, your view from your giant 'Mech. Five surrounding monitors display your 'Mech's systems. A secondary radar screen helps you hunt down your opponents. The throttle, foot pedals and military-style joystick help you pilot this massive fighting machine. At your fingertips are enough weapons to destroy anything in your path. Or so you think.
The depth of the BattleTech game is unparalleled in location based entertainment. As your skills progress in the game, you discover more advanced systems and controls. You are responsible for the 'Mech's wear and tear. You control how much use you get out of the 'Mech. There are over thirty different 'Mechs to choose from. Each has a variation on size, speed, weapons and controls. Choose from more than twenty different battlefields, including cities, swamplands, canyons, and more.”

Posted by Discoshaman at 04:21 AM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2007

Wizkids Gen Con UK 2007 Event Programme

Thursday 30th August - Sunday 2nd September 2007
University of Reading - Berkshire, England
Welcome to the WizKids Event Programme at Gen Con UK 2007. You can visit the Gen Con UK website for further information www.GenConuk.com/wk/.

Gen Con UK will certainly be very different this year, with our very own WizKids Tournament Area, preview events, Johnny Thunder giveaway for playing in HeroClix tournaments, orange Fin Fang Foom. Halo ActionClix, Mechwarrior Solaris VII and the Star Wars PocketModel TCG also make their first appearance at Gen Con UK.
Don't worry if you are new to any WizKids games. We have hand picked Envoys to help new players pick up the game and win some great prizes. So take a tour or play in any of the demo, scenario or tournament games.

Our games include Pirates PocketModels, HeroClix, Mechwarrior, Mechwarrior: Solaris VII. . .

We will have demonstrations across all our games and many of them include a freebie for taking the time to enjoy our games. Look out for special offers in the WizKids area and the WizKids Gen Con UK Party on Friday the 31st!
Should you require further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us!

See you at Gen Con UK 2007.
WK Games Team Europe

Contact Information
Anup Dave - European Approved Play Manager
Email: anupdave@topps.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 800139
PARTY!

WizKids Gen Con UK 2007 Party – Friday 31 August
Attention all! WizKids is hosting the Gen Con UK Party with support of the local Reading store Eclectic Games. So if you play a tournament game or demo game you will receive an invitation to this Party. If you are a WizKids Envoy and at Gen Con UK make sure you visit us to get a ticket for this party. Come in fancy dress if you like; there will be plenty of prizes to go around, so if you want to be a dashing Pirate, or a conservative Jedi, perhaps a Dark Sith, maybe even a super powered hero, then the choice is yours! Turn it up big! We would love to see you there in style or even in your Disco flares! We will have plenty of fun and games, located at a bar on site.

Tickets will be limited for this event so make sure you get yours early.

WizKids Gen Con UK 2007 Programme (At a glance)*
Thursday 30 August Friday 31 August Saturday 1 September Sunday 2 September
HeroClix ‘Galactus’ Is he coming? [Sealed] HeroClix Grand Melee 5th Anniversary Celebration Event [Sealed] Civil War Tribute [Sealed & Constructed]
HeroClix Special Special ‘3 Hundred’ event taking place throughout Gen Con UK.
Mechwarrior ‘The Big 6’ Solaris VII – Grand Melee Solaris VII Gen Con UK Championship Gen Con UK Stable Championship
HorrorClix ‘Monster Mash’ Zombie Invasion (AM)
‘Extermination’ (PM) ‘HorrorClix: The Lab’ [Sealed] AvP
Pirates CSG Casual Play ‘The Vikings’ Quest of Davy Jones' Gold Board Game Tournament 100 point Grand Fleet
Star Wars PocketModel TCG Seperatists/Trade Federation Vs Republic Empire Vs Rebel Alliance Special Event (There is a small chance it will be a Ground Assault Preview Event Sealed £TBC) Special Event (There is a small chance it will be a Ground Assault Preview Event Sealed £12)
Halo ActionClix Halo Demos Halo Demos Halo Preview Event (Sealed) Halo Preview Event (Sealed)
Board Games Special Eclectic Games will be running Board Game Tournaments that include the fantastic Tsuro and Oshi!
NOTE: *All events will start at 10.00 am unless specified, subject to queues and traffic. Participants should be at the WizKids Tournament room 30 mins before the start of events. Events will be cancelled if there are less than 4 players unless specified. The programme, format, timings and availability of games are subject to change at the discretion of WizKids; we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused. Under 16s must be accompanied by Parent or Guardian. Personal items are left at the risk of the owner; WizKids assumes no responsibility for such items and effects.
2007 Convention Exclusives

The Convention Exclusives for 2007 are available for players at the WizKids stand in the WizKids area in the Palmer Building. These include the HeroClix/HorrorClix Map, Pirates Convention special, HeroClix DC Batman and HeroClix Marvel Thor figures free with purchases. A limited number of the orange and regular Marvel Fin Fang Foom will be available for sale at £50.

WizKids Tour

We recognise that there are so many games to choose from, so how do you decide which game is right for you? Well, take the WizKids Tour and learn about Organized Play, our community and the variety of games WizKids has to offer.
Event Info [Palmer Building 1st Floor top of the stairs ‘Tournament Room’]

All events will start at 10.00 am unless specified; be there approximately 15-20 minutes beforehand to sign-up; events will be cancelled if there are less than 4 players 15 minutes before the event starts. Please check beforehand as certain events will need to start promptly and registration will take place prior to the indicated time.

Prizes at Gen Con UK

To celebrate the return of Gen Con UK in 2007 we will have top level prizes: available Limited Edition, Large Figures, Foil Cards and full sets. As with our tradition of events, ‘Expect Anything!’

General Information

If you require further information on the events planned please do not hesitate to contact me at WK Games Europe using the following information:

Contact Person: Anup Dave
Email: anupdave@topps.co.uk
Tel: + 44 (0) 1908 800 139
Mob: +44 (0) 7887 641 416

Whilst we have made every effort to ensure the programme is up to date there may be final changes made that are beyond our control; for this we apologise in advance. Look forward to seeing you there!
WK Games Team Europe!

WizKids Gen Con UK Events Detailed Programme

Mechwarrior and Mechwarrior: Solaris VII

Welcome to the MW events. This year sees the introduction of Mechwarrior: Solaris VII. So why not come along and have a go? It's fast and exciting. Hear the roar of the crowd as you crush your opponent. It's like cage fighting but without the short hair cuts.
Please note that the following rules apply to all Solaris VII events..

No RISC gear.

All the events are unrestricted.

The time limit for all rounds except for the UK stable championship final and the Grand melee is 20-25 minutes.

This means that the tournaments will last between 3-4 hours.
You will also need to bring a six-sided to represent heat gained and a six-sided to represent damage received.

"The Big 6" [August 30 Thursday]

Get out your BIG guns. This is an unrestricted 1,500 point Swiss tournament. Players will need to bring 1,500 points, including pilots and gear, of at least 1 'Mech of each weight class (1 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy and 1 assault). You will also need to bring terrain and enough PCC and mission cards for a five round tournament.
Have you got what it takes to beat the big boys on the block?
Mechwarrior: Solaris VII Grand Melee [August 31 Friday]

The first of our new Solaris VII rules events. And it's a goody. This is an unrestricted Solaris VII event with players bringing a 'Mech of any class up to 350 points.

All 'Mechs then fight in a multiplayer event in a single arena. It's a head to head, all against all event. Once you are eliminated you respawn and keep fighting till the end. There will be 3 rounds of approximately 1 hour each. The finalists will then play a last round of 1 hour, the finalists being the players with the highest reputation for each 'Mech weight class, to crown the grand melee individual Solaris VII Champion.

Mechwarrior: Solaris VII Gen Con UK Championship [September 1 Saturday]

Another Mechwarrior: Solaris VII title is up for grabs!
This is an unrestricted Swiss Solaris VII event. Players will need to bring a 'Mech of any weight class up to a maximum of 350 points and three reputation markers up to 30 points. After 6 rounds the top two players based on reputation will go head to head in the final. The rounds may vary from head to head to multiplayer formats, so keep your Neuro-helmets on!

Gen Con UK Mechwarrior: Solaris VII Stable Championship [September 2 Sunday]

That's right, this time you are fighting for the honour of your Stable/venue. This is an unrestricted event for teams of two.
Each Player will need to bring a 'Mech of each weight class and three reputation markers up to 30 points. Each round will be a different weight class. After 6 rounds the top two teams based on reputation will go head to head in the final.

The first four rounds will be light, medium, heavy and then assault. After that, for the remaining two rounds you get to choose which of your 'Mechs you fight with. Once you have choosen a 'Mech to fight with again, it is out of the contest. This will leave the players from each team with a choice from two 'Mechs each to fight with. The final will be a two-team four-player game.
Credits

WizKids Europe would like to thank the following people:
WizKids Envoys and Volunteers for running the exciting games at Gen Con UK.

Gen Con UK for making it happen.
Eclectic Games for supporting our games and being involved in the Party.

The Traders at Gen Con UK for making it worth coming to Gen Con UK.
Knights of the Empire for sending in the troops!
WizKids US for making such great games and supporting the Gen Con UK events.

All of our players who will be at Gen Con UK and supporting us.
All of the stores who have supported WizKids.
Special thanks to Colin, Achim, Marcel and Julian in testing scenarios and helping to put the events together.
Esdevium and Hobby Games for distributing our products in the UK.

Posted by Discoshaman at 04:38 AM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2007

Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA (www.pennyarcadeexpo.com) will play host to the first ever Team Mechwarrior Championship!

Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA (www.pennyarcadeexpo.com) will play host to the first ever Team Mechwarrior Championship!
The Team Mechwarrior Championships will be run as an open-invitation, team-based tournament. The format focuses on teamwork between competitors in army-building. Wins and losses are credited to teams rather than individual players.

The rules:

Army Construction

Players will form three-person teams on-site. Each team member buys two Wolf Strike boosters. Once all teams have been registered and accounted for, all teams open their six boosters and place the contents in a common pool. From this pool, three 600-point armies are built. Each player takes one of the armies and uses it for every round of the tournament. Finally, each team assigns each of its players a designation: Alpha, Bravo, or Charlie. These designations are privately shared with the Envoy running the tournament.

Format

In the first round, teams are randomly paired against each other. Every round, the Alpha players pair up, as do the Bravos and Charlies. Those players play a round against one another, recording wins and victory conditions. After one round of play, the team with the most wins is credited with the win for the round.

Example: Clan Binja Neaver consists of Calvin (Alpha), Jeff (Bravo), and Jon (Charlie). They are paired against Clan Buzzy Funny: Kelly (Alpha), Jonas (Bravo), and Tony (Charlie). Calvin plays Kelly, Jeff plays Jonas, and Jon plays Tony. After one round of play, Kelly has beaten Calvin, Jeff has beaten Jonas, and Tony has beaten Jon. Clan Buzzy Funny has won the round.

After each round, teams are re-paired using Swiss-style pairing. Use the following criteria as tie-breakers:

1. Individual player victories.
2. Total team victory conditions.
3. Opponent's win-loss record.
4. Opponent's total victory conditions.

Determining a Winner

At the end of the tournament, the team with the best overall record is declared the winner and is rewarded with fabulous prizes. Yes, fabulous. The BattleMaster will also determine the Fellowship team, and each member of that team will receive the same allocation.

Posted by Discoshaman at 04:42 AM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2007

Solaris VII Stockyard Exhibition Event

Because why should those people in Indianapolis have all the fun? Come play in the first-ever Solaris VII match! This is a special “exhibition” match for those of you in the Windy City. And as befits our friends in Chicago . . . bigger is better!
Winner!

The winner of this exhibition event will be the player who accumulates the most reputation points throughout the duration of the event. Play as much or as little as you like!

Match Class

Heavyweight class, unrestricted; up to 350 points per combatant. Remember that the 350-point build total includes ’Mech, pilot, and gear. No R.I.S.C. gear is allowed in Solaris VII events. You can bring as many combatants as you wish to use throughout the event; we recommend bringing at least three combatant combinations. You are allowed to run lighter if you choose (and gain more reputation in the process) but we will not be held responsible for the consequences! All game pieces from Solaris VII Action Packs are legal for this event.

Rules Set: Mechwarrior®: Solaris VII
Time Limit: 25 minutes per match. The entire event will run at least two hours.

Preparing the Arena

Determine the first player and prepare the arena per the Mechwarrior:

Solaris VII rules.

Special Rules

* For the duration of the event, you can’t challenge the same player to a match twice in a row. Get out and beat up new people!

* You are allowed to change combatants between matches. In fact, we encourage it!

* Envoys/WizKids staff have the option to initiate multiplayer games (grand melees) onsite should there be enough interest in doing so. Multiplayer games use Mechwarrior: Solaris VII rules, with the addition of the Halving Bonus.

* Halving Bonus: During a multiplayer game, if at any time the number of ’Mechs on the map is reduced by half, the remaining players get an immediate 20-point reputation bonus. For example, in a multiplayer game of eight players, a halving bonus is awarded when there are four ’Mechs, two ’Mechs, and one ’Mech remaining on the map.
©2007 WizKids, Inc. All rights reserved. Mechwarrior, ’Mech, and WizKids are trademarks of WizKids, Inc.

Posted by Discoshaman at 04:44 AM | Comments (0)