"Skulls of Tamerlane" - FallCon 2009

[Paul A. Hannah]

Joe Crow and his splendid IV/42 Islamic Persians amassed the biggest collection of skulls to win "The Skulls of Tamerlane" tourney this past weekend at Fall-Con in Calgary, Alberta.

Here's a shot of final round play:

Joe's Persians are at right. Don Ray's shimmering IV/75 Timurids (Alain Toullier 15s) are at left. (Note the skull towers in the background.)

Overview of the event:
Based on Timur's brutal conquest of Central Asia in the 14th C., players could field a Timurid army, or one of its historical opponents. (Yuan and Ming Chinese were also eligible.) Players were instantly awarded skulls of various sizes (and point values) as they earned them.

• Small Skulls - 3pts - For enemy element that one's GENERAL's element destroyed (frontally, flank attack... yes, even by BOD).
• Medium Skulls - 5pts - For each enemy Camp or BUA captured, or enemy General destroyed.
• Large Skulls - 20pts - For each game victory.
• (If a player's General element survived all rounds, i.e. kept his own skull, he or she got 5pts at the end of the event.)

Players tracked their scores by stacking skulls on a tower. The tourney victor would win the British Hill Fort "edge camp" (as seen recently on this forum), created by and purchased from "Neldoreth". The player fielding the spiffiest Camp or BUA would win a painted DBA II/62 Abyssinian army & camp. I didn't expect, however, that the same person would stand to win both!

Final tallies after this 3-round, 8-player, NICT qualifying, event:

• Joe Crow, IV/42 Islamic Persian, 71pts*
• Don Ray, IV/75 Timurid, 51pts
• Mike Johnson, IV/55b Ottoman, 50pts
• Marco Musa, II/58 Alan, 46pts
• Sean Devitt, IV/2 Cilician, 31 pts
• Richard Kellett, IV/55b Ottoman, 20pts
• Rob Elliott, IV/47 Golden Horde, 8pts
• (As GM, I played to balance the field, but was ineligible. Ran a different army each time: L.Muslim Indian, Ming Chinese & Trapzuntine Byz.)

* qualifies for the 2010 NICT Championship

Winner of the Best Camp/BUA was also Joe, for his very impressive, Cagliari "edge camp".

Rob Elliott's Mongol Yurt Camp (not shown) was also very handsome. All players received a skull tower "Barker Marker", as seen here in the foreground. Joe graciously suggested that the British "edge camp" he made be awarded to the 2nd Place finisher, Don Ray.

Here's a shot of Joe in the Fall-Con winners' circle after the event, as he holds his skull tower and painted-army prize.


I was a tad disappointed that there were only 8 players for this 12-player event, but, no matter: All seemed to have had a fun and entertaining time, and, ultimately, that's what's most important. (Apparently, the number of miniatures-gamers, overall, was down this year at Fall-Con for reasons unknown.)

[Spanikopites]

Paul, that was a grand tourney, awesome presentation as well. Thanks much!

Serious kudos to the winner whom I thought was doomed (if not severely challenged) with a monotype Cv army.

The game Joe and I played was grand. Probably the most tense game in long while. Not everyday Bw actually kill a Sp element. It saved his game. I had just buttocksed his CvG and the next kill would decide the game.

Mike (d'Sultan of Swing) and his Ottomaniacs were a cool match for my Cilicians. Our games often resemble monkey-knife fights and this one did, my General charging to his messy death.

And Rob's overmobile Golden Horde was more of a challenge then he seemed to think. The PIP gods were generous to me.

I'll post the damage from 'I Was A Teenage Visigoth' when I find my camera....

-S

[neldoreth]

Paul,

Thanks a lot for running this tournament, I really enjoyed the themed scoring and overall you run an excellent event! You inspire me for next year! As for all those points I collected, most of it goes to dice I think... Not only did I kill a spear element with bow shooting (and hold them up for the entire game), but I survived charge after charge from Don's elephant in the final game! Every game I played was a nail biter for sure!

I managed to get a few shots of this one inbetween battles:


A picture of the snazzy prize table set up by Paul!


Rob's Golden Horde getting behind Don's Timurids...


Rob's Golden Horde swarming around Don's Timurids! How did Don survive?


Richard's Ottomans fighting Paul's Indians.

[neldoreth]

Mike's Ottomans ready to take on Sean's Cilicians. Look at that snazzy camp there!


Sean's Cilicians lining up to face the above Ottomans. Excellent camp here as well!


The sticky end for Sean's Cilician Armenian general!


My Persians trying to chase down Marco's Alans.

Overall, a fantastic tournament, I highly recommend that if you have the chance to make it out to one of Paul's events, you get out to it!

n.

[Tony Aguilar]

Nice report!
Congrats n., I mean Joe.
We expect to see you at Historicon 2010 as you are now NICT quallied.

[Kontos]

Congrats from me as well, Joe. Looked like a lot of fun was had by all. Its just icing on the cake to be the winner!

Frank

[TWR]

Great looking figures, armies and prizes etc which put most large game systems to shame.

A question however. What material have you used for the tables?

[Terry37]

Paul, a very nice report indeed. But I hate it when you guys show all these great looking figures because then I have to go out and buy more lead!!!!! I think there should be a new rule that goes something like this - For every neat army you all show pictures of you have to then send me a painted equivalent of it. Yeah, that sounds fair!!!!

Really enjoyed the report and the great pictures and really great looking armies!

Terry

[Kontos]

Originally Posted by Terry37

Paul, a very nice report indeed. But I hate it when you guys show all these great looking figures because then I have to go out and buy more lead!!!!! I think there should be a new rule that goes something like this - For every neat army you all show pictures of you have to then send me a painted equivalent of it. Yeah, that sounds fair!!!!

Really enjoyed the report and the great pictures and really great looking armies!

Terry

Why waste a beautiful army on a general who rolls "1"s?

Frank

[Paul A. Hannah]

Originally Posted by Terry37

Paul, a very nice report indeed. But I hate it when you guys show all these great looking figures because then I have to go out and buy more lead! I think there should be a new rule that goes something like this - For every neat army you all show pictures of you have to then send me a painted equivalent of it.

Well, I kinda sorta gave y'all that opportunity. This was the army and camp I awarded as one of the prizes (see link here). 'Course, you had to be in Calgary, I know. But, hey, next year's Fall-Con is 17-19 September.

(Thanks for your kind, and funny, words of appreciation.)