Here's a bit of a write up an event my gaming group held last weekend. Complete tournament report can be found here http://www.maxminis.com/Forums/tabid/104/forumid/66/postid/676443/view/topic/Default.aspx

Halifax, Nova Scotia might not be the biggest city but it boasts a very active following of Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures for its size and the pre-releases are always something that are anxiously anticipated; usually drawing crowds of over 20 participants.

When a local society of gamers calling themselves the Gelatinous Dudes, Gamers for Good (or the Dudes for short), heard that their city would not be getting a pre-release for Blood War they decided that they would roll up their sleeves and make it happen.ÂThey decided they would run their own limited Blood War event, and use the event as a platform to raise funds for a current project Adpot-a-Family for Christmas. The Adopt-a-Family program, which "matches disadvantaged families with businesses, community groups, families and individuals willing to provide Christmas support" (text from Feed Nova Scotia's website).Â

The Dudes would have been thrilled if the minimum number to run the event had registered, but imagine their surprise when they had to turn away participants.  They hit 24 players and exceeded the minimum registration by more than 33%!  Thanks to word of mouth and visibility of forums like www.maxminis.com, news of the event spread like wildfire attracting some of the top players from all corners of the Province and, as a first, even gained players from out of province who were willing to get up at the dark hour of 6 AM and make the three hour drive attend the event.

The first GD event happened in Halifax on November 12. Five Swiss Rounds were played and prizes awarded to first through fourth place. Prizes were also awarded to the player voted best sportsman.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the event organizers, it went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time.  In addition to helping them exceed the donation target for the Adopt-a-Family project, the event also received over 24 food items!  Here are some comments from participants:

"On behalf of myself and the other Moncton guys: Thanks for having us in your tournament! … The event was well-organized, with good judging, a decent location and great people & prizes."

"I am amazed at the work that was put into it all around…I think its' a great thing you're doing."

"Great job guys! … it [the tournament] went really smooth… great fun and great people I had an awesome time as usual."

The Gelatinous Dudes want to thank everyone who came out and had fun while contributing to such a worthy cause. The Dudes plan on hosting a tournament for the next set, Unhallowed.