Miniature gaming is alive-and-well in the Gaming City
In the military, there exists notorious pre-operation briefs called terrain models or sand tables. A poor squad leader is tasked to build a scaled down representation of the battle-space in order to coordinate missions and plan attacks.
Everything from grass, twigs, and camel turds are used to make these representations and Odin help you if you have a war gaming nerd on your squad. These guys magically turn up and completely dominate miniature scale builds.
They spend hours on meticulous and sometimes useful details that you can forget making that SP (start patrol) time but ensure the brass will be impressed. Never mind the plan will descend into utter chaos and insanity but at least it looked amazing in small scale!
So as tribute to my favorite table-top tacticians who have saved my bacon in the field, I will dedicate an unhealthy measure focus on miniature gaming the rest of summer. And before you whip out the chain sword for the most obvious and inevitable miniature game (save that for the next column) I aim to tell you about a nifty event happening soon.
Because it’s Chattanooga and like-it-or-not there’s always an event just around the corner even if you haven’t fully recovered from the last six yesterdays.
I’m like a dog chasing cars on a freeway in California, but man my quads look amazing!
My friends over at Infinity Flux clued me in on an event called ATC or American Team Championship. A three-day miniature gaming tournament where around 90 teams go head-to-head playing their favorite miniature combat games in order to find out who is the best-of-the-best around the nation. This is the 8th year and being held at Camp Jordan Arena all coordinated, hosted, and wrangled by Cleveland’s very own Dicehead Games.
Dicehead Games and Comics is one of many businesses that are held in high regard with the local gaming community. Among my friends they are a go-to resource for miniature gaming and collectables. Among my friends’ friends they are a go-to resource as well. Heck if a so-called neighborhood competition refers to your business as family and point customers in your direction you know you got a good thing going on. Honestly, I’ve only been a mild spectator of the miniature gaming world and I must say videogames don’t hold a candle to the mind blowing extravaganza that mini gaming offers.
There is just so much stuff with figures, literature, lore, collectables, and campaigns. Games can range from things as simple as Chess with dice to spectacular feats of engineering requiring a sextant, compass, and advanced Calculus in order to compete.
The ATC event will host six different miniature games with matches ranging from Warhammer 40k to Star Wars Legion. Guests and sponsors in attendance will be Games Workshop and “Forge the Narrative”, to name a few, because there is a lot.
“Forge the Narrative” is a podcast that covers the craftier side of miniature gaming that offering tips and share knowledge to improve those artsy skills. Which is arguably one of the biggest joys I have when discussing anything about miniatures it’s all about the crafting and customization baby!
Everything that I usually see is hand painted with various levels of precision and pride from the uniforms and battle armor to the detailed terrain props. I enjoy watching a person’s army evolve from bland Bondo colored toys to hot-rot hued badass figurines cleverly detailed and ready for battle.
The combinations are endless with some deciding on a lore friendly approach but the most exciting are the rogues who eschew gaming norms and go totally ape with it.
There is a lot to like with miniature gaming and even more to love if you find the time and dedication for it. Because miniature gaming as a hobby is so consuming it boasts a very cult-like reverence among players and spectators, sans the Kool-Aid and tax breaks. This is very evident when surrounded by solid groups of people who compete as friends and colleagues.
So the 8th Annual ATC this weekend at The Camp Jordan Arena. Check out the event news at dicehead.com if you are looking to knock dust off that Ork hoard or seeking fun and fellowship that comes along with team competitions.
Keep an eye-out for the future as I will be talking about three of Chattanooga’s favorite miniature games as a celebration into one of the most revered forms of gaming and the most annoying form of pre-mission planning in the universe.
When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.