Buckeye Battles V - Warhammer Tournament

Buckeye Battles V was held this weekend on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

Buckeye Battles, now in it's fifth year, is a good sized Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K tournament event. Things kicked off on Friday morning and are just wrapping up as I type this. Friday was the 40K RTT (Rogue Trader Tournament), while Saturday and Sunday were the Warhammer Fantasy Indy GT (Independent Grand Tournament) events.

I was surprised to see 40K relegated to a one-day tourney, while Fantasy had two days as the general consensus is usually that there are more 40K players than Fantasy players these days.

We had family visiting from out of state this weekend, so desptite OWU being about 10 minutes from our house, I wasn't able to get there until today. I stopped by for a bit this afternoon to check out the action. Being new to the world of Warhammer gaming, and still in the midst of acquiring and assembling my army, I wasn't able to play in the tournament this year. But, I very much wanted to see what it was like.

As I approached the entrance to the Chappelear Drama Center I could hear the buzz of activity coming from within. It grew stradily louder as I made my way through the lobby and into the theater. Upon first glance it looked like there was quite a crowd...

...there was a nice banner bearing the name and address of Hobby Central, which is our friendly local game store here in Delaware. There was some merchandise for sale, as well as a smattering of snack foods, candy bars, etc. I could see tables laden with terrain and various armies from the Warhammer world. All the action was up on the stage of the theater.

As I got closer to the stage I saw the true breadth of Buckeye Battles V! I neglected to count the tables available, but there were a lot and they all seemed full. According to the last update on the website, they said they had 80 registrants and were only going to accept 6 more. I don't know if they got their final 6, but the place was packed. It was a very exciting environment. This is the largest Indy GT in Ohio.


Everyone looked to be having a fantastic time. Seeing the activity going on has really got me excited for Warhammer, and I really want to play in this event next year. That leaves me with a lot of work to do in the interim, but it's also giving me a goal to shoot for. It just looked like a ton of fun, and isn't that was gaming should be about? In fact, fun is a stated goal for the event. Check this out from the website:

We believe in a fun event, where everyone can compete and have a good time. Our banding format and scenarios lend itself to this belief. It’s a great compliment from our players, when they say that they don’t feel burnt out after our event.

Sounds great! It's so cool to have an event like this happening in my own backyard for a change. So, here's to Buckeye Battles VI in summer 2012. And be sure to follow my adventures right here at The Rural Gamer as I get my forces ready for next years event.


If you're a Warhammer player, 40K or Fantasy, in the midwest then you need to do yourself a favor and check out Buckeye Battles for yourself. You can find their website here, and also be sure to check out their Facebook page here.