Games Day and Golden Demon 2011

What a whirlwind this past Saturday was! My friend, Jason, that came up to Chicago with me made a very telling remark, "Why in God's name don't they make this a two-day event?". While I didn't exactly have a better response than "Well, it's always been this way", I can't really disagree with him...

I will say that this was the most fulfilling Games Day I've ever attended. Why, you ask?

The people. Not the event itself, but the people who I spent time with.


Let's dive into the first reason this was a significant Games Day for me... Heroes of Armageddon. This huge collaboration brought over 32,000 dollars to the Doctors Without Borders foundation, and really showed what our community can do when we get together for an amazing cause. Everyone who donated needs a pat on the back, and everyone who contributed and made this happen in the first place needs a round of applause.

I got to meet both John and Mike from Santa Cruz Warhammer, and Jawaballs himself (Chris) from, well, Jawaballs. (congrats to Mike, btw, for a Silver Demon!) Skarvald the Troll-faced, from Wolves for the Wolf God, tracked me down to say hey, and I had to shake his hand in person for being a huge motivator to me for this Blog. After paying for my Forgeworld, I joined him at the Heroes table... And wow. To say this was an impressive display would be an understatement. The Heroes Banner winning Best Banner for the day just topped off all the incredible work done for this collaboration. I can't wait to see how the community pulls together for next year!

I met Nick Kyme at the Black Library area and was able to talk to him at length about the Salamanders novels, and thank him in person for the sheer detail he puts in them becoming my inspiration for a Salamanders army in the near future... Yes, some of that Forgeworld purchase I mentioned earlier is for said army.

Speaking with Jes Goodwin for a solid 20 minutes about art and inspiration, both in the hobby and out, was beyond a rare treat as well. Sharing images of the Kholek Suneater conversion I did and getting his compliments on it? Geek-tastic. That an artist and sculptor of his caliber, not to mention the sheer history in the hobby and GW, would compliment that conversion was more than I could ask for. Both Nick, Jes, and everyone from Black Library were beyond approachable, willing to chat about anything and spend some serious time with everyone who came up to them. Stand up folks, all.

I got to talk with John Schaffer from GW fame the night before in the lounge at the hotel while he was busy assembling figures for use in the Golden Demon lounge at Games Day. Again, a great guy to talk with and easily approachable, willing to talk hobby or anything else, even though he'd been working all day to set up for the event.

Speaking of Golden Demon... How'd my Inquisitor do, you ask? Well, I made it past the first cut from the table to the standing case!!! I didn't make it any farther than that. Honestly, for only working 4 days, and cramming 22 hours worth of painting into them, I'm pleased for my first showing into the Golden Demons, especially entering the 40K single fig category.

The best part of that was I was able to catch Chris Borer in the Golden Demon Lounge, thank him for the critique of some of my Centurions two years ago, and the advice he gave me then.... AND grab my fig from the case so he could critique my painting now! Chris is a great guy, and when I asked if he had the time to look at the Inquisitor, and give me an honest critique, he took a solid 20 minutes out of his day to sit with me and go over every nuance of the miniature. I asked him to be brutally honest, and he was, and I couldn't have asked for a better critique. I was thrilled with every piece of advice he gave me from sculpting and composition choices, to the painting of the figure itself with color choices and technique. He even complimented me on the face and eyes on the miniature, and said for my first showing in the Golden Demons ever, making it into the case in the hardest category there was a great accomplishment! I seriously couldn't have asked for a better first experience in the Golden Demons.

I know I'm glossing over the wait in line for Forgeworld purchases, the pain in the rear my bank made me go through to authorize purchases for the day, the delay at the airport and not getting home til midnight... But you know why?

Cause I remember the people that made the day so great. Thanks everyone.

- Tim