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Berks Winter Blast 2019!


WELCOME TO BERKS WINTER BLAST 2019! 

This is our 7th year running this Team Tournament for Warhammer 40,000 that also is a benefit Fund Raiser that helps and supports families facing the crisis of battling Pediatric Cancer.
We try do our best here at the Berks-PA Gaming Club is joining forces with LWG (Lancaster War Gaming) and the BWG (Basement War Gamers) to present you, our fellow gamers, with a fun environment and what we like to refer to as a War Gaming Experience, rather than calling it a true Tournament.     While we do have some minor prizes and trophies for the top finishers of the event, the overall draw to our club run events is our Charity Raffles.  Many donations come in from our sponsors as well as club money reinvested from this event into prize support.   You as the players have an opportunity to win and earn more tickets throughout the day as well as purchase more raffle tickets.    It only takes 1 ticket to win any given prize.    Each prize has a bag or basket or box assigned to it.    Players are encouraged to write their names on their tickets, then place them into the corresponding bag, basket, or box to the appropriate prizes they wish to win.    At the end of the day, our judges will draw the winning tickets for each prize.      

This year we are shifting our Charity affiliation slightly as we partner up with other families who have been supported by the Four Diamonds Fund through Hershey Medical Center and THON, the amazing dance-marathon fund raiser supported by Penn State University.    Joining with the family of the Late Delaney “Laney” Brown, and Laney’s Legacy of Hope, we are continuing to help more families is an even more direct approach through our continued support for families with children battling high risk cancer and assisting with research as well.    

You can learn more about Laney Brown and her Legacy of Hope Charity here at:  https://www.laneyslegacyofhope.org/

We want to again remind everyone that this is a charity event and a FUN event.   We hope that everyone enjoys themselves, and also if you think of it, feel free to contact our sponsors and thank them for their support for our events.   Without them, our events would not be possible to bring you as much fun and as many prizes as we do.



Berks Winter Blast, 2019 Guidelines:

Date: January 26th, 2019           

Location: 29 green acre road, Lititz, pa 17543

COST:   PRE-REGISTRATION:

Please note there are 2 events  this year!

Berks 40K Team Tournament:  2-player team, 1000-point armies each:  $35 a player, or $70 a team, if Pre-registered by January 10th, after that date it is $45 a player and $90 a team.    


Age of Sigmar Tournament:  2000-point single player competition.   Details on this will be forthcoming.   $35 a person if pre-registered by January 10th, $45 each after the 10th.

Payments may be made via PayPal to: BianconeGlobal@comcast.net

*** Both events will use Best Coast Pairings for match ups and table assignments.   Click the link above to get the App.

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS:
·        Your name & partner’s name, and factions of each player’s army.
·        50%of your team’s Entry Fee ($35) to officially hold your place.  Payment must be in full by January 10th, 2019 or you will have to pay the remainder of the full balance of $90.00 for the team.
·        Army Lists need to be submitted to Tournament Organizers by January 10th, 2019.   Failure to do so will not gain you bonus raffle tickets for Pre-Registration.  (Pre-registered players will be given 20 bonus raffle tickets upon check in).
·        Army lists can be submitted via email to:  BerksGamingTO@yahoo.com 

The event will use the most recent Rules, Errata, FAQ’s and Codex books for Warhammer 40,000 8th edition Matched play rules. The most current rules and books released up until January 10, 2019 will be in use.  There are no restrictions on Forge World units.  

You still MUST provide a PRINTED copy of your army list that shows units, costs and upgrades upon it.    You should have Five (5) copies of your list, one for yourself, one for the TO’s to keep on file and one for each of your opposing teams you shall face off against.

This is a 2-player Team event, with each player fielding a 1000-point army that may include up to 2 detachments.   There are no restrictions as to which armies you and your teammate play, other than both armies must be Battle-Forged and made under Matched Play rules.


ARMY FORMAT:
·        Armies must be Battle forged and are limited to 1000 points each, must include an Army Warlord, and are limited to 2 detachments.   Each player may also only include 2 of the same type of data sheets per army (non-troop/dedicated transports) as per the 40K rule book errata.

·        Your team may not field more than one copy of a special or unique character or model.    Meaning you cannot field 2 of the same.  (You could field an army with both Magnus the Red and Mortarian, but you may not field 2 versions of Roboute Guilliman in the same army)

·        While your team’s armies count as allies for most intents and purposes, you may not share Command Points or utilize each other’s vehicles.    Buildings and Fortifications have no faction key words and thus can be used by both parties of the same team, but not at the same time.

·        You may NOT share Command Points.  Nor can you use your abilities to reroll your teammate’s dice.

·        You should have at least 1 copy of the 8th edition rule book per team, all appropriate codex, books and dice. PDF's and electronic formats (and copies of such) are permitted, but please have a FULLY charged electronic device with you if this is the case.

 Armies do NOT have to be fully painted, however only a fully painted army is eligible for the Players Choice award. Models MUST be fully built though. Incomplete models WILL NOT be permitted for play.  Additionally, all models should be WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get).

Proxy Models are NOT allowed, but models do not need to be GW totally either. What that means is that you may have a custom model made up to be your warlord or a special unit, but please don’t use something blatantly wrong, like using Orks and calling them Terminators.

If you are uncertain of a model or are using different models to represent something, please contact the Tournament Organizers with questions and perhaps a picture of the models in question: BerksGamingTO@yahoo.com



SCORING:
Each mission will score up to 30 points maximum per game. Players will score based upon Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Missions per game. 

·        Primary Missions cap at 20 points, this will represent the core of the battle, weather it is holding objectives, kill points, or some other variation we come up with for each round.   

·         Secondary Missions at 6 points, and these will be chosen by each team from a master list before each game.  This allows players to have a small level of customization to score points based upon their armies’ strengths.

·        Tertiary at 4 points total.  These will be built in factors for each game, such accomplishments as “Slay the Warlord”, or “Line Breaker”, again, depending upon the mission played.    

·        SPORTSMANSHIP will NOT be factored into your Battle Points score, it will be its own separate category.  It will be a simple “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down”.  Teams receiving 2 or more Thumb’s Down will receive a visit and possible warning from Tournament Organizers. 

·        Players will earn bonus raffle tickets based upon wins and losses during the event.   Please check in at registration between games when you turn in your result forms.

SCHEDULE (subject to change):
·        8:30-9:45- am Player Registration
·         9:45pm: Tournament Organizer Announcements and Pairings
·        10:00am-1:00 Round 1 games.
·        1:00pm-1:30pm: Break for lunch (30 min)
·        1:30pm-4:30pm: Round 2 games
·        4:30-5:00pm Break for snacks (30 min)
·        5:00pm-8:00pm Round 3 games
·        8:15pm Final Awards & Raffles

Raffle prizes will be drawn at the end of the event.   Some smaller prizes may be drawn during the 3rd round.   These items will be placed on a special table and marked as such.  This will save time and keep things moving. We will save our biggest prizes for raffle draw at the end.  

Additional Raffle Tickets will be available for purchase/donation for the Fund at $1 each, 6 tickets for $5, 15 tickets for $10, and 30 tickets for $20, and 85 tickets for $50 donation.   Tickets should be purchased with Cash, but we may take PayPal at the event or even prior to the event.  If such requests are needed, please contact me directly via email at: steelthundermike@gmail.com

While there may be some minor prizes available and of course trophies, this event is intended more for fun, and as a fund raiser, will rely more upon donated prize support and divided out in a format that features basket raffles (a.k.a. Chinese auction).
All monies raised from registration fees and raffle ticket sales will help cover the cost of the venue and expenses incurred in running the event. ALL proceeds beyond the expenses will be donated to Laney’s Legacy of Hope and will directly benefit a local family in need that has a child battling cancer.

ABOUT OUR CHARITY, and a note from the Tournament Organizer

Laney’s Legacy of Hope:   Laney’s legacy began on May 27, 2018 after being diagnosed with a rare form of AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) with monosomy 7.   She valiantly fought a seven month battle but succumbed to the disease on Christmas morning 2013, five days after her eight birthday.   Laney inspired people from around the world and was named an ambassador of hope.Laney's legacy began on May 27, 2013 after being diagnosed with a rare form of AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) with monosomy 7. She valiantly fought a seven month battle but succumb to the disease on Christmas morning 2013, five days after her eighth birthday. She inspired people from around the world and was named an ambassador of hope.Laney's legacy began on May 27, 2013 after being diagnosed with a rare form of AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) with monosomy 7. She valiantly fought a seven month battle but succumb to the disease on Christmas morning 2013, five days after her eighth birthday. She inspired people from around the world and was named an ambassador of hope.Laney's legacy began on May 27, 2013 after being diagnosed with a rare form of AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) with monosomy 7. She valiantly fought a seven month battle but succumb to the disease on Christmas morning 2013, five days after her eighth birthday. She inspired people from around the world and was named an ambassador of hope.

Laney is survived by her family, who not only are part of our THON family through Penn State Berks, but as Laney’s family has created an amazing organization that assists families directly, offering us an opportunity to make a bigger impact with families locally to our area.  

I had the pleasure of meeting Laney on December 12, 2013 just days before doctors told her family that she only had 2 weeks left to live.   My daughter Natalie (then age 7) was with me as we were at Hershey Medical Center for Natalie’s own follow up appointment from her battle with cancer.   We spoke with Laney that day in her hospital room and she was very cheerful.  We wished her well and told her that we hoped that she would get better soon and we would see her at our Holiday Party on the 19th with our student friends from Penn State Berks campus.

As it turned out, Laney’s prognosis was dire, and she never did get better.   The entire community turned out on Christmas Eve that year in West Reading, PA to sing Christmas Carols to a very sick young girl, who would pass away on Christmas morning.  

We have been blessed to get to know the Laney Brown family very well and through this tragedy, the have turned Laney’s battle into a mission of Hope to help other families and support cancer research so that other families do not suffer from the same fate as losing a child to cancer.   

For those who do not know the full story of Tournament Organizer (Michael Biancone), my daughter Natalie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2007 when she was just 15 months old.   Through special charities such as the Four Diamonds Fund, we were able to have assistance with medical issues and finances related to such that really helped our family out.   Natalie is now a thriving 12 year old girl who is now involved with Girl Scouts and Field Hockey in the Conrad Weiser School District.

  Where Laney’s Legacy of Hope picks up is where the Four Diamonds Fund stops.   This fund now helps families directly with further expenses that plague families such as rent, mortgage, groceries and more.    We did get some help like this from other similar organizations, and I can attest first hand as a parent going through these challenges, it is a true blessing to get help from organizations such as this.  Now we are teaming up with other families who benefited from THON and the Four Diamonds and giving back to others who are now going down the path we have already traversed.
We as a family continue to be involved in THON and Penn State and volunteer our time with the Students running the dancer marathon and meet with the Browns and other families at related events.   Joining with Laney’s Legacy of Hope gives us more opportunities to work with this amazing family and continue on Laney Brown’s store and Legacy.



  


BERKS WINTER BLAST 2019 GAME PLAY:
·        Since all armies must be battle-forged, all will benefit from the Boots on the Ground rule, that all Troop units in the army’s Faction gain the Objective Secured ability.   Such a unit in range of an objective marker controls it, even if there are more enemy models within range of it, unless those units also have the Objective Secured ability also.  
·        Dice used for pregame determinations (Roll-offs, Seize the initiative, or to determine end of game) cannot be re-rolled using Command Re-roll stratagem.

GAME PROCEDURE:
  1. ·        Exchange army lists with your opponents.   Shake hands
  2. ·        Secretly select, then simultaneously reveal Warlord Traits and Psychic Powers.  (you may consult with your teammate on this)
  3. ·        Secretly select then simultaneously reveal your 3 Secondary Missions.
  4. ·        Roll off and place any objectives as required by the mission, except ones that state must be deployed in YOUR deployment zone.
  5. ·        Begin alternating deployment with your opponents, beginning with the team that lost the roll off for deployment.     Teams alternate deployment, one unit drop per team.   So it doesn’t matter which player on a team deploys units.
  6. ·        Once Deployment is complete, roll off a D6 with opponent.  The team who finished deploying first gains +1 to the dice roll.   Winner choses to go first or second.
  7. ·        Team going second may attempt to seize the initiative
  8. ·        Shake hands and begin the game!    Make sure to shake hands too at the end of battle.
  9. ·        At end of game, fill out score sheets, turn them in together.   Claim your bonus raffle tickets.
  10. ·        HAVE FUN!



BERKS WINTER BLAST SECONDARY MISSION POOL:  
Select 3 missions per game.  Each is worth 2 points each.
1.     First Blood:  Be the first team to destroy an opposing unit; may not be combined with mission #10.
2.     Line Breaker:  End the game with at least 1 of your models within the enemy Deployment Zone.
3.     Slay the Warlord:  Each enemy Warlord is worth 1 point each.   Slay both of them, claim 2 full points.
4.     Cull the Hordes:  Destroy at least 50 enemy models.   (Models, not units)
5.     Heart of the Matter:  End the game with one of your Warlords within 6” of the table center.
6.     Shoot the Big Ones:   Destroy at least 6 enemy models worth at least 100 or more points
7.     Strike the Rank and File:  Destroy all enemy Troop units; note: if the opponents have no Troop units, you score this automatically.
8.     Marked for Death:  Immediately after revealing Primary and Secondary Choices, clearly mark one unit on your opponents’ Army List for Death; Destroy this unit.
9.     Moment of Bloodshed:  Destroy at least 3 enemy units in a single team turn.
10.First Strike:   Destroy a unit on the first turn.   (May not combine with Mission #1)
11.Big Game Hunter:  Destroy the most expensive unit in your opponents’ army;  you may not complete #3 or #8 with the unit that completes big game hunter
12.Titan Slayer:  Destroy a titanic model during the game.   You earn 2 points for each Titanic model you destroy, though you still may not exceed 6 total points scored for all Secondary missions.   You may not complete mission #3, #8, or #11 with the same unit that completes Titan Slayer.





Berks Winter Blast Team Tournament FAQ:
All recent rules updates including the BETA Rules from both BIG FAQ’s 1 & 2 as well as all updated errata will be used. 

·         Both Armies in a 2-player team are considered to be Separate armies.  That means you cannot share command points, psychic powers or upgrades from commanders and such.    Each army is considered separate when it comes to how many units can be held in deep strike reserve.  Command points are generated separately for each army

·         The New finalized rules for Battle Brothers (within your own army, not the team), Psychic Focus and Targeting Characters are examples of changes that are now part of the regular Matched Play rules.

·         Each player may only use stratagems for their own force.    Even if the 2 armies are of the same type, like both players playing Astra Militarum, each would only be able to use command points and stratagems for their own units.

·         If a player has a means to generate additional Command Points for their army, it only applies to their own army, not to their teammate’s army.  This also means that the Beta rule for Tactical Restraint will govern the ability to generate additional command points.  Players may only use command points to affect their own portion of their force and their own dice rolls.

·         All new updates to stratagems as well as the new Stratagems such as PREPARED POSITIONS will be in use.   The update to Stratagem points are also to be enforced.

·         The Guideline for Organized Play will be the format we use as far as players being limited to 2 detachments and no more than 2 of the same (non-troop/transport) data sheets in each army.   

·         Combat Proceeds as follows:  Chargers go first, then teams alternate units on a team-by-team basis.    Both Players of a team may interrupt combat, one per turn per player, using their own command points, for their own units ONLY that are involved in close combat.

·         Will the ITC rule of not being able to shoot while on the bottom floor of a ruin AND not being able to be shot at while in the bottom floor of a ruin be in play?    No, we do not use ITC rules at this time.

·         Does the imperial guard relic work on both opponents?  Relics will work against both opponent’s armies unless the Relic has wording that is Faction specific, such as The Relic of Lost Cadia, that specifically states “Chaos” units only.

·         Can psychic powers be picked at the beginning of each match or do we need to pick them ahead of time for all 3 matches, same with relics?
--Relics that are purchased using command points need to be purchased ahead of time and should remain the same for all 3 games.   They should also be appropriately modeled on the miniature.
---Psychic Powers can be chosen at the beginning of each match.   We suggest players make this a quick process so as not to slow down game play too much.

·        This event is not intended for spectators.   Only Players who have paid to compete in the event or those who are Approved Volunteer Staff members are eligible to win any of the Prizes at Berks Winter Blast.   We understand that not everyone can attend our events.  However, it is not fair to those who have made time in their schedules to participate in Berks Winter Blast to see prizes being won by people who do not attend.     We hope everyone understands and respects this.

We do not post our missions before the tournament to help prevent players from list-smithing or preparing ahead of time and gaining an advantage over their opponents.    Your best approach is to build a balanced force that can handle any mission and be flexible to adapt to changing scenarios.  

This is intended to be a FUN event.   Some players may try to bring a list to compete, but if a small trophy means that much to you, then go for the bragging rights.   There are no big prizes to win by finishing in first place.   Make a fun list, pull out units you don’t normally use, you may find a bonus prize for such inventive ideas.  




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