My role as treasurer is a great challenge to have keeping control of the funds, ensuring everything is paid for when it should be and being able to quickly buy treats for the club when appropriate. I have immense fun buying prizes for the annual raffle every year. Its like a shopping spree where the tat I buy doesn’t fill up my house for every and every,
One big challenge however is the membership fees and controlling the cash that comes in. This is mainly an issue for if I’m not personally at the club but also an issue for the amount of cash I have to lug around and eventually drop off at the bank.
It has been agreed that we are going to move to a mainly cashless club. Fees weekly will have to be paid either by PayPal, by bank transfer (see Ian if you wish to use this option) or by the brand new Payment Card that we are bringing in.
This idea has been requested for a while and now we have brought it together, The card will cost £40 and gives you 11 sessions (so 1 free) however there are some rules regarding this which must be followed:
You must bring the card with you to the club on the night you bring want to redeem a session. This will be stamped as we go around checking club fee’s have been paid.
If you do not bring the card you will have to pay for that week. There is to be no ‘Ill bring it next time ‘ as we can not keep track of this.
Unfortunately if you loose it there’s nothing we can do. Again we can not keep track of peoples cards and where they are up to on the stamping.
The card can be paid for via cash (correct amount) or PayPal.
We will stop taking weekly cash payments for the fee as of the start of April 2024.
The cards are on their way and once setup we will let you know. To buy a card please see a myself or Paul who will issue you a card. This will be signed and dated on the reverse.
In regards to paying by PayPal please can you pay as soon as your sorted for a game on the night so when we come round we are just checking your payment not waiting for you to complete it.
Thank you for your help on this and helping me move away from cash.
Due to the continued success and new members Dice and Bolter will now be open on Sundays, as well as Thursdays, from 6pm until 10pm. Each night is £4 to play.
If your new and want to play 40k then please make use of the Sunday slot as we have limited tables and many existing members who already play on Thursdays.
Thursday 14th December was the evening the 2nd Dice & Bolter Christmas Party took place. Last year was a huge game of Warewolf however his year saw our club members getting trapped as 5 spectate games of Exit took off. This escape room style game was a challenge for all with only a meagre 2 hours to complete the puzzles and embarrassment for those that used clues along the way.
Team one were the only victors, led by the RPG overlord Mike Williams. for their efforts they won the chest full of chocolate coins. The club laid on a great spread of food and drink for the night as well which everyone seemed to enjoy.
Fooooood!
The evening continued with Paul Williamson announcing the winners of the 40K leagues that have been going on most of the year. To complete the evening we had a quiz.
Can they Exit?
Mike, Richard and Hodgy read out and with the help of Luke put together the questions. They were tough with topics on literature, board games, Warhammer and film. Prizes were handed out to the winning team of three, some donated by Kendals own geek store Beer & Pretzel Gaming.
As promised, here are the minutes for the Dice & Bolter 2nd Annual General Meeting. Club updates were given, committee members elected, outlandish promises made and weird questions asked.
There are some important Member messages in there though. It’s such a rivetting read I have highlighted all the important messages to make it a 2 minute read.
It’s that time again – the Annual General Meeting! Our second AGM will be held on Monday JUNE 5th 2023 at 20:00
All Club Members are welcome to attend, simply join this Room at the time. We’re using Facebook Group Rooms on a non-club night so not to get in the way of us playing toy soldiers. It’s our first time hosting virtually, so hopefully the technology will be kind to us! If you cannot attend, don’t worry, full minutes will be posted.
The purpose of the AGM is to discuss the current state of the club, reflect on the past year and prepare for the next one:
Dice & Bolter Committee Members will give short updates on different club aspects, usually specific to their role or a subject they have been looking after.
The Dice & Bolter 2023 Committee Elections. Each year, Committee roles are elected. All current Committee Members will be re-standing for positions this year, but any Club Member can also stand for any position. The current positions are: Chairman (Currently Matt B) Secretary (Currently Mike) Treasurer (Currently Ian) Membership Officer (Currently Paul) Quartermaster (Currently Matt C) Youth Officer (Currently Rich) Co-Opted Member 1 (Currently Hodgy) Co-Opted Member 2 (Currently Luke)
If you wish to stand for a specific role then you need to let me know which exact role you are wanting to stand for by email (diceandbolter@gmail.com) by Monday 22nd May. If there are multiple people standing for a role then each candidate will be invited to give a short (2 minute) speech on what they will bring to the role and all AGM attendees are invited to an open vote within the Facebook Meeting Room.
AOB. A chance for any Club Member to raise a question or topic for discussion. Feel free to reach out to me beforehand any time before the meeting or just ask on the night.
We now have a site which will allow you to buy hoodies and T-shirts baring the Dice & Bolter logo when ever you want.
Hoodies with the logo on the front and reverse
Just pop along to our shop page which has a link underneath the Membership option of just click here.
TShirts in various sizes and colours
We’ve gone with Coniston Corporate as it’s worked out the cheapest route. We as the club don’t make a penny on these, we just want everyone to have the opportunity to grab what they want at true lowest cost possible.
On Thursday 4th May 2023 the club held its first Underworld’s tournament which is part of an overall league which will run through 2023. 8 brave competitors took part to battle for victory.
Round 1
Hannah’s Elves took a dislike to Daves beefy orks and proceeded the dance around them and slay them one by one keeping out of range and whipping them silly. The orks did manage to kill the leader of those pesky elves which is enough for Gork and or Mork. James Sons of Velmorn started the game rolling double crits however this luck did not follow him as Rhys Lizards sneaked their way to victory. Rochards Hexbaines Hunters saw off Sams Rippas killing all of the goblins however the goblins had done enough to pull out a win. Finally Daniels Gorechosen pounded the roots of the wrold in a big effort to kill that huge Mantrapper Ogre but they were slain in the process with Will pulling out a win right at the end.
The games in play
Round 2
The beefy orks of Daves decided they were so annoyed at being beaten by those peky elves that they went on a rampage destroying the Sons of Velmorn and sending them back to their graves. The skeletons even tried match the orks brawn… and failed, The wolf riding Rippas overran the Ogre and his boys leaving a puddle of death behind. The Elves learnt a lesson in sneaking as the lizards took them out for the win whilst the Gorechosen pounded the human Hexbaine Hunters however they had enough left in the tank to pull a win right at the end of the game.
Round 3
The Sons of Velmorn continued their streak of losses as the ogre chewed on their bones. The elves died to the wicked Gorechosen and the Orks struggled against the hummies of the hunters..
The main battle however was between the lizards (Will) and those speedy wolf riding goblins (Sam). It seemed early on that the goblins were chomping their way to victory scoring fairly early and controlling the board but this was not to hold with the lizards fighting back to pull out a 13 to 10 glory point win. Rhys is our first tournament winner.
The results
What a great evening it was. As an organiser I had a little issue using the Best Coast Pairings software which meant that some games didn’t score properly however it game the over winner correctly and I now know for next time how to ensure this runs perfectly. The competitors all played in the correct sprit of playing for fun. Rhys will be getting a little well done prize soon.
Next month we step it up a little and move onto a bit of deck building with the Nemesis system where you can mix two rival decks. Until then… may the Crits be with you.
For those who don’t wish to read an essay, skip ahead for the short version.
On Saturday I took part in the Warhammer Fest 2023 Underworlds Grand Clash. It was four games of Best of Three with Rivals format which initially gave me visions of everyone bringing the same 5 or 6 top end warbands but fortunately the Underworlds community cares not for Meta and a whole array of warbands were on display. I confess I took the Crimson Court as I perceived they were my best chance of a strong result. Hypocrite, moi? I’ve had a couple of ‘mediocre’ results in my previous two tournaments so I was keen to improve to something approaching ‘half decent’.
Game 1 plonked me down opposite Chloe who was running the very scary Gnarlspirit Pack. Which was even scarier when it became quickly apparent that she was running them with their pre-nerf rules. A gentle enquiry confirmed my suspicion that this was an entirely innocent situation so I decided internally to just get on with it and sweat like hell (I also wasn’t certain beta rules were in effect anyhow). Fortunately (and this was a recurring theme for me), the dice gods blessed me and I had a comfortable win for the first game (13-1) and an extremely uncomfortable win (8-7)in the second. Chloe went on to face her boyfriend later in the tournament and they assured me their relationship survived the absolute beating she gave him – another testament to the true power of Underworlds.
So, a good start. Game 2 started in a similar fashion opposite YouTube content creator Ian who was running something a little different. I believe it was a White Dwarf warband called Mibyllorr Darkfang and her familiars (Doot newt, a cauldron called Stew, tiny stabby chaos warrior etc – you get the picture) using Skittershank’s character stats and Beastbound Assault deck. Not as confusing as it sounds, honest, and perfectly legal. After a comfortable 12-4 win in the first game, he proceeded to pound my vampires into little pieces of dust (14-9 x 2) and provide a stern lesson from the Do Not Underestimate ANY warbands school.
In Game 3 Xandire’s Truthseekers came seeking the truth under the steady control of Jack. In truth, I was seeking to get my tournament back on track. Luckily, the dice gods were benevolent once more and I managed to take it in straight sets (17-8 & 15-7). He was a very considered player and his positioning was immaculate, particularly important when seeking to maximise his warband’s potential.
Game 4 reared it’s ugly head with a mirror match. Mirror matches are generally a tiresome affair, and vampire mirror matches are the height of grim in being devoid of much strategic deviousness. Luckily, Bastian the Swiss scholar was a tremendous opponent and it was actually very enjoyable despite his admitting to being a victim of the Manchester nightlife the previous evening. After the initial pleasantries, we settled down to three games of sweaty, heavy mouth breathing, dice rolling fun. An absolute slug-fest. After being turned over 19-14 in the first, a couple of timely Critical defence rolls swung the next two games back in my favour (16-7 & 12-5) and I emerged sweatily victorious and absolutely farking knackered. I played ten games of Underworlds in around ten hours and will be screaming about Crits in my sleep for a few nights yet.
Thanks to some unseen omnipotent force blessing my dice with some truly disgusting results (surely Nurgle?), I rose to the heady heights of 9th (out of 66) overall and got some fancy tokens and cards (which was nice). I am, unsurprisingly, very satisfied with this result and will probably try a little less hard in the future. Maybe. The vamps are going to hang up their fangs for a while anyway.
Gnarlspirit Pack took the win and the bronze, with Storm of Celestus splitting them, and Hedrakka’s Madmob and the Wraithcreeper’s also going 4-0 for the day.
My brother Dan peaked early with his Looncourt and won the first game 2-0 before succumbing to complete incompetence in dice rolling and losing the next three. Afterwards, we hit the beers with a speed not seen since the halcyon days of £1.80 pints and student life (I’m old). Luckily we are both lightweights and staggered out of the bar at midnight claiming complete sobriety (proven otherwise before bedtime when I spent five minutes clawing at my pupils trying to extract some contact lenses that I hadn’t worn at any point during the day). Dan was last seen striding down Oxford Road muttering something about ‘melting dice’…
Best painted warband went to a very nice diorama of Stormcast surrounded by Nighthaunt. But it begs the question “is a diorama fair in a best warband painting completion?” Who knows/cares, there were some beautiful paint jobs and it was one of numerous potential winners in my opinion.
Overall, it was a tremendous experience not least due to facing four fantastic opponents. Warhammer Fest itself should be experienced by fans at least once, if not merely to bow and scrape before the glory of the Golden Demon entrants or high five a 7 foot Chaos Warrior. Apologies for the poor representation of events captured via my potato phone – they do the scale of proceedings no justice whatsoever.
I’ll hopefully recover and be ready for more Underworlds action on Thursday if Papa Nurgle does not further bless me after my trip to the big smoke.
We’ve purchased the club some super sexy roller banners to really make the evenings stand out. If you have any other ideas that may work with the club do please let us know.
On Saturday 1st April, Rhys, Will and first time competitor Hannah attended the second ever Element Legends Warhammer Underworlds tournament held at Element Games in Stockport. The Nemesis-format tournament was attended by a respectable 24 people, featuring players with many different warbands and levels of experience. The quality of painting was also exceptionally high, with Rhys’ Crimson Court facing off against a dozen other stunning collections in the Best Warband competition.
By the end of the five round tournament, Richard Wilkinson emerged as the champion with his exceptional Kunnin’ Krew/Illusory Might warband. The Gorechosen of Dromm by Jay won Best Warband with a highly detailed and visceral paintjob. Hannah, who was entering her first ever tournament, was awarded the Element Legends Most Valuable Player award for her excellent conduct and admirable enthusiasm, along with £20 in store vouchers.
Thanks go to Jamie Eden for hosting another smooth and enjoyable tournament, Element Games for providing the venue along with excellent staff service during games and generous prize pool, and to every player faced during the day for their enthusiastic and engaging conduct. This was not one to forget.
Starting with Rhys who, while was not able to improve on his win/loss record, did manage to grab a lot more glory points than the previous tournament and improve his ranking. Fielding his beautifully painted Crimson Court/Tooth and Claw warband, Rhys put up a good showing against some incredibly dangerous opponents, including two top 5 finishing warbands:
Game 1: Win 17-10 vs. Gorechosen of Dromm. This beginning matchup shows how much Rhys has improved as a tactical player. By applying Move Counters to his opponent’s fighters so they cannot declare Charges, Rhys was able to dismantle their ability to do damage! A great opening bout.
Game 2: Win 16-13 vs. Kainan’s Reapers. A deadly opponent who could one-shot any of Rhys’ fighters once Inspired, it came down to a single die roll. A lucky win.
Game 3: Loss 9-15 vs. The Exiled Dead. The tournament showed that this warband is a serious contender for the meta pick, as two Exiled Dead fighters made it to 2nd and 3rd place overall! A good learning experience for Rhys.
Game 4: Loss 13-13 vs. Myari’s Purifiers. This was apparently the most tense game of the tournament for Rhys, who just managed to tie on glory points but lost overall due to objective tokens held. Who knows how another game might go?
Game 5: Loss 9-12 vs. The Gnarlspirit Pack, piloted by the champion of the previous tournament! So while it was a loss to end the day, there was lots to learn from a highly skilled player who valiantly represented their favourite warband even after it got nerfed. Kudos!
Overall rank: 14th
Moving on to Will, who had a real wake-up call in terms of deckbuilding and being cautious, brought his trusty Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers warband, this time (regrettably) paired with the new Beastbound Assault universal Rivals deck. This deck provides some very powerful cards to warbands who synergise with it, but bad draws and suboptimal play can leave you with little room for powerful strategies.
Game 1: Win 12-8 vs. Rippa’s Snarlfangs, an excellent opponent who came 6th overall. The game started out looking bleak for the Mantrappers, but persevering to the end and some useful manoeuvring yielded the last few Glory required to win.
Game 2: Loss 10-18 vs. The Exiled Dead. As stated above, this warband is extremely good now, and was piloted by the overall 2nd place competitor! They also happened to be a lovely person to talk to, and very informative about the ways to play against The Exiled Dead.
Game 3: Loss 1-11 vs. The Wurmspat. This is where it all came crashing down. Bad luck with card draws, bad luck with dice rolls, and bad choices with attackers led to a thankfully swift massacre against a very friendly and sympathetic opponent.
Game 4: Win 10-7 vs. Drepur’s Wraithcreepers, piloted by a very interesting man who has been playing since the game’s creation. A nice tactical and entertaining game, with plenty of music-themed banter afterwards.
Game 5: Loss 6-12 vs. Kainan’s Reapers. By far the most fun game, including once turn where the opponent rolled 9 dice for an attack! In a game where you’re only provided with 5! Suffice to say, it was full of hilarious shenanigans, and an appropriately fun way to end the day.
Overall rank: 19th
And finally, we have Hannah. What can be said about Hannah that hasn’t bee said? She conducted herself amazingly, was friendly and approachable with everyone, and did herself proud with her Crimson Court Rivals deck. A true credit to the Dice & Bolter Tabletop Gaming Club, thank you Hannah for coming along to the tournament and for putting up with Rhys and Will’s relentless theory crafting on the way home.
Game 1: Loss 6-6 vs. Drepur’s Wraithcreepers. While the game was lost on objectives, Hannah put a good effort into her first ever tournament game!
Game 2: Loss 6-16 vs. The Exiled Dead, I’m sure no-one is surprised at this point how this game went. Credit to Hannah for putting up a good front against a highly competitive warband.
Game 3: Win 14-14 vs. Gorechosen of Dromm. This is another game where perseverance and playing till the end really paid off, as Hannah won her first ever tournament game! The last round of glory points allowed her to tie and hold more objectives, leading to a well deserved victory.
Game 4: Loss 4-11 vs. Gorechosen of Dromm, who Hannah would unfortunately face again in the final round! Can she take this experience and use it in the last round?
Game 5: Loss 7-8 vs. Gorechosen of Dromm. Unfortunately, that single extra point led to a very close defeat, but now Hannah is primed to defeat any Gorechosen player she ever faces (looking at you Paul!)
Overall rank: 23rd
In conclusion, the day was filled with fantastic finishes, crushing defeats, and a constant stream of good times and friendly chuckles with the other players. Once again, thanks go to everyone at the tournament for a creating a great atmosphere.
On a closing remark, interest was expressed by many players we talked to about the concept of hosting a tournament in Kendal in the future (apparently they want to leave concrete jungle Stockport and come up to Lakes gateway Kendal for a weekend, not sure why…) While the logistics of this can be discussed with the D&B committee, it could only happen if we had enough enthusiasm from the players in the club. So please, if you’re reading this and you think that sounds like a good idea, bring your warbands to Thursday sessions and home your skills in the Underworlds!
Written by Will Thwaites. Photos from the Element Games Warhammer Underworlds Facebook page.
Dice and Bolter 