Doubles Tournament 21-5-2011 Victoria.

Friends, the series aired on NBC on the United States from September 1994 to May 2004, it also aired on over 100 other countries including Greece, the series recieved positive reviews throughout most of its run, was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards was regarded one of the finest shows in television history.

The show was funny, had sharp writing and had good actors, but what made it so successful was that it was about friendship and viewers could relate to their personal experiences.

Friends are one of the most important part of our lives and the show was about that, if you ask me - that's the reason why it got so successful.

And yes, this post IS about the Doubles Tournament from last weekend.

Miniature wargaming - Boardgaming actually is a social hobby. You can't just stay in front of the computer and click on "start game" against the artificial "intelligence" of your mr. Silicone Valley quad-core electronic monstrosity.

Its not the same either with playing over the internet, you might be playing with another person but you don't have him over to the other side of the table, too close to share a drink and an actual laugh with a joke, people in Boardgaming bring themselves too to play with others, if you think that gaming is just about moving the pieces, roll the dice and measure distances, then you are so wrong - the pictures below prove that.

Our hobby requires that you find top buddies and friends and play against them, and play nice against them, in the end you are going to make new friends and have fun with them, and this is what matters.

But from all the guys and gals youre going to meet and play with, youre going to pick one, who you play with the most, he knows your tricks and you know his, he has beaten you so many times and so you did, you also got a little bored of eliminating his units and thought to play together against others, see if the experience both of you have accumulated from so many games have made the two of you far more skilled players as a team than good players as individuals.

And the Doubles Tournaments were formed just because of that, you and your top gaming buddy, against others, Friends playing against Friends.

Saturday, May 21, 2011.

From last day's phone calls and reads on various forums i was sure that this tournament would bring a large amount of players too, recently more and more gamers come to the tournaments with many players booking a place in the tournament days before the tournament day.

Some work on the last day kept me sleeping until far into the morning and i couldn't wake up, (working late the previous night got me waking up late the following morning)  i made it to Fantasy Shop Victoria when round two of the tournament was starting.

Ignoring a small rise of the temperature 12 teams arrived (24 players) and they had already fought once and they would give two more games until the end, this game and one more.

Lets see who they were.

Mr. Galanis Theodoros (right) grey knights used the Inquisitions might to order Voyiatzis Andreas Tallarn Imperial guard to come for assistance, if the Tallarn soldiers wanted they could ignore the order, but then their desert world would end up even more deserted. Andreas and Theodoros formed the team "Empire Strikes Back"

Remoundos Andreas Dark Angels (left) and Miliaras Antonis Grey knights alliance was even more suspicious! Andreas made all the explanations to Antonis Inquisition forces that all they were up to was  hunting down "Chaos Space Marines" and he just "needed" some assistance, he didn't tell to what Legion those chaos space marines were originating from.

The team "Kafrodiavolus" was formed from players Kalimanis Christos with his Space marines and Kontouris Thanasis with his Chaos Daemons, we do suspect that the space marines didn't had the upper hand in this alliance since the Daemons, chaotic as they are usually don't take orders from anyone while they are experts at making others follow their steps.

Gavardinas Antonis brought the Tyranid Swarm and Nentelina brought her Eldar to Form the alliance known as Eldritch Infestation, while we can think of various ways that the Eldar manipulated the Tyranids or the Tyranids "Manipulated" the Eldar to join forces we can't think of how did the allies understood each other.

Kampouropoulos and Kampouropoulos Junior formed the team that will be known as the Ultimates, Kampouropoulos Senior brought his Blood Angels while Kampouropoulos Junior brought his Ultramarines. This was alliance that the Emperor was happy about. 

Spyros Bogdanos (left) Known also as Boggy brought his Eldar Warhost and allied with the Space Wolves of Dimitris Christou (right, serious guy - the other far to the right is extra) who is also known as Ogyon, known for their rebellious attitude the Space Wolves allied with the pointed ear guys to further mock the imperial hardcore-loyalist forces.

Garcia Stefanos "Lakaidaimon" Blood Angels allied with Spiros Paizakis "Spyrus the Fenrisian" Space Wolves, Spiros is obviously annoyed from the low count in points in this tournament! 750 points per player!?! please give some points!

Papaxeimonas Ntinos Dark Eldar allied with the Tau of player Argiris Paltzoglou, The Greater good is further questioned as this time it had to do something with capturing prisoners for the Dark Eldar, it is our belief right now that the "greater" good is actually a reference to the Rail gun.

Karoussis Antonis Orks were obviously mind wiped and psy-controlled from Mpougatiotis Antonis Grey knights (because we really cant believe that the other way around happened). here the young players pose for a photo.

  Mpourtzis Tilemachos (left) and his Black Templars allied with Mihalis Skalkos "Cadaver" Yellow Imperial fists, but we should have guessed that this would have happened because the imperial fists land raider already has white/black symbols on its sides.

Gavalas Leyteris (Right) Imperial guard allied with Leonidas Fragos Dark Eldar in yet another alliance that the emperor did not approve, but who gives a damn? the guys are obviously having fun.

Last team to note was Kyriakopoulos Christos Space marines and Mihalis Mihalopoulos Grey knights. here they are in action. (is it my eyes or a measuring tape is hovering over the table?)
A lot of grey knights in this tournament, are the models too cool? easy to paint? or is the codex just overpowered?

On round two of a tournament the victors of round one face each other while the teams that lost face each other, on the 3rd round the teams match up with the first team going against the second, the third against the fourth and so on, lets see now how they did in the games. 

While the Tervigon has selected a new spot to make its nest the Eldar defenders question their choice of allying with the swarm.

The Space wolves cunning is legendary, shown here is another of their tricks: how to show to the dogs the direction they should use to find the enemy, just follow the "arrow" on top of the nearest vehicle, now they just have to find a way to make the dogs see the arrow.

 The "Master of ordnance" is checking his clock and talks to his cellphone:

No dear, i cant relay coordinates for bombardment now, i have an appointment with the dentist in 10 minuets. (now you know why his bombardments always scatter).

THIS IS TERMAGANT POLICE: YOU - ON THE DREADNOUGHT - PUT YOUR TWIN LINKED AUTOCANNONS UP AND SUFFER A GLANCING HIT!....eeerrrr.... DROP TO THE GROUND!

With Master Belial and the Deathwing protecting the place 
there is no small forest safer than that to make a picnic!

 

I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HEREEE!!!!! (and he can even shoot at it with his bolt pistol)

I tell you, they are legionaries, they get on a line formation 
even when i want them to spread out...

The black templar to the right is so sad not to have an equally cool ride.

The Tau got it all right, (black suits, hide in grey cover, shot the light bulp in the light post) except one thing: it isn't a night mission.

 

Beauty (Wraithlord) and the Beast (Trygon).

Depending on the way you see it - can be the other way around, especially the way the Trygon is painted!.

 This green thing got scared from the thunder of the battles and Ogyon takes care of it. 

While Mr. Galanis is disgusted (as a grey knight should) from the Xeno vehicle as he touches it to unleash his attack the player commanding the vehicle feels the pain from the psychic power!

Cadaver tastes frappe coffee in his known cool style...

...and the coffee immediately becomes something worthy of worship (until the end)..

People are still amazed from the special rules that the Grey Knights use!

"What? you are sure that your grey knights can do that to my army ?"

 

 "Oh dear... Indeed they can..."

 

Great, this vehicle owned by Leonidas is driven by no one, it is colored red / white and is obviously evil. it reminds me of something..... 

Yeah, i knew it!

Hey guys, we are definitely sure that the guy who was addicted to the damned car got p0wned in the end of the film?

This hydra has better to fire this time on target or i'll melta it!

okay okay! it fired! you can make it stop now! i surrender!

 The miniature (Canis Wolfborn) tells this man something, we will never know what.

Honey, don't send me SMS messages about your grand master-plan, you know the Hive mind is smart but not smart enough to use a smart phone!

 He might be young, but he has a gunship. 

Somewhere else

Gandalf: For the twentieth hundredth time i will tell you: YOU SHALL NOT PASS! 

Balrog: Ok... but why?

Gandalf: because you don't have an Eldar jet bike like the guys next to you fool!

 Two players rest for a while outside.

And they don't approve others getting close! (as we can guess from Leonidas expression)

 Meanwhile back in the games this evil red vehicle has stolen money and is escaping. 

But miniatures who are also able to steal things (like the "steal the initiative") are permitted from Takis Valeontis, organizer, referee and known Overmind of the Warhammer 40k tournaments. 

 Also known victim of this guy funny pranks.

 

Master Belial shouts to his Deathwing troops to go front and attack, so that no one see how much dirty his base is.

A very well painted Dark Eldar Ravager ravages the skill of the photographer for a nice photo worthy of its looks.

 

Thou haz pleazed thy lord!

This Land raider has run over another loyal defender of humanity and the reason is quite obvious: its driven by a crew without heads, and its "machine spirit" has so much fear for guys carrying meltaguns that it turns them flat regardless of friend or foe, just to make sure they don't use those guns on it.

  
No comment, but it is a nice shot indeed.

  
No comments... apart from the fact that the Tyranids are in the front line and the Eldar behind them, further giving us hints of who is actually the "brain" of the operation.

  

No comment.

 

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In the end of every round players gather again in the organizer's office to learn who will be their next opponents.

No comment

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It doesn't matter that the dice to my side shows up "1", ignore it and attack!!!

Knock Knock
Who's there???
Im a vile chaos daemon who looks like a eel.
Sorry, we cant have you inside, we already had dinner!

 Who's turn is now to jump the river?
   

Grip is good, pose is good, i would say a weapon skill of 3...

The Dark Eldar riding in this raider left their ride after getting their objective because...

 The tournament has reached its final part and the small ceremony for the winners start, the Overmind starts counting from the third place that was conquered from the team "Empire strikes back" of Galanis Theodoros and Andreas Voyiatzis.

 The second place was conquered from players Spirus the Fenrisian and Garcia Stefanos (The Lost Boys team)

 

 But the winning team is...

Leonidas Fragos and Leuteris Gavalas (Half-Fampoulozo team) and they are obviously very happy until... 

 

...they read what they have won from ending up in first place...

 

 

 In this victory photo, Leyteris holds his breath until Leonidas gives him the sword too. A silly method of forcing someone to do your will from our young age (ill hold my breath until you *** add your "want" here) but it still works!.

  

The group of players gather up for a final photo, another tournament is over, 24 players, twelve teams, 18 games in all, thousands of miniature models and countless failed dice rolls, but something is missing...

 

 oh yeah, some guys were missing. but still something else....

 

Yup, that's better.

 

Thanks to everyone for suffering the photography, the flash light and my silly jokes without complaint.
 
See you in the next event!

For the Invulnerable

Panayiotis.

A special thanks to Mihalis "Cadaver" Skalkos and Andreas "Plasmaleak" Voyatzis for their help so far with translations and text corrections.

Also special thanks to the Fantasy shop team for helping me with the reviews.