Now that we are deep in 2022, we are seeing a lot of war-game tourneys and conventions getting back into the groove. It is nice to see this after two years of cancellations due to Covid. We are also seeing some new events. That is the case with the Richmond Open, that had its first event the weekend of May 27th. As it was not too far from my home and I had not been to a con, due to the cancellation of Cold Wars 22, I decided to take the long drive and check it out. One of my buddies tagged along. We figured that if the event was a dud, we would just visit the local museums
The advertising for the event was a bit light. I just happened to find out about it while visiting a fan website for Star Wars Legion. Looking online, I saw the entry fee was one ten dollars and the facility (Richmond Convention Center) looked very nice. The website gave a very NOVA Open feel, as it focussed on tournaments for various popular game systems.
The day finally and we headed out early to avoid the holiday weekend beach traffic. The drive was fine and we got to Richmond. As we were a bit early and hungry, we went for some breakfast and then went to the event. The parking was a bit odd, as it was not clear were to park for a new comer and few of the lots were closed. However, once we got to the right place, we found a nice spot and walked into the convention center. It turns out the facility is on two sides of the street, but is connected by overworks. We first went into the wrong building, but there was plenty of staff at the doors to help guide attendees to the various events. We were pointed to the right place and found the event.
This being the first event, we had no idea what to expect. Well, we walked up to the registration table and found out they did not do in person registration. So, we had to use our phones to sign in. Once that was done, we were set.
We went into the main ballroom and saw the set up. The room was not too large, but fit in all the tournament tables. There was also a vendor booth for Phalanx Consortium and a front area showing items from various convention sponsors and prizes. We took a walk around and looked at the various vendors and games. Since all the tournaments were getting started, there was no room for stand alone games. However, I was talking to a few folks and understand that there was a lot of that on Friday.
We saw tournaments for Star Wars X-wing, Star Wars Armada,, Star Wars Legion, Bolt Action, Kings of War and GW Lord of the Rings. I was surprised there were no 40k, Aos, Team Yankee or FOW events. So, there is clearly plenty of areas for growth in future years.
We ran into a number of gaming buddies that we new from other events or our local FLGS. Each of the tourneys had good prize support and even terrains support. Overall, I think the terrain for was well done, with a lot of Neoprene! My favorite terrain was what was set up for Bolt Action. All the matts were hand done from teddy bear fur and looked great. The others were almost all Neoprene matts, which are perfect for most tourney style game systems.
Once we had out fill of the various games and chatting with people, we went out front to where there were local area game shop vendors and looked through their wares. My buddy picked up a few things and we headed out to check out some other sites.
It turned out to be a nice event and a good start. I hope to see it grow like the more established NOVA Open. If they keep with it, I see no reason why that will not happen. So, I would say, if you are in the Virginia/NC area, like playing in tournaments, put a marker on your calendar for next year. It just might be worth the drive.
- Manteuffel