GBHL 2022 Is Biggest League Yet

With just shy of 550 players taking part in this season's Great British Hobbit League, it is officially the biggest it has ever been - and by quite some margin. Last year's season saw around 450 players taking part in the League, and because anyone who takes part in a league event is automatically enrolled in the GBHL that number is sure to rise.

So many new faces to add to The Fellowship of the League

So I wanted to come out of hiding to start by congratulating you all on joining this wonderful community of MESBG fans. This weekend we have more excitement on the way with a huge announcement from Games Workshop's Middle Earth Team (Are you Team Osgiliath Boxset* or Team Last Alliance Boxset?!) and the following weeks will provide a build up the likes of which we've not seen in over a decade, as The Rings of Power begins on September 2.

With the excitement of both of these just round the corner, more fans will be testing the water in this community, so I hope you'll make it as welcoming as a Hobbit laying on elevenses.

But to make sure everyone is playing nicely, the League Committee want to flag some newly published rules. Here on the GBHL Website we've published the Conduct & Complaints page for the league. With the huge growth of the league we found newer players (and many experienced gamers!) struggled to know where to turn if something happened at an event which left a bad taste.

So, for instance, The GBHL has no official rules on WYSIWIG models, Proxies, 3D Printed or 3rd Party miniatures at events. While we encourage the use of GW miniatures to encourage immersion in the worlds of Middle Earth, and advocate the support of the game we love, it’s not always possible to find the models in GW’s range; some are out of production, and stock ebbs and flows with the times.

BUT, and this is a big bold italicised but, we support Tournament Organisers (TO) who want to create varied events, from ones with 100+ attendees competing at the highest levels of the game, to small gatherings focused entirely around the exploits of one character. This loose confederation of events means each TO is entitled to create their own rules pack to bring their objectives to life - which can mean banning non-GW miniatures or forcing all players to have “What You See Is What You Get”(WYSIWIG) models with all wargear accurately displayed on the model.

At a recent GBHL event this created some friction.

The rules pack said one thing, but the TO applied these rules inconsistently and unfairly. The committee is aware and has made efforts to help TOs improve the event for next time to ensure players aren’t unfairly penalised in their chances of competing in the league.

It’s worth clarifying here that the committee doesn’t moderate the Facebook page. So while the league has no hard and fast rules on 3rd party models, Proxies etc. The GBHL Facebook page may have different ones; its rules can be found on the About section of the page (and largely deal explicitly in banning recasts and intellectual copyright infringements of models, not proxies). Just like the league committee, the Facebook page’s moderators do it voluntarily to try and create a community around the game we all love, so be nice.

All in all, the Conduct & Complaints Page isn't changing anything, it's just providing more transparency and clarity if you find yourself in the rare circumstance of needing to raise a concern. As the League continues to grow, we want to try and retain the delightful community feel which has kept it going so long through the dark days of hobby obscurity, especially now it may once more be in the Light.

PS. Keep your eyes peeled for more League updates this week.

*It's obviously going to be an Osgiliath Boxset for the Anniversary of The Two Towers... But what else precious, what else?!