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Historically, the Great British Hobbit League blog has been a place to look back at the extraordinary achievements of the players in the GBHL. The Outriders posts provided irregular updates on the goings ons in the league when other mediums were fewer and far between. But in 2024, a monthly blog keeping track of winners and losers in the league has become a bit of an antiquity. A quick dip into Instagram or Youtube provides all you could ever want in terms of keeping track of those performing heroic feats at the tabletops. Youtubers like Gollum's Gamers and Any Heroics bring you detail, analysis and run downs of many of the events in the calendar within a week or so of them happening. Frankly, my blogs have become surplus to requirement. So, although I won't bury the iconic Outrider under a mound covered by simbelmyne, I will let him rest after years of travel.
So, to the future. I'm hoping to start a new intermittent series of blogs (alas, intermittent is the best I can hope to commit to!) which is simply set to be a guide for you to try and pick and choose which events to go to! The league has grown massively in recent years, something the community should be rightly proud of, but it can mean the dizzying array of events is too much to comprehend. So 'The Seeing Stone' series intends to look into the future, and to pick out events on the calendar which are noteworthy in some way. Perhaps, it's their scale, their history in the league, their unique approach to event pack writing or value they offer. It will of course be subjective but hopefully informative... All formal complaints to be sent to the GBHL Bugle.
The Hundred
In Chippenham in early July, is the Guardian's Call to Umbar. I wanted to flag this one because of what I thought was a really cool twist to reward those who fight the tournament to the bitter end. TO Dewi Evans has included special prizes for the "Rise of Gandalf" and "The Fall of Saruman", which in his event are given to players who've either improved or suffered the most between games 4 and 7 of the event. It's a cracking idea to reward a quality player who has suffered at the hands of the dice gods or rotten match ups on day who's fought through adversity with gritted teeth to reappear with their held high the other side. And The Fall Of Saruman, clearly most likely to end up in the hands of someone who performed well on day 1, but perhaps partied too long and hard into the night to return in full health and vigour on day 2... There are a number of other similar novelty prizes for folk who finish a quarter of the way up the rankings, who achieve special feats in certain scenarios or who accomplish a huge variety of other deeds across the event. I've heard great things from Dewi's events in the past, and really should make an effort to go to another (after attending The GBHL Finale he ran a few years ago).
This is top of my list!
The Ninety
The Strider Cup is one of the oldest events in teh GBHL calendar and criminally one I've never been to, despite it being right up my street. Organiser Kieran Street designs the 1000pt doubles event to be focused around theme every year, encouraging players to commit to theme at the expense of competitive forces. The rulespack is designed in a way to encourage a Frodo and Strider type duo teaming up, with a higher tier hero accompanied by a lower one (100pts+ for one, and 60 or less for the other).
In the past the heroes have been given some super cool extra rules and bonuses to add to the theme. For instance, at 2023's event there were additional rules for a 'Ringbearer' carrying an additional magical ring.
The Fluff: "Though Sauron bent all his thought and will towards finding the One Ring, there were many other rings of power within Middle-earth."
The rules forced you to roll on a table before each game and the result would grant a special rule for the game. The SPICE on offer was truly fantastic - including giving characters additional Will and Gulavhar's immortal hunger rule, or Radagast's at one with nature rule... There were so many; and it looked so so cool! Can't wait to see what Kieran cooks up this year.
The Eighty
Put simply, we don't see enough dragons on the tabletops... This tournament is here to fix that. The Arrival of Anchalagon levels the playing field by saying every army at the event must include a dragon in their army. The Dragon can be alongside anyone. Yes, anyone. The Fellowship, yes. Gondor, Yes. Beornings, Yes. Easterlings can forget their dragon emperor - now they have the real thing. This is exactly what GBHL80 events are all about. Encouraging people to indulge in the lesser seen models, and play armies that you won't see anywhere else. There are rules to support it (but not a lot - this isn't a competitive event!) which say that essentially your dragon gains the bonus of the army keyword it joins in with. Always fancied a dragon which gets +1F from Boromir? That could be cool... How about one to benefit from Gamling's Banner? Sure, WHY NOT!? TO Jack Darlington has had great success growing a fledgling community in Melton Mobray all centred on hobby and the joy of the game, and this looks set to continue in that tradition. I can't wait to see the dragons, and I can't wait to be going along!
At the time of publishing there is a short reserve list, so well worth putting your name down for a chance to join this very unique event! Key Facts: 850pts (must include a dragon), 17th & 18th of August, Melton Mobray.
I hope you like this new format - let me know in the comments if you prefer this to the old style Outriders posts! And inevitably you will be thinking "Why didn't he include X, Y, Z events!?" Well, let me know about your event, and why it's cool enough to be featured on the next edition of The Seeing Stone!
CURRENT GBHL PODIUM:
David Farmer
Jakub Krochmal
Jake Rawson
Team Rankings:
7th City Crusaders
Gollum's Gamers
Guardians From Distant Lands
And to get the latest results and pictures from events head over to "the insta" where we're regularly posting about the best MESBG players and Painters! Tap here to follow the official GBHL Account @gbhl_official .
We'll talk more about the 2024 league soon, but in the meantime check out the calendar of events here, and check where you are in the placings for both gaming and Hobbying here!
Until Next time, may this hobby be a light for you when all other lights go out.
BURARUM - HARRY - GBHL Marketing CoOrdinator
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