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Tickets cost £50 and are for the whole weekend.

Updated 17/4/25

Introducing MESBG Achievements, a GBHL 80 event

DATE: Saturday 9th to Sunday 10th August 2025

Welcome to MESBG Achievements, where your game result is only part of the story. A relaxed event where you are striving to achieve a wide variety of objectives during the course of your games. There are a large amount of extra ‘achievements’ in play, each worth a tournament point. In extreme circumstances, you could lose all your games and still manage to win the event! Tickets are limited to 30.

Details

LOCATION
Portsmouth High Prep School

36 Kent Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 3ES.

Please note that refunds are available up to one month before the event. Last refund date is 8th July.

Parking, lunch and refreshments

Free parking on site. If parking at the Prep School is full then you can park at the Senior School site at 25 Kent Road.

Lunch is not included but there are multiple locations to find sustenance around the corner from the venue. You can bring your own food, beverages and alcohol into the venue, but please clear up after yourselves.

Schedule for the Tournament

Saturday

• Registration: 09:00 to 09:15

• Announcements: 09:15

• Game 1: 09:30 - 12:00

• Lunch break: 12:00 - 13:00

• Game 2: 13:00 - 15:30

• Game 3: 15:30 - 18:00

Sunday

• Game 1: 09:30 - 12:00

• Lunch break: 12:00 - 13:00

• Game 2: 13:00 - 15:30

• Game 3: 15:30 - 18:00

• Awards: Approx. 18:15

Timings: Games will be 2.5 hours long. Any games which do not finish in the given time limit will be played until the end of the turn when the time runs out, with a five-minute window until dice down.

Army Composition, lists and Longshanks registration

For this tournament you will need a 700 point army.

Please register before the event on the Longshanks website at this link:

Armies must be taken as Legendary Legions from the latest edition. They can be taken from any publication freely available at the time of the event. Lists should be submitted on the Longshanks platform by Midnight on the Saturday the week before the event. If you have a thematic army that does not fit into a legendary legion, and would like to play it, please contact me at paulmarshallsay@btinternet.com and we can discuss.

Please indicate on your army lists who is your leader and which Legendary Legions your warbands are from. Ensure you include any extra equipment allowed on each model.

The Achievements

Each achievement is worth 1 tournament point. There may well be further achievements added before the event. However, the hobby oriented ones will not be added to so that you have time to plan for these.

The board is set, the pieces are moving 

• Have a completely painted and based army 

• Bring a completed display board which is themed to your army

• Get a best/coolest army nomination 

• Have a written back story for your army and a physical copy with you 

Meat’s back on the menu 

• Totally wipe-out your opponent's army 

• Kill a flying monster 

• Kill a hero with your leader 

• Kill a hero that started the turn on full wounds 

• Kill a hero with an infantry warrior 

• Get 5 kills in one turn with a monster 

Death! 

• Have a model in combat in turn one 

• Have your entire army in combat at the start of any combat phase (could be supporting) 

• Charge with every cavalry model in your army, you must have at least 5 for this to count 

• Call heroic combats with all your heroes in one turn 

A wizard is never late 

• Cast 3 or more spells in one turn 

• Have 2 spells resisted in a turn 

• Fail on the casting roll for 2 spells in a turn 

• Heroic Channel 3 times in a game 

Brace the gates! 

• With at least half your army in combat, do not lose a model during a turn 

• Shield with at least 10 models in a turn 

A fool’s hope 

• Fail 10 courage tests in one turn 

• Have two heroes killed, during a game, by monsters 

• Finish the event with at least one win, loss, and draw 

• Have your army entirely wiped out in a game 

What you need to bring on the day

• Fully painted and based army.

• Any sourcebooks with rules for your models.

• A copy of The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Rulebook

• A copy of your list (submitted on Longshanks, can be shown from there)

• Measuring tape, dice, writing implements and any objective markers that you’ll need to play

• A tray (Handy to save you packing and unpacking models all day)

Tournament structure and scoring structure

The first-round pairings for the tournament will be randomly drawn.

The tournament will use Swiss ranking based on the gaming element. Achievements will be entirely separate from this point of view.

In the unlikely event that you are drawn against an opponent you have already played please inform Wayne or Paul and we will switch you around to find a new opponent.

Scoring

Win: 3 points

Draw: 1 point

Loss: 0 points

Each achievement completed: 1 point

Terrain

Terrain will be provided and should not be moved unless both players agree. Many of the tables will be thematic in nature!

Army painting and modelling

All models used should be fully painted miniatures of the appropriate type for the troops they represent. Conversions and kitbashes are actively encouraged, as long as they clearly represent the unit intended. If you are in doubt, please contact Paul on paulmarshallsay@btinternet.com

Models must be based on appropriate round/oval bases.

Models not painted or based will not be removed as casualties but will incur a substantial points penalty. You can still play but you will not win. This also goes against the core principles of the event. That is on you!

Armies should be left out for judging at lunchtime on Saturday. If you do not leave your army out, with your name, we will assume you do not want to enter the best and coolest army competitions.

Best Army: Technique, coherency, quality across the whole army.

Coolest Army: Theme, story, concept, general coolness.

Sportsmanship

At the end of your sixth game, you must decide which of your games was the best one.

TO rulings

If you have a dispute over a rule, you can agree it amicably between yourselves or call over Paul or Wayne. Their judgement is final regardless of whether it is correct or not. Be warned, we tend to err on the side of rules as intended.

This is a friendly event, and it is essential that players conduct themselves in the right spirit. Paul and Wayne reserve the right to dock points at their discretion for slow play or general unbecoming nonsense.

Awards

·         Champion

·         2nd place

·         3rd place

·         Most Sporting Opponent: This will be awarded to the person who has the most sports votes.

·         Best Army. Awarded by judges.

·         Coolest Army. Awarded by judges.

There may be other prizes announced at the event.

Scenarios

Six different scenarios from the latest rulebook or match play guide will be played.

All scenarios will be played on 4x4 foot tables. They will be decided beforehand and announced at the start of each round.