The dust has settled on this year’s ArdaCon: SBG International, and the results are in. Nearly 200 Middle-earth enthusiasts descended upon Manchester in the UK, hoping to test their mettle against players from all over the globe. Twenty-five countries were represented, with players arriving from Europe, the United States, and even as far as Australia!
ArdaCon is five days of gaming, with events for players of all kinds, including a doubles tournament, a fun and chaotic custom-made four-player experience called Chaos in Arda, the International Masters, and the main event – the ArdaCon World Championships.
International Masters
The International Masters is an invitational event, in which competitors must have won one of the qualifying events around the world during the previous year. This year, 18 players competed for the title, arriving from the UK, USA, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands. At the end of six games, it was Kylie Stevenson from Australia who stood top of the pile using this Assault on Lothlórien list.
Kylie went undefeated over the course of this event, winning all six of her games – the only player to do so.
Her list uses numbers to overwhelm the foe, and whittles down the opposition with massed shooting before moving in for the kill. The Cover of Darkness special rule prevents any model targeted enemies more than 12” away, unless they have the Cave Dweller rule that allows them to see in the dark – which the Goblins have, of course. It also means that shooting attacks gain +1 To Wound, and this list has plenty of bows and throwing weapons to make the most of it.
Kylie managed to triumph over a Mordor and Moria alliance featuring the Watcher in the Water, a Pits of Dol Guldur force, an Iron Hills army, and three Hosts of the Dragon Emperor on her way to claiming the title.
Luca Comoretto from Italy claimed second place with his version of Assault on Lothlórien, while Jay Clare from the UK finished third with a Lothlórien army featuring Galadriel and Celeborn.
Ardacon World Championships
171 players participated in the main event, this year’s Ardacon World Championships, competing in six games across the two days. At the end of these games, the top two players faced off in the championship round (a final seventh game). This year it was Jake Rawson from the UK who claimed ultimate victory, using the Arnor list shown below:
Arnor is a tricky army to use well; it relies on its high Defence and good Fight value to survive and grind out wins. The presence of Malbeth the Seer means that Arnor models who suffer a Wound within 6” can ignore it on the roll of a 5+, making them even more survivable. The army also has plenty of bows, allowing it to whittle down the foe from afar if the scenario allows for it. Arvedui makes for a solid leader with a Fight value of 5 and 3 Attacks; however, with only 2 Wounds and a single Fate point, he can be surrounded and killed in a single turn. Jake had to keep the King of Arnor protected at all times to ensure he wasn’t easily brought down.
Jake claimed wins over a Survivors of Lake-town and Erebor Reclaimed alliance, the Halls of Thranduil, Angmar, a Host of the Dragon Emperor, a Númenor and Rivendell alliance, and drew against a Serpent Horde and Corsairs of Umbar alliance before defeating it in a rematch in the championship round, claiming the title of Ardacon World Champion.
Jasmine Tetly from the UK came in second, and Viktor Engström from Sweden came third with his Númenor and Rivendell alliance.
The Rest of the Event
ArdaCon isn’t just about competitive gaming – it brings players from the world over together to meet new people and old friends, discover new tactics to take back to their local gaming groups, and talk all things Middle-earth with like-minded players.
“Hosting ArdaCon is an absolute privilege,” says James Clark, who has run the event since 2016. “Bringing Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game players together from all across the world to meet each other, make new friends, and play this game we all love so much is an honour and something our events team is so passionate about. We can't wait to do it again in August 2024 and keep making it better!"
