The first 40K tournament in Butte history

It was a first for Butte Montana.

The first Warhammer 40,000 tournament took place at Crimson Phoenix games on Sunday. The first time a tournament of this kind has ever happened in Butte. Tournaments for the tabletop miniature game happen regularly in Bozeman, Billings, and Great Falls, but this was a first in the Mining City.

Warhammer 40,000 (or 40K as it is called) is a tabletop miniature game that got its start in September of 1987 when the first set of rules was released by the parent company, Games Workshop. From 1987 until today, 9 different versions of the game have been released.

40K is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, especially in its native United Kingdom. To give you an idea of the popularity of the game, this past weekend the largest tabletop gaming event in the world took place in Las Vegas, called the Las Vegas Open, 1,000 players from around the globe were there for 40K event alone, with 10 other tabletop games being played over the 4 days of the event. The same room that houses the World Series of Poker is used for LVO.

Our tournaments in Montana are not quite to that level, but there are several Montana players who make the trip annually to compete at the highest level. Rooks in Bozeman has always done a great job of running tournaments, and here in Butte, the guys at Crimson Phoenix decided to step up and give Butte’s growing 40K group their first tournament. Talking to the tournament organizers, they expected 8-12 players.

Doable.

By the time registration ended, 20 people had signed up (when it was -20 degrees) and the gaming room had to be ‘restructured’ a bit to make sure that everyone fit. But fit they did, and everyone had a great time. Every player had 3 games against 3 different opponents, on different tables, that each had different rules. No easy task.

The tournament organizers and Crimson Phoenix ran a tremendous first tournament. If you are interested in tabletop miniature gaming, you can stop at Crimson Phoenix at 127 N. Main, and see it first-hand. They are also getting prepared for a league that will be starting in February, and welcome anyone that is wanting to give 40K a go.

There is also a Butte Montana Wargaming Facebook page that anyone who is interested in 40K is encouraged to join.

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