1

The New Zealand Hobbit

League Presents:

ValleyCon 2017

A Hobbit Strategy Battle Game

Tournament

28th and 29th January 2017

2

Welcome

Welcome to another year of strategy battle gaming. The first NZHL event of the year held at

ValleyCon 2017. In this Players Pack you will find everything you need to know about this event,

however if you have any further questions feel free to contact me Peter O’Kane the Tournament

official or the League Coordinator, Matthew Ridgley, or ask on the “New Zealand Hobbit League”

Facebook page.

Details

Date/Time: Day 1- 8:00am-5:00pm, 28th January.

Day 2- 8:00am-4:30pm 29th January.

Where: Expressions Arts & Entertainment Centre, 836 Fergusson Dr, Upper Hutt.

Tickets: $35 for both days.

Rule Set: The Hobbit Strategy Battle Game

Table Size: 4’x4’

NZHL Points: This tournament is worth 100 NZHL

points for your standing in the NZHL Table

Register: Players must register by going to Hutt miniature wargames club website at this address

https://huttclub.wordpress.com/events/valleycon-2017/ After applying an email gets sent out

with confirmation of the registration and the bank account details.

Timetable

Saturday, 8:00am-5:00pm

Doors Open: 8:00am

Registration and setup: 8:00-9:00

Round 1: 9:00-10:30

Round 2: 10:45-12:15

Beauty Pageant & Lunch: 12:15 – 1:15

Round 3: 1:30-3:00

Round 4: 3:15-4:45

End of day wrap up: 4:45-5:00

Sunday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Doors open/setup: 8:00-9:30

Round 5: 9:30-11:00

Round 6: 11:15-12:45

Lunch: 12:45-1:45

Round 7: 2:00-3:30

Prize Giving/pack up: 3:30-4:30

Announcements: 7:00-7:15

3

Organiser Details

Name: Peter O’Kane

(Hobbit Tournament official)

Email: mebpok@gmail.com

Name: Simon McBeth

(Treasurer and Registrar)

Email: registrar@huttclub.co.nz

Phone: 027 610 1006

Transport and Parking

If you are travelling from Central Wellington, the best option is by the train on the Hutt Valley line

which will take you to Upper Hutt Station which is just a short walk away from Expressions. The cost

is between $7.50 and $9.00. If you take the bus catch the 83 bus which will take you to Queensgate

then transfer to the 110 bus and get off at Upper Hut station this is a similar price to the train but

takes far longer. Use the Metlink website to help you plan your Journey https://www.metlink.org.nz/

Unless you are driving, this is by far the easiest option allow 40mins for the drive. There is plenty of

parking in the Upper Hutt CBD all parking is free but be aware of the time restrictions. My best

advice would be to park in the Upper Hutt Station parking spaces.

Hotels and Accommodation

If you are traveling from out of town there are several Hotels and Motels near the CBD, though it’s

recommended these are booked well in advance, as prices fluctuate. Sites such as www.wotif.co.nz

www.trivago.co.nz and www.nz.hotels.com are good places to look to compare prices and find

somewhere to stay. There is also the Wellington kiwi holiday park that offers cheap Cabins for about

$40 a night it is just a short bus trip from the venue. Another cheap option is to try airbnb here you

can find some great deals all around the city.

If you don’t like those options, try some of us Wellington locals we may be able to provide a bed

couch or mattress for you to sleep on.

Age Restrictions

This tournament does not have any age restrictions, though it is recommended that players under

16 bring adult supervision to the event if possible, especially if they are unfamiliar or a beginner with

the game. It is mandatory for participants under 12 to bring adult supervision, unless cleared by the

Tournament Organiser earlier.

Food and Refreshments

There is a café in the same building as us (you will walk past it as enter the venue). We are in the

heart of Upper Hutt so there are a whole variety of food outlets within a couple of minutes. Also,

players are welcome to bring their own food, however it is encouraged that any hot or potentially

messy food is consumed away from the gaming tables.

4

Army Composition

Both days will be played up to, but not exceeding, 500 points. Mounts and wargear are included in

calculating this cost. You also must specify your leader of your army list. Your leader remains the

same throughout the entire tournament.

Aside from that, all armies must follow the standard rules for force creation, as detailed on pages 4-7

of the Lord of the Rings Sourcebooks and/or the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SBG manual pages

99-102, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, or The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. The most recent

FAQ and errata from the Games Workshop website will apply.

Models must be, wherever possible WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) i.e. model

representation must be used. In the case of “counts as” conversions or weapon swaps, please let the

T.O. know what you’re planning ahead of the event and anything within reason will be accepted.

Also please make sure to inform your opponents at the start of your games.

Models must be fully painted and based. The criteria for qualifying as a fully painted army are

“three colours and based”. Please be aware by three colours we don’t mean a blast of black spray

followed by 3 coloured spots!

What you need to bring on the day:

□ Players Pack and Scoring Sheet

□ Your models

□ Rulebook and/or relevant sourcebooks

□ Any current FAQ’s or errata for your army

□ Dice and measuring tape

□ Five objective markers on a 25mm base for Seize the Prize and Domination

□ Pen and Paper

□ Superglue

□ Any scenery you can provide

□ A tray or display board for your models

Tournament structure

During registration, players will be randomly allocated to their first table. Each player will play seven

games over two days – four games Saturday, three more on Sunday.

A table will be set up representing each players current rank in the event. After each game players

will face off against similar raked players on the table to make each game as fair as possible. You will

not face the same player twice unless it cannot be avoided.

After all 7 games have ended, whoever is at the top of the table will be crowned as the winner of

ValleyCon 2017!

Army Lists Due Date: 24th January 2017. Email them to: mebpok@gmail.com

5

Scoring

A total of 168 Tournament Points are available for each player over the entirety of the weekend.

Each game will use the following scoring system:

Result Event Points Result Event Points

Crushing Win 24 Points Crushing Loss 0 Points

Major Win 20 Points Major Loss 4 Points

Minor Win 16 Points Minor Loss 8 Points

Draw 12 Points Draw 12 Points

Each game will be worth a total of up to 24 Tournament Points. The amount of Tournament Points

you obtain per game is determined by the difference in you and your opponent’s victory points.

Victory points are obtained as usual during each scenario.

Crushing wins/losses are awarded if you score 5 or more victory points and opponent is kept to 0.

Major wins/losses are awarded if your victory points are more than double of your opponents, and

you scored at least 2 victory points (I.e. 1-0 does not count as a major win)

Minor wins/losses are awarded if your victory points are less than double of your opponents and

your opponent scored at least 1 victory point. Alternatively, 1-0 is classed as a Minor win/loss.

Judge’s ruling

Should a situation arise mid-game where a conflict in rules arises we ask that players read through

their rulebook first to see if they can find a solution. If there is no clear ruling in the book, we ask the

players search for a mutually agreeable solution. If this is not possible then seek out the Tournament

Organiser for a ruling. The Tournament Organisers ruling is final, whether it goes your way or not.

You have limited time to play your games so we will try to resolve issues as soon and as fairly as

possible. This may just be a ‘roll-off.’

Sportsmanship

We ask that all players play fairly and in good spirit over the course of the weekend without any

major sportsmanship issues arising. This event is designed to be fun, not purely competitive, and

thus is expected to be new player friendly.

In the unlikely event that a player is being obstructive or unreasonable, or is affecting other people’s

enjoyment of the day, have a quiet word to the Tournament Organiser either during or after your

game. This will allow the Tournament Organiser to address the situation.

If a player persists with their unfriendly behaviour, after their first warning, they will simply be asked

to leave. While it is highly unlikely such a situation will arise, this ruling is non-negotiable and final.

6

Scenarios

Saturday

Game 1: Contest of Kings (modified)

Game 2: Hold Ground (modified)

Game 3: Ware the flanks

Game4: Lords of Battle

Sunday

Game 5: Seize the prize (modified)

Game 6: Domination (modified)

Game 7: To the Death

Conceding

If, during any game you concede before the end of the game, your opponent will receive full victory

points for all available objectives. Also, you will not receive any points of any kind from the game.

We sympathise if you’re getting beat, but conceding to your opponent only shortens the game

playing time for you both and more often or not will result in the winning player receiving more VPs

than they have normally would have got, which can affect the overall standings for the tournament.

Fight on, claim the moral victory (which can taste better anyway) and make your opponent earn

every single victory point!

Game One-Contest of Kings (Modified)

Use the following rules for this scenario:

DO NOT nominate a ‘champion’ for this scenario. Your champion is your leader – it is up to them to

prove their worth and earn you Victory Points.

Starting Positions - Starting Positions are the same as described in To the Death as found on page 10

of all five of the source books and also page 104 of the rulebook.

Objectives – The game lasts until one force has been reduced to a quarter (25%) of its starting

number or both Leaders are slain.

You score 1 Victory Point if the enemy force is broken at the end of the game. If the enemy force is

broken and your force is unbroken you instead score 3 Victory Points.

You score 1 Victory Point if you cause one or more wounds to the enemy leader (wounds prevent

by successful Fate rolls do not count). If you kill the enemy leader you instead score 3 Victory

Points. If you kill the enemy leader with your leader you instead score 5 Victory Points.

Special Rules: To the Victor, the Spoils: Keep a note of how many enemies each Leader slays. The

Leader with the highest total in each End phase receives +1 Might point. This can take a model

beyond their starting number. End phase refers to the end of each game turn, not the end of each

specific phase.

Maximum Victory Points: 8

7

Game Two-Hold Ground (modified)

This scenario appears on page 12 of all Sourcebooks, and page 106 of the Hobbit Rulebook. Use the

rules there except for the starting positions.

Starting Positions:

Players roll off for deployment & first turn priority. Following which, the highest roller must

deploy their leader & warband (if applicable) as below:

1 - Does not arrive.

2 - Opponent chooses a Board edge, either North or South. All models in the warband must

move onto the battlefield from this edge.

3 - Opponent chooses a Board edge, either East or West. All models in the warband must

move onto the battlefield from this edge.

4 - Controlling player chooses a Board edge, either North or South. All models in the

warband must move onto the battlefield from this edge.

5 - Controlling player chooses a Board edge, either East or West. All models in the warband

must move onto the battlefield from this edge.

6 - Controlling player chooses any Board edge to deploy on. All models in the warband must

move onto the battlefield from this edge.

Once the highest roller has deployed their leader’s warband, their opponent must then to the

same. Following which, players alternate deploying their remaining warbands. After all players

have rolled for each of their warbands the turn continues to the Shooting phase. Finally, should a

warband fail to arrive, proceed to roll at the end of each player’s movement phase until all

warbands have deployed.

Note: Models cannot charge in the turn they arrive but otherwise they may act normally.

Maximum Victory Points: 6 + ∞

Game Three-Ware the Flanks

Starting Positions:

Both players roll a D6. The player with the highest result chooses one of the deployment

zones and deploys a single warband within it.

Their opponent chooses one of their warbands and deploys it within the other deployment

zone.

8

Players alternate deploying warbands in their

respective deployment zones until all warbands have

been deployed.

Objectives:

Each player must try to exit as many models as

possible from the table via the exit points marked on

the map. Essentially, a player's exit point is the corner

of the map diagonally opposite the one at which they

deployed.

The game lasts until the end of a turn in which one

force has been reduced to a quarter (25%) of its

starting number of models, or below, at which point,

both players calculate their Victory Points as below to

determine the winner.

You score 1 Victory Point if more of your models

exited the board than your opponent. You instead score 3 Victory Points if twice as many of

your models exited the board than your opponent. You instead score 5 Victory Points if

three times as many of your models exited the board than your opponent.

You score 1 Victory Point for causing one or more Wounds to the enemy leader (Wounds

prevented by a successful Fate roll do not count). If you kill the enemy leader, you instead

score 3 Victory Points.

You score 1 Victory Point if the enemy force is Broken at the end of the game. If your force

is still unbroken, you instead score 3 Victory Points. Models that exit the board edge do not

count as casualties for the purposes of being Broken.

Maximum Victory points: 11

Game Four-Lords of Battle

This scenario appears on page 13 of all Sourcebooks, and page 107 of the Hobbit Rulebook. Use the

rules given there.

Maximum Victory Points: 3 + ∞

Game Five-Seize the Prize (modified)

Use the following rules for this scenario:

Starting positions – After rolling to see who deploys first, players alternate deploying warbands no

closer than 12” to the centre line of the board.

Objectives – The game lasts until the end of a turn where one force has been reduced to a quarter

(25%) of its starting number of models or below, at which point the player that scored the most

Victory Points wins the game. If both players have the same number of Victory Points the game is a

draw. Victory points are scored for the following:

9

You score 1 Victory Point if the enemy force is broken at the end of the game. If the enemy force is

broken and your force is unbroken you instead score 3 Victory Points.

You score 1 Victory Point for causing one of more wounds on the enemy Leader (wounds prevented

by a successful Fate roll do not count). You instead score 2 Victory Points if you kill the enemy

Leader.

If you have hold of the Prize at the end of the game in your own board half, you score 1 Victory

Point. If you have hold of the Prize in your opponent’s board half, you score 3 Victory points. If you

carry the Prize off your opponent’s table edge you score 5 Victory Points.

A note on the prize: the prize can only be carried off your opponent’s board edge, not your own or

the sides.

Special Rules: The Prize – The Prize is a 25mm objective placed in the exact centre of the board. It

counts as a Light Object (Rulebook, pg. 85). This means it can be carried at a model’s full move

distance, cavalry must dismount to pick it up unless they are an Expert Rider and so on. If a model

carrying the Prize is charged, they immediately drop it. Place it in base contact with original bearer. If

the bearer is slain, the model that killed them may immediately pick up the object and move with it

in their subsequent move phase, even if the bearer is supported by a friendly model. Cavalry models

must dismount to gather the Prize from a fight, unless they are an Expert Rider.

Digging the Prize – For a miniature to pick up the prize, they must first dig it up. The first model to

try and claim the prize must roll a single D6 if they end their move phase in base contact with the

prize, and are not in combat. The required roll is 4+. Might may be used to modify this roll.

Dropping the Prize – If a model is hurled or sorcerous blasted (or similar) the model dropped the

prize after it has been thrown, dropping it beside themselves once they are placed prone.

Maximum Victory Points: 10

Game Six-Domination (modified)

This scenario appears on page 11 of all Sourcebooks, and page 104 of the Hobbit Rulebook. Use the

rules given there and this special rule.

Special rules:

Hidden power: Each objective has a hidden power in it. At the start of priority for each Objective

marker that has at least one of your models and no enemy models within 3”

roll a D6 on a:

1. All Warriors in your army gain +2” to their movement Value

2. All Warriors in your army gain +1 to their fight Value

3. All Warriors in your army gain -1 to their shoot Value

4. All Warriors in your army gain +1 to their Strength Value

5. All Warriors in your army gain +1 to their Defence Value

6. All Warriors in your army gain +1 to their Courage Value

Note: You only ever roll for an objective marker once per game and it keeps that power for the rest

of the game (put a marker on the objective to keep track of what power it has). You can only have

one of each power in effect in the game. i.e. you can’t have two +1 defence. If you roll a number that

10

has already been rolled just re-roll until you get one of the remaining powers. Also, only warriors get

the power not Heroes.

Maximum Victory Points: 21

Game Seven-To the Death!

This scenario appears on page 10 of all Sourcebooks, and page 104 of the Hobbit Rulebook. Use the

rules given there.

Maximum Victory Points: 10

Recording your Results

Below you will find your results sheet. If you do not print your players pack in full, make sure that

you print your result sheet and bring it along. Fill it in after each round and bring in to the

Tournament Organiser’s desk.

When all the results for each game are in the Tournament Organiser will post up your table

allocation and your opponent for your next game. This will be based on a running total of points

scored so far.

Looking forward to seeing you all there soon!

– Peter O’Kane

11

ValleyCon 2017 Scoring Sheet

Name:

Result Tournament Points Result Tournament Points

Crushing Win 24 Points Crushing Loss 0 Points

Major Win 20 Points Major Loss 4 Points

Minor Win 16 Points Minor Loss 8 Points

Draw 12 Points Draw 12 Points

Round My Tournament

Points My Victory Points

Opponent Name

(Please Print)

Opponent

Tournament Points

Opponent

Victory Points

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Category Player’s Name

Best Sport Best Army

Please hand this in to this sheet to the T.O. after each game.

Total