In less than a week after tickets for the LVO 2016 40k Championships went up for sale they have now officially been sold out. At 284 players this will be our largest competitive 40k yet and if I am remembering correctly will be the largest competitive 40k event in North America (citation may be needed). A big shout out to all those who purchased their tickets to the event, since without your support the LVO would be nothing more than a pipe dream and your continued support year after year lets us continue to double the size of the event year after year. So what does this tell me, personally?
- Competitive 40k is still a thing, despite continuous claims on forums such as BOLS that tournament attendance is down. Look at the NOVA Open that is happening this weekend. 256 players attending an apologetically power house tournament for the most competitive of the competitive players. Adepticon struggled a bit last year with their attendance but it was still a HUGE event, as it is every year. Naysayers will constantly harp on the competitive community calling people WAAC and worse but in my experience these are usually people who have never attended a social event larger than perhaps a small local game store tournament where they had a bad experience.
- People like the ITC rules. Yeah, it’s a bit of a pat on the back but if everyone knew how much time and effort goes into the ITC and making sure it keeps a game with tons of balance issues fair for both players, you would forgive a bit us for a bit of sanctimony.
- It’s Vegas Baby. The event selling out so quickly definitely supports our belief that despite the high costs of operating out of a Las Vegas resort and casino the location helps drive interest to the event. It’s a very easy sell for significant others when you tell them that not only do they get to take a trip to Vegas but you will be leaving them alone to enjoy themselves practically the whole time! A win, win situation for all!
- Attendance is up in all areas of the convention. This post is about the 40k event selling out so quickly but I would be remiss in not stating that all events are selling well and we have doubled the amount of games offered this year. New to the LVO 2016 is an X Wing tournament on Friday and Sunday and Friday Night Magic on Friday evening. The hall will also be open until the wee hours on the morning for our After Hours events run by gaming fancatics so there’s never a shortage of gaming to be had.
Needless to say we are completely excited to see all of this coming together and there is still a ton of work to be done. So sound off! Who is participating in the 40k Championships? What will you be bringing? How many Battle Companies will be in attendance? Will Geoff InControl Robinson wear a cut-off tee to showcase his massive guns? WHAT DO YOU THINK?