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Games Day list of activities now showing at this link.

A list of the Games Day activities are listed below. Details of each one will be added to the site in the coming months.

- Elaborate Display Boards
- Figure Paint and Take
- Scenery Build and Take
- Challenge Tables - Bring your army/models (details coming soon)
- Club Table Zone
- Carnival of Chaos
- City Fight Table and Terrain - Group Painting Raffle
- 40K Big Game
- Warhammer Big Game
- War of the Ring Big Game
- Speed Painting
- Space Hulk Big Game
- 40K Scale Aeronautica Big Game
- Tank War Big Game
- Full Size Artillery Range

- Golden Demon Painting Competition
- Speed Demon Painting Contest - Paint a model on the day
- Art Contest - Bring art in or create something on the day
- Costume Contest
- Banner Contest - Create and bring a life-size banner
- Conversion Contest - Convert on the day
- Armies on Parade Competition - Enter your army (registration coming soon)
- Realm of Battleboard Competition - Enter one 2'x2' section of the Battleboard (registration coming soon)
- Vehicle Conversion Competition - Enter your 40K Vehicle (registration coming soon)
- Citadel Terrain Competition - Fantasy or 40K Buildings (registration coming soon)

AND MORE TO COME!

As much as I would like to get excited about this, I have very low expectations after how much of a FAIL last year's games day was.

I already have my tickets and I'm planning to assist painting some of the models to be used there this year for one of the nicest, most talented creative staff members in the US. From speaking with employees at the HQ, the one about to move, they know last year's show was a downer and I've been reassured this year's show will be more like better past shows with a better budget and better atmosphere. Either way, vehicle conversion contest and Armies On Parade, here I come.

Sounds like fun! This is actually going to be my first gamesday, so good to hear it will be "better" than the others.

Anything on the list a gamesday noob HAS to try?

I'm thinking about the big game, just because I like to use the Reaver any chance I get. It's too expensive to just sit in my basement!

Big Games provide all the models and are simplified massive multi-player affairs. It sounds like the new Challenge Tables are for using your own models. Scenery make and take is fun if you need scenery, but go early before the materials dwindle. Golden Demon is always fun to see, though there's usually a line to see all the entries so it can take a while. Check out the amazing scenery from GW and the nicer club tables. Armies On Parade, the costume and banner contests are fun to see too. For me I like to see as much as possible and not get bogged down too long on one thing, but some people prefer to find just a few things they like and spend all day on them.

BrassScorpion wrote:Either way, vehicle conversion contest and Armies On Parade, here I come.

Ditto that!

Sounds interesting, I'm getting more and more excited. Need more info on the contests and Armies on Parade registration!

All I can suggest, if GW still does it, is participating in the last big Megabattle of the day. When I last went I think two years ago (I missed last GD), they gave some models out. The most powerful GD memory I have is from many years back when a lil' kid was handed - I kid you not - a fully painted biotitan.

Now, while the "Waaagh! for a Prize!" contests are usually for smaller stuff and have got smaller over time (Last I went it was essentially individual sentinels and the like), the fact remains that for the ticket price a single model won is a big money return. Even if you win nothing, you participated in the last battle which - usually - is one of the few things left to do in the end unless waiting for Golden Demon announcings and the like.

If you're going to go to the Conversion Contest, or pretty much anything involving building actually, the earlier the better: Much better materials are around at such times, so you can actually build something that isn't a Chaos Spawn.

If you time stuff right, you can essentially get:
1-2 HQ models for your army(/armies), provided you have some form of Space Marines that is.
1+ pieces of terrain (Terrain builder), 40K or Fantasy.

Those are things for certain, and that can usually make up the $25's worth to enter GD (with current GW prices, anyways). That's just for getting your money's worth, mind, and not looking at other events.

Clear advice, though: bring your own lunch. Trust me, you'll save a lot of money, or a long walk to someplace actually affordable.

Bring your own lunch? One of the best parts of Games Day Baltimore is walking across to the food pavilion at Harbor Place. You can get all kinds of great over-the-counter food there for less than $10. I try to get to the Thai place every year.