Mordheim demo @ Devir Arena, Lisbon, Portugal

This time, I decided to bring some Mordheim to my own country. Plant the seed, to get people interested.
So I went for 2 weeks holidays back home, and called up the bigger local gaming store to see if they had place for us to play.

And boy, was I surprised: the place had SO much space and gaming tables, full of beautifully painted terrain. I was used to it in the gaming shops of the UK, but none of this really existed in Portugal while I was growing up. It was very niche (even amongst gamers).
Portuguese gamers, rejoice, and head to your local store for games! 😃 They got the space!

I ran a simplified version of Mordheim, where each player only controlled a Hero and two henchmen, all pre-generated with weapons and equipment.
Very fast-paced and simple to use, and thankfully I had many models available for players to pick among several types of warband.
It's all in the preparation, people!

We played a simple King-of-the-Hill scenario, with the players trying to take control of the portal in the center of the table.
We had a Dwarf Treasure Hunters warband, a Wood Elves warband, and a Cult of the Possessed warband playing.

It was a small affair (mostly because it was announced on such short notice!) but it gave me an idea of how much tabletop strategy and skirmish gaming is starting to take hold back home.
It is really growing.
This speaks a lot to a Games Master's ability to round up gaming groups of interested players, as it does require some groundwork and a network of gamer friends. You need to be patient and work on it, playing and talking with people and raising awareness for a year or so, before one can start launching new initiatives. And advertising is important! (see end of post)
This worked well in the Edinburgh gaming scene (having spent 3 years as a RPG GM and 2 years as a Mordheim organizer). But then again, the UK is more of a fertile ground for gamers (many have been playing for decades), and many gaming venues already existed, or opened in the last years.

 Age of Sigmar is apparently attracting new players in Portugal, if only because of their discounted starter boxes and ability to start playing with few models.
Which is exactly what GW *DID NOT* do for the longest time, where they could have supported low-model gaming modes, such as Mordheim, Warhammer Skirmish and warbands.

Now Age of Sigmar is really exploring all those ideas, and literally asking players to set up their own campaigns and house rules. I have to tip my hat off to the gentlemen (and madams) in charge of this shift in company policy. :)
See here and here what they have been fostering in the Community.

This is a great step forward in bringing the narrative side of the game to major events full of enthusiastic players. And a recognition for the role of Campaign Masters and organizers in tabletop strategy games, beyond the tournament setting.

We would like to thank Carlos Almeida, from Especulatorio magazine, for coming and trying out some Mordheim with us.

Especulatorio is a monthly portuguese e-magazine, which covers all major news, talks, local events and development within the geek gaming, movie and literature industry.
The group also organizes community gaming events, and fosters debate about gaming trends and the future of geek interests.

Mordheim advert - stick it on the wall of your gaming store!

Just replace the "Warhammer Narratives" logo on the bottom with your own gaming group's logo and rules link, and you are good to go!

Roll high and prosper!