[Updated! Note the Arena Beasts list at the bottom]
Well it’s time for a new Drawbridge Games mega-event, similar to our other big events last year:
Dogfight December (https://archonandseer.com/2021/11/21/dogfight-december/)
TANKS-Giving (https://archonandseer.com/2021/09/26/tanks-giving/)
And of course Knight Night Fight Night (https://archonandseer.com/2021/05/17/knight-night-fight-night/)
This time we’re focusing in on the Gladiatorial Arenas of the master of the Drukhari, Asdrubael Vect, where anything and everything from the Galaxy may well appear to appease the blood-sport lusts of The Commorragh and its denizens.
We’re building a special set of boards to conduct this, to represent a Webway-based gladiatorial arena, where Vect’s agents have procured all manner of warriors from every race to face dreadful monsters, beasts, and finally: each other. Players will get credit for their wins in the arena, where strange-bedfellows may combine to fight the most horrid of monsters, as well as for their success in the final combat between all gladiators. Players can also paint and field the monsters that people will face (which is great change to paint up some big beastie from Age of Sigmar or some other system just for fun). As always we’ll have a drawing for prizes at the end of the event, and the more you painted and brought and the more you win in the event, the more times your name will be in the draw. Prepare for an evening of fun fantastical 40k combats, and amusing stories of legends meeting in the gladiatorial arena.
WHEN: Thursday, March 24th. Set up begins at 6:30 with dice rolling on the first beast matches at 7:00. Later arrivals can be accommodated in the second round of beast matches. We’ll hopefully start the grand melee between all surviving gladiators at 8:15, with culmination and prizes before 10:00pm.
WHERE: Drawbridge Games (https://www.facebook.com/groups/499640580206921) in Castle Shannon, PA. Event is free to all Gatecrashers ($35 for the year to be a Gatecrasher, which includes 10% discount on all product and 20% discount on certain preorders), and $5 for non-Gatecrashers.
WHO: Each player can bring one HQ choice (or sometimes an Elite choice) character from selected 40k armies (see list below). They cannot be special-named characters, but instead need to be the generic type (often ones that you can choose equipment with). They may have a Warlord Trait and a Relic. These form the pool of Gladiators. Players may also bring an Arena Beast, and the Arena Beasts can be whatever you imagine. I’ve got some suggestions below, but they should be things that are reasonably like big gribbly monsters that the Drukhari have in a holding pen waiting to unleash them on the Gladiators. You’ll get to run your own Arena Beast, tho the rules for the beast will be decided in advance by the event team (and given to you only when they enter the arena, for fun). Players can also choose to only bring one or the other as well (some may just have a Gladiator, others may only have an Arena Beast). There will be some randomization that will group the Gladiators into teams to fight the Arena Beasts, and successive rounds where winnowing numbers of Gladiators (most likely) face tougher and tougher beasts. Then all surviving Gladiators will be put into the final arena together for a last-fighter-standing battle against each other.
| Adeptus Astartes | Captains, Chaplains, Librarians, Techmarines, Apothecaries, Champions, Ancients, Judicar |
| Adepta Sororitas | Canoness, Missionary, Palatine, Diologus, Dogmata, Hospitaller, Imagifier, Preacher, Repentia Superior |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Skitarii Marshal, Tech-Priest Dominus, Tech-Priest Enginseer, Tech-Priest Manipulus, Technoarcheologist, Cybernetica Datasmith |
| Custodes | Blade Champion, Shield-Captain, Knight-Centura |
| Grey Knights | Captains, Champions, Librarians, Techmarines, Grand Master (infantry-only), Ancients, Apothecaries |
| Astra Militarium | Commanders, Commissars, Primaris Psyker, Tech-Priest Enginseer |
| Chaos Space Marines* | Chaos Lords, Dark Apostle, Master of Executions, Sorcerers, Warpsmiths |
| Death Guard | Chaos Lord, Lord of Contagion, Lord of Virulence, Malignant Plaguecaster, Biologus Putrifier, Noxious Blightbringer, Plague Surgeon, Tallyman, Foul Blightspawn |
| Thousand Sons | Sorcerers, Infernal Masters |
| Orks | Beastboss, Big Meks, Painboss, Warbosses, Weirdboy, Wurrboy, Mek, Painboy |
| Necrons | Chronomancer, Lord, Overlord, Lokhust Lord, Plasmancer, Psychomancer, Royal Warden, Skorpekh Lord, Technomancer, |
| T’au Empire | Cadre Fireblade, Commanders, Ethereals, Kroot Shapers |
| Genestealer Cults | Patriarch, Magus, Primus, Acolyte Iconward, Abominant, Biophagus, Clamavus, Kelermorph, Locus, Nexos, Sanctus |
| Aeldari | Shadowseer, Troupe Master, Death Jester, Solitaire, Autarch, Farseer, Spiritseer, Warlock |
| Drukhari | Archon, Haemonculus |
| Daemons | Sorry, you’re monsters. Check the next chart. |
| Tyranids | Sorry, you’re monsters. Check the next chart or field a Broodlord as a GSC Patriarch |
Those are the options for Gladiators, and you can equip them as normal with any of their current codex options. They can have any single chapter/cult creed/kabal/company selectable keyword and rules as if they were battle-forged. Again, they can also take a single Warlord trait from their codex per normal limitations, and one Relic (again as normally available). They must be painted (3 colors at least) and based to participate.
Now let’s think about what might work great as Arena Beasts. Note that we’ll have a set of categories for them, and they can vary wildly depending on what people decide to bring. Everyone should clear what they’re bringing with the Event Organizers in advance, mostly so we know what you’re bringing along and can ensure we’ve got rules for you. Again, all models must be painted and based to participate.
| Existing 40k Rules Wee Beasties | Clawed Fiend, Sslyth, Medusae, Pair of Ur-Ghuls, Pair of Khymerae, Lictor, Tyranid Warrior, Krootox Rider, Pair of Kroot Hounds, Killa Kan, Pair of Flesh Hounds of Khorne, Beast of Nurgle, Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch, Ogryn, Wraithblade, Pair of Arco-Flagellants, Squad of 10x Imperial Guard Conscripts, Squad of 10x Drukhari Wyches, Drukhari Succubus, Drukhari Beastmaster (bonus points for bringing one of these) |
| Specialist Games Wee Beasties | Underworlds Beasties (any combinations of Crab, Monkey, Fish, Parrot, Mollog, Mollog’s weird mushroom or flying squig), Necromunda Beasties (sets of Escher Wyld Runner pets, groups of Orlock Dogs, or that weird Delaque Nacht-Ghul Thing) |
| Existing 40k Rules Big Gribblies | Haruspex, Mawloc, Toxicrene, Carnifex, Deff Dread, Bloodthirster |
| Age of Sigmar Wee Beasties | Mangler Squigs, Fomoroid Crusher, Mindstealer Sphiranx, Troggoth, Troggboss, Frost Sabre |
| Age of Sigmar Big Gribblies | Mega Gargant, Kragnos, Drycha Hamadreth, Cygor, Ghorgon, War Hydra (bonus points for bringing one of these), Treelord, Mancrusher Gargant, Slaughterbrute, Vortex Beast, Morathi (big snake version), Karazi, Krondys, or any other suitably big beastie as long as it doesn’t have a rider on it. |
Obviously this list is a lot more flexible, and what we’re looking for is a mix of things: some big bads, some relative pushovers, for the Arena Beasts. Again, be in touch with the Event Organizers to clear what you’re thinking of bringing. Depending on the number of these that people bring to use, we may have a roll-off for what groups of Gladiators face in the first rounds (or they may face two types of Wee Beasties at once). You’ll still get credit for painting
WHAT: Initial rounds we’ll have Gladiators teamed up in groups (randomized) and facing randomized Arena Beasts. There will be three adjacent Arena rings (the amazing Ryan is building a whole set for us, and I’m supplying the Drukhari onlookers in the crowds), so we can have three groupings going at once. The pairings will then be re-shuffled amongst those that survived the first round, and again groups facing Arena Beasts will happen. All survivors after that round will be put into one large combat in the central arena against each other for a winner-take-all, last man-or-mutant-or-elf-or-ork-or-strangely-bovine-tau-standing. Be sure to bring the relevant codex for rules, and enough d6’s to run your models. Players that field beasties in one round will get to field their gladiators in the next set–we’ll ensure everyone gets a chance at everything. These should be quick and brutal pit fights, so expect them to go fast! For the final king-of-the-hill we’ll use randomized order, for all the gladiator team matches it will be a roll-off between team and foe(s). Should be good silly fun as always with our Drawbridge events.
PRIZES: As always with our Drawbridge events, we’ll have a prize drawing at the end for Games Workshop prizes. Everyone who plays will get one entry for the drawing. If you painted a new Gladiator for the event, and/or new Arena Beasts, you’ll get an entry for each new thing you painted that you’ve brought. For each round your Gladiator survives, you’ll get an additional entry. Finally, the winner of the overall scrum will get 5 bonus entries. And there will be a bonus 5 entries for best painted Gladiator and best painted Arena Beast.
| Arena Moniker | Unit Name | Player Bringing |
| Sisters of Death | 5x Wyches | Andrew* |
| Deathclaw and Handler | Beastmaster and Clawed Fiend | Andrew* |
| Lady Violence | Succubus with Triptych Whip | Andrew* |
| Cluster from Planet X-7 | 12x Surprise models | Space |
| Offspring of That Which Skitters in the Dark | 5 Rat Wolves | Justin |
| Cockatrice Brood | 6 Warcry Razorbeaks | Hazlett |
| Commorragh Spirebrood | 6 Warcry Harpies | Hazlett |
| Spindle Drones | 4 Blackstone Spindle Drones | Ryan* |
| Zoat | Zoat | Ryan* |
| The Burble-beast | Shub-Ngrath | Space |
| Exodite Spiritwalker | Arch-Revenant | Micycle |
| Fenrisian Thundertroll | Mollog | Dave |
| Awakened Exodite Spirit | Spirit of Durthu | Hazlett |
| Forbidden Necrontyr Shard | Transcendent C’tan | Justin* |
| Herd Beast One | Ghorgon | Chris |
| Herd Beast Two | Ghorgon | Ryan |
| Mockery of the Phoenix-Scourge | Phoenix Elemental | Colton |
| Rage Beast One | Khorgorath | Dave |
| Rage Beast Two | Khorgorath | Colton |
| Ancient Kul-kath-glah | Big Sea Elf Turtle | Steve |
| Greatest of the Mon-Keigh | Gargant | Dave |
| That Which Skitters in the Dark | Hell Pit Abomination | Justin |
| Mon-Keigh Corpse-suit | Wolfen Dreadnaught | Jake* |
What are the stats of these deadly monsters and terrible threats? Show up and find out what sorts of challenges await!
The Dark Muse 