Warhammer Escalation League at Level Up Games: Battle Report
The dice are rolling, the paint is drying, and the battle lines have been drawn! On July 11th, we officially kicked off the highly anticipated Warhammer Escalation League at Level Up Games, and the turnout has been absolutely incredible.
If you missed our original announcement, you can read all about the origins of our hobby nights here: The Ultimate Guide to Warhammer Miniature Gaming Hobby Nights in Georgia at Level Up Games. Today, we want to give you a massive update on how the league is progressing, share some wisdom from our players, and remind you of the awesome perks up for grabs!
A Massive Turnout Across Georgia
Whether you play Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar, our communities in both Buford and Athens have shown up in full force. Our very own Level Up Games staff have even joined the fray! Here is a look at the current participant breakdown:
- Warhammer 40,000 (Buford): 33 Participants
- Age of Sigmar (Buford): 9 Participants
- Warhammer 40,000 (Athens): 16 Participants
Battles are already taking place on the tabletops, with early wins and losses officially posted. We are seeing an incredible diversity of armies hitting the tables. In Warhammer 40,000, players are commanding forces representing the T’au Empire, Adepta Sororitas, Necrons, Leagues of Votann, Chaos Daemons, Imperial Agents, Space Wolves, Death Guard, Black Templars, Grey Knights, and Tyranids. Over in the Mortal Realms of Age of Sigmar, the battlefields feature Skaven, Stormcast Eternals, Flesh-eater Courts, and the Kharadron Overlords.
Tackling the “Pile of Shame” and Welcoming New Players
One of the best parts of the Warhammer Escalation League at Level Up Games is the community atmosphere. We are incredibly proud to share that several participants identify as being brand new to the hobby—meaning these are their first tabletop games EVER!
For our veteran hobbyists, the league has served as the perfect motivation to conquer the dreaded “Pile of Shame.” Having a deadline and a reason to put models on the table is exactly what many players needed to finally get back to painting their miniatures.
Wisdom from the Tabletop: Fun Over Sweaty Competition
Escalation leagues start at lower point limits (often 500 points) and grow over time. Because of this, the community has been openly sharing fantastic advice on how to approach these games with a cooperative, fun-first mindset rather than a hyper-competitive one.
As one community member wisely put it regarding list-building:
“In Warhammer, the points are a limit, not a mandatory goal. But imagine playing a soccer match where one team has 11 players and you only brought 10, you’re probably at a disadvantage. So you wanna figure out what stuff your list NEEDS to function, then see how much room you have left. Maybe those needs are specific units, specific roles, maybe its a specific enhancement for a cool combo you want to run.”
Another player highlighted that winning isn’t everything:
“My game went good I scored a bunch even though I got tabled so I had a good time!”
It is also important to remember the reality of playing smaller point games. One veteran player shared this excellent breakdown of what 500-point games are really about:
“At 500 points, the goal isn’t to win to the game. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out here. The game is really balanced for one point level: 2000 point games. At 500 points, the game isn’t balanced at all. You’ll find that some armies will be able to field a few models and run kind of normalish. Other armies will find they have 2 or 3 units total and discover they have no way to score points. (GW even acknowledged this themselves and created Combat Patrol to replace small-scale games…)
The goal of a 500-point game is to learn the game mechanics and learn your army rules. It’s the tutorial stage in the video game where it’s telling you how to move your character around and duck under overhangs. You’re not going to learn tactics and strategy because you don’t have the pieces available just yet… Which is perfectly okay. Because when you do level up to higher point games, you can focus on getting better instead of focusing on learning how to play.”
Ultimately, as another player perfectly summarized: “Otherwise, the general vibes of this are have fun, meet new people, get your cool minis on the table, practice and learn the rules.”
League Deadlines and Awesome Perks!
Attention all generals: Round One players have until August 8th to get their games in!
To celebrate your dedication to the hobby, we have some fantastic prizing and perks lined up.
- Swag for All: All participants will receive a full sheet of transfers, a combat gauge, objective tokens, and battle markers just for participating (these can be picked up from Buford management).
- Completion Bonus: Players who complete ALL rounds of play (a total of 3 games, ending September 20th) will be awarded a 15% off discount on ONE miniature item of their choosing! This is the perfect way to reward yourself by expanding your future force or grabbing that new hobby item you’ve been eyeing.
Missed Out? Join Us Next Time!
Did you miss the sign-ups for this round of the Warhammer Escalation League at Level Up Games? Don’t worry! There will be plenty of future opportunities to roll dice, paint miniatures, and join our amazing tabletop gaming Georgia community.
To ensure you stay in the know for our next event, be sure to:
- Sign up for our Newsletter
- Follow us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
Grab your dice, prime those models, and we’ll see you at the tables at Level Up Games!
