Atlanta MESBG Community 2025 Winter Escalation League

Introduction: 

The Atlanta MESBG Community are beginning a Lord of the Rings MESBG Escalation League for Winter 2025. The League's games will begin January 3rd and continue to the end of April 2025. Any models that were at the most primed on January 1 may be considered eligible models for painting. Entry to the league is $20 payable to Giga-Bites Cafe, Marietta (link pending). This will cover prize support. Players are welcome to join from outside the Atlanta area and play in their home stores. In the event that a player would like to join the league late (after the month of January), they are welcome to do so. 

The games in January will be played at 350 points. Each month, 150 points will be added to the point total, so February’s games will be 500 points, March will be 650, and April will be 800. Players may play with any armies that they have available, they do not need to be the ones that they are actively painting (though it’s cool if the models are not painted).

Scoring:

The cost to participate in the league will be $20, prizes will be given out via a “Random Item Giveaway” at Giga-Bites Cafe, Marietta. Points for the league that determine draw order will be determined as follows:

• 1 point for signing up for the league by purchasing a ticket from Giga-Bites website (show proof of ticket purchase to Ian Armstrong on discord (@zarulaian).

• 1 point for each of your first four games played during each calendar month period. 

• After playing your first four games, you may still play with other people in the league to count towards their first four games, but you will only count your first four games (even if you perform better in later games).

• 1 point for losing a game, 2 points for drawing a game, and 3 points for winning a game.

• Please send a message to Ian Armstrong (@zarulaian on discord) or tag @zarulaian in the “atlanta-lotr-league” channel of the Atlanta MESBG Community discord server for verification of games played, players, and outcome

• 1 point for every 100 points worth of models that you paint that were unpainted (priming is okay) during the time of the league, up to 1,000 points (Please send a direct discord message of pictures of models without paint on them to Ian Armstrong [@zarulaian on discord] or tag @zarulaian in the “atlanta-lotr-league” channel of the Atlanta MESBG Community discord server for verification before beginning to paint them; please also send pictures of finished models the same way(s) as listed above). 

• Note that requesting others to commission paint your models will not count toward League points. You must paint the models yourself for them to count toward the League. 

• 3 points for spending at least $50 at Giga-Bites, Level Up, or Hobby Town USA on MESBG products (you will need to message Ian Armstrong [@zarulaian on discord] a copy of the receipt, we want to encourage supporting local stores where we game!).

• 3 points for participating in a local MESBG event. Events include both SMEGL and non-SMEGL tournaments as well as thematic events in Georgia. 

At the end of April’s games, the player with the most league points will be the champion! The place that you come in with overall points will determine the “Random Item Giveaway” draw order at the end of the league. If a player joins the league late and plays at least one game per month for the remainder of the year, they will retroactively be awarded one league point for each month that they missed.

Other Rules:

Two players may not play each other in back to back games. A player may play a game with a non-league player and record the score as normal. Game scenarios may be determined any way the players prefer, though if they cannot decide it is recommended to roll a random scenario. If a player is unable to field enough points, they should reach out for loaner models the week beforehand to ensure he has a full size army. We want to encourage playing a new army and painting, not shut someone out who doesn't have a large collection. Proxies, 3rd party sculpts, and conversions are welcomed so long as each player is aware of what each model represents. Though it is not a hard rule, we ask that models be kept WYSIWYG to the extent possible. 

FAQs:

• Can I play games with unpainted models?

• Yes. Models do not need to be painted in order to play.

• Are the models that I am painting the ones that I need to play the games with for the League?

• No. You can play with any models that you have and also paint any models that you have.

• Example: You have a Rohan army that is totally unpainted that you can play at all four point values throughout the league. You are also painting 1000 points worth of Mordor at the same time. If you played every game with your unpainted Rohan army, you would get all of the potential gaming points with that army. Concurrently, if you painted all of the Mordor army for a total of 1000 points during the span of the league, then you can get the full number of points for painting for the league. There is no requirement for the models that you paint to be the ones that you play with. 

• I bought a burger at Giga-Bites, does that count toward my $50 for spending at local stores?

• Although it is nice that you bought food from a local store, for the purposes of the league you will not get credit toward the $50 spending unless it is specifically MESBG content bought from the local store. This includes GW/Forgeworld Miniatures, MESBG dice, dioramas (e.g., the “Get off the Road” diorama), or MESBG terrain (e.g., Dol Guldur terrain set, Rohan houses). 

• Ordering any of the above listed items off of the Warhammer store site and then purchasing them from Giga/Level-Up/Hobbytown is acceptable as long as the money is paid to the local game store rather than Warhammer/GW. 

• Are we allowed to play in the old edition of the rules?

• As long as both players are happy to play in the old edition of the rules, that is fine and acceptable for the league. 

• Is this a SMEGL event?

• No. This is not a SMEGL event and will not count toward any SMEGL points. 

• Do we have to play games at a local game store (LGS)?

• You can play your games anywhere! In a park, at home, on the subway (kudos to you if you could pull that off on MARTA) as long as it fits the 4x4 foot dimensions that the game requires. 

• What if I play a game at the month’s point value against someone who isn’t in the league? Would that still count?

• Yes, games against non-League participants at the correct point value will still count.

• I didn’t have time to play all four games during the last month, can I play an extra game at the previous month’s point value and still have it count for the League points?

• No. Points will only be given for games played at the current month’s point value (i.e., If you play a 350 point game during February, it will not count toward the league).

• Can I play games at a higher point value proactively so that I can get points for the League?

• No. You can only play games at the current month’s point value. (i.e., if you played a 650 point game during February, it would not count toward the league’s point tracking).

• What happens if we are playing a game and the store closes/we aren’t able to finish?

• In the result of a game not being able to be completed due to time constraints/other factors, players will treat the game as called at time (similarly to how “dice down” works at tournaments). VPs will be calculated based on the final placement of models and the winner will be determined there.

• Players are encouraged to make note of their playing space/time constraints prior to beginning another game to ensure that games will be completed. At higher point values this will become more important as it can be more difficult to manage time effectively as armies grow larger and more complex. 

• What all counts as a “local MESBG event”?

• One-off events like a narrative themed day around the new starter box, the beginner’s tournament on January 11th, SMEGL events, and any other structured group event that the Atlanta MESBG Community is hosting or sponsoring. If you have questions about what may count, please don’t hesitate to pose the question to Ian Armstron (@zarulaian in the ATL MESBG Community discord).

• How can I keep track of my points for the League?

• At the end of each month Ian Armstrong will post the current rankings for all participants. If you’d like an individual score update you can reach out to Ian on discord via his @zarulaian handle.

• Do I need to base my model for it to count as being fully painted?

• No, your models do not need to be based in order to count them for the league. However, a model is normally considered finished only after basing has been completed as well. It is highly encouraged that players base their models in addition to painting them, though to encourage players newer to the hobby basing will not be a requirement for models to be counted as “painted’ for this league.