A new year and a new look (finally!) for the Victory Gamers website.

The new site not only looks cleaner and more visually appealing, but it also introduces a host of improvements:

• A dynamic calendar of club events, so it will be easier to see what is going on with the club
• Dedicated pages for Campaigns and Tournaments to make it easy to find primers and sign up information for both Narrative and Competitive play events, including large conventions.
• Updated listings of the games that club members play so as to give new members an idea of what is on offer through the club (but we are always adding more!)

In short, we think it's a big improvement.  Hope you think so too!

2025 marks the ten-year anniversary of Victory Gamers.  A decade of bringing people together to paint, play, and generally socialize - both in person and online.  A lot has happened in that time, so below is a (not so) short history of Victory Gamers.

The Beginnnings

Victory Gamers was launched on May 1, 2015, through the creation of the Victory Gamers website.  Through a chance websearch, the club attracted its first member, Tito B. (and his then very young son, Josh).  From there, the club moved forward with a Google Groups email list serve, which went out each week under the subject of “Friday Night Fights”.  The first year of the club was mostly limited to Warhammer 40,000 played at my house on Friday nights.  The club grew to around ten members, with Trevor A., Jesse G., Michael B., Sean M., Felipe C., Casey B., and Michael H. joining Tito and me and our young sons as core members.  At the time, the goal was to play one game a month!

Although focused on 40k, even at that time Kidshammer existed, and I was trying to get the club to expand into Malifaux, Imperial Assault, and Dropzone Commander (some things never change…).

2016 also saw the first ever Tentcon, which was held on June 4 literally in a 20x10’ pop up tent in my backyard (the bald spot in my grass lasted until 2018).  It was a single all-day multiplayer narrative game of 40k on three 6x4’ tables side-by-side.You can read more about it and see photos here on the Victory Gamers website https://www.victorygamers.org/news--events/archives/06-2016).  

2016 was also the first Victory Gamers club appearance at the NOVA Open. The club fielded two three-person teams for the Trios competition: Me and my two boys on one team (Orks and Khorne Daemonkin) and Tito, Trevor and Michael H. on the other (Tau, Black Templar, and Ultramarines). Tito, Trevor and Mike came in third in painting and third overall.  Trevor came in second for the exploits of his Warlord. Most importantly, both teams tied for first for storyteller, with the edge going to Tito, Trevor and Mike. You can read a write up here and at this blog.  The club’s massive display board set the bar for future Trios competitions….

2016 also marked the beginnings of the use of WhatsApp for club communications, with Trios team members starting a single chat to plan for the Trios competition. 

Next Steps: The AoS Crew Joins Victory Gamers

The fall of 2016 witnessed the biggest expansion of Victory Gamers. Age of Sigmar took off with the release of the first-ever Generals Handbook and the club hosting the Verdant Corpselands Season of War campaign at Victory Comics every Tuesday evening from September through December.  That campaign lead to so many new club members, including Aaron B., Brian O., Chris C., Peter N., Stephen T. (aka Airship) and Ben M. who are still active in the club.  Club members also hosted events as part of the much larger nationwide “Coalescence” narrative event.  

The club also allied with the existing Star Trek: Assault Wing group that was playing at Victory Comics on Tuesday nights.  James M. came into the club this way.  I also remember Andrew M. and I playing a game of Dropfleet Commander at my house around this time.

Because the club was no longer mainly 40k, the club made the big decision to create a second WhatsApp chat for AoS.  This lead to the birth of the “Wrong Chat” meme (and Ben M.’s lovely face meme) when people talked about 40k in the AoS chat.

The second annual Tentcon was held, this team under the pavilion of Michael H.’ community pool.    

Club Expansion

The period from 2017 through 2019 was a period of slow but steady growth of the club.  Kidshammer was held at the NOVA Open for the first time in 2017.  Age of Sigmar held further weekly campaigns on Tuesday nights at Victory Comics with the Battle of Fells Cliff and the Return to the Verdant Corpselands campaigns.  The club also ran two more “Coalescence” narrative events.

40k took off with the launch of 8th edition and a new mindset at Games Workshop.  This brought a new wave of 40k players into the club, including Ryan L., Zach G., Michael D., Monte F., Ray O. (who met a club member who was visiting Hawaii when Ray was living there), Paul B. (through NOVA Open when he was looking for a club who would let him bring his big tanks to games), Martin R., and Frank S. (also through NOVA and mutual friend, Mike B.).

The club also began renting space for gaming. The club was too big to fit into the space at Victory Comics and needed larger space to accommodate the number of players we were attracting.  At first, we rented space at the Falls Church Community Center one day a month on a Saturday afternoon.  

Eventually, we outgrew the once a month regime at the community center and made the move to playing Sunday afternoons at my son’s Tae Kwon Do dojang in Arlington.   Plus we needed a space to store our tables, mats, and terrain since my garage was out of space.  I agreed to pay the dojang a monthly fee to allow us to game in the dojang on Sunday afternoons when no classes were being held and to store our stuff in the dojang’s storeroom.

The rented space at the dojang was a big step for the club, although it had its memorable quirks.  The AC often was shut off for the weekend or wasn’t working, which made gaming in August very sweaty indeed.  Plus the dojang was in a hard to find location - under a CVS that could be accessed only through a back parking lot of a shopping center.  This lead to the catch phrase “Where’s the dojang?”

The dojang closed at the end of 2018, however, and the club had to find a new place to play.  

The Board Room opened in Arlington and the club rented the Chairman’s Lounge on New Year’s Day of 2019 for a gaming session.  By chance, the manager of the Board Room was there that day and he and I sat down for a drink.  We agreed to terms to rent space to game and store our stuff, and the Board Room has been our home ever since.

The club was up to about 50 members by 2019, and the WhatsApp chats expanded to about 20 different chats with around 200 postings a day.  The club experimented with moving the chats to Discord, but decided to keep both methods of communication.

We also had our first ever Holiday Party at the Board Room in December 2019.  We made it a formal event, so that we could present our best sides and (try to) impress our spouses and significant others.  

Nothing could slow us down!  Until…

COVID Years

COVID hit as club members were at the Las Vegas Open in late January 2020.  By March, we were in lock down.  Fortunately, the club kept going, first solely online through the chats.  Victory Comics and the Board Room stayed open during the pandemic, although under very trying circumstances.  Victory Comics handed over purchases in the parking lot, and the Board Room offered take away food, date night specials, and growlers of beer.  The club supported both Victory Comics and the Board Room by purchasing merchandise and gift cards. 

The club was able to resume in-person gaming at the Board Room in the summer of 2020, but started a SignUp Genius to limit the number of people playing at one time and to track attendees in case of notice of COVID positive tests.

The club also added a whole bunch of new players during the COVID years, as word of mouth spread the news of our online community.  We continued a mix of in person gaming and online conversation throughout 2020 and 2021, and happily although a few club members tested positive for COVID during the period, no one became seriously ill.

New games took off - Kill Team, Adeptus Titanicus, Lord of the Rings, Battletech, Blitz Bowl, and Marvel Crisis Protocol to name just a few. 

Tentcon 2020 was held in August, instead of June, in a huge 40x20 tent in the back parking lot of the Crescendo Music Studios in Merrifield, VA.  It was a great success, even in masks.  We returned to the same space in June 2021, but the near 100 degree temperature made that the last outdoor Tentcon for the club.

Although there was no Holiday Party in 2020, the Holiday Party returned in 2021, again at Ms. Peacocks at the Board Room.  Victory Comics and the Board Room were the club’s Heroes of the Year for getting us through the COVID years.

Present Era

The club continues to grow.  Tentcon and the Holiday Party have become yearly traditions.  The club strongly represents and volunteers at local and national gaming events, particularly the NOVA Open.  A wave of new members has joined, bringing the number of members of the Great Hall WhatsApp chat to 166.  Dave E. and Beau B. have made Hobbypocalypse something to look forward to every year.  

In short, the club has come a long way in the last decade.  Looking forward to even better things in the future!

The club held its fifth annual Tentcon event on the weekend of August 22-23, 2020. This event started in a tent in the founder's backyard, but now is an annual event of outdoor gaming for the club. Normally held the first or second weekend in June, this year Tentcon was held later due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  It was held in a 30x40' tent in the back parking area of Crescendo Studios in Merrifield, VA. Attendees wore masks, and participation was capped at no more than 25 people at a time. Even with restrictions, it was a great time.  Games played were Warhammer 40k and 30k, Middle Earth Fantasy Battle, Marvel Crisis Protocol, Dropfleet Commander, Blitz Bowl, Warcry, and Aeronautica Imperialis.  Photos below.

The club is starting to resume in-person gaming, as safety allows.  The club leaves it to individuals to decide when and how to start in- person gaming based on their circumstances and level of comfort. Victory Comics has not yet announced resumption of in-store gaming, but Huzzah Hobbies is taking reservations for gaming tables (bring your own terrain). The Board Room has informed us we can resume using our reservation for Sunday afternoons, but I would like to have people sign up to limit numbers in the space. Looking for the most efficient way to handle that sign up process and will post details in the future.

Below is a schedule of club events for a typical week.  An update is sent out by list serve every Monday and posted on the club's Facebook page.

WEEKLY EVENTS:

TUESDAYS - Age of Sigmar at Victory Comics, 6-9 pm. All welcome to battle it out in the Mortal Realms. [ON HOLD]

THURSDAYS - Kill Team at VIctory Comics (6-9 pm) [ON HOLD]

SATURDAYS: Warhammer 40k / 30k at Victory Comics (6-9 pm) [ON HOLD]

SUNDAYS

• Open gaming and socializing at The Board Room in Arlington, 1 pm until 6 pm.  The Board Room sets aside a section of the bar/restaurant for us to put up to four 6x4' tables and gives us part of a storage locker on site to keep our tables and terrain. The Board Room is a great place and offers the chance for drinks and food while playing Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar (or Necromunda or Kill Team or Titanicus or Blood Bowl or whatever you want!). Learn more about it at www.theboardroomva.com.  
•  Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game (LotR) happens regularly every Sunday afternoon, 1-6 pm, at Victory Comics and on an ad hoc basis throughout the week.  [ON HOLD]

AD HOC GAMING: Check the Skirmish Whatsapp chat for discussion and meet ups for the games below.

• Necromunda.  Generally plays on Sundays at Board Room.  Club campaign hopes to re-start. Gangs are being added to the campaign via Yaktribe. Contact Martin Rauscher on the Whatsup chats for details.
• Dropzone/Dropfleet Commander Dropfleet is probably one of the best non-GW miniatures games out there, so highly recommend it to any interested in Battlefleet Gothic style big ship combat. Dropzone is more akin to Epic.  Both have great models and stories.  Generally playing on Sundays at the Board Room. 
•  Warhammer Underworlds. Probably the most tactical game GW has to offer. Best way to keep abreast is to join the Skirmish WhatsApp chat. 
• Adeptus Titanicus.  Everyone digs giant robots, and Adeptus Titanicus gives you the chance to fight with the biggest in the Grim Dark. 
• Aeronautica Imperialis.  Great looking models in a skirmish-sized game of aerial combat.
• Malifaux. Steam punk and western themed game. Great models, fluff and ruleset.
• Marvel Crisis Protocol.  There was a lot of excitement for this game pre-coronavirus. Sure it will continue after the lockdown.  
• Star Wars.  There has been renewed interest in Star Wars: Legion and Star Wars: Imperial Assault. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHATS: 

We have multiple WhatsApp chats for Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, and other games and activities. Current chats are: AoS, 40k, Skirmish Games (KT, Necro, Underworlds), Blood Bowl, Middle Earth, RPGs, Star Wars, Great Hall (general announcements), Sales & Swaps, Literacy (book club), Kidshammer (kids gaming), Video Games, and more!  Follow the club on Facebook at Victory Gamers Falls Church.

Wanted to provide a quick update on what is going on with the club.

• New gaming space! We were able to come to terms to reserve space at the Board Room bar and restaurant in Arlington, VA, every Sunday afternoon, from 1-6 pm.  This was an exciting development, since the location is fantastic.  Lots of light, good food and drink, and centrally located in Arlington right on the Orange Line (Clarendon Metro Station).  You can learn more about the space at www.theboardroomva,com. 
• More games than ever.  At the moment, club members are playing Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, Blood Bowl, Kill Team, Necromunda, Underworlds, Adeptus Titanicus, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek Assault Wing, Dropzone and Dropfleet Commander, Star Wars Imperial Assault, and more.  The club's biggest problem is too many games and too little time to play them all! Truly a golden age of gaming.
• Getting competitive.  The last six months has seen more and more club members taking the plunge into "competitive" gaming, either Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, or Underworlds. This is not for everyone, but those who are doing it seem to be having a lot of fun pushing themselves against other excellent players in the area.  Again, not for everyone, but glad to see this developing.
• Still having fun.  Best thing about Victory Gamers remains the people.  It's a great group, and it's been a pleasure interacting with everyone while gaming or on the WhatsApp chats.  Looking forward to a fourth year of gaming and grilling (and drinking) outdoors at Tentcon IV on June 1 in Reston, VA.

New members always welcome, so if you are interested in joining the fun, contact us via the "Find A Game" page on this website.

2018 was big. 2019 brings some changes and opportunities to be even bigger.

How big was 2018?

Well, for a start our club reached over 50 members. We have about 20 different chats going on our WhatApp group, with usually 200+ postings a day (conservative estimate; I've been away from my phone 3 hours and returned to find that many unread messages!) If you don't see a lot of activity on the website or FB page, don't let that fool you.  There's always a vibrant scene going on in the chats! And I swear Victory Gamers was one of the largest gaming groups attending the NOVA Open this year, both playing but also setting up and breaking down (which is something to be especially proud of). We even have members in Portugal and Ukraine now!

Gaming? AoS had another big year. Club members ran not one, but TWO Coalescence Narrative events in 2018, and then threw in another massive narrative all day event in the fall as well.  In addition, members of Victory Gamers pretty much ran all the AoS events at the 2018 NOVA Open. Speaking of tournaments, three VG members attended a GT this fall and all three placed in the top 10. KidsHammer had another successful run at the 2018 NOVA Open and held the first of its quarterly events afterwards at The Games Tavern in November. To end the year, the club ran another months-long campaign at Victory Comics, this year using the Path to Glory format. 

40k? Let's see. Victory Gamers represented at LVO for the fourth straight year. Sunday gaming at the local dojang became a regular thing. TentCon moved to the fall to avoid conflicting with an AoS Coalescence event, but still pulled off another massive multi-player all day affair.  Kill Team exploded on the scene, with lots of activity on that front. And the year ended with 40k launching its own Path to Glory campaign, which will continue in 2019.

But it wasn't just AoS and 40k.  Lord of the Rings became a big thing after NOVA and the release of the box set, with regular gaming on Sunday afternoons at Victory Comics.  And Blood Bowl! So much Blood Bowl. The club launched the Nuffle Ordained Violence Association (NOVA) in the fall and has had monthly gatherings at the Board Room Bar/Restaurant in Arlington. James continued to run his highly successful Star Trek Assault Wing event every Tuesday.  And we finally (FINALLY!) got a game of Dropzone Commander in!

So where do we go from here into 2019?

First off, we need to come to grips with loss of the dojang.  The owner decided to close up shop at the end of 2018, and with it we lost our space to game on the weekend and store our tables and terrain.  That's a big loss. But also an opportunity to re-think what the club wants to be and how to do it.

Some things won't change.  Will still have Tuesday nights at Victory Comics for regular AoS gaming, and Saturday nights at Victory Comics for 40k and Skirmish gaming.  Closure of the dojang is an opportunity to get more people out on these regular nights. We won't run an AoS campaign this spring, but hope Tuesday night will become a chance to get in games of whatever size and format they want, and to show off new armies (Gloomspite Gitz anyone??).  I am committing to being at VC the first Saturday of every month to build up a regular Kill Team community.  Will make it a mix of open games and running NOVA tournament missions.  Blood Bowl NOVA will continue, and LotR gaming on Sunday afternoons at Victory Comics will go on.  Tentcon is being set up for first weekend of June.  And the club will continue to strongly support the NOVA Open through participating in organization, running events, and building terrain.

Some things will change, however. Without the dojang we need to find opportunities for gaming outside the space and time limits that Victory Comics can provide.  The NOVA Open announced that it is looking at gaming space as part of its new warehouse storage deal.  This could be something excellent for the club, so we are interested in hearing more about it whenever the NOVA team announces it.  In the interim, we will look at gaming at members' homes, at Community Centers, or wherever else we can arrange games and storage. 

We also want to increase the opportunities for matched play in AoS and 40k in the DC area between NOVA Opens.  Things are already in the works on this front, and I hope there will be announcements early in 2019.  Victory Gamers was always about building a community, rather than just gaming, so we would love to support others in the community who are building their own events. As a whole, the gaming scene in the DMV has never been better, and Victory Gamers is proud to be part of it!

So if you are already a member, thank you for another great year.  If you are reading this and not a member, drop us a line via the Find A Game page and we'll get you on the list serve and WhatsApp Chats.  We'd love to keep this good thing growing!

I just realized that it's been a year since the last update.  It's not because nothing is going on. Quite the opposite!

The club has been booming.  We have WhatsApp chats going for 40k, Age of Sigmar, Skirmish Games, Painting, Sales & Swaps, a book club, and Kidshammer planning. Recently we added chats for Star Wars, RPGs, and Middle Earth.  With dozens, sometimes hundreds of messages going back and forth on each chat each day, WhatsApp has become a big part of our club.

In the real world, we now have regular gaming on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday every week.  Plus pick up games are scheduled at other times between members.  Looking to make our Saturday evening session at Victory Comics the regular time for smaller skirmish-sized games, such as Kill Team, Necromunda, or Warhammer Underworlds.

Our games now include 40k, Age of Sigmar, Middle Earth Fantasy Battles, Star Trek Assault Wing, Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Kill Team, and Necromunda.  We are starting to play Dropzone Commander too (finally!).

We are starting a Path to Glory Age of Sigmar campaign on September 25, and restarting the Pyrriah 40k narrative in the fall (date TBD).  The club will run one or more Kill Team campaigns this fall and is starting an RPG campaign too. 

Victory Gamers sent over 30 people to the NOVA Open this year, and will send members to the Las Vegas Open again in 2019. On October 20 the club will host its Third Annual TentCon, featuring big multiplayer narrative games in Age of Sigmar and 40k (and other stuff too!).

So, if you are interested in tabletop gaming, this is a great time for it! Contact us and we'll get you involved with all that is going on.

Here are some photos that I took from the NOVA Open 40k Trios event. I have more photos from NOVA, but going to post event by event.