Aces & 8s...
Dead Mans Hand

If using Easy Army to build your list and send the PDF via https://tacticalwargames.world/kings-of-war-tournament-software/ and enter your details in the "Submit a list to a KoWTourney Tournament" section or email to shroudofthereaper@gmail.com

Tournament Number for Tactical Wargames is KLVdoEbLnW

No later than 23:59 7 days before the Tournament.

Why is it called: Aces & 8s?

The 15th May is the day Las Vegas came into being, the gamblers den.

The most famous gamblers hand of all consisted of the black aces and black eights. The pair of aces and eights, along with an unknown hole card.

Aces over 8s or the Dead Mans hand.

The hand held by Old West folk hero, lawman and gunfighter, Wild Bill Hickok when he was murdered while playing a game.

The Reaper - The Horseman

Each person may take for free the following Living Legend character as part of their main army: The Reaper does not use one of your Hero, War Engine or Monster Slots.

Death is inevitable, and therefore, The Reaper is not represented as purely evil. Death is not choosing a time, place or years. The Reapers job is to escort the dead to the underworld. The Reaper pulls the souls out of the body, and guides them through the journey of the afterlife.

The angel of death appears to the dying to take out their souls. The sinners' souls are extracted in a most painful way while the righteous are treated easily.

The Reapers appearance depends on the person's deed and actions, with those that did good seeing a beautiful being, and those that did wrong seeing a horrific monster. The Reaper has taken many forms including: A bearded and winged man; a young boy, a spectral figure portending death, a tall, haggard figure with a wide hat and long white hair, a skeleton with a revolving head who sees everyone, everywhere, a defleshed body and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day, an old woman or plague hag. The Reaper has been seen by different races in either a Black or a White robe.

What is currently considered the dead man's hand card combination received its notoriety from a legend that it was the five-card stud or five-card draw hand, held by James Butler Hickok (better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok) when he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall in 1876, in Nuttal & Mann's Saloon at Deadwood, Dakota Territory. Hickok's final hand included the aces and eights of both black suits.

From there the Reaper got him and he rides on as one of his horsemen.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse also have links to Blackjack and discovered the best playing strategy in the casino's Blackjack game.

The Scenarios

Bounty: Kill & Eliminate
Objective: Smoke & Mirrors
Area: Control

See Balanced Scenarios for further info on the different balancing adjustments.

Player Round times

Player Round time: 55 min after which a player may not issue any orders or roll any dice, including for rules such as Regeneration.
Overall Round time: 2hrs – both players end game and workout winner from this point

Awards

Awards will be provided for:

Positional Awards will be provided for:

1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Last Place - Wooden Spoon

Other Awards will be provided for:

Best Reaper
Best Army
Soul Reaper (most souls (your dead + their dead) sent to the Reaper)

Cool but how do we get there?

Address

Freemantle Hall, 51-75 Bexley High St, Bexleyheath, Bexley, DA5 1AA

Parking

There is parking for around 7 cars on site, the entrance is to the immediate left of the hall (not the right, as that belongs the pub next door).

There is additional pay and display parking available

Off Thanet Road (walk through gate at end of park, through Pub car park, past the hall on your right (entrance turn right at the road and then into the door up the stairs)

Off Bexley High Street (walk north east through car park, down alley/walkway and hall is almost opposite)

Off Station Approach by Bexley train station

Public Transport

Bexley train station is less than 50 metres from the venue. Follow the station approach road away from the station and turn right when it meets the High Street. Freemantle hall will be 30 metres on the left.

Bus routes: The following routes run nearby to the venue:
99,132, 229, 269, 492, B12.

The 99 and 492 Buses stop at Bexley Library about 1 min walk away.