Polar Bear Tournament

Polar Bear Tournament Polar Bear Tournaments. Flames of War Tournaments in Reykjavík Iceland. USEFUL INFORMATION
Our friendly local game store is called Nexus.

The have their own gaming hall used for various events, mostly Magic and Warhammer but well supplied with tables and the like. The location is Nóatún 17. For your convenience one of our players will pick you up on both days and we will see you safely home at days end. As for the Tournament fee. On the actual day is good enough and could then be as easily in Icelandic kronas. 60 euros (about 75$ USD) amounts to 9000 kronas. Currency converter:

http://www.arionbanki.is/markadir/gjaldmidlar/myntbreyta/?gclid=CNbL7of2kbkCFVMPtAod6EoAGw

Included in the fee is a special T-shirt and the rest is mostly to cover the cost of meals. Our gaming group is Einherjar, if you look up the back of the front cover of the main rulebook you will find the name of our group and my name as well. At the core we have a playtest group of very active players plus more casual players. Our gaming group is in a number of other army list books, most recent are Devil's Charge Desperate Measures. Reykjavik is very modern but not very large. Same rules here apply as anywhere else in Western Europe or North America. I asked my friend Gareth Richards who has been here on a few occasions about how he did it and he recommended www.booking.com. Most people would just like to book through www.booking.com and select Reykjavik. Look at the map and make sure you are in Reykjavik, the entire capital area has about 250.000 people living there including nearby districts like Hafnarfjörður, Garðarbær and Kópavogur, but I would recommend you find a place within Reykjavik If you want you can ask me about places but almost all would be satisfactory, but some are situated closer to the city centre and are therefore more likely to be within walking distance of most attraction/services. Also it would be clever to give me a selection to choose from and I will give you my best advice. Restaurants are plentiful and well within good means. In fact a high end meal is far less expensive here than in many other countries and we have Subway, pizza and most everything else, well except MacDonalds which is not in Iceland. Crime rate is noticeably low in Iceland, pickpocketing unheard of, but still be vary of leaving expensive cameras, handbags or phones unattended. You will arrive at Keflavik Airport and you should take the Flybus to Reykjavik. About a 40 minute ride through an odd landscape that was actually used by NASA to prepare the Astronauts for the Moon landings. Until 2007 there used to be a large US Airforce base at Keflavik and there is a joke you should be aware of, it was that Iceland was a great posting, with a virgin under every tree. You will get the joke on arrival. Be sure to buy a return ticket as that is somewhat cheaper but the price of a return ticket is today 3.500 IKR or about 30 $USD or 22 EUROS. The tickets are bought inside the terminal just to your right when you leave customs (the Airport is small and neat, a far cry from large international airports). If you arrive a day early then we plan to show you about Reykjavik and you should bring a swimsuit because in February then going to an outdoor swimming pool in darkness and cold and still finding the swimming pool very warm since it is heated with geothermal water is quite an experience. You might even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Are you aware of the Einherjar handicap rule? For Saturday night we have a big game planned and it is a fun/non serious event. The Tournament is also supposed to be a fun event. We decided to run with international invites for added enjoyment of all, it would be a pleasure to host an event with like minded players from other countries. But since the Flames of War community is very much 30+ a number of us have decent incomes and this is a good chance to see Iceland, even if it is for a short stay.

Thank you, Andy Chambers I have been a wargamer since 1985, starting with boardgames for Victory Games but then entered ...
16/09/2026

Thank you, Andy Chambers

I have been a wargamer since 1985, starting with boardgames for Victory Games but then entered miniature wargaming and the world of Warhammer 40k in 1992. I wrote two pieces for the Citadel Journal around 1995 and paid a visit to the GW headquarters around the same time, you were not in the office, but my contact Ian Pickstock was there. I was only by chance in Nottingham. I really enjoyed the mechanics of Battlefleet Gothic around the year 2000 and I still think it is a great game. So, I have enjoyed a lot from your designs. We met in Denmark in 2002 when you visited a tournament hosted there and enjoyed a nice talk at the end of the event. For me probably the highlight of the event (although I also did receive a prize).

In 2005 I turned to WW2 gaming. I friend introduced me to Flames of War. I consider historic wargaming to be a very effective learning tool and I have since then written three published books on the period, held seminars, taken part in radio programmes and I have become a volunteer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, all starting from my interest in wargaming.

In 2019 I wanted to expand my WW2 gaming from land battles and in my search decided that Blood Red Skies would be a good choice for aerial battles. I was not disappointed. I think the design is brilliant. It is very KISS and yet it has great flavour and I have learned a lot from the game. The aircraft have subtle differences and the idea of always rolling a 6 but the number of dice is the variable gives me a certain satisfaction when I throw a bunch of dice. Blood Red Skies has now formed the basis of my WW2 aerial battle understanding and a special thank you to you for pointing me to the fantastic memoir, The Big Show (Le Gran Cirque) by Pierre Clostermann, The Greatest Pilot’s Story of World War II.

Throughout the hobby I have also made good friends, people with shared interests and many pleasurable moments of gaming. I am now at the stage where winning or losing is a secondary to an enjoyable game with friendly people. I still paly to win, but I often get more satisfaction in seeing how the game progresses and the company.

I just wanted you to know that I appreciate your contribution to gaming and thank you for a fun 34 years of time spent playing games you designed!

Battle of Britain Day15 September!
15/09/2026

Battle of Britain Day
15 September!

This weekend’s painting. A few were assembled 15 years ago! So there is still a chance!
13/09/2026

This weekend’s painting. A few were assembled 15 years ago! So there is still a chance!

13/09/2026

This weekend’s painting.

11/09/2026
Shanghai, China 1937
08/09/2026

Shanghai, China 1937

31/08/2026
+++BELLUM EST INFERNUM+++DECEMBER 1941+++THE ADVENTURES OF THE BUFFALONIAN+++WAR, LOVE AND SACRIFICE+++MISSION ES**RTFol...
19/08/2026

+++BELLUM EST INFERNUM
+++DECEMBER 1941
+++THE ADVENTURES OF THE BUFFALONIAN
+++WAR, LOVE AND SACRIFICE
+++MISSION ES**RT

Following the publication of the Buffalonian a novel of war, love and sacrifice I had to honour this A.I. drivel based on the GOAT Brewster Buffalo.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

THE GOOD SIDE
Lt. Daniel ‘Buffalonian’ Mercer USAAF (5)
Squadron Leader Peter Caldwell RAF the steady RAF commander burdened by impossible decisions (4)
Flight Lt. Bill Haskle RAAF the Australian haunted by survival (3)
Welshman Pilot Officer Arthur Price RAF (3)
Lt. Pieter Van Dijk NEIAF the precise Dutchman who sees danger before it closes (3)
Pilot Officer Hargreaves (2)
Mei Lin the girl from Chong Pang

THE BADDIES
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ping (5)
Warrant Officer Pang (4)
Leading Private Pong (3)
others.
The cyclone coughed smoke before erupting into a deep thunderous growl. Mercer watched the oil pressure gauge stabilize, felt the vibration through the sear and into his ribs. The Bombers were long and lean, Ki-21 Sally bombers.

The bombers were closing in on their targets, and it was up to Buffalonian Mercer to stop them. Guarding the bombers were Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars.

The Caldwell gave the word. “Red Section…engage!” Mercer managed to dive past the es**rt pursuit planes and struck one of the enemies, however the pilot held his place.

Squadron Leader Peter Caldwell RAF brought the other half of the Buffaloes to the rear of the enemy bombers, ready to pounce on them.

The Buffalonian managed to get to the rear of one of the Sallies and took out one engine,
his thoughts turned to Mei Lin’s and the first words she said to him “My name is Mai Lin, are you hungry.” When he looked at her, she seemed to understand more than most people managed after a dozen questions. It wasn’t simply her beauty, though she was beautiful, nor any single detail he could have immediately named.

The Buffalonian used his Ladiesman skill, but failed. Not that it mattered, there were no women present. Caldwell’s men were closing in and managed to damage another bomber.

Next turn started with The Buffalonian bringing down a Sally.

“But don’t borrow tomorrow’s pain before the truth has arrived”

Now it was the hour of the Bloody Dragonflies. The Oscars dived in and raked the Brewsters scoring hits but didn’t manage to take any down.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Ping called on the radio:

Hello, Pang! Hello, Pong!
Since the fateful gong awakens the palace
and awakens the city,
we are ready for any event

To which Warrant Officer Pang replied:

I have a house in Honan
with my beloved orchard
and a crimson pond
surrounded by bamboo!

Now the battle turned to a swinging melee with both sides scoring hits, the cumulative damage against the Brewsters broke their morale, yet none were brought down.

The last decisive action was then Lt. Pieter Van Dijk NEIAF brought down the second Sally. It’s pilot sent a last message:

E io la mia residenza
a Tsiang
con laghi d'argento
e donne, quante ne voglio,
e un cimitero avito
dove riposerò!

Why he spoke Italian we will never know.

The final action was when the disadvantaged Squadron Leader Peter Caldwell RAF the steady RAF commander burdened by impossible decisions decided to risk it all to bring down the last wounded duck but alas failed to hit.

RESULT: Buttalonian win but was there ever any doubt?

Ok.

That was actually surprising fun. DO NOT BUY THE A.I. BOOK. But I used the sample chapters offered on Amazon to augment the text, that as well as Puccini’s opera Turandot.

I hope you enjoyed the read!

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Reykjavík

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