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Hyatt Regency Crystal City
2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy Arlington, VA 22202
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March 15, 2018: Year 8; Edition 6
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NOVA Open is selling out at a record pace – get your tickets now!
We want to thank all our attendees for helping us hit our best opening registration ever by a wide margin. We also want to warn all other prospective attendees to grab tickets while you still can!
Near 1,100 people have signed up for the NOVA Open already, compared to 690 at this time last year. We cleared 2,000 attendees in 2017, and look to go well beyond that number this year. You should register for your desired events as soon as you can.
Most of the 40K Narrative events are sold out, with 291 different Narrative event tickets already sold (compared to 93 at this time last year). The 40K GT is at nearly quadruple the registration pace of 2017, with 140 of 256 tickets gone (we cannot increase the size, either), compared to 37 at this time last year (despite selling out last year).
Events are starting to run out of space (or are already sold out) in our Star Wars National Championship tournaments, Horus Heresy, Age of Sigmar, Lord of the Rings, Infinity, most of our seminars, and more. Over 30 events are already sold out, compared to only 7 at this time last year.
While we will do all we can to fit extra tables into the hall, please be mindful of the limit to which we can expand gaming space. To that end, register now and ensure you get the events, seminars, and activities you desire. Furthermore, make sure you add yourself to the waitlist for any event you do
not
purchase in time.
Finally, we want to thank our attendees for their generosity toward the NOVA Open’s global charity mission. Collectively, you’ve more than doubled your “with registration” contributions to the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation, which – aside from putting on an awesome weekend for all of you – is the primary purpose and reason for the NOVA Open’s existence!
Please register soon if you haven’t already. Also, be aware that we’ve sold out of doubles rooms in the Hyatt, with only Kings remaining (and not very many of those). While we are negotiating room blocks with neighboring hotels, please snag a room in the Hyatt if you can while they last.
We can’t wait to host you at what looks to be the biggest and best NOVA Open ever later this year!
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BEGIN PLANNING FOR MARCH 1
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The 2018 NOVA Open schedule is ready for tonight's launch. Take time to study it and plan your days. Wednesday events still under construction.
Please check back often for updates, additions and changes.
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Tickets go on sale Monday, March 19, 2018
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Welcome to the second NOCF raffle of 2018! We have partnered up with
Wargames Illustrated
,
Gripping Beast
,
and
KR Multicase
to be able to not only run this raffle online, but also introduce wargamers at SALUTE 2018 to the good things that the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation does each year. We were inspired by the recent release of Saga 2.0 from Studio Tomahawk to create one of their most iconic war bands – the Vikings!
This raffle is for an elite 6-point Warband for Saga, and includes:
- A Viking Warlord
- 4 Varangian Guard (Hearthguard)
- 4 Varangian Guard Axemen (Hearthguard)
- 4 Viking Hirdmen (Hearthguard)
- 4 Viking Berserkers (Hearthguard)
- 8 Viking Bondi (Warriors)
- 12 Viking Archers (Levy)
- A case from KR Multicase
Tickets sales end April 16 at 12pm EST (or earlier if sold out). There are only 1,000 tickets available, at $5 each, which means your chances of winning are much better than surviving a clash with these fierce Northmen!
The winner will be announced later that day and broadcast via our social media channels.
Join us on Facebook at NOVA Open Charitable Foundation:
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2018 NOVA OPEN GAMING EVENTS
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Event Primers for
NOVA Open 2018
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What game and events are on your NOVA Open radar this year? Study the list in the sidebar to help prepare for registration - TONIGHT!!
Primers can change up until and even after registration. NOVA Open leads are highly responsive to questions, commentary and input.
We'll announce edits and changes in our biweekly newsletter and within each draft primer doc. Take time to review each as it arrives.
Click any event title to see the Primer. If your event primer is not linked here, visit novaopenstore.com - they will be available for viewing there first.
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The
Age of Sigmar Grand Narrative continues its Ships of Renown theme for the third year running in 2018, debuting the new Epic Ships. The first to be unveiled is the Heldenhammer, the grand ship of the Devoted of Sigmar in the narrative. This hobby project was envisioned and enacted by the AoS Grand Narrative team to take the designs from smaller scale Games Workshop games such as Dreadfleet and Man'o'War and realize them in full Heroic Scale.
The Heldenhammer will be a dynamic terrain element during the AoS Narrative Event, appearing in specially scheduled games to sail against other Ships of Renown! Players can expect to command the movement of the ship over ocean maps, fortify the decks to take advantage of its special rules, or use it as a launching platform for the custom airships that each Narrative player will bring. Heldenhammer will be only one of four Epic Ships and a score of smaller ships in the naval battles that form an exciting chapter in our AoS Narrative event plans!
The AoS Narrative Team started work on the Heldenhammer and other epic ships shortly after the conclusion of last year's events. This project was realized through a combination of 3d printing, fabric soft goods, clay sculpting, and use of existing sculpts from a variety of manufacturers.
Standing 36 inches tall at its highest mast with a hull measuring 38 inches long and 10 inches wide, it's designed to act as a deployment zone for a medium-sized Age of Sigmar army. The Narrative Team took inspiration from
Games Workshop’s 2011 board game Dreadfleet and began building a model to match this design, something strongly based in Warhammer history but unlike any existing model kit. If you are interested in this hobby project, we are detailing the build on the Narrative Event Organizers blog (
www.wearetheneon.com) and will be publishing updates on the event preparations through the NOVA Open Newsletter and the
NOVA Open Website.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING PASSES AND SWAG BAGS
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CONVENTION ACCESS PASSES (CAPs), DAY PASSES & PREMIUM SWAG BAGS:
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- A Convention Access Pass (CAP) is required to attend the NOVA Open. Single day passes are also available if one does not wish to attend the entire convention.
- CAPs and Day Passes are non-refundable, non-transferable items.
- The Early Bird pricing on the CAP is $40; the cost will go up to $50 at 11:59pm EST the night of July 1, 2018. Each Day Pass is $20.
- There are two upgrades available which require the purchase of a CAP: SuperNOVA and DwarfNOVA. When you place an upgrade in your cart, a CAP will automatically be added and you will purchase both at checkout.
- The only people who will receive one of the NOVA Open's Premium Swag bags will be the "First 400" who purchase CAPs (and all 150 SuperNOVA upgrades). This is based on registration date alone.
- If a "First 400" cannot attend: The swag bag is forfeited unless arrangements are made ahead of time with Marti Seraphin (customerservice.com) for a friend to pick it up. NOVA Open will not ship.
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Only
$18.00
Pre-order your original design commemorative 9th Anniversary NOVA Open T-Shirt when registration opens at 8:00 PM
TODAY
! This is the best way to guarantee you have the size that works for you. Pre-sale items can be picked up during convention check in.
FINAL PRE-SALES: MAY 1, 2018 - RESERVE THE SIZE YOU WANT BEFORE THEN! $25.00 AT THE CONVENTION!
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Only
$18.00
Pre-Order your NOVA Open Beer Mug when registration opens at 8:00 PM
TODAY
!
Bring your 2018 NOVA Open beer mug to the Foundation Lounge during the convention and get $1 off every draft beer you order! Pre-sale items can be picked up during convention check in.
FINAL PRE-SALES: MAY 1, 2018! $20.00 AT THE CONVENTION
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Only
$10.00
The NOVA Open is pleased to offer its second annual Convention Coin, the pictured 2018 Commemorative - another proud graphic original designed by Roy Scales. Pre-sale items can be picked up during convention check in.
FINAL PRE-SALES: MAY 1, 2018! $15.00 AT THE CONVENTION
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BRUSH UP ON YOUR PAINTING SKILLS AND LEARN NEW TECHNIQUES AT NOVA OPEN 2018
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Every year, NOVA Open brings together tabletop wargamers and miniature hobbyists from all over the world to share in competition, camaraderie, and fun! When all of these miniature-loving people get together, they share tips and tricks that spread and grow throughout the community. NOVA Open brings that to the next level by offering novice and veteran painters alike the chance to learn from world class miniature artists who teach classes on everything from painting competition level freehand work, to speed painting whole armies, to designing and building terrain, and even adding LED lights to make your miniatures really shine!
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NOVA Open is excited to announce that
Alfonso ‘Banshee’ Giraldes
will be teaching at NOVA Open 2018. Banshee is an international award-winning painter and has been teaching classes around the world since 2005. His students are now some of the most renowned painters in the miniature industry. One of Banshee’s main goals is to teach students that techniques are only a method and a tool to create and show their ideas. This is the reason he encourages all new painters to run away from recipes, to try and understand things without being constrained by searches for the perfect blend.
Banshee will be teaching a series of Hobby and Display seminars, mostly hands-on, at NOVA Open. These seminars include:
- Banshee Paint a Bust
- Designing Colors for Space Marine Armies
- Paint a Bust from 0 to 100%
- Freehands
- Ambiance Class 75mm
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NOVA OPEN OFFERS
JAR'S BEGINNER PAINTING WORKSHOP
. . . FIRST TIME IN THE U.S.
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GAMES WORKSHOP TO HOST STUDIO PREVIEW EVENT AND OTHER SEMINARS AT NOVA OPEN 2018
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Join
Games Workshop’s
Andy Smillie, Pete Foley, Jervis Johnson, and members of the Warhammer team, as they return to the NOVA Open with another Preview Event! Get an exclusive "
FIRST LOOK
" at what’s in store for Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, and beyond in the coming months. Be among the first in the world to know what the future holds and prepare to see some MAJOR reveals.
Join us,
Wednesday, Aug 29, 2017 from 7:30-9:00 PM
at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. A Convention Access Pass (CAP) or Day Pass is required to attend preview event, and
Attendees must sign up for the seminar at:
Be sure to check out
Games Workshop: Meet the Studio
seminars, where Pete Foley and legendary games designer Jervis Johnson will explore how they brought the latest games from the 41st Millennium and the Mortal Realms to life. This is an exciting opportunity to learn how your favorite games are made - everything from how new armies are designed, to the thinking behind your favorite codexes and battletomes - there will never be a better time to ask those burning questions you’ve always wanted to understand.
Finally, Duncan Rhodes returns to teach 15 seminars including:
- Painting Aelari
- Painting Demons
- Painting Skeletons
- Mastering Weather, a 3 – hour Painting – From Start to Finish seminar, and more.
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PREPARE FOR THE 2018 TABLETOP OLYMPICS
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The Tabletop Olympics (TTO), which started in 2014, is a free personal achievement and group competition where anyone who attends the NOVA Open can participate. Players accumulate personal "forever achievement points" and can also form groups of 3 to 20 people to compete against other groups. Points can be amassed individually and/or combined with other attendees if individuals band together for group points. In addition to tracking points for teams during NOVA Open 2018, we will also keep track of cumulative points for individuals that accumulate across NOVA Open conventions.
If individuals form groups, they need a Point of Contact (POC/Captain) and a group name. The POC must verify the name is not already taken by registering it with the NOVA Open. POC must also submit/verify list of NOVA Open registered members. We recommend that individuals form groups early; groups can consist of individuals participating in a range of point generating activities..
Groups must email
marti.seraphin@novaopen.com
to register groups. This portal is open through August 15; it is reopened onsite at the NOVA Open registration desk.
In addition to earning points by participating in activities, teams can also earn points through team spirit and good sportsmanship. If a team is witnessed by the NOVA Open Staff supporting their fellow team members in a tournament through cheering or wearing team shirts, they will be awarded bonus points depending how strong their team spirit is. If the NOVA Open Staff witnesses a team member going out of their way to help individuals, they will also be awarded bonus points that is up to the discretion of the staff member.
Winning Group and Winning Individual will have their names permanently emblazoned on the NOVA Open Olympic Torch Trophy. As a participant in the Tabletop Olympics, every individual point earned equals an additional chance of winning a prize in the Final Ceremony Raffles; Check-in required (which adds another entry in your name!) Must be present to win.
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ARTISTS PREP YOUR BRUSHES!
SIXTH ANNUAL CAPITAL PALETTE COMPETITION
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The NOVA Open convention invites hobbyists and artists to proudly display their work in Capital Palette, a juried, open-forum award, miniature art competition. A 3-judge panel will award gold, silver, and bronze accomplishment awards for 6 categories across 3 divisions. In an open forum competition, there can be multiple gold, silver, or bronze winners in a category (or no winners), and each submitting artists’ work is individually evaluated and receives the level of award the judges feel their work merits, without regard to the awards given to other pieces in the competition.
By adding three (3) Divisions in 2018, it is expected that submitting artists can use this format to better judge the progress of their work from show to show, without concerns about what other artists may create.Check the NOVA Open schedule for exact time and location of the Capital Palette Medaling Ceremony, which always takes place on Sunday afternoon.
Additionally, the judging panel will select one model in each category as the Best in Category winner. One of the Best in Category finalists will be chosen as the overall Best in Show winner. Convention attendees will select a Fan Favorite from among all submissions.
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WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS
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At the NOVA Open, we believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Therefore, we run the annual Lemonade Raffle - where you can win for losing! In order to be eligible, you must have lost at least one of your tournament games. If you are not playing in a tournament, you are not eligible for the Lemonade Raffle. For every tournament round you lose, your event's Lead will enter your name into our raffle pool. This does not apply to non-tournament pickup games. For example, if you lose one (1) round, you will have one (1) entry in the Lemonade Raffle, if you lose five (5) rounds, you will have five (5) entries in the Lemonade Raffle, and so on. Tournament organizers for your specific game system/s will be responsible for entering your name into the raffle pool.
The Lemonade Raffle occurs Friday through Sunday. There are typically four (4) drawings a day, with 20-30 prizes being given away every three (3) hours or so.Throughout the weekend, over 300 Lemonade Raffle items are awarded with prize values escalating as the convention nears its end on Sunday evening. The NOVA Open staff will attempt to delivery prizes to you, but it never hurts to stop by the Lemonade Raffle desk now and then to see if you're a winner!
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The Foundation Lounge, located on the rooftop level of the Hyatt Regency hotel, Chesapeake View, throughout the NOVA Open convention, is run by volunteers for the
NOVA Open Charitable Foundation
. Proceeds support the continued work of the Foundation, as well as other named charities.
The Foundation Lounge has become the go-to place for attendees, where relaxing with old friends and making new ones after long days of gaming at the convention just comes naturally. The Lounge opens at 11:00am every day with last call is at 1:00am. Come on up to visit this year. There's always something going on at this fully stocked bar, where you'll meet industry experts chatting about their businesses, participate in raffles, join board games, enjoy sumptuous snacks and (on occasional) listen to a live band!
The NOVA Open will be underway by mid-afternoon on Wednesday, August 29 - and the Lounge will follow with a 6:00pm opening that day. Make a point to spend some time with us this year! Watch newsletters for a sneak peek at the daily activities being planned.
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2018 Hotel Block Open:
ROOM BLOCK EXPANDED
80% SOLD OUT!
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ATTENTION VENDORS: BOOK ROOM NOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ONSITE AT HYATT!
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Chesapeake for Foundation Lounge:
We are pleased to announce that the NOCF Lounge has now been permanently moved to Chesapeake View
NOVA Open Room Block Rates:
- Single or Double occupancy: $97
- Three in a Room: $122
- Four in a Room: $147
Length of Block:
- The NOVA Open room block begins Saturday, 8/25 and ends Monday, 9/3 - keep in mind, it looks like NOVA Open will be underway late afternoon of Wednesday, 8/29
$50 Per Night INCIDENTAL HOLD FEE:
- The Washington DC area hotels have adopted policy (this includes Hyatt and surrounding properties) which will put a hold of $50 for incidentals at check-in ... FOR EACH NIGHT YOU BOOKED. This will typically impact only those using debit cards (as opposed to credit cards). Regardless, if you plan to be on site Wed-Mon (5 nights), a hold of $250 will be put on your card. No incidental charges to your room = full release upon check out.
Check In / Check Out:
- Check in is 3:00pm; Check out is 12:00pm. Early check in and late checkout requests, booking upgrades to rooms and suites, may receive additional charges.
Departure Fee:
- A one-night rate fee "can be" assessed if an attendee fails to give Hyatt a 24-hour notice of early departure.
Roll Away Bed Fee:
- One-time fee of $25 for a roll away bed; limited / request early.
When Hyatt is Sold Out:
- Contact NOVA Open (customerservice@novaopen.com) if you are unable to book at Hyatt; this will notify us of any issues and allow us to expand the block. NOVA Open is negotiating room rates and perks at surrounding hotels (like 2017) ahead of expected Hyatt sell out - which well could be BEFORE registration launches on March 1. Receiving and reading the NOVA Open bi-weekly newsletters is the best way to stay informed and prepared.
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HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS/SESSIONS
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JOIN US MARCH 24TH - RAIN OR SHINE
Saturday March 10th the NOVA Open staff and volunteers met in Lorton Virginia for the second official terrain build of the 2018 season. Our focus this time around - repainting the older terrain we repaired in February. After an educational tutorial from Mr. Brandt himself, three airbrush stations were set up and an assembly line formed. Good progress was made, but we need to pick up the pace for next time.
The secondary project for this build was construction of some new terrain for 40K. I have a plan to replace the terrain for the first ten tables of the GT. The first two designs I came up with were both old and new. Design one is a take on the wall sections we have been working on for years. The second design is new and modular. It’s solid foam and meets the requirements for the current edition of 40K. I provided the team with diagrams, instructions, and a one half scale model of each design for reference.
The team was able to knock out most of the cutting and gluing. I plan to use spackle (or something like it) to fill any gaps once everything is dry. Then it’s time to paint.
Overall the build went very well and I look forward to the next build on March 24
th
. Till then keep building!
If you're new to the area, or not on the current distro list, contact customerservice@novaopen.com. Keep an eye out for the EVITE invitation which will land in your inbox.
Follow our progress at the
Road to NOVA blog managed by our Minister of Terrain, Bob Likins.
Mark your calendar
March 24th 10:00 AM
Workshop located at Telegraph Storage, 8935 Telegraph Road, Lorton VA, 22079
RAIN OR SHINE
Park on yellow painted curbs
TELEGRAPH SELF STORAGE
8935 TELEGRAPH RD, LORTON, VA 22079
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TERRAIN DAY
MARCH 24, 2018
- REPAIR broken terrain
- DISCUSS new items
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NEWSLETTER
APRIL 1, 2018
- Events List
- Seminar List
- Lead Updates
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Atlantis Games and Comics
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