June 1, 2015:  Year 5; Edition 11 
2015 NOVA Open Registration

NEWS FLASH:  The NOVA Open Convention Access Pass Discount will end in two weeks on June 15, 2015.  Buy your CAP today at a cost of $40.

FYI: The 2015 novaopenstore cart will allow you to create an account, purchase the CAP, and return at a later date to purchase events (anytime between now and August 30).

On June 16, 2015, the CAP will cost $50.

In This Issue:
NOVA Open Charity Tournament:  FIRST COME FIRST SERVED

The NOVA Open Charitable Foundation will be hosting a charity fundraiser tournament!

The games of choice will be Warhammer 40K and Malifaux, so bring your armies and duke it out in support of breast cancer research!

The date:  July 18, 2015.

The place:  McLean, Virginia.

Remember that spaces are limited; only the first 32 40K players and the first 16 Malifaux players will have a guaranteed spot.  After that, we'll start a wait list.

A $30 donation to [email protected] via PayPal will help support the novaopenfoundation.org website, as well as breast cancer research.  With a $40 donation you'll be able to play while also receiving two beverages and a hot dog or hamburger!
Click for Virtual Tour
THE VIRTUE:
NOVA Open's First Official Model

We at NOVA Open are pleased to unveil our first official show mini for the Virtue!

Originally created by the NOVA Open narrative universe and brought to life by Prodos Games, the Virtue 30mm base model is available for play in a variety of games.

All SuperNOVAs will find the Virtue in their bags, and limited quantities outside of those 100 will be available on-site.  Additionally, this model will be available in limited quantities for purchase at the NOVA Open store.  Pre-ordering for $20 closes July 1, so reserve your model HERE!

See the model in its fully rendered 3D glory HERE!  Expect a studio-quality, fully-painted preview in our next newsletter, courtesy of John Stiening and Steve Carey!
40K FORMAT CHANGES

The 7th Edition of Warhammer 40,000 brought many new and exciting things to the game. It also brought some interesting challenges. The greatest of these challenges lies in the extremely wide-open format of the game from an army construction point of view. 

There are literally no "right" ways to go about it, and every tournament out there uses substantial composition to restrict army construction as compared to the stock rulebook (i.e. even events that market themselves as using "book" 40K typically do things such as render every Detachment/Formation "unique," or prevent Unbound army construction from being used, etc.). 

This presents no challenge to the average social gaming group, which can amicably decide on which construction format to use for their weekly games (or even change it from week to week), but does present substantial challenges for the average "pick-up gamer" at the local game store and for tournament organizers. 

Read more about the format changes HERE!
WARMACHINE/HORDES PRICE UPDATE
 
Good news for Warmachine/Hordes players at the NOVA Open 2015 and a giant mea culpa from the NOVA Open. 

We implemented a top-tier online store this year which integrates directly with our convention management system to provide the most efficient, streamlined attendee experience possible for 2015. Everything which brings the NOVA Open together - from pre-registration and onsite check-in to managing the Lemonade Raffle, to the results, are connected. 

Beyond that, we were pleased to roll out our automated discount pricing structure which is based upon the number of events a player registers for within different categories. 

Unfortunately, in the process of this roll-out, user error led to WM/H players being charged an average of $5 too much for Warmachine/Hordes events (depending on which and how many events were carted). We've corrected this in the system, resulting in Warmachine/Hordes events being priced more in line with the other game systems presented at the NOVA Open for 2015, as originally intended. 

For those players who already registered for WM/H events to date, do not fret!  We will execute appropriate financial corrections by the June 15 newsletter. For all those interested in the very well-attended WM/H events at NOVA, great news:  your events just became significantly more affordable than previously believed.
STAR DESTROYER UPDATE:  
The Construction Awakens

We've decoded several Imperial transmissions revealing our newest and greatest threat:  a warship of unparalleled size, with enough weaponry to take on any fleet imaginable.

This ship, this "Star Destroyer," will be present and ready for combat for the X-Wing competitions at NOVA Open.  Built "to scale" at 11 feet, it was constructed by Imperial engineers at Wright War Game Terrain.

Our own decoders have discovered their database on Facebook.  Be sure to follow them HERE, and check out the progression of construction HERE!  Be aware of this impending threat!
GUEST STARRING:  The Great Britain Hobbit League
 
The Great Britain Hobbit League has accepted the invitation from the DC Hobbit League to attend the premier of The Lord of the Rings at the 2015 NOVA Open!

As you can tell from the announcement video, these guys are stoked to attend, so be sure to come out and join them, and don't forget to book your rooms early!
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW INTERNS!

We at NOVA Open would like to take this time to introduce our newest batch of interns!

 
Spencer Sims attends school at Christopher Newport University. With a major in business (concentration in management) and minors in philosophy and psychology, Spencer assists NOVA Open's executive vice president in aspects of convention management.










Nora Eaton's school of choice is Radford, where she studies with a major in design management.  The name of Nora's game is social media, and she's the mastermind behind NOVA's social web presence.










Briana Boitano is studying art and visual technology at George Mason University, with a concentration in drawing and a minor in business. Her department with NOVA Open covers all things graphic design.











Joey hails from Elon University, where he's pursuing two majors: communications with a concentration in cinema, and English with a concentration in literature.  As it stands, he's head of NOVA's editorial department, writing and editing the newsletters.








Alice Johnson graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in December of 2014, bearing with her an associate's degree in communication design.  Like Briana, Alice also works within NOVA Open's graphic design department.
DON'T HAVE A BLOOD BOWL TEAM?  We've got you covered!

Our friend, AKA DigitalSaint, has graciously provided a spare army for open use during the Blood Bowl tournament at NOVA Open 2015.  

This army is comprised of three warriors, ten beastmen, and Lord Borak himself, give or take an extra arm or...whatever those are.

Stay tuned, because a spare dwarf team is on the horizon!
MALIFAUX PREVIEW:  NOVA Open's New Bayou Gremlin Board

We're pleased to provide a preview of our new Bayou Gremlin board, available for use in Malifaux!

This board will be used for Malifaux demos, and, with lead authorization, for open gaming.

This board was made by Alex Wright of Wright War Game Terrain for use in the Malifaux championship series.
MODCUBE
Kickstarter Ending Soon!
  
The ModCube is an awesome new gamer aid that is causing a lot of excitement in the various communities. The ModCube enables players to keep 6 common gaming tokens on a single cube, and quickly rotate between these tokens. Available for X-Wing, 40K, Infinity and customizable!

There's still time to participate in the ModCube Kickstarter!  It ends on June 5th, and there's only one stretch goal left!  Check it out HERE!
NOVA OPEN TERRAIN DAYS 
 
Come To Terrain Days
The NOVA Open and its amazing volunteer builders arguably make the highest caliber terrain of any convention on the planet.

The terrain build days bring together players of all types for hours of social and community fun.  

Last weekend, a group of guys got together at the storage unit to felt the final tables required for NOVA Open 2015 ... beautiful day, successful morning, lunch and beer to celebrate success! 



Contact us if you'd like to be on the invitation list for these events: [email protected].
Terrain builds take place in Vienna, VA - mark your calendars:  
  • 6/27
  • 7/11
NOVA Open Lead Corner
News Updates from All Event Leads

The NOVA Open now has ten separate game systems running. The Leads of each will be using this "Corner" of the newsletter for Minute Updates.  

  • Dropzone Commander
    There is no longer a conflict in the NOVA Open store preventing anyone from registering for both events. The Dropzone Linked Narrative Event is designed to provide hours of great entertainment and strategic game play for any Dropzone player not playing in the Tournament Semi-Finals and Finals.  PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to sign up for both events and qualify for the semi-finals or finals, there are no refunds for the Linked Narrative Battle; alternatively, players will be able register to play in the Linked Narrative Battle at the convention.  
  • CMON (Dark Age & Wrath of Kings)
    Dark age: New models released for MayCome check them out at NOVA Open 2015. CMON will be running tournaments, demoing the games and setup in the Vendor Hall.
     
  • Lord of the Rings/Hobbit                    
    With one of the most balanced game systems for competitive play and some of the best prize support in NOVA Open including free terrain boards and beautifully painted Out of Production miniatures, players from all over the world are travelling to compete in this year's Lord of the Rings tournaments! So if you love Tolkien lore, awesome prizes, and a masterfully crafted game, then this is an event you don't want to miss!
  • Blood Bowl
  • Infinity
  • Malifaux
  • Warhammer Fantasy
    On May 27, the NOVA Open Executive Board wrote to Jerry Parsley, chairman of the USA Masters committee for Warhammer, seeking its help and support in keeping Fantasy as an offering at the NOVA Open.  Steve Gant, our WFB lead, is unable to act due to a work conflict; the player base is reporting overt concerns about 9th edition and delays in release as is evidence by sluggish registration.

    Players should know, first and foremost, that this game has been a mainstay at the NOVA Open since 2011 and we would very much like to continue hosting the WFB community and their events. Even with these concerns, our terrain staff has continued to work creating more and improved WFB terrain to enhance this large GT. 

     
    We hope the USA Masters committee will be able to work together with the NOVA Open to identify an optimistic and courageous lead willing to run a big GT with a new edition dropping just weeks before. If you can help, please contact us:  [email protected]. If we are unable to find a lead, current registrations will be refunded.
     
  • Warmachine/Hordes
  • X-Wing

REGISTER NOW! 

First 400 to Register Receive Swag Bags

2015 Hotel Block Open: Book Early - No Risk!
 
The rates for NOVA Open 2015 are at $91 per night, up just $2 from the previous four years.
 
Reserve room at Hyatt now ~ last year nearly sold out. Remember that reservations can be cancelled up to 48 hours before the NOVA Open.  

 
The NOVA Open is your "End of Summer" convention, and with its proximity to Washington, D.C. (with its free museums, memorials and monuments). With the lowest hotel costs available in the D.C. area, think about taking advantage of the room rate to turn your trip into a family vacation!
 
Room rates are available from the Friday before NOVA Open through the Tuesday following the convention. If you'd like to extend those dates, please contact us:  [email protected]
Schedule: Tournaments - Seminars - Foundation Lounge
 
UPDATED with HOBBIT/LOTR schedule. 

Spend some time with this important resource so you can plan your best trip to the NOVA Open!
 
The schedule lists all game tournaments and any new Critical Mass Events (CMEs), over 45 art-paint-hobby seminars taught by some of the best talent in the industry, Foundation Lounge hours/presentations, and much, much more. 
 
New Schedule Formatting provides attention boxes with news items for each day:
 
primers
2015 NOVA Open Draft Primers
 

Thanks to the heroic efforts of the NOVA Open event leads and staff, draft primers for game systems and events at the 2015 NOVA Open are now available!
 

Non-Game Primers:
All questions for all games, events and leads may be sent to [email protected].