This weekend marks the first-ever gaming convention held by War Garage in Venezuela. We invited War Garage editor, Rodrigo Guerrero, to share a little of what the Venezuela gaming scene looks like in today’s Insider and to talk about the upcoming event.

The War Garage convention will be held this weekend, October 17th and 18th at the Salón ávila of the Altamira Suites Hotel and celebrates all things hobby-gaming.

Chances are, hardcore gamers and hobbyists are not the first things that come to mind when you think about Venezuela. Maybe baseball players (really good ones), beauty queens (really gorgeous ones), super-heavy oil (and I mean super), and chocolate (the darker, the better) might have a better chance at being your first thought, but let me tell you a little more about your brethren in the northernmost part of South America.

Gaming came to Venezuela in pretty much the same way it arrived everywhere else—hobby stores started stocking odd products coming from the UK and the U.S., and in a flash they turned from the plastic model business to the exciting and challenging business of running gaming stores.

WARMACHINE arrived to Venezuela in the early 2000s. In the midst of the “collectible miniature game” push, a friend had traveled abroad and had come back with a brochure showcasing the minis…and it was all we needed.

It was fast, furious, and rewarding. The world was rich, detailed, and exciting. Newcomers to the hobby of miniatures were amazed by the concept of painting and customizing your armies. Veterans of the industry were amazed by the quality of the game and components, and they celebrated its speed and diversity. This game didn’t just change the community; it brought players closer together, and like a lens focused it into a single entity. When HORDES arrived, the game was a great boon for those who craved something wilder and more savage; the fact that those players could have what they wanted without removing themselves from the existing community was a genius move, and this brought even more players into the fold.

I may have drawn this in such a way that it seems ideal, but at the same time, Venezuela braved internal turmoil unlike anything you can imagine, and while I will avoid dwelling on the politics and economy, I will note that there were days when gathering the guys at someone’s apartment or garage felt like a true act of revolution or conspiracy. The Iron Kingdoms were, in many moments, a great place to free our minds from worries while we sent our armies to clash with one other.

Over that time, we participated in the nascent local business of conventions, manga, anime, and comics, all of which have the same high appeal here they have pretty much anywhere anyone calls themselves geeks. Being a part of that community allowed us to showcase ourselves to others and to reach many new players and friends. The challenges to gaming in our country were too hard for many but not hard enough to drive away the brave few who joined our band of gaming brothers. And twice before has Privateer Press supported our cons and tournaments, even without a shop or distributor’s participation, simply because players asked.

It’s been a thrilling decade. It’s had its ups and downs, of course, but if you are one of those lucky players who can gather a group of people at any given time and have a go, we envy you. Many people have put in a lot of work and time to keep the gaming moving here—BobNarks and Grullo, KaiserX and LuisJoey, and all of those other integral contributors who, over time, raised a community and kept it playing.

We still gather at a moment’s notice whenever we can manage to paint and play together. In the city, we have a league with a large base of newcomers who are learning the only way you can learn in this game: through the school of ‘jack knocks and enraged warbeasts. And now we have a convention—a gathering of our most enthusiastic players—to be held October 17–18, and Privateer Press will again be there to reward and support our community. We are working hard to make sure our players get the best event possible—we want to make them proud, and we want nothing else but to leave everything on the battlefield, win or lose.

Even though Privateer is no longer a newcomer, they remain as determined and scrappy as always. Well, let me tell you: Venezuelans are a scrappy bunch, too. We are where pirates feasted and landed after plunder, we are where conquerors retreated in failure, we are the Andes and the Caribbean, the Dunes and the Amazon, and when we come to the table, we play for keeps…

See you there.

Rodrigo Guerrero
Gs_EditRod
www.Wargarage.org