The 2015 convention season is going out with a bang, but that doesn’t mean a break for Brian and me.

The convention department here at Privateer Press is moving along quickly with plans for 2016, especially Lock & Load GameFest. Last year’s Lock & Load saw a lot of big changes and additions to programming—Privateer Press gamers from around the world took part in tournaments, events, and the Iron Arena. All of that excitement and more is coming at you June 10–12, 2016, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington!

If you’ve never been to Lock & Load GameFest before, you’re missing out. Every year the entire Privateer crew comes together for an amazing weekend full of games, panels, hangouts, and fun! Whether you’re looking for a chance to ask Doug Seacat your burning questions about the lore of the Iron Kingdoms or you want to throw down the gauntlet against Jason Soles in a game of WARMACHINE or HORDES, Lock & Load has exactly what you’re looking for.

Next year, Lock & Load GameFest 2016 is going to be even more unique than Lock & Load experiences of years past, thanks to changes in our annual schedule. We’ve decided to make Lock & Load the anchor for the year. This means all of our organized play seasons will begin and end at Lock & Load GameFest—right alongside our Iron Gauntlet World Championship. The annual Keynote Panel has also been moved to Lock & Load, so if you want to know about the hottest upcoming releases from Privateer Press, you don’t want to miss this event.

Badges for the event will go on sale December 7th, 2015—$72 for a will-call badge or $75 for a shipped badge. Badges may not be available yet, but you should book your hotel rooms now! This year, we’ve set up three blocks of rooms for the event with three excellent area hotels. As an incentive to book your room in our block, we’re offering a free exclusive miniature to anyone who stays in our block for both Friday and Saturday night! Each room reservation that spans those two nights will receive two copies of the miniature, so you won’t have to argue with your roommate about who gets it! This year’s exclusive model will be a special variant model of Colby from the Black River Irregulars. Colby will come complete with a stat card so she can be played in your WARMACHINE army at the show and beyond. There will be a standard release of Colby at a later date, but you can secure this Lock & Load exclusive sculpt and start playing Colby in June by booking your hotel with our partners.

That’s not all of the news that we have, though! This year, Lock & Load is going global! Following the awesome success of Lock & Load Outpost Germany in 2015, we are working with our partners in the EU to put together three Outpost events for 2016 in France, Germany, and the UK. We’re really excited for this chance to make the Lock & Load experience available in more corners of the world. All of these events will run concurrently with Lock & Load GameFest 2016. Forthcoming details from each of these events will inform attendees exactly how to secure their own limited-edition Colby sculpt.

Lock & Load Outpost France will be held at the Victoria Game Center in Soisy-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. This event will revolve around two big competitions: A 128-player Masters and the “Pentacle,” a five-player team tournament with more than 200 players. All of this is on top of a fantastic painting contest, the Iron Arena, and conferences about the Iron Kingdoms. You will find all the information you need here.

Lock & Load Outpost Germany will be held at Relaxa Hotel in Frankfurt, Germany. This event will boast a 128-player Masters event, a painting competition, Team Tournament and, of course, Iron Arena. Advance booking will begin later in 2015 through the F-Shop, and further news about the event can be found here.

In the UK, the Lock & Load Outpost will be hosted by the Northwest Gaming Centre in Stockport. Further updates will appear on the Privateer Press Forums as well as on the UK Warmachine Facebook page, or you can contact the EU Quarter Master at [email protected]

We hope that all of you can join us this June for Lock & Load GameFest 2016. It is no exaggeration to say it is the weekend we all look forward to most each year. To all of our friends from Lock & Loads past, we’ll see you sooner than you think, and to the new friends who will make it out for the first time this year, we can’t wait to meet you!

To book your room and receive our special rate, call the listed number and mention the Lock & Load GameFest or click the listed link to book online.

Coast Hotel Bellevue—425.455.9444 or book online.
Courtyard Marriott—425.454.5888 or book online.
Hilton Bellevue—1.800.643.7907 or use group code LOCKCI and book online.