Team PoweredPlay is proud to have some awesome team members, both in terms of their passion for conversions and the hobby, but also for their brilliant gameplay. This weekend’s Las Vegas Open was the culmination event for the 2014 Independent Tournament Circuit, where three of Team PoweredPlay’s members received top awards for their individual armies, as well a overall Grand Champion.

Leading the pack was Paul McKelvey, who placed at the very top with an overall score of 394.96 – besting the competition by over 12 points. Winning the series, Paul was awarded with a check for $2,000, a tropy and the award for top Tau player for the entire circuit.  Also finishing at the top of the army rankings were Sirus Chappell (Blood Angels) and John Feuerhelm (Dark Angels).

“I am just happy that a series like [the ITC] has come around,” says McKelvey. “It created a huge drive in competitive play over the course of the year and really came down to the wire. I cannot wait for next year to see where not just the events go, but where the ITC goes.”

John Feuerhelm’s Best Dark Angels Player award, illuminated by his bikes.

Like NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, the ITC spanned across 24 events nationwide, with cumulative performance scores deciding the overall winner. Paul worked his way to the top, finishing 1st at Brawl in the Fall, 3rd at TSHFT, 5th at Celesticon, 4th at Kublacon and 12th at the No Mercy LVO Last Chance tournanements.

Converting is the Future of Gaming

One of the biggest themes at LVO’s appearance judging this year was an emphais on conversions that go beyond the standard 3 color paint jobs. Judges are paying closer attention to how modelers are sculpting, painting, and adding external components that enhance the overall appearance of an army.

Caleb Wissenbeck, who was lead judge for both the LVO army appearance scores and the WarGamer Consortium’s Draconian Awards, noted that “As judges, we’re looking for how hobbyists are going above and beyond what’s required, to really personalize their armies. It’s the next step in making this more than plastic models, but real art.”

Along those lines, Feuerhelm’s impressive bike army is making waves nationwide as quite literally one of the brightest conversion armies ever played, as evidenced in his appearance scores. John has included LEDs in every single bike, drop pod and knight that he plays – with plans of even more in the future – not only making his force recognizable, but easy to spot from across a crowded convention hall.

“Having lights on my army has allowed me to meet a lot more people that I might not normally get the chance to speak with,” says Feurhelm. “It becomes a conversation piece, which lets me share my passion for the hobby and what people can do with their own armies.”

Michael Fox’s customized Ork Titan

Additionally, team member Michael Fox socred among the top of LVO appearances with his custom Ork army. From custom planes converting old Rhinos into flyers, to an impressive Ork Knight Titan with, Michael is taking the customization to personally sculpting unique models and game pieces.

“The future of the hobby isn’tin the new codecies,  it’s going to be in how we embrace personalization and creative expression,” says Chris Michaels, co-founder of PoweredPlay Gaming. “Every day, we receive links and images to some amazing stuff that people are making, painting and how they’ve been inspired. We’re proud to be leading the way with our team members, classes and products that collectively enhance the creativity of the hobby.”

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