Open Letter

It appears to be just the same whereever you go. USA, Russia, Dubai. The one who does most suffer most. Sad to hear!

Hope you are not dropping the hobby - collecting, painting and gaming. 

Aw man... rough dude... don't quit it, I'm sure we can sort something out. There's always a way mate, and trust me, I'm the first to admit when people are talking about misunderstandings.

Whoever these misunderstandings are with should come on here,, or wish you good luck in person. Unless you wanted to stay that is :P.

Don't give up.

Peace.

And this is because of?

I'm sad to read this, although I somehow saw it coming. And for those of you who might have - in their candor - imagined Olivier did all of this for money, here's one for you: every DRTT has represented a dry loss of several thousands of Dhs. In addition, if I quickly do the maths, a team of 4 volunteers preparing an average of 5 hours a week for roughly 6 months, we're having a basic workload of 500 hours each time, just to ensure a succesfull event.

Well, I'm guessing Olivier, and myself, will be able to devote our gaming time to actual gaming, rather than working our #!]@~ off building countless sceneries...

Game on :)

I am going to present another Kangor essay about seeing this post. Trust me it will make sense and tie to topic, not threadjacking :) I will refrain from names as much as possible and try to focus on events. I will also discuss the Magic the Gathering community as it is tied directly with the Warhammer community (and honestly should continue to do so!)

Ok faithful reader time to hop into the wayback machine and remember so things...

2005-2007 - handful of player gaming in the UAE. nothinng is formal although a GW retail store was open for a time in Beach Center Mall...sadly the owner left back to home country to chase a woman (figures its always a woman!). Community shrinks after a brief glimmer. 2007 Park n Shop starts carring GW product.

Jan 2008 - I arrive in the UAE and here is what I find. Games Workshop is being sold on a wire rack with barely 20 items in stock. Prices are 250% higher than GW. Friday club consists of 6 people...all expats and half the players 30 somethings...no tournements, no product, and no community. Concurrant to this there is a Magic the G?athering group of 6-8 playing Friday nights...if lucky because nobody commits...players playing with stagnant card pool of whatever can bebrought over from their home countries...no tournements, no product, and no community...Why? No one wants to take the time to do what is needed to grow a community, no one wants to take the responsability or the financial obligation to do it...there is one over work guy from England who is trying the best he can but really cant commit much (tip the hat to Derek!)...Kangor is worried!

March 2008 - Discussions begin with Wizard of the Coast to run regular sanctioned events in Dubai for Magic the Gathering. One man is appointed TO (tourney Organizer) and is rresponsible for running the gaming. Warhammer continues to shrink as people prepare to leave country for the summer...down to 4 players, playing in beautiful weather in front of Park n Shop...2 locals are looking at playing Warhammer, both are younger but very enthusiastic.

May 2008 - Community growth in Magic is leading to intrest in other games...Warhammer...Milesone event www.wizardsofthegulfcoast.com opens doors (tip hat Dave Barnes!!) UAE now has its first commun ity gamiong website focusing on Magic the Gathering but Warhammer has its own page too in the forums!

June 2008 - Discussions are under way with current operator of Bishops Trading to transfer stock and responsability of GW accounts along with HAsbro accounts as well as TO rights. Current operator is returning to home country and since I have experience in retail gaming I am approached. I review yearly sales and attendance and see potential for a community here. Magic event attendance starts to hit 10+ each week and a permenant location is set at Ridges Hotel Cafe (tip hat Shreeny and Dan!). Milestone event...UAE has its first major gaming event the Magic Regionals tourney...14 players...ahem yes yours truely wins it :) (i was not TO at the time!!)

July 2008 - Kangor takes over Bishop Trading and TO responsability in UAE. Plans are in place to ramp up the community. Signs go up in PnS for regular Friday events in a structured format starting September 2008. Magic events get sanctioned Friday Night Magic events including promo cards and prizes...not to mention product for sale!

September 2008 - Friday 40k opens with 12 players. it runs from 9am to 1pm each Friday (unless I came late :P...Thursday nights were crazy at times!). The schedule was broken down into Winter and Spring Sessions with first 6 weeks of each session tailored to brand new players introducing gaming, roster, and hobby fundamantals using an Escalation format. Each player recieved roster sheets and packet to use with basic rules and league notes. Scenery is getting better and more players are finding the club (no name yet!). Magic is stable with continued growth...Milestone Event...First Sanctioned Pre-release occurs close to propoer date with 16 players attending, this is the last event run by former TO. 

December 2008 - Going into winter break we now have 16 players each Friday for Warhammer. All five littles tables are now maxed out (lol 2 per table still!) by 9:30 and people are being turned away. Players are learning and starting to get into hobby. stock levels at PnS expand and prices are reduced as demand is taken up ensuring product turnover. Magic the Gathering continues to grow beyond belief. Our first true official Pre-Release is just on the horizon...

Feb 2009 - Spring session begins again with opening of 18 players. Format stays the same to keep player growth, my two sons (tip at Talen and Jerin!) start showig regularly and are my helpers each week. They both have armies and a loud WAAAGH can be heard regularly in the PnS hallway! We have to go to smaller games and more player per table to fit all the new people. Friday Fight Series begines by capping each 6 week campaign. Friday Fights are 4 round swiss style battles of 750 points using win/losses only and does not care about painting. Focus is on game play and roster building. Milestone Event for Magic the pre release is a huge success. Two flights on Friday of 20+ players with plenty of product, prizes, and support (at this time reminders were still sent each week to players via SMS...LOL). 

May 2009 - 1st Season of Warhammer comes to a close due to summer break. 24 players were logged and email addresses taken and the email flyer was sent out on a bi-weekly basis informing players of each weeks event and reminders including points and BRING A ROSTER! MAgic is by far the most dominant game being played in UAE. Talks begin with Wizards to have an official Reginals event with an invite given to Worlds. 24 K event ratings are discussed but Wizards wants more TO's in place with more events each week by different TO's as well as 50+ DCI cards issued...hmmmm not looking good!

Summer 2009 - casual games continue through break with 10+ players attending for fun Mega Battles and higher point fun games. Talks are under way to have Kangor transfer TO right in Magic to Noxy as it is starting to kill Kangor (remmeber Thursdays are crazy nights for poor little Kangor!)

September 2009 - Season starts with 20 players showing up. Format becomes very rigid to keep the troops in line. There is a large movement of younger players who are very dedicated participants. Many people complain about this but soon realize it is best for the hobby and community. Magic players begin looking at Warhammer a bit more seriouse as well as Warhammer players are looking at Magic...UAE now has a real GAMING COMMUNITY (something I think has been forgotten recently). This is the first week Shihab runs the 40k sol;o while I go away on a short holiday...he did a great job!

***little extra here. At this time GW is looking at having a distributor locate to the UAE. I have been approached with this but as I work full time, run Magic, run Warhammer, and run a family I say no and make a recommendation to GW who this person should be...I am running on fumes and it is effecting all aspects of my ability to help grow the community further...believe it or not fellow reader it takes a HUGE AMOUNT of dedication planning, running, and playing in a community to keeep it going. A TO is looked at as a leader and sometimes the community forgets that there is a huge dedication given by the TO both finacially and mentally. Remeber this is a business and ultimately requires players to keep the business afloat. I charged each player for a reason and that was done to offset personal sacrifices as well as gaming material and weekly commitments. There was a time where I started to look at it soely as a business and that was when I decided to split Magic away from my responsability.****

November 2009 - Talks begin to run a " Rogue Trader " style tournement in the UAE. Planning begins (yes 6 months in advance!!!) also Warcamel website is being worked on (tip hat Noxy!!!). Warhammer Clubs begin appearing in UAE aside from PnS Club (soon to be PnS Banditos :P and yes Swarmlord we did not have one Mexican in attendance)

Jan 2010 - Jan 12 2010 www.warcamel.com opens it doors. While this is great it also begins the true seperation of the Gaming Community keeping Magic and Warhammer seperate. Its a omen to what is to occur with Magic in the next couple months. Spring Sessions of Friday 40k are running to maxed out players 24-28 each week. New tables are ordered and the Vanguard players are brought about. Vanguards were designated players who excelled in both gaming an hobby and were in essence abassadors to the game. Each week they would pair up with a new player and help guide them in play and roster construction. IMHO this was crucial to keeping the hobby going. The Vanguards were encouraged to be prompt, efficient, and helpful. They helped set up the play areas and take down terrain. They were often responsible for keeping the troops in line (tip hat Shihad, David, Harrison, Ahmed, Munchie :). Plans for Rogue Trader, or DRTT as it became know were fully in place. Scenery construction began in earnest.

Feb 2010 - Sad note Magic has been banned in the UAE! well not fully but so begins the hassle of trying to find legal was to play a card game in the UAE (gambling in UAE is illegal and Dubai Muni feels card games like Magic are a form of gambling since you pay money (entry fee) to win a prize. Ridges Hotel does not want Magic there any longer and this hampers the DRTT planning. We now need permits and things to be able to run the event. Milestone...GW UAE prices are brought down to GW UK prices or less as a new distributor opens doors (Tip hat Nimble Dist) in the UAE. GW products are now being sold in malls and kiosks across the UAE including Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. Product is easy to get and PnS stock levels buldge! PRoduct is flying off the shelf and the community is booming!

April 2010 -DRTT I occurs at Ridges Hotel it is a full day event with 20 players from all over UAE Watch it here if you forgot how cool it was 

http://www.warcamel.com/content/warhammer-40k-dubai-rogue-trader-tournam...

Take special note of what Christen says "I thought I was the only one..."

This event was amazing but it was hard on the TO's it took a huge amount of time and effort to pull off (are the baords still at Ridges closet :) Despite what many may think this was a break event event for the TO's (actually a loss considering time put in) but the effect it had on the community was incredible. It gave UAE warhammer some legitamacy but at the same time it created a bit of a distraction as some players who focus on gaming over hobby became vocal about rankings and why focus on sportsmanshiop and hobby...I believe this occurs in EVERY GAMING COMMUNITY but when you have one as small as UAE (well smallish :) it rings with a louder tone. PnS Banditos become the official name for the Friday 40k club at PnS and some advanced players begin looking to have another club in afternoon run by the Vanguards. Overall the community is healthy and growing and attributing all the signs of huge expansion and growth. In fact Wargazelle begins play in Abu Dhabi at this time (+/- Im old so forgive me if I have the date off a bit!)

May 2010 - Plans for DRTT II begin (yup 5 months in advance!) The issue with Magic really has an impact on Warhammer events in UAE. There is twice the amount of approvals needed and twice the legwork and commitment from the TO's. Summer Break at PnS Banditos begins with a record 26 players attending the last game!

September 2010 - PnS Bandito begins is Winter Season with 28 players and 4 new tables, all new scenery and fresh start. With in 2 weeks it grows to 32 players and the emailer has 75 registered emails going out each week. DRTT II is right around the corner...Milestone Magic the Gathering begins play in a more casual basis in asmall deli by Mall of Emirates under new TO (tip hat Nadim!) about 10 players return and it is a bit more grass roots community feel to it. The damage was done and the community has had a hard time rebounding till this point. There is not entry fee or prize support but it is still sactioned event. Meanwhile tyhe website gets a much needed face list and new feel to it. EDH or Commander starts to really take hold as the dominant form of mMagic in the UAE to go along with the casual new feel. Shisha and Commander seem a natural fit!

October 2010 - DRTT II launches with two events, Fantasy and 40K (8 and 22 respectively). The event is event better than DRTT I. We have been sponsored tacticle templates and objective markers (tip hat Igor!) as well as a stout Dwarf protecting us all. The event is run at Ridges again and it is definately the last time we can all fit there. I loved this day and meeting all the players from all over. We had local, expats, and inbetweens come from all over. It was a multi cultural event that some countries would dream of seeing. One table has french, another Arabic being spoken...truely amazing. Sadley the video was corrupted by the photyographer so we only have some snapshots of this event (I have a personal video somewhere...) the event ran to schedule, and everyone had a blast. Best of all, you all helped clean up! (dang I still wonder if those boards are in that closet!!!!)

December 2010 - Bishops trading transfers over to new ownership and PnS Banditos is handed over to Shihab as TO. Kangor announces his goodbye to the UAE. While this was sad for me it was a chance for fresh ideas and new growth to occur. Warcamel continued to grow in use and become a staple for player here and PnS Banditos continued to be the Warhammer Bootcamp for novice players to cut their teeth in gaming. I left knowing things were in flux but headed the right way. I was also scared for Noxy. The burden we shared over the past 2 years was now placed on him. No longer could we Good Cop/ Bad Cop things. I have heard rumors saying we were competitor...LOL...quite the opposite. Nothing was done by one, that the other did not know 100% about. While not a formal business it was a business alliance. Each brought stregnths to the table the other lack...god knows I was horrible bookeeper and we all know Noxy could never beat me at a Game to save his life :P People were in place int eh UAE to either help or hinder future growth of the community and it was imperative that they come together and form that alliance that exsisted when I was there. ***You know its funny my wife always called me the Camp Councelor caus eI always loved games and any event we had I would pull out a game, but I would make sure and try to charge and entry fee to play :) I guess that was the Shoe salesman in me (yup worked for Vans for 5 years).***I digress sorry**

2011-2012 -No this part may be more opinionthan fact but it should be close... Despite being far away I nkeep an active watch on my friends. I see PnS become a true retail hobby center. I am enviouse and elated that the UAE gets to have this. it is a long time coming and well deserved. I know the PnS Bandits are still going strong but it would be nice to see more structure there (points at Shihab!)I still see constant complaints on prices and bickering over internet purchasing (lol its everywhere not just UAE) and I see two more DRTT event run to great sucess and metal hardship for the TO who should know better than to do this on his own shoulders and I see the successful release of Warmachine in the community...finaly big Kudosthere! BUT MOST OF ALL I SEE...a normal growing, thriving community that now has to take responsability for itself and stop depending one one or two people to do everything. YOU ARE ALL TO's. Each and everyone of you can run a DRTT (tip hat Nameflow!) but most importantly you MUST start doing this or it will wither. I included Magic in this because as you saw Magic came and went but eventually people other than the Kangor's and Noxy's stepped up and started to form groups and run events. If you want to run something ask me, ask Noxy, ask Shihab what it takes. If you need a place to run the event ask you FLGA (Friendly Local Game Store) if you can run it there. Start posting in the threads your campaign ideas and plans. Get feedback and sask for advice, but you better be prepared for some leg work and LISTENING!

I saw this letter and it made me sad, but then I remember those people in the community that are still there and I remember how commited and vocal they were and I started to smile because I know you can do it. DRTT wasnt a corperation it was an idea...the Dubai Red Tent...what does that mean? It means a group of people coming together under on roof to become a community. The community is stronger than ever but you all need to take responsability and stop taking it for granted. As you can see by my timeline this community had to be forged and crafted..I may have been considered a ringleader and honestly it was done on my part for selfish reasons...I WANT TO PLAY GAMES! So if you feel like I me and Noxy do, and you loved the DRTT IV and you love going to PnS Banditos club then get off your butts and get involved. How many of you ever saw me play Warhammer...not to many I am sure, because I was always working behind the scenes to make sure that WHEN I WANTED TO PLAY I COULD AT ANYTIME!

Anyhow thanks for joining me on this journey and I look forward to reading about the Speedfreaks event, or Dubai Rumble, or Warlord Event, or Friday Fight IX or even the next DRTT, but it takes you all to make this happen.

KUDOS NOXY! and KUDOS TO YOU...THE GAMER of the UAE Gaming Community, dont ever forget Jan 2008!

Kangor wrote:

Feb 2010 - Sad note Magic has been banned in the UAE!

ermm Kangor.... magic did not get banned, it just had complications due to 1 players illegal outside of magic activities and CID mistaking magic for gambling.... now with everything cleared, and I believe Nadim even has a letter from tourism saying that Magic is an acceptable game and not concidered banned or illegal. Regarding the legalities or the money thing, we found our way around it.

we had some issues in locaion and changed twice over a years time, but now we are still playing magic every friday in a hotel in diera, we had a release for the latest expansion and over 12 players showed up. and weve had an average of 2 new players a month, not to mention our tuesday EDH ist still going strong. Also theres a small community for magic in Abu Dhabi who visit us time to time. Magic is doing fine.

Its a shame no more tournaments for warhammer, cause that was my thrill and my excitement for the game, but i completely understand where Noxy is coming from. Sorry to hear this.

Hey all of you hardworking people. Just read through all of this and, man, it looks like it has been a journey! Now, I'm only 16, but I'd love to get into the organisation of tournies and stuff around here. It'd really be great to get this more... big. There's a club at DC, which I haven't gone to yet, and they seem to be going quite well, except for the fact that after asking around, it got me nowhere.

With the website being hacked and crap going boom, I, personally, think that it may be a good time for a revamp. Every night after school I go home and just sit there if I can't do anything to do with gaming (after homework of course **im a hard likkle worker**). What i'd really love to see happen is that this site becomes popular with everyone, maybe with a "wall"-type-facebook-thing so people can post when they're going to PnS, so that we can really start to get people interested, and get this out there! I'd love to see people chilling at PnS after coming home from work/school and just getting along.

There's loads of ideas out there, from everyone. I think I'm gonna try and get this started... new thread for ideas and stuff... yeah. Anyways, thanks for hearing me out.

-Josh

I don't understand. What's going on? Why is noxy stepping down? What about the community? Lots of questions here. How about being more transparent regarding the issue? I do hope noxy still maintains the distributorship of GW products or is that gone as well?

@Omar I have attended the Warlord Tourney you did. With some tweaks and some effort I am sure you can easily run it in a larger venue and keep the community involved. As you said "It's a shame there are no more tournaments for warhammer" well...run a tournament then :) I'll be glad to help anyone interested with advice, templates, and game logistics. I cannot help with the desire to do something though, that's on the Dubai community.

@kangor: Yeah, I tried few times, but it was clear to me that people just want to go to PNS and I had no support, i ve tried till u can say 'gave-up' 'not gonna bother when others dont' ... but i am thinking of a summer break tournament..... thanks , ur advice was always gold and i'd come 2 u 4 sure 4 any advice :)

@omar: Yeah dude you should definitely try set up a tourney. But instead of trying to make people come away from PnS, work with it for a bit, until you've made an impact on people... then try to bring em to your club, or whatever, and people will be much more easily persuaded. Also, on a side note, there's a Carrefour opening between al manara and al thanya junctions on Al Wasl road... I was thinking that if they had any spare room, perhaps we could try to set up there... its a huge 3 storey (is that how u spell the building floor one?) bout 100m squared area, so if noxy perhaps agrees with it, we could try to make headway there... just an idea so don't hate. Cheers

-Josh

hey josh, if you're interested in the DC club try messaging desert fox or grand master telos, they run it after i set it up then moved continents. welcome to the club

Cool, man. Cheers, will do :)