Lock & Load GameFest 2017 approaches, and surrounding it are going to be some major Organized Play changes! We’ve got a lot to talk about today!

Many of you have participated in, or have heard about, the Steamroller 2017 CID testing cycle that recently ended. We received loads of great feedback and are in the process of making our last tweaks and adjustments based on the information we received. The Monday after Lock & Load GameFest, Steamroller 2017 officially goes live! You’ll also see updated Masters, Champions, and Journeyman rules documents release the same day.

Now, you’ve likely noticed I didn’t mention a new Iron Gauntlet rules document. Well, there’s a good explanation for that: there isn’t one. Iron Gauntlet, as its own stand-alone format, is going away. But the Iron Gauntlet World Championship tournament circuit is going to remain! Allow me to shed some light on this.

After the IG World Finals at Lock & Load this year, the IG format ceases to be. Instead, all officially sanctioned Masters or Champions events held at conventions and stores globally can apply to become an Iron Gauntlet Qualifier (IGQ). A player who finishes first through third in any of these events earns Qualifier Points (QPs) based on his or her ranking, and anyone who earns 10 or more QPs is automatically qualified to play in the Iron Gauntlet World Finals at Lock & Load GameFest 2018!

This means the World Finals are no longer capped at 16 players; all qualified players will be welcome to play in the big event. The format for the World Finals tournament will change each year between Masters and Champions.

Let me break this down just a bit further . . .

How do I qualify as a player?
To participate in the Iron Gauntlet World Championship at Lock & Load GameFest 2018, you must qualify by earning Qualifier Points (QPs). All officially sanctioned Masters & Champions events held globally between Lock & load GameFest 2017 and Lock & Load GameFest 2018 can apply to become an Iron Gauntlet Qualifier (IGQ).

Finishing first place at a Masters or Champions IGQ earns a player 10 QPs, second place earns 7 QPs, and third place earns 4 QPs. All player rankings will be recorded and displayed on this webpage.

Any player who has earned 10 QPs or more is automatically qualified to participate in the World Championship tournament at Lock & Load GameFest 2018.

First-round player pairings during the World Championship tournament are based on each player’s QP scores, with the top-ranked player facing the lowest-ranked player, and so on.

Be sure to ask your event organizer if its Masters or Champions event is officially sanctioned and approved as an IGQ!

How do I host an Iron Gauntlet Qualifier tournament?

For a Masters or Champions event to be considered an IGQ, the event organizer must follow these steps:

1.) The event must be officially sanctioned. This means the event meets the minimum requirements listed below and is run according to the event-specific rules without alteration.
2.) The event organizer must contact Privateer Press (email: [email protected]) no less than 30 days prior to the event taking place and request that the event be considered as an IGQ. Privateer Press reserves the right to refuse any event IGQ status.
3.) The event organizer must contact Privateer Press (email: [email protected]) no more than 14 days after the event took place and provide the names of the players who finished in first place, second place, and third place. Failure to report within 14 days will result in no QPs scored for players.

Masters Tournament Requirements

• Convention attendee minimum: 100
• Tournament participant minimum: 32*
• Qualifiers: Qualifiers are not required but must be held at the same convention or event if used
• Format: 75-point Masters
• Available prize support: Masters medal set ($39.99 USD). The convention organizer can purchase these prizes by contacting Privateer Press via email

* If a Masters tournament is populated through qualifiers, there must be a minimum of 32 distinct players in the qualifiers. For example, it is acceptable to have two Masters tournament qualifiers with 16 or more distinct players each and a final Masters tournament with eight players seeded from the two qualifiers.

Champions Tournament Requirements

• Tournament participant minimum: 32
• Qualifiers: Not allowed. Tournament must be open to all players
• Format: 75-point Champions (fully painted requirement)
• Available prize support: Champions medals ($49.99 USD). The convention organizer can purchase these prizes by contacting Privateer Press via email

Note: Both tournaments have a requirement of 32 players to be considered officially sanctioned, but a Masters must also take place at a convention or event that has at least 100 attendees present. Not all attendees at the convention or event hosting the tournament have to participate in the tournament.
While we haven’t finished the current season of Iron Gauntlet ending at this year’s Lock & Load GameFest, we are accepting requests for events to be IGQs starting now. The event must take place after Lock & Load GameFest 2017 this July, however, as that is when the new season begins.

Oh, did I mention “new season”? That’s right, we’ve got an Active Duty Roster rotation coming up! Now, normally the ADR would rotate on July 1, which would put it right before Lock & Load GameFest. That feels a bit weird to us. So, we’ve decided to push back the ADR rotation until the Monday after Lock & Load this year. This way, everyone participating in Masters and Champions events at the big show won’t have to scramble to get practice in with the new rotation.

That said, check out this preview of the ADR rotation that will go live on July 17, along with all the new Organized Play documents and the start of the brand new Iron Gauntlet tournament circuit!