Jason here! I’m back with Ben, the organizer of the 2026 Age of Sigmar Winter Slaughter tournament, to recap the two-day miniatures event, discuss expansion plans, and show off a whole ton of pictures from what turned out to be an awesome weekend at a new venue.
You made a lot of changes to the tournament this year! Which were your favorite updates and why?
“New Year, new Venue! The Westminster Marriott proved the perfect venue–close to the highway, very welcoming, great staff, and a beautiful space. We’ll absolutely be back next year.
More support! The outpouring of local help this year really set it apart from previous years in a way we couldn’t have expected. Local and national sponsors really helped bring the event together, but we were still able to keep that comfortable, local feel.”
You switched to a different venue–how did that go, and what did you learn from the process of moving the event?
“I learned a LOT–this venue was almost twice as big as the last venue, and as such our target cap was bigger to match. I learned about space logistics, upgrading supplies, working with planning and design deadlines, and really getting comfortable working with a professional staff committed to the event being a success. A great learning experience every year.”
Walk me through the tournament itself. How’d you set everything up, what was the tournament structure, and how did it run?
“Saturday night, myself and an awesome volunteer showed up to get all of the tables setup (complete with beautiful mats sponsored by Gray Matter Gaming). We provide mats and terrain for every match, and the venue had already laid out the tables for us, which really helped get the ball rolling and prepped for 2 solid days of Warhammer!
Much like last year, the tournament was structured as 5 rounds (Three on day one, two on day two), with pairings based randomly within your record on day one, and by points on day two. This year, players not only competed for best general (most wins), but best in grand alliance.
The event ran as smooth as any event ever could–both days started on time, every round ended on time. The space prevented anyone from having trouble getting to or around their tables. Every player was incredibly respectful, so we had no sportsmanship issues at all. Overall, I couldn’t ask for an event to run smoother.”
Did you have any favorite moments from the event?
“Oh goodness, there were so many. I saw Archaon get charged by a horde of squigs (there’s a great picture) and get overwhelmed; I saw a masterful midgame movement to secure a narrow victory; But best of all, I saw 32 players cheering each other on, making great memories, and having a great time.”
Who won, and what kind of prizes did you have?
“Prizes Prizes Prizes! To start the day off, our players came through the door and received a swag bag with event stickers, a custom 9 inch widget designed specifically for the event, dice, and winter mentos (ha!).
During the event, we had enough prizes to hand out an incredible 5 raffle prizes every round- Just about every single player walked away with something from our table. We had mats, terrain, unit boxes, reminder tokens, all kinds of great prizes just for showing up and supporting the event.
For our top finishers we had a custom widget set from Forged Honor studios, battleforce boxes, an army carrier, and more.
This year we were proud to award prizes for Best General, Best in Faction, and Best Sportsman.”
Tournament Winners
Lord of Slaughter (Best General): Thomas Burgett was back again and in killer form, successfully winning back to back Winter Slaughter events with his very unique take on Skaven and taking home the victory for Team Weak and Decadent.
Best in Order: This was an extremely, EXTREMELY tight race, and was won by just 4 points. Derick Senter brought this award home for the Colorado Springs Community and the Average Gitz.
Best in Destruction: Another very tight race, decided by a destruction versus destruction showdown between Ogor Mawtribes and Kruel Boyz. The Ogors managed to pull out an epic victory, and Best in Destruction was won by Schuyler Bishop of Al Pacacino Tactics.
Best in Chaos: Best in Chaos also went down to the Springs community, this time won by Gene Murphy of the Average Gitz.
Best in Death: The Best in Death award was fought over by just two Death players this year, and was won by Ryan C of Al Pacacino Tactics.
Finally, Best Sportsman: In my opinion, the most important award–was chosen by the players, for the player who really lifted the spirits of the event and brought an excellent experience for each of his opponents and the players around him. This award was won by Jacob Williams of Al Pacacino Tactics.
How did the painting competition go?
“Both of last year’s judges, Vaughn and Jordan, returned this year accompanied by newcomer and Total Escape Games’ own Gwen.
The team had a difficult task this year with more players than any previous year and an additional category. Last year’s best painted model category was split into best painted large model
(60mm and larger) and best painted hero (smaller than 60mm), while as ever Best Painted Army returned.
The judges worked late into the night scrutinizing every inch of every model to find the best submissions”
Painting Competition Winners
Best Painted Army: Steve Morrison, Gloomspite Gitz.
These Gitz featured a winter theme that really unified the army, as
well as a fully functioning train! Crazy!
Best Painted Large Model: Justin Foster, Iridan the Witness.
Justin’s take on Iridan was stunning. Smooth transitions, dramatic lighting, and a real showcase of what you can do with a large canvas.
Best Painted Hero: Jacob Williams, Murknob Belcha-Banna.
Jacob’s submission was a perfect merging of disgusting swamp and unified, beautiful paint. From the detailed banner to the realistic swamp base, this model wowed the judges and took home the prize!”
Final Notes
“This event was awesome. I love running it, I love the community, and I look forward to next year already! Always growing, I intend to expand to additional games next year–if you’re
interested in hosting a game over the weekend, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re hoping
to add 40K and are open to other options.
Additionally, next year we’ll be expanding the painting competition–you’ll be able to enter whether you’re playing or not. Exciting stuff!
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our sponsors. This event would not have come together without the help of the gaming community, and the outpouring of support was overwhelming. Thank you to Gray Matter Gaming for assisting with the mats and door prizes; To Baron of Dice for the grab bag and d3 dice; to Monument Hobbies for all the painting prizes, to Forge Honor for the custom swag-bag widgets and the trophy-widgets for our finishers.
And finally, of course, thanks so much to you Jason and the team at Total Escape Games. Every year, as the event grows, TEG rises to the challenge and really steps up to help the event be a success. We couldn’t put it on without you, and we wouldn’t want to!
As always, if you’re curious about the game, the event, how to get involved in the community,
anything at all, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thanks so much for your time Jason, have a great day!”
There you have it, folks. I was able to drop by on Saturday for part of the event, and I can confirm it was a gorgeous new venue, with some beautifully-made tables, and an overall fantastic atmosphere.
This is one of my favorite events every year, and I can’t wait to see how Ben expands it next year.
If you want to reach Ben, you can message him on Discord (moosimoto) or through the official Winter Slaughter Facebook page.
PS, here’s a photo dump from the event
