UFS Holiday Funktacular
December 22, 2007
|
The rules were simple, build a deck using
a character whose
name begins with a letter
in the word "Christmas".
This made
many of the players
rework their favorite
standing decks to
go along with the holiday
theme.
The coolest character
had to be Matt Romine's
modified Raphael
card. Matt reworked the
art to make the card
read "Raphaelf".
It included an elf
hat, ornaments, custom
type, and the all
important "elf-fuel",
BAWLS.
Prizes for this events were provided by Sabertooth
Games and BAWLS Guarana .
|
 |
| From left to right: Matthew Romine, William
Tummins, Gage Smith, and Ben Dugan. |
|
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| Matt Romine's custom "Raphaelf"
card. |
UFS Assets of Power at Blackthorn Game Center
November 21, 2007
| For complete tournament results, and pictures,
visit the Assets of Power page. |
 |
|
|
|
Justin Wilkinson (right) presents the AoP champion, Brandon Henley (left) with his "Assets" play set, uncut
card sheet, and Champion
trophy.
|
Blackthorn AoP Event
on Sabertooth Website
November, 2007
Check out this promo about the Blackthorn
Assets of Power event
on the UFS/Sabertooth website. |
Orctoberfest 2007
October 28, 2007
| Orctoberfest 2007 has come and gone. Click
here to view some pics. |
|
|
The Spoils Summer
Tour...The Bus Stops Here.
July 29, 2007
Blackthorn Game Center was paid a visit by
The Spoilers and their enormous tour bus.
| Visit this page for complete story and pictures. |
|
Tournament report from the Spoils Web Blarg
July 29th, 2007 Blackthorn
Gaming Center
Aug 2nd, 2007 by
Dawna
The store was everything that a game store
should be: warm,
welcoming, comfortable.
(excerpt)
For the complete
complete story from The
Spoiler's blog, click here.
Stories from the Road from Spoilers Blog
Spoiler's Blog July
29th, 2007
Aug 2nd, 2007 by Dawna
Blackthorn Gaming Center located in Dickson,
TN was located in
a small town. But for such
a small town to have
such a great gaming
center is amazing.(excerpt)
For the complete
report from The Spoils website,
click here.
|
Blackthorn Gets A
Write-Up In The Dickson
Herald
Monday, 07/23/07
This article is from the my.tennessean.com
website. |
Blackthorn collectibles, gaming store to
host Spoils tourney
By Amanda Mollenhour
The Dickson Herald
Blackthorn Game Center in Dickson was chosen
to host a Spoils tournament this weekend.
This tournament is part of the company’s
Summer Tour 2007.
Blackthorn is the
only stop in Tennessee
for the tour.
Spoils is an
ages-13-and-up
card game where
players head an army
and compete with
other
player’s armies in
a Victorian fantasy
setting.
The game was released
in November by Tenacious
Games and has quickly
gained popularity
in
the gaming community.
“This is Spoil’s
first tour. They
are touring
nationwide on a fully-equipped
RV and bringing
prize money to all
the tournaments,”
said
Matt Romine, head
judge for the Spoils
tournament.
“They are also bringing
the Spoilers, a group
of ladies that are
qualified judges,
and
know how to play
the game. They are
trying
to make gaming more
accessible to women.”
First prize for this
tournament will be
$250.
“They are trying
to cash in on the
poker
popularity with Spoils,”
said Romine.
“We are playing to
win something, not
just
playing to win,”
said Spoils player
Alex
Kopischke.
Registration for
the tournament will
begin
at 12 p.m. on Saturday,
July 29. The tournament
will be constructed,
so players must bring
their own decks.
Blackthorn hosts
tournaments and special
events on most Saturdays,
as well opening
their game-room to
gamers.
Blackthorn, owned
by Mark Amoroso,
is located
at 1430 Hwy. 70 E.
Their phone number
is
446-6057. You can
also visit them on
the
store Web site at
www.blackthorngamecenter.com.
For more information
about Spoils you
can
visit them on the
web at www.thespoils.com,
or Matt Romine’s
Blackthorn/Spoils
site,
www.myspace.com/spoils_of_blackthorn.
|
Scourge O' The Sea
|
I not be postin' anything pirate in a whiles.
It be seemin' about
time, so's I be postin'
this here picture
of Cap'n Roger in some
fancy new piratin'
attire.
That sure be a fancy
beard the Cap'n be
sportin'
...Harrr.
|
 |
| Captain Roger on his way to the store for
some Clam Chowder
and Oyster Crackers. Yum! |
Magic: The Gathering
Game Day
July 14, 2007
|
Players at Blackthorn joined in a celebration of the past, present,
and future of Magic
in a special event appropriately
named the 1st Annual Magic Game Day. Players had their first chance to pick
up and play Tenth
Edition, and receive
an
exclusive foil promo
card of Reya Dawnbringer.
The format for Magic
Game Day was Sealed
Deck. Each player
received five Tenth
Edition
15-card booster packs
to build their deck
(minimum of 40 cards).
Congratulations to
the winners of the
tournament
(in order):
- Walter Duncan
- Gabe Shiver
- Gage Smith
- Tyrome Edmondson
|
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| A specially made display greeted the players
at the Magic Game
Day event. |
 |
 |
| Each of the "lands" were represented
on this custom-made
diorama. |
A Dragon Lord stands guard. |
 |
| The players "crack" their packs. |
 |
 |
|
 |
| Gage Smith (L) and Tyrome Edmondson (R) show their winning swag. |
Walter Duncan proudly displays his hard earned winnings. |
 |
|
Kasy Powell, winner of the Scavenger Hunt. |
D & D Miniatures
Night Below Prerelease
June 30, 2007
|
THEY DWELL IN ETERNAL DARKNESS
Deep beneath the
earth and sky, a
world of
dark dungeons and
dense shadows hides
from
the light of day.
Within this realm
of endless
night, shadow dragons
prowl,dread wraiths
rise from shallow
graves, and a mind
flayer
lich hatches diabolical
plans against thw
world above.
BE AFRAID
So goes the text
on the box of the new D&D
miniatures expansion
Night Below.
In celebration of
the prerelease for this
new set, we tossed
the players down in a
hole out back of
the store. The hole leads
down to the legendary
"Haunted Caves".
We figured this would
be the perfect setting
to compete with this
new set. *
(* total fiction...just
makes for a good
story.)
|
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| Chris Hooper (blue shirt), Kris Blais (behind Chris), Nathan Bryson (in plaid shirt), and Donovan Grimwood. |
 |
| The Spelunkers in action! (Hey guys...uh,
you did notice the
bird, right?) |
 |
| Jeff Bristol (left) and Daniel Bennet battle it out in mine No.3 |
 |
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| Daniel Coons (blue shirt), Michael Hooper |
|
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| Kris Blais, Donovan Grimwood, Markus Brown, and Daniel Bennet. The helmets provided not only light, but
did a great job of
protecting against Bat-Guano. |
The final standings
for the event:
- Daniel Bennet
- Markus Brown
- Kris Blais
- Donovan Grimwood
|
The Summer Redneck
Games at Buckeye Park
East Dublin, Ga., July 8
|
 |
| Image from the Redneck Games website |
All those years drinking beer after beer
to build that perfect
body have paid off.
At the Redneck Games,
a big ol' big beer
belly is an asset
-- it gives you an edge
in the mud pit belly
flop contest.
The games kick off
with the ceremonial lighting
of the BBQ grill
by 'L Bow' with a propane
torch made partially
out of Budweiser cans.
Then, the rest of
the day is devoted to intense
competition -- including
dumpster diving,
bobbing for pigs'
feet, armpit farting (recently,
a winner played the
entire theme song to
Green Acres), and
a big hair contest. Winners
of the competitions
walk away with bragging
rights and a trophy
of a crushed Bud Light
can.
Created in 1996 by
Mac Davis as a radio station
promotion, the first
Redneck Games had attendance
of 5000 people. The
event has since grown
to over 15,000 people
attending. All profit
— every last cent
— from the Redneck Games
goes to local charities.
Schedule of Festival
Highlights:
12:30PM - Lighting
of the Ceremonial Grill
1:30 PM - Redneck
Horseshoes
2:30PM - Bobbin'
For Pigs Feet
3:30PM - Hubcap Hurl
4:30PM - Mud Pit
Belly Flop
5:30 PM - Armpit
Serenade
6:30 PM - Butt Crack
Competition
9:15 PM - Fireworks
(Look out!...ain't nothin'
like a bunch of rednecks
with things that
blow-up!)
A sample of the food
delicacies available:
Fried alligator on
a stick
| Check out their website at summerredneckgames.com |
|
|
UFS Prerelease Tournaments
Street Fighter Extreme Rivals, and Soulcalibur
III Blades of Fury
May 12, 2007
|
|
Kicks, and punches were flying today as players
got the chance to
use the new UFS card expansions.
Blackthorn hosted a pre-release for both sets, Street Fighter Extreme Rivals, and Soulcalibur III Blades of Fury. The players had a great time using new
characters and getting
the chance to check
out the new powers
of the cards before the
"street-date"
release.
This fifth set of
expansions to the
Universal
Fighting System,
or UFS, will be released
by Sabertooth Games
on May 18. These
new
UFS releases are
fully compatible
with all
the previous card
sets and can only
be purchased
at your local core
hobby stores.
The Final 4:
- Blanton Hamilton
- Aaron Dunlap
- Marc "Rabid" Romine
- Matt Romine
|
 |
| BLANTON KING OF UFS PRERELEASE! BLANTON CRUSH PUNY HUMANS! |
 |
| The Brothers Romine, happy with another fine days' worth of
abuse they unleashed
on their unsuspecting
opponents. Marc (L),
and Matt (R) |
"I don't want no Monkey Butt!"
|
I always thought that Monkey Butt was a name
you called your niece
or nephew...I never
heard of this. I
saw an ad for this product
in a local paper
and thought "what the...?"
From the Anti-Monkey
Butt website:
• Anti Monkey Butt
Powder is specially formulated
to absorb excess
sweat and reduce frictional
skin irritation.
• Ideal for butt
busting activities such
as truck driving,
motorcycling, bicycling,
horse back riding,
and extreme sports. May
also be applied inside
footwear, under sports
pads, and other areas
prone to chafing. Indoors
or outdoors, work
or play, or on occasions
when you sit on your
butt all day, don’t
let your buns get
red, use Anti Monkey Butt
Powder instead! |
 |
| Check out the site here. |
|
|
Naruto Dream Legacy
Release Tournament
May 12, 2007
|
Players in the Saturday Naruto release tournament
got to use Bandai
Entertainment's newest
release for the Naruto
CCG. Dream Legacy is the fifth release in the series. 115
new cards have been
introduced in this
expansion.
This set covers the
storyline after the
Leaf
Village attack by
Orochimaru and the
search
for Tsunade. New
Ninja cards feature
Shinzu,
Tsunade, and the
mysterious Akatsuki
Ninjas;
Kisame Hoshigaki
and Itachi Uchiha.
The final four in
the event:
- Michael Burnette
- Nick Rathjen
- Dean Avery
- Elijah Longwell
|
 |
| Damien Davis chants the Naruto mantra into
his Cheetos (mmm,Cheetos!).
Caleb Bishop
(in back) shows his
support for the winners
(and Cheetos). Elijah
Longwell (orange shirt),
Michael Burnette
(Green shirt), Nick Rathjen
(black shirt), and
Dean Avery (front) |
 |
 |
| Joseph is developing the world's first QS
(Quad Screen) game
system |
Did you remember your mom? Sunday (the day
after today...which
would be tomorrow...but
not the tomorrow
after the day you read this)
is Mothers Day. |
|
|
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| Blackthorn-Man helps Meijin Joshua Arnold distribute the prizes at the Naruto event. |
UFS...Heads Above
The Rest
Yun / Yang Tournament
April 21, 2007
|
Marc "Rabid" Romine showed up Saturday sportin' a new 'do. While
the "hawk"
was awesome in it's
own right, we said
"Marc, that
would
look ultra-cool with
a UFS logo on the side of your head".
Marc agreed! (How's
that for enthusiasm for
a game?)
|
 |
| The "Rabid" One showing his support.
"FEAR ME...FEAR
THE HAWK! GRRR!" |
 |
 |
| Dustin R. and Jordan Lowe during Yun Yang tourney |
Mathhew Bond and Blanton "Bandido" Hamilton |
Saturday Naruto
April 21, 2007
|
 |
| Three gamer dudes playin' Naruto. L-R: Tyrome, Joseph, and the Deanster. (There were more people in the tournament...we
just wanted to bother
these three.) |
More from my "Sabertooth
Soapbox"
April 02, 2007
|
I recently walked into my local "Bullseye"
store. I wanted to
check out my competitors
game card aisle for
stock and prices. As
I stood looking at
the variety of card games
being sold, I felt
a wave of despair overtake
me. I looked at the
vast assortment of cards,
all of which are being sold by game stores, and realized how much of "our"
sales are being cannibalized
by the "mass-ked
marauders".
Then it, even though
I know this already,
I noticed an absence
of a card game. A
bright
light of hope shone
on me! There is no
UFS
being sold here!
There is hope for
the game
stores!
UFS is only sold
where game players shop
and play. Sabertooth/UFS is supporting the game
industry and I am
thankful.
|
UFS Tournament -
"UFS has the biggest
Sombreros!"
March 31, 2007
|
Today was another awesome UFS tournament. We wrapped up our first league
season and awarded
prizes to the league
players.
To finish up the
March league we had
a "league
member tournament".
The top four were
Blanton Hamilton,
Kiefer
L., Matt Bond, and
Matt Romine.
Blanton gave his
view on UFS..."I have played many games. I've played
many card games.
While I enjoy many
of the
games, UFS definitely has the biggest sombreros!"
Thank you Blanton,
we think so too.
|
 |
| Blanton Hamilton (UFS is muy calientes!), Kiefer L., Marc Romine (standing in for Matt Romine), and Matt Bond. |
 |
| To give the players some pre-game excitement,
we set up a SNES
system to let them play
some old-school Samurai Shodown. |
 |
| Matt and Marc Romine slap each other around prior to the tournament. |
Sabertooth Games...they
talk the talk and walk the walk!
March 03, 2007
|
Game stores owe a large "thank you"
to Sabertooth Games.
Sabertooth has remained
true to their word
and sold the UFS system
into the hobby market
only. I'm sure much more money could be made by
selling to the "mass-market
googaplexes",
but Sabertooth believes
a stronger gaming
community can be
developed by selling
the
cards to real gamers.
It would be great if more game publishers
would follow Sabertooth's
lead and concentrate
on building a strong
relationship with the
core gaming hobby
market. This type of "long
term" thinking
allows game stores to
be more profitable
and provide the knowledge
of gaming to the
game buying consumer that
only hobby-gaming stores can provide. This includes
demos, leagues, and
dedicated tournament
facilities
The short sighted, quick profit mentality
that many publishers
have developed is not
healthy for building
long-term game players.
Most people who buy
a publishers game in
the "big box"
stores have only
bought into a game
because it's the current
flavor on TV or "everyone
else is playing
it".
The health of hobby-game
stores are crucial
for any game to enjoy
a long life and give
game players a community
of like-minded peers.
Many thanks to Sabertooth for starting what I hope will be a path other
manufacturers will
follow.
|
 |
| This advertisement says it all! |
Universal Fighting
System Animals Attack
Tournament
March 17, 2007
|
 |
| The winners doing their "I'm Baaad"
look. (L to R) Michael H., Matt Bond, Keifer L., and Dustin R. |
 |
| In this picture everyone finally lightened
up and decided "okay,
I'm really not that baaad" Here the guys are much happier. Probably
because they were
just awarded a big pile
of shiny cards that
were graciously provided
by Sabertooth as
prizes. |
D&D Miniatures Unhallowed Prerelease
March 03, 2007
|
Players got the chance to try out the new
booster set of Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures, Unhallowed. This set contains all kinds of nasties
and things that go
bump in the night. Some
of the critters that
dwell in this set are
werewolves, liches,
zombies, and the "big-daddy"
of the vampires...Strahd.
To make things even
creepier, that evening,
as the players left
Blackthorn, they
were
greeted outside by
a lunar eclipse!
|
 |
| In the foreground Mr. Soda Bottle competes
with the Invisible
Man. On the next table,
behind Soda, Damien
Davis competes with Matthew
R. |
 |
| Tobias Truman and Cintra Bristol |
 |
 |
| Chris Hooper vs. Donovan Grimwood |
Chris, who is really Superman (we know 'cause
he's wearing an "S"),
uses his
heat-vision to melt
Donovan's figures. |
 |
| The winners from left to right : Cat, who won a life-sized Donovan Grimwood figure, Tobias Truman, Kris Blais, and Damien Davis. |
Naruto Academy Tournament
March 03, 2007
|
 |
Nick Rathjen, Meijin Joshua Arnold (in cap) , Elijah (in blue), and Michael (in black shirt)
Since Joshua was
not permitted to play in
the event (he was
judging), he spent much
of his spare time
talking to his gamemat
and trying to make
Naruto cards magically
appear on it. |
Universal Fighting
System - In The House!
|
 |
| A plethora of UFS at B-Thorn |
Universal Fighting System is a card game
that allows you to
use characters from some
of the world's most
popular video games.
The card sets include
Street Fighter, SoulCalibur
III, King of Fighters,
and Samurai Showdown.
Cards are compatible
across all the "titles".
This allows you to
pick characters you like
and develope your
own custom playing style.
Our league is in
full swing and the game
is rockin'. Get in
touch with us if you'd
like to participate
in casual play or one
of the upcoming tournaments. |
February Naruto Genin
Tournament
February 24, 2007
|
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 |
 |
Piratey Goodness
In Surprising Places. Pt.II
Check out this guitar from Epiphone. 'tis
a seafarin' six-stringer's
dream!
|
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|
Yo, ho! A pirate's axe for me!
Avast, there, matey! You won't want to be
missin' this here
beauty of an Epiphone
Les
Paul electric guitar.
She's got all you'd
expect from a Les
Paul: great sustain
and
tone; a solid mahogany
body and set mahogany
neck; plus two Alnico
Classic humbuckers
with none of that
noise-of-the-sea
hiss you're
keen to avoid. Just
clear, strong sound,
like the bellowin'
of the lookout from
the
crow's nest!
Ah, but we're just
gettin' to the best
part
of this booty: This
jet black guitar
is covered
in custom Pirates
of the Caribbean
art. The
infamous skull logo
from the movie is
on
the body, a Captain
Jack Sparrow voodoo
doll
is on the headstock,
and the fingerboard
inlays are lovely,
blood-red skull and
crossbones!
Toppin' it all off,
the truss rod cover
be
imprinted with the
words, "A Pirates'
Life for Me."
Yar-harr!
|
Piratey Goodness
In Surprising Places.
If you're a bowler you can show your piratin'
side with this rerelease
of a classic bowling
ball.
This story is from the Ebonite website: |
 |
|
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND…THE SKULL™ BY EBONITE
Tuesday, 02/27/2007
Brand Resurrects
Fun Ball™ Line Due
to Consumer
Demand
HOPKINSVILLE, Kent.
– In 2006, it wasn’t
uncommon to see the
original The Skull™
ball
from Ebonite going
for upwards of $500
on
eBay. The Skull™,
one of the original
balls
in the company’s
Fun Ball™ line, has
now
been resurrected
from Ebonite’s retired
balls
burial ground and
is back by popular
demand.
“Consumers were clamoring
for The Skull™,”
said Ed Gallagher,
Ebonite brand manager.
“When you have that
kind of response
and
you’ve got people
begging for a ball
to be
reissued, you don’t
ignore them. You
give
them what they want.”
Just like the original,
The Skull™ features
a carefully-crafted
Skull inside the ball’s
core with a wicked
clear-coated polyester
coverstock. The result
is a ball that looks
intimidating yet
super cool as it travels
down the lane. The
Skull™ is available now
in 14 – 16 pounds.
“This season, heads
will roll and our
competitors
can R.I.P.,” concluded
Gallagher.
For more information
on The Skull™ and
other
balls from the Ebonite
brand, visit www.ebonite.com.
Based in Hopkinsville,
Kent., Ebonite International
is a privately-owned
company that currently
services bowling
centers, distributors and
retail outlets both
domestically and internationally.
For more information,
visit www.ebonite.com.
|
The Wheatles! Two rock legends unite, plan
world tour.
February 2007
Members of the band The Who, and members of The Beatles have been in discussion of forming a new
"supergroup".
By joining the names
of their two bands,
they will go by the
new moniker The Wheatles. The band will feature Peter Townsend on
guitar, Paul McCartney
on bass, Roger Daltrey
performing lead vocals,
and Ringo Starr playing
drums.
The Wheatles hope to get rehearsals underway for a planned
world tour later
this year.
|
 |
| Ringo Starr, Peter Townsend, Roger Daltrey,
and Paul McCartney.
An outside observer noted "I've never
met any of these
gentlemen. And of course,
you know this whole
story is rubbish?" |
SPOILS Invitational
Quailfiers
February 2007
The Spoils weekly Invitational Qualifier
tournaments give
players a path to
qualifying
for a spot at a special
FREE Pre-Release,
where they will compete
for a purse of $1,000
worth of merchandise
and cash, and ultimately
qualify for a coveted
spot on the Spoils
Championship Cruise
in Feb 2008. The
weekly
Spoils events let
players qualify to
play
in a special Invitational
tournament held
in our region.
Playing in the Invitational
Qualifiers at
Blackthorn and qualifying for the Invitational will
be meaningful to
the players in a
number
of ways.
1) They receive free
entry into the Invitational.
This is an event
held on the same
day
and same location
as the pre-release,
but
held anywhere between
one and two
hours ahead of the
open event
2) That means qualified
players get to see
and play with the
new cards in the
set before anyone
else.
3) The players in
the Invitational
play for
$1,000 in prizes.
4) They also play
for a total of 142
STE
points with the winner
earning 50 points.
50
STE points wins them
a cabin on the Spoils
Championship Cruise,
Feb 2008.
That’s a spot for
themselves and a
guest
(minors must choose
a parent or
guardian).
The IQ’s are a mix
of Sealed, Draft
and Constructed.
Providing a variety
of events
for different interests
and a consistent
time and place to
play every week for
the
Spoils ™ community
at Blackthorn.
Visit Matt's site The Spoils of Blackthorn
|
 |
| Alex "The K" Kopischke, and Matthew
Romine. When not playing Spoils, and other games,
Alex works as a "Special
Missions"
investigations agent.
(Notice the strategically
concealed earpiece!)
On this day he was working
"incognito"
at the Game Center
investigating reports
of illegal card sleeve
usage. (Curse those evil shiny sleeves!) |
Magic: The Gathering / Planar Chaos Release
Tournament
February 03, 2007
Respectable turn-out. Not too many...nor
too few. Cool cards...solid
set.
Congratulations to
the final four.
- Walter Duncan (1)
- Gage Smith (2)
- Kanon Hinson (3)
- Caleb Bishop (4)
|
 |
 |
| Ryan Taliaferro and Kanon Hinson |
Foreground table (L to R): Damien Davis,
Caleb Bishop, Aaron
Dunlap, and Blanton Hamilton |
 |
 |
| Walter Duncan (plaid shirt), and Christopher
A. (in booth.) Gage
Smith (at table). |
Damien Davis (foreground), and Caleb Bishop
(not in foreground) |
