Flip through any comic and you’ll see it takes more than a cool costume and special powers to be a hero. The Gulf Coast Avengers League, a group of friends that play the popular miniatures game HeroClix, were troubled when their good friend two states over discovered he would need immediate heart surgery followed by an additional procedure.
Warren is a world champion HeroClix player that’s known far and wide for his sportsmanship and humble attitude. Warren is also a successful small business owner whose family depends on his ability to work. These operations were going to put a lot of stress on Warren and his family, both emotionally and financially. His wife put up a GoFundMe in the hopes of friends and family stepping up and offering aid.
The response was immediate from all corners of the country. People who had never even met Warren in person reached out to offer aid to an icon in the community.
The player base of the Avengers League consists mostly of fathers, educators, and other business owners who understand the importance of community. During the time the group has been around, they’ve partnered with stores to raise funds for food shelters, packages for our troops, and benefit tournaments for those no longer with us. Holding a tournament to benefit Warren quickly came as a no brainer for the group.
The event was scheduled the first weekend of February to give potential players the time necessary to be able to take part. Players from Louisiana and Alabama drove to MacNarb Gaming in Gautier, Mississippi to participate in the friendly tournament. A special rule was implemented to help raise funds, players could purchase “re-roll tickets” between rounds and use them to reroll any of their attacks or break-away rolls. This was a very successful tactic and as much as twenty dollars was spent on a single dice roll on the first of the three-round tournament.
Players brought a wide variety of different teams to the event. A few people brought out competitive teams, but most players used fun teams they’d never used before. One team consisted of sentinels from the popular 90’s X-Men cartoon and comic series. Another team was a single Spider-Man figure surrounded by twenty-one coins showing serpent versions of Marvel characters.
The prizing was unlike any tournament the players had participated in before.
The prizing for tournament placement consisted of four battle royal neoprene maps and Convention Exclusives. Prizing was awarded by snake-draft from top to bottom. There were raffles held throughout the day for additional prizing. Individuals who weren’t able to come out, sent in other convention exclusives and monthly op kits to be used for prize support. Everyone left the tournament with fun prizes and John Murillo claimed victory, taking first place.
Enough can’t be said when it comes to the gaming community stepping up and helping one of its own. A big special thanks is owed to Dean Hubbard for spearheading the event, handling all the organization, and contributing a large amount of the prize support from his own collection.
In total, over six hundred dollars was raised by the tournament to benefit Warren Ginn. If you would like to donate to help the Ginn family, click here to visit their GoFundMe. If you’d like to get involved with the Gulf Coast Avengers League or message them, please visit their Facebook group.
