The NOVA Open is coming up again very soon, from Aug 30th to Sep 3rd in Washington DC, and NEOs (Narrative Event Organizers) have been hard at work, continuing the tradition of the Grand Narrative, and bringing back the Warcry narrative again!

The AoS Grand Narrative has been a staple of NOVA Open for narrative players in the area, and is continuing the storyline from last year, of the ghurian landmass of Gork’s Grin, using themed tables with custom rules, and players crafting their own story.

The Warcry Narrative was launched last year for the first time, and saw players fighting over themed tables and advancing their warbands with Artefacts and Renown, using the narrative campaign system and working as mercenaries for the biggest booty.

Both are back this year once more, and both are amazing hobby narrative experiences you don’t want to miss!



Age of Sigmar Grand Narrative
Aug 30th – Sep 2nd


The Grand Narrative is run by Matt Tucker, Justin Dement and Conor Roberson, seasoned players at previous Grand Narratives, and who have taken the mantle from a grandfather NEO who has “retired” so he can play more games again (he doesn’t, he just keeps organizing more events). 😉


Last year, players brought 2000 points armies and a Anvil of Apotheosis Hero mounted on a monster. This custom Hero also gained more destiny points as the event went on, with the final battle featuring VERY powerful creatures.


They all made a mess of the land of Gork’s Grin, as it was stomped over by the clashing forces of Gobsprakk and Be’lakor, scheming to reinforce the war in the Eightpoints. 

Each table told a story, and players used that to fuel their tales throughout the event, building trade posts, starting rituals, and collecting resources.

The event concluded with a massive siege of Irongrip Stronhold, where after the walls were almost completely razed, and both sides exhausted, a tiny sliver of double-dealing and negotiation saw enough push to help Be’lakor hold on to the fortress.
But not without losing the rest of the peninsula to Gobsprakk, who marched his reinforcements into the Eighpoints unimpeded.

Building onto this year, the action of players had repercussions on the map, which will be featured on tables this year. Namely, the massive plague set upon the woods of the Fruchbar Plains, by enterprising Nurgle players last year, is what drives this year’s conflict.

All the details of the peninsula of Gork’s Grin, and the endeavours of players that left a mark on the land, can be consulted in the Map of Gork’s Grin in the NEO’s WorldAnvil page.


This year, players will be bringing a 1000 pts and a 2000pts list, to be able to fight battles of different sizes, as well as bringing one custom piece of terrain, which will have special rules to help their army, and help control the spread of the plague. Players have already let their imagination run wild by crafting all sorts of themed pieces for their army.

The tables will also be peppered with hidden artefacts for armies to find, so there will be lots of stuff to do and create your own story during the event.



Warcry Narrative
Sep 1st – Sep 3rd

The Warcry Narrative is run by Alex Polimeni, who also is part of the team running the yearly worldwide Animosity Campaigns (we covered them many times before here). 

Last year players’ warbands fought as mercenaries aiding the war in Gork’s Grin, collecting coins that the NEO handed from a treasure chest. 

They used the (at the time) just-released Warcry 2.0 campaign rules, so warbands grew in power throughout the event, and went on quests to gain Heroic Traits and new Artefacts (which made some fighters VERY powerful).

Each table was uniquely themed and full of hidden nooks and crannies for players to hide, jump over and escape with treasure.

This year, the event will continue the story created by the Animosity Campaigns team and players in last year’s Animosity IV: The Bleeding Wilds.

At its conclusion, the minstealer sphiranx Nashwar dominated and merged with the ancient titanic dragon, Maudra Rua, to the rejoicing of all the Nashwar supporters in the campaign. But it also saw the rise of The Six, Heroes empowered by destiny whose task is to hunt down the dragon and restore balance.

Now more powerful than ever, Nashwar Rua resolved that her dominion would be a domain of the mind, an unrivaled repository of awesome and terrible knowledge.

Secluded in plain sight across the Scarlands, the only index of this knowledge is the Book of Chung, an arcane cryptographical key. Upon discovery of its existence, however, her Cabal’s agents scattered it across the Scarlands.

At NOVA, agents of The Six will be fighting to recover pages from the Book of Chung, while agents of Nashwar Rua will strive to conceal them. 

The Cabal team will have battleplan advantages, while the Six team will be able to add members of the Six to their warbands for extra fighting strength.

That’s right: player-created characters from Animosity will be featured at this event.

And Animosity players belonging to the teams that lost to Nashwar’s Cabal will have a chance at revenge!

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You can find the Event Rules pages here for more details and tickets.
– Age of Sigmar Grand Narrative
– Warcry Narrative

There might be still tickets available, grab yours before it’s too late!!!
And if they happen to be all taken, sign up for the waitlist: there are always dropouts! (true story)
What do you think about this event?
Do you have any questions for the NEOs, and how to book a space at a big convention for a narrative event?
Leave your comments below!

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