Or, who was the Man Behind AOS at Cancon in 2024?
Hey, fellow gamers! We've got some insider perspective for you. Jason Harris, the man with a plan and a rye smile, has taken up the reins to organise Age of Sigmar (AOS) at Cancon.
This article looks behind the scenes of an amazing Age of Sigmar event – Call to Glory – that went down in January as part of the Cancon convention in Canberra, Australia.
So, to set the scene, in an epic road trip from Brisbane to Canberra, I got the chance to chat with Jason about everything, from his humble beginnings in the hobby to sharing it with his son in a friendly local gaming store in Canada. And of course we had a lively discussion about his experiences with Age of Sigmar and his love for the Fyreslayers faction.
So, Jason, as you might expect, had some concerns before diving into the massive task of organising such a prominent event.
We talked logistics, organising, and his passion for all things that link and grow the AOS community. But he also was keen to point out that he was just one of a dedicated team who worked for most of 2023 to prepare for the event.
Although Jason is currently soaking up the sun in Brisbane, he cut his Age of Sigmar teeth in Canberra, and from local gaming stores to diving into the tournament scene he's been immersing himself in gaming at all levels.
He’s also a founding member of the Beasts Gaming* group. They teamed up to hone their skills at playing Age of Sigmar, but have in the past year stepped up to be a leader in the Australian Tournament Community by running events that reflect their gaming philosophy.
Filling those big community shoes seemed like a challenge, but Jason was up for it.
Now, you might ask, "Has Jason run an event before?" Well, with a sly grin that his friends will recognize, he admitted, "Nope, not something this size."
But as we delved into work, family and hobby tales during our road trip I could sense the wealth of life experience he brought to the table – most of all he believed he’d done everything in getting the best from his team and putting the planning in place to ensure that the biggest would stay among the best events in Australia.
As we approached Day 1 of this 3-day event, a few players wondered if he was stressed.
But, let me tell you, stress wasn't on the menu.
So how did the event go? Well everything ran to plan, and Jason's cool demeanour helped convey his confidence that even when challenges came up they were quickly, efficiently and quietly addressed.
Community, fellow gamers, and the intention to craft an event that's fun, fair, and memorable were Jason's cornerstones for running Call to Glory.
And from what I saw - from the transition between games, to intent focus on participants to play efficiently, as well as the enthusiastic cheers as the awards were being presented - Call to Glory was a huge success. So yes he nailed it.
Going into his first Cancon, Jason aimed to provide an event that celebrated the best in gaming, hobby, and sportsmanship.
Now, what's a successful event without a fantastic team?
Dave, Mat, Mic, Daniel, Luca all donned team shirts on the weekend to ensure rules questions were answered and interpreted, ensure the set up with tables covered in scenery all happened, and just being on the spot to making sure everyone had a great time.
And they certainly stepped up and did everything they could to see Call to Glory was executed as it was planned too.
As I look across the weekend It’s also important to convey a key message that Jason posed and what is one of the factors that saw Jason and his newly formed team - Capital Country Wargaming - step up to organise this event.
In his wrap up Jason challenged every player to take their involvement at Call to Glory as a chance to ensure that the event can grow going forward.
Drawing on his own experience with his Local Games stores, Jason asked the players to go in and support them by playing games, interacting with others across the community - and if they can expose new hobbyists to AOS, encourage them to play.
That way there will be a grown pool of players who may be looking for more from their hobby. And that getting these people to participate will see Call to Glory grow in the coming years.
So, here's to Jason Harris and his team – the team who turned their passion for competitive AOS into a stellar event at Cancon. It’s refreshing to see that they were able to show that you don't need prior event-running experience to create some magic.
Cheers to more epic gaming adventures under their stewardship! 🎲✨
*If you didn’t know members of Jason’s organising team are part of the Beasts Gaming group - who also supported Call to Glory with a load of scenery. There’s 15 members of the group which started off playing together in Canberra as a way to hone their competitive AOS gaming skills. The group now has members across the eastern seaboard from Melbourne to Brisbane.
The Beast’s team are taking the experience of being involved with Jason at Cancon, and with other Beast’s team members will be stepping up to host the first Arc of Sigmar event at ArcFest - Sandown Racecourse 27-28 April.
Tickets are available Now!
