Dave Bohnenberger on the attack at one of the 22 opening tables.	the featured creatures ...
Even grizzled wargamers George Young and Paul Gaberson saw the appeal ...	... as did those of a more tender age group including Wes Lewis and Adam Wojtaszczyk

Last Monster Standing ...

The 2014 King of Tokyo tournament was the WBC debut for the short game of dice-rolling mayhem published in 2011 and became an instant hit. 120 late night revellers came to the Tuesday night session to try their mettle at either achieving 20 points of fame or taking out the other monsters at the table. Statistically this year, neither strategy ruled supreme. In fact, it was an exact tie with 11 preliminary game winners claiming victory by the claw while 11 more achieved it by the star.

Iello provided promo cards as prizes for round winners as well as coveted Space Penguin monsters for the top two players. The winner would qualify to enter the 2015 King of Tokyo tournament at GenCon. 68 lucky players also received stickers featuring various monsters as they entered.

The tournament was completed in three rounds with 22 tables funneling survivors to five semifinal tables that culminated in a 6-player Final. In the first round, Ballroom A was filled with the cacophony of rolling dice and the resulting cries of joy or despair as the rolls struck home. For some, it was over quickly. Craig Trader won his game in 15 minutes while two games hit the 45-minute threshold and had to be adjudicated to keep the tournament moving.

By contrast, the second round was a far quieter affair as the semifinalists clawed or sought fame to bring their monster to victory. The dice were not always kind, particularly to Eric Brosius, who only needed two claws to win his game and failed to secure them with 36 dice. One player's trajedy is another's fortune as Chris Greenfield advanced in the wake of Eric's dismal dice.

Chris was joined by Gary Schaeffers, Andrew and Cal Doughan, Scott Driessen and Mike Shea who all met at the last table of the evening to win the big prize. As a trial event, there was only one plaque for the winner and the competition would prove to be fierce. Half of the table was eliminated in an amazing show of claws. Gary Schaffer proved to be on the best terms with lady luck, getting both six claws and six 3s on two rolls. It was a testament to the camaraderie of the players that everyone applauded Gary on his magnificent fortune. In the end, Gary's dice carried the day and he was crowned the first King of Tokyo.

Chris Greenfield, Mark Mitchell, Lisa Gutermuth, Chris Kizer, JR Tracy and Doug Smith wreak havoc on one another.