Queen of Hearts XXXI - Aces, Crafting and Performance Rubrics

Hello all,

August seems like a long way off but planning for Queen of Hearts is well underway for our exceptional staff of marshals and contributors. This year Rhiassa has teemed up with the Kingdom of Chimeron, inviting them to put their own unique touches on this historic event series.

One of their suggestions was the importance of publishing all of the crafting and performance rubrics well ahead of the event so that entrants to those tournaments can have a greater understanding of how to best score points. So that's what you'll see below.

First, however, I'd like to announce this year's Ace's Categories.

Ace of Spades - Champion Ace

Ace of Hearts - Mage Ace

Ace of Diamonds - Bard Ace

Ace of Clubs - Ranger Ace

Some reminders of how we structure the Aces Tournament (from last year's Queen of Hearts website)

Aces is a 4-person "Champion" team. The four Aces are each trying to earn their own points while also helping one another earn points through various fights and competitions.

The Aces tournament is in three parts:

War Maneuver Showcases: Most Aces will be able to fight with their teams in most of the war maneuvers most of the time. In some cases, before the war maneuver takes place, all Aces will be called out to the center of the field and compete 4 on 4 (or less if some Aces are called away for something individual). These 4 on 4 fights are meant to be, in a sense, miniature versions of the war maneuver about to be fought. Although all available Aces will be fighting in these fights, there will be a random and rotating system that determines which Ace suit(s) the points will be applied towards.

Ace Individual Challenges: These competitions involve the two aces of the same suit competing against each other in combat and in other challenges that specifically relate to the theme of their Ace suit as listed above.

Ace Group Challenges: Some Ace competitions will involve multiple Aces from your team working together against the Aces from the other team in things such as multi-person combat or other challenges.

Now moving on to the non-com rubrics. The categories for this year were announced several weeks ago, but these rubrics will show you how those categories and overall these fit into the scoring that we will use. First, a review of the categories that we announced at the beginning of March:

Performance Competition:

A partner dance

Crafting Categories:

The theme for this year is “The four seasons”. Each of the four traditional seasons (summer, autumn, winter, spring) must be represented across the four of your team’s crafting entries. How you interpret these themes is up to the crafters on your team.

• Foamsmith Competition: a hand-and-a-half blunt weapon with a special emphasis on being “otherworldly”.

• Armourer Competition: a set of pauldrons with a special emphasis on being made of mixed media (at least three).

• Garb Competition: a doublet with sleeves with a special emphasis on being reversible.

• Artificer Competition: a source of light with a special emphasis on the incorporation of movement.

And now here are each of the rubrics we'll be using at Queen of Hearts XXXI

As always, the crafting and performance tournaments are an important and enduring part of the fabric of Queen of Hearts dating all the way back to the origin of the event. We look forward to the amazing contributions in these categories that our teams make every single year.

In service,

Jason and the Queen of Hearts Staff

Announcing the Queen of Hearts XXXI Crafting Categories

 

The crafting and performance categories for Queen of Hearts XXXI are as follows

Performance Competition:

A partner dance

Crafting Categories:

The theme for this year is “The four seasons”. Each of the four traditional seasons (summer, autumn, winter, spring) must be represented across the four of your team’s crafting entries. How you interpret these themes is up to the crafters on your team.

• Foamsmith Competition: a hand-and-a-half blunt weapon with a special emphasis on being “otherworldly”.

• Armourer Competition: a set of pauldrons with a special emphasis on being made of mixed media (at least three).

• Garb Competition: a doublet with sleeves with a special emphasis on being reversible.

• Artificer Competition: a source of light with a special emphasis on the incorporation of movement.

Additionally within the next month or so we will be releasing the rubrics we will be using to judge the above competitions.

What You Missed - Queen of Hearts XXX

By Commander Ryu Goldscale

As an avid reader of Conspiracy Monthy, I must mention how intrigued I was for what this event had in store for the participants. Sadly, the most “risqué” thing about this event was the new safety requirements for pikes enforced this year. This Queen of Hearts continued to be a spectacular competitive event rated E for everyone, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Despite this only being my second time attending, I would describe QoH XXX as the best QoH I have ever been to, and the most fun I have had in a while. I quite liked many of the changes that were made this year, including adding “non com” components to some of the combat tournaments, the ace tournaments, and the addition of Siege weapons in the Art of War tournament. All around, I was thoroughly impressed by the Event Organizers, Marshals, my fellow teammates, and the participants on the opposite team. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year! Now, onto the play by play.

The two teams this year were Team Cressida and Team Sindri. Both teams came armed with an impressive collection of true supporters and Aces. Team Cressida boasted the talents of Shader as General, Evie as Seneshal, and Me as Provost. In addition, we employed the skills of Jasper as our Warrior Ace, Styx as our Mage Ace, Kalashai as our Ace of all Trades, and Bogen as our RAT Ace (rogue assassin thief). Team Sindri, likewise, had an equally formidable lineup of true supporters. Highlord Temorse as General, Kwido as Seneshal, and Graham as Provost. It was obvious Queen Sindri came to win, as they brought Killian as Warrior Ace, Kaelkatar as Mage Ace, Grindin as Ace of all Trades, and someone so mysterious and secretive they were never uncovered as RAT Ace. With such a lineup, the title of Queen of Hearts was quite literally anyone’s to claim. 

As always, the event kicked off with all of the major war maneuvers; Kill the Queen, field battle, the incredibly lengthy and excessive Art of War bracket, and of course, Hadrian’s Wall. While Team Cressida fought incredibly well and showed incredible tenacity during the bridge battle, the experience and tactics of Team Sindri overcame us, and once again proved why Highlord Temorse is often asked to be a General each year. I however, will never forget the shock on Lord Aeston’s face, when we proved just how portable a Ballista can be and put it in the tower of our castle.

At various points during the war maneuvers, combatants were pulled aside for the individual and pair tournments such as, closed fighter, open fighter, mixed pair, Duncan's challenge, knight and squire, and newbie. For a full list of the individual tournaments and their winners, I will direct you to this View Article. I do want to say, that the level of skill and sportsmanship on display among all combatants was off the charts. For all the newer players that participated in this year’s Queen of Hearts, I am so incredibly impressed by you and I am so excited to see where you go from here. I know you are going to move on to do amazing things. You all embodied the phrase “do honor to yourself and the Realms” and I would fight beside you anytime. 

After the classic war manuvers, we moved into what I like to call “non com war maneuvers”. Technically, they don’t require combat, but they certainly required a level of athleticism and projectiles that I wouldn’t want to participate in as a true noncombatant as per the omnibus. Regardless, this encapsulates tournaments like Rock Assault, a magic missile bonanza that went on for far too much time and included far too many rocks. Despite the many missiles to the face, we all escaped mostly unscathed, and maturely let Aeston know ways he could improve the tournament. I’m kidding, we all immediately turned on him and helped him collect the scattered missiles by lobbing them in his general direction. 

There were many more tournaments, both combat and non combat, that ran Saturday. So many that I wasn’t able to keep track of them. I will once again direct you to the full list of Tournaments and Victors that was posted on the View recently. If you participated in these tournaments that I didn’t mention, you kicked ass, regardless of if you won. I am so happy that you came and gave 110%.

Saturday ended with the Weapon Showcases, a series of one on ones and squad battles that showcased individual combos. I had luckily found a Tambourine in my box of things, and took advantage of the situation to cheer louder than the other team and boost our spirits. While every participant in the showcase was incredible, I want to give a particular shout out to the sword and shield three man squad participants. That was a battle that will go down in the history books.

Night fell with the promise of the crafting presentations and a party. Both teams participated in the opening ceremony to light the bonfire, and despite how it looked, the rest of site was kept fire free. A few people were invited to share some words about Queen of Hearts and the order of the Magi surprised us by inducting Merrix into their ranks. I was further surprised by the Knights of the Lunar Aegis when they called me up to promote me from an Initiate to an Elite, the second step on my journey towards becoming a Knight of the Lunar Aegis. The evening ended with the presentation of all the crafting competitions. As always, we crafters went all out and put our best foot forward. All of the projects were stunning and true works of Art. I am sure the judges had a tough time determining the winners of each category. 

Sunday rolled around with the 5 man and 10 man battles. For an extra boost of morale, team Cressida dressed to impress in Hawaiian and Tropical shirts, a tradition I hope will continue in the future. At this point, the scoreboards was looking pretty tight, I truly believe this was the closest competition I’ve seen at Queen of Hearts. Even though we were all exhausted from the day before, Luke John apparently didn’t get that memo and completely swept the five man bear pit. Where did he get that energy from??? 

There were a few more tournaments on Sunday, but let’s be honest, you’re all just here to read about Queens War. For the sake of my audience (and because I can’t remember which tournaments were on which days) I’ll skip ahead. Queens War, as always, is the highlight of the event, at least for me. A series of limited 1v1s that always impress and dazzle. This year was no exception. Everyone brought their A game, even those that normally don’t fight. Some notable moments I remember include an amazing Javelin catch by Rosetta, some matrix level projectile dodging from Voutia, and a fierce attempt by Makhta to defeat a 6’6 with double daggers! As always, though, Queens War had to end and despite an incredible showing by Griffin, Team Sindri took the victory. 

After was the awards ceremony. This year, the awards were custom, laser etched wooden swords with the name of the tournament on them, and similar mason jars filled with nicknacks and candy. I completely agree with Shader that these awards were “not mid”. I would even go so far as to call them “peak”. Omri also presented some custom awards, hand drawn and completely free of bias. I was delighted by these awards personally. At the end, of course, a Queen of Hearts had to be crowned. The competition was close, but Team Sindri cinched the win! Many accolades to Queen Sindri! May you have a long and prosperous reign (until the next Queen is crowned).

This year really renewed my interest in Queen of Hearts. Previously, I felt I could take it or leave it, but this year made me feel as if I would be missing out by not attending. For my first time being a True Supporter, I had so much fun and really got to see in real time how much I’ve improved. I want to shout out the amazing photographers, YPNN, Orion, Margaret, Rowan, Toah, and Cyrus. There was truly not a moment of this event that wasn’t photographed and every picture is just stunning. Thank you all so much for your dedication to documenting everyone’s best moments. To the staff and marshals, THANK YOU! I cannot say thank you enough! To my friends and Teammates on Team Cressida, you all rock. You brought my dreams of what a Queen of Hearts team could be to life and I will forever be thankful to you all. To the opposing members of Team Sindri, congratulations on the win and thank you for bringing your all. Despite the gap in the team size and experience, you all were willing to roll with the punches and did everything you could to help keep the teams as balanced as possible. Thank you to those who switched teams halfway through, and especially thank you for not pulling any punches. I hope Queen of Hearts XXX will be remembered for a long time, I know I certainly will, and no matter what the future of Queen of Hearts holds, I will see you all on the battlefield!

All Hail Queen Sindri!

Cmd Ryu

PS: Their RAT was Kwido. It was very obvious. 

[Tambourine of Victory!]

What You Missed - Queen of Hearts XXX - Photos

Photos courtesy of Dustin "Toah" Mack

 

 

Queen Sindri

 

Queen Cressida

 

Ashenmark on the move

 

Team Cressida's siege weapon

 

Rock Assault got pretty wild

Live Chess anyone?

I wonder what their cookin' up?

 

The Order of the Magi induct new member Merrix

Ryu gets promoted to Elite status in the Order of the Lunar Aegis 

 

Double Daggers!

Dodge this!

 

One of many, many fights in Queen's War

 

This year's winner, Queen Sindri

Queen of Hearts XXX Official Results

Below are the results from the 30th Queen of Hearts Tournaments and War Maneuvers presented by Rhiassa.

War Maneuvers

• Castle Battle - Team Sindri
• Bridge Battle - Team Sindri
• Antonine Wall - Team Sindri
• Field Battle - Team Sindri
• Live Chess - Team Sindri
• Hadrian's Wall - Team Sindi
• Squad Grand Melee - Team Sindri
• Grand Teamwork - Team Cressida
• Rock Assault - Team Sindri
• Snatch n' Dodge - Team Sindri
• Queen's War - Team Sindri

Five and Ten Persons

• Five Person Field Battle - Team Sindri
• Five Person Bear Pit - Team Sindri
• Ten Person Field Battle - Team Cressida
• Ten Person Bear Pit - Team Sindri

Individual Combat Tournaments

• Open Fighter - Luke John from Team Sindri
• Closed Fighter - Omri from Team Cressida
• Mixed Pair - Ryu and Griffin from Team Cressida
• Light Caster - Grindin from Team Sindri
• Heavy Caster - Malaki from Team Sindri
• Young Blood - Margaret from Team Cressida
• Newbie - Nestra from Team Cressida
• Knight & Squire - Malaki and Cronyn (and sometimes Kwido) from Team Sindri
• Spirit & Steel - Osric and Anton from Team Sindri
• Boff Archery - Potato from Team Sindri
• Duncan's Challenge - Graham from Team Sindri

Weapons Styles Showcase

• Single Short Individual - Jasper from Team Cressida
• Single Short Squad - Caleal, Grindin, and Killian from Team Sindri 
• Florentine Individual - Killian from Team Sindri
• Florentine Squad - Bogan, Voutia, and Omri from Tram Cressida
• Sword and Shield Individual - Shader from Team Cressida
• Sword and Shield Squad - Orion, Jasper, and Griffin from Team Cressida
• Hand and a Half Individual - Grindin from Team Sindri
• Hand and a Half Squad - Osric, Temorse, and Kaelkatar from Team Sindri

Non Combat and Crafting Tournaments

• Marksman - Raynor from Team Sindri
• Athlete - Luke John from Team Sindri
• Gambler - Avendar from Team Sindri
• Strategist - Ypnn from Team Cressida
• Loremaster - Raynor from Team Sindri
• Scavenger - Voutia from Team Cressida
• Banner & Heraldry - Tarnisha, Omri, Bogen, and Ryu from Team Cressida
• Foamsmith - Nestra from Team Cressida
• Armourer - Ryu from Team Cressida
• Garb - Aranel and Corvus from Team Cressida
• Engineer - Shader and Styx from Team Cressida
• Performance - Cressida from Team Cressida
• Cutthroat Cleaved - Potato and Ragnar from Team Sindri
• Jester - Cressida

Honorifics

• Team Cressida's Inspirational - Gael
• Team Cressida's Tactician - Voutia and Styx
• Team Cressida's MVP - Nestra

• Team Sindri's Inspirational - Will of Creathorne
• Team Sindri's Tactician - Caleal
• Team Sindri's MVP - Luke John 

• Team Pageantry - Team Cressida
• Team Camaraderie - Team Sindri
• Team Spirit - Team Cressida

• Best Provost - Ryu from Team Cressida
• Best Senechal - Evitta from Team Cressida
• Best General - Temorse from Team Sindri

Aces

• Ace of Spades - Killian from Team Sindri
• Ace of Hearts - Styx from Team Cressida
• Ace of Diamonds - Kwido from Team Sindri
• Ace of Clubs - Grindin from Team Sindri

And the Thirtieth Queen of Hearts title was bestowed upon

Sindri of Team Sindri

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Why You Should Go - Queen of Hearts XXX

Organized by Dani Lacasse with contributions by various noted authors.

Resisting the urge to fully play into the “XXX” being the reason I want to go, there are specific moments in the Realms where you can feel the weight of history and the magic of legacy. This weekend, Queen of Hearts turns 30, and for three decades, this large-scale tournament event has served as a forge of honor, competition, and connection. Evolving alongside the game itself while maintaining the beating heart of its mission: to challenge, to celebrate, and to unite, and if you've ever wondered why you should go, now’s the time to find out.

“Queen of Hearts was always the pinnacle of a team competition in Realms, year in year out. The sheer amount of work that goes into running a team is staggering. I have many fond memories of this event, from being asked to General a team 3 months into the game, fighting against doctor's (and wife's) wishes (I do not advise anyone to be as stupid as me) to the time a drow army showed up and stopped the event with "plot" (It was quite the scandal at the time). I have been on both sides of tight contests and blow outs, and have always had a great time. I refer to this event as "The Superbowl of the Realms". Jason, Seth, Stephen and obviously everyone else involved, thank you for 30 years of Queen of Hearts. - Jon “Trent” Jessop

From its origins in the mid-1990s under Steve & Amy Johnson, to the modern day powerhouse it’s become, QoH has grown into an epic weekend of competition, all playing into the unique card based scoring system that determines who will be crowned Queen at the end of it all. [Chief’s Note: Click here to read: The History of Queen of Hearts through Card Backs]

“Queen of Hearts evolved from a very similar event called Duke of Glendale that was held by Shannon Slate at his family farm in the early years of the Realms. This event was designed to encourage the highest levels of competition, sportsmanship, crafting, and a not insignificant amount of backstabbing. When Shannon pulled back from Realms, Rhiassa came forward to continue the tradition with their own version of this event. 

For thirty years QoH has hosted an event that has been the centerpiece of the season. Showcasing the finest combatants in individual and group competitions, the most learned and clever of mages, the wiliest of basketweavers, and the evolving skills of the performers and craftspeople of the Realms to support their leader’s claim to the honorific Queen of Hearts. The event has tested the individual excellence of champions, teamwork and endurance during field maneuvers and bridge battles, and a wide range of spheres of knowledge of those claiming to be wise. The drama culminates in the finale of Queen’s War which can be an all or nothing contest where the combatants fight on the biggest stage the Realms has to offer. 

The event staff has challenged themselves to provide a demanding, fair, and evolving event as the rules of the game and group politics have been ever changing. Their dedication has ensured that the event goes on shine or rain or hurricane.” - Neil “Eldritch” Kusleika

And while maybe it hasn’t always been, now it's more than just war maneuvers and one v ones, it’s a full-deck weekend of battle, artistry, grit, and companionship. It’s also a testament to the incredible people who keep it alive: the marshals, the volunteers, the players, and Jason & Jen Rosa, Lani Jones and the entire staff, who have continued to raise the bar with every passing year. 

"Jason is one of those people who has a presence throughout the Realms. He takes on big projects that have become community staples, to my knowledge without interruption, and yet none of them are made to be about him. Leviathan and Queen of Hearts are two of the biggest feast and tournament events, respectively, in the entire Realms. Personally, he's always been really supportive of my endeavors when he has had a say about them. He encouraged the continuation of Conspiracy MONTHLY past the first edition, and even now will give ideas when I need it. Affable and approachable, I think of Jaeston as a pillar of the community." - Kieran/Kyra “Omri” Barry

And it’s with his presence that QoH has continued to live on and has become a sort of rite of passage. For many, it’s the first time they have or will ever fight in a castle siege or on a bridge battle, perform on stage, present their carefully crafted projects, or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a team that feels more like family by the end of the weekend.

“Queen of Hearts turns 30, holy moly.

It’s both a beautiful and humbling sentence that made my knees and back hurt all at once.

My first Queen of Hearts was over 20 years ago in 2004. I fought on team Folkestone and did their newbie entry. I was happy to sweep the fighting parts of the competition but quickly realized I should have done more prep studying more than Grimloch and Folkestone or at least practice throwing live steel.  My QoH debut may have come up a little short but the impact this event had on me has lasted a life time.

When I first started playing there were three big war maneuver events. Over time, Queen of hearts has outlasted the changes this game has seen. As people shift, so does Queen of Hearts each year to keep things fresh and compelling. The priority of the martial side of the game was once very tournament heavy but, shifted to a more complete LARP experience with people gravitating to more Quest style events and less tournament style ones. Which happens over time, but, the remarkable thing is  the Queen of Hearts staffs adaptability. Like I said ever evolving to make sure their players stay interested while still providing the same level of presentation and grandeur that it has showcased throughout the years.

I have so many memorable moments at Queen of Hearts, from hysterical bardics I have participated in to winning Champion and then later winning the Title Queen itself. If I am not mistaken I may still have the record for Spirit and Steel victories, although Vuel was not far behind so he very well could have surpassed me.  Each special moment comes with some fantastic stories so please if you see me at an event don’t hesitate to ask.

But, in recent years the past 10 or so I have had the privilege of helping staff and marshal the war maneuvers. Being a player that was so invested in the combat aspect that our LARP provides it has always been a great joy of mine in watching the intense action. I am particularly fond of Castle Sieges, live chest, and my personal favorite Kill the Queen.

I can go on and on about QoH but I will close with this. Queen Hearts is and I hope forever will be a cornerstone and a staple of the Realms.” - Cal “Syruss” Marsden

Why is this year so special? Well truth be told, even with all of the evolution that we’ve seen over the years, any event series that survives for three decades is seriously impressive and there are some players who have waited for this perfect moment to field a team.

“I have wanted to run a Queen of Hearts team for a very long time. I originally planned on running a team for 2020, and we all know what happened that year… So when I realized the 30th Queen of Hearts was coming up I knew I had to be part of such a momentous occasion! This event is special; it feels like the best way to show off the incredible hard work of so many artists, engineers, fighters, and other gifted and talented folk from many backgrounds. I am excited to field a team primarily of first time competitors to the large variety of competitions and to focus on building a team not by nation lines, but by people who might not otherwise get the chance to shine on the usual Queen of Hearts team. This event is a cornerstone in our game and a highlight of the year for many in our community. I for one, cannot wait to see what Jason and his dedicated and wonderful team will put together for this milestone event and for the party Saturday night! I look forward to being part of the grand history and tradition that is Queen of Hearts and leaving my mark as one of her Queens.” - Crystal “Cressida” Welch

And that’s what makes Queen of Hearts so timeless; it grows with its players. It challenges the old guard, welcomes the new, and reminds everyone why they fell in love with the game in the first place.

“Ahhh, Queen of Hearts. 30 years of competition, laser etched cups, and tactical innovation. I can’t think of another event series that has offered me such a wide range of highs and lows: From winning my first ever boff archery tournament, to getting absolutely dumped on by a hurricane… After all these years, I’ll offer up my best piece of advice: I never go to QoH for the strict purpose of winning. Don’t get me wrong, I give it my all every year, but to me, what makes Queen of Hearts different is to showcase the best of our community: the camaraderie, sportsmanship, skill, tenacity, and brilliance. Sure, tempers can flare, but the fact that this event has persisted throughout the decades shows that love and respect always come first. 

To anyone who has never been to Queen of Hearts, you are missing out on the best the Realms has to offer, from crafting to combat. To everyone who has been to Queen of Hearts, you know that Aeston will surely have some surprises as it enters its third decade. 

To my teammates, I cannot wait to sweat, laugh, and fight with you. To my opponents, I cannot wait to sweat, laugh, and fight with you. To everyone who makes Queen of Hearts happen: My sincerest respect and appreciation. May it be the best year yet.” - Paul “Grindin” Tilton

Whether you’ve fought for the crown, helped coordinate a team, marshaled the battles, crafted the perfect piece, or stood on the sidelines marveling at the whirlwind of chaos & camaraderie, Queen of Hearts has likely left its mark on you. And still, you may be asking yourself Why should I go?

Go because it's one of the biggest & boldest tournament events.

Go for the stories you’ll tell for years to come.

Go because your teammates are waiting to fight beside you.

Go for the competition. 

Go because you'll cheer, build, break, lose, win, and laugh harder than you thought possible.

Go because it's the 30th anniversary of something truly special.

Go because this is what makes what we do unforgettable.

Pack your armor, polish your performances, finish your crafts, hydrate, and get ready to be dealt some cards.

See you on the field, 

Dani “Elizah” Lacasse 

The History of Queen of Hearts through Card Backs

Collected by Jason "Aeston" Rosa

Queen of Hearts has existed since the mid 1990s, first ran by Steve "Duncan" and Amy "Fallon" Johnson, the creators of the event series and Rhiassa itself. 

I became a permanent part of the Queen of Hearts staff around the year 2000 or so and during the years where Steve was in charge and following that during the years where Seth "Da'oud" Flag was the leader of Rhiassa and the EH of the event, I served in various capacities including, eventually, head war marshal for quite a few years.

Much of this was long before I was a Rhiassan. 

My wife (Jen "Areni") and I joined Rhiassa in 2008 and after a couple of years serving as the Warmarke I was promoted to the lordship in 2010. It was at that time that Queen of Hearts was officially passed on to me. So its since that time that I have been in charge of producing the yearly card deck that defines the scoring of the event.

For those of you who don't know, Queen of Hearts is scored using a deck of cards. Generally speaking the face cards, won in war maneuvers, are worth ten points and the numbered cards, won in individual tournaments, are worth five. Winning tournaments earns you a card which you then use to enter the culminating event Sunday afternoon, Queens War. 

The cards, themselves, are important keepsakes for the winners of those tournaments.

The Queen of Hearts scoring guide for 2025, from the Rhiassa website

From almost the very beginning, the card decks distributed at Queen if Hearts have featured custom artwork on the back. These days thats a product that's very easy and affordable to produce, however in the 90s it was certainly a more arduous task for Steve to make happen. Those card backs from the 90s and early 2000s probably exist in a digital format somewhere and it would be great if we could collect them all together someday.

What I can share with you now, however, is every deck back that was used since the event was passed to me in 2010.

These cards tell the history of the event and the history of the Realms to some extent. For most years the card back was a featured scene taken from the previous year's Queen of Hearts, though sometimes we tried to capture iconic moments from year's past. But no matter what the subject was, there are lots of interesting things to be learned or reflected upon through seeing them.

Lets take a look.

 

2010 - Queen of Hearts XVII

This is a scene from Folkestone Challenge, a war maneuver where various obstacles to go over and around were set up on the field. In this case you can see the castle towers were used along with a picnic table to make this particular choke point. 

2011 - Queen of Hearts XVIII

This year the card back featured an important historical event of that year, the coronation of Alexander Cecil. Specifically the moment when Rhiassa presented him with Majesty's Reach as a coronation gift.

2012 - Queen of Hearts XIX

A picture of most of the true supporters of Team Keela (on the far right), also known as Team Dolphin Moon Sparkle Hearts. 

2013 - Queen of Hearts XX

Another photograph of a historically important event to Rhiassa, the marriage of Aeston and Areni that had happened at Feast of the Leviathan in the preceding January.

2014 - Queen of Hearts XXI

At Queen of Hearts XX, the previous year, Rhiassa unveiled a new Queen of Hearts tournament fixture that would remain a part of the event for many years, a 12' wide by 24' long wooden bridge with actual water on the sides shooting from sprinkler hoses and pooled on tarps. The card this year featured that new tradition.

2015 - Queen of Hearts XXII

A photograph of team Iawen engaged in the Field Battle, the heraldry of the team can be partially seen on Vawn's tabard.

2016 - Queen of Hearts XXIII

A victorious moment was featured on this card as it was announced that Kara was the winning Queen from the year before.

2017 - Queen of Hearts XXIV

This year's card featured team Eris marching across the bridge.

2018 - Queen of Hearts XXV

At Queen of Hearts XXIV several major systematic changes were implemented. One of those was the introduction of the four non-com war maneuvers. This card features the teams playing Targetball, a dodgeball-like game that was a tournament for many years.

2019 - Queen of Hearts XXVI

Live Chess has been a staple of Queen of Hearts since the very beginning of the event series. In this photo the queen piece from Team Salt Queen fights toward Team Arryn's side of the board.

2022 - Queen of Hearts XXVII

During the pandemic we missed two summers of eventing, and 2000 and 2021 went by with no Queen of Hearts. We got back to it in 2022 and this picture from Queen of Hearts XXVI was from the Challenge Race, one of the most consistently hilarious of the non-com war maneuvers. For some reason I chose to put the event name and date on this card back then probably forgot to ever do it again.

2023 - Queen of Hearts XXVIII

Clearly we already had featured Targetball on the card back from a couple years prior but Saka looks so poetic moments away from pegging an armless, legless Elwin that I couldn't resist using this image.

2024 - Queen of Hearts XXIX

Probably my favorite Queen of Hearts picture of all time, this is a drone photograph taken by Paul Tilton of the infamous 2 hour long castle battle from the first year we tried the Art of War series of war maneuvers.

I hope you enjoying this stroll through the past looking at the backs of the Queen of Hearts card decks. I'm particularly happy with our picture choice for this year's deck as well. Hopefully we'll see you on the field this year at the event and you'll be able to win a card or two for yourself.

Queen of Hearts XXX Programming Notes

Hello everyone, I’d like to make a couple programming announcements regarding the upcoming 30th installment of The Queen of Hearts Tournaments and War Maneuvers. First an announcement about Saturday night then one about Sunday morning.

—

I want to explain our plan for celebrating this notable three decade milestone. 

Normally after dinner break you are all accustomed to gathering around the stage for the crafting and presentation tournaments. This year we’ll be structuring our evening a little bit differently. 

We’ll be having a party!

We’ll be setting up tables and chairs near the site’s extra-large fire pit and celebrating thirty years of Queen of Hearts with a bonfire, elevated apps brought around by our staff, and a mocktail bar with refreshments for the summer heat! 

We’d also like to have a small opening ceremony at the beginning of the party so we’re asking all Queens and True supporters to have a prompt return from dinner break.

What about the non-coms you ask? Well, we’ll still be doing those presentations and performances, they’ll just be happening at the outset of the party as the beginning of the evening’s entertainment! After they are done we’ll also be inviting people up to tell stories they have of past Queen of Hearts, and we know there are a lot of great stories out there so get them ready to share!

And as the evening draws on we hope everyone will take the time to relax around the fire, enjoy the camaraderie of the evening, and help us reflect on the joy we all feel. Not only in having an event reach this milestone, but that we have a community that has endured so long and has so much history for us to be a part of.

—

On Sunday morning, we will be having a Breakfast fundraiser.

A great many of you know the Dolph family, Dave and Carrie, and you may have seen through social media that they tragically lost their home in a fire. Dave and Carrie both spent decades being invaluable contributors and paragons of service to the Realms community. I do not think its an exaggeration to say that they were instrumental to building this game into what we have today. We’d like to take this opportunity to try and help them out in their time of need.

This fundraiser is being organized by Angie and Jason Grey, and more information will be forthcoming as we put the details together.

So as you crawl out of your tents in the morning or you make your way back to site, skip the Dunkin’ line on Sunday and have breakfast with us to help our longtime friends.

—

Thank you everyone for your attention to these announcements. We look forward to seeing you this August at Queen of Hearts XXX.

In service,

Jason and the Queen of Hearts Staff

What You Missed - Queen of Hearts XXIX [Photos Edition]

 Photos by: Kersten "YPNN" Prince and Jason "Aeston" Rosa
Captions by Jason "Aeston" Rosa and Kieran/Kyra "Omri" Barry

Aeston announces the start of a Queen of Hearts tournament.

Snatch n' Dodge, a newer staple to Queen of Hearts tournaments.

Art of battle includes the arts of crafts.

Trusting your teammates and the process.

Chess at QOH requires you to put your whole self into it.

Everyone's favorite Roman General's Wall.

Base encampments

 May the best chef team win.

One of them field battles

Group hugs all around

Rock Fight action shot!

Challenge Race shenanigans

Team Magnolia, strike a pose!

Puppet show time!

A soon-to-be-magic sword!

Rhiassans being all Rhiassa-y

The kids found the giant foam blocks

Castle battle!

A little Rhiassan helps hand out prizes

And great times were had by all.