Reedsburg, Wisconsin hosted the 2026 Northwoods GT, and it was exactly what a regional major should feel like: competitive, sharp, and still relaxed enough to remind you why you play this game.
Eighteen players. Five rounds. A mix of Kings of War Wisconsin (KOWW) regulars and a strong Minnesota contingent. Good terrain. Tight games. Very little nonsense. Just people rolling dice and enjoying themselves.
And when the dust settled, Sean Troy walked away 5–0 with Ratkin.
First, the spreadsheets:
Sean Troy Wins It All (and Earned Every Round)
Sean went undefeated with Ratkin and ran through a real gauntlet:
- R1: Kyle Pietsch (Xirkaali)
- R2: Joe Pierce (Orcs)
- R3: Your very own blog writer (Northern Alliance)
- R4: Jeff Schiltgen (Salamanders – eventual 2nd place)
- R5: Michael Kaup (Ogres – eventual 4th)
He beat me handily in Round 3. Clean play. No drama. Just steady pressure and smart positioning. Sean is a great guy and a total gentleman across the table, and his list was genuinely fun: multiple Wretch Hordes creating board control problems from turn one.
Ratkin were not the most represented faction in the room, as he was the only Ratkin player. But they were devastatingly effective.
The Crowd Showed Up… But Didn’t Run the Event
Ogres and Forces of Nature were the most common factions in the field, each at 4 of 18 players (22%). That’s nearly half the room between the two.
But here’s the important part:
- Ogres finished 10–10 overall (50%).
- Forces of Nature finished 7–11–2 (40%).
Solid. Respectable. Not dominant. We’ll see how the meta continues to evolve as people have time to paint up more armies for 4th edition.
Static Plans Struggled. Flexible Plans Thrived.
Looking at archetype performance, Gun Line builds had the roughest weekend:
- Gun Line: 7–9–4 overall (~35% win rate)
Meanwhile:
- Mixed Arms (Sean’s archetype): 5–0
- Grind-style lists: 4–1
- Alpha Strike builds: 6–2–2 (~60%)
If there’s a clean takeaway from Northwoods, it’s this:
Lists that could pivot, pressure, and contest from multiple angles did better than lists that needed the game to come to them.
That doesn’t mean shooting is bad. It means pure, static game plans are fragile in a five-round event where terrain, scenarios, and opponent skill all vary.
Sean’s Ratkin didn’t sit back. They flooded space. They traded. They forced engagement on his terms. And Sean piloted them expertly. I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from a single regional GT, but still, it was an interesting event.
A Surprisingly Draw-Friendly Event
Out of 45 total games, there were 5 draws (~11%). That’s not extreme, but it’s enough to notice. Orcs in particular had three draws across the event. Several games at the top tables were tight, incremental affairs rather than blowouts.
That tells you something about the room:
- Scenario awareness was high.
- Players weren’t overcommitting recklessly.
- Lists were built to survive long enough to score.
Northwoods didn’t feel swingy. When people won big, it was because they earned position early and managed it well.
The Real Win: KOWW + Minnesota Together
Zooming out from spreadsheets for a minute–this was just a really good weekend.
Every one of my five games was enjoyable. Connor Murphy was a fantastic opponent and made our round a blast. But honestly, every table I walked past looked the same: focused, respectful, competitive in the right way.
Getting the Kings of War Wisconsin crew together with the Minnesota group continues to be one of the best parts of this regional scene. There’s enough familiarity that games feel relaxed. There’s enough skill that you can’t sleepwalk through a round.
Sean Troy winning it all with a creative, pressure-based Ratkin build is a perfect summary of the event. Strong play. Smart list design. Good sportsmanship. That’s the kind of event you want to come back to next year.
Final Takeaways
- Ratkin won the event, and they earned it.
- The most represented factions were solid—but not dominant.
- Pure gun lines struggled; flexible builds thrived.
- Draws and tight games suggest a disciplined, scenario-aware field.
- The regional community continues to get stronger.
- If you want to read some battle reports, don’t forget to check out Regnum Aeternum, from my most common gaming opponent who was also KOWW’s highest-placing finisher.
