By RYAN CHRISTNER

rchristner@dailynews.net

Halloween might be more than nine months away, but orcs, elves, aliens and robots soon will be making an appearance in Hays thanks to a local resident.

Beginning in February, area children will have the opportunity to participate in tournaments for the popular tabletop fantasy game Warhammer 40,000, which lets two or more players command armies of troops in epic battles.

Planning and organizing the tournaments is Raven Youngblood, 36, who said he hopes his efforts can expand as time progresses and events gain popularity.

"This will be something new for Hays and for me," he said.

After moving to Hays in September from Indianapolis, Youngblood said he has been looking for a fun, new way to get young people -- including his own five children -- together.

He said he had heard about Warhammer and started researching the product. Friends who had played the game told Youngblood about their experiences with it, and he said he soon was convinced he could organize tournaments of his own.

Youngblood first contacted Games Workshop, a British production and retailing company that manufactures Warhammer and other tabletop, role playing, board and computer games.

"They really liked the idea of us holding this event here," he said.

To become certified to host an independent, "rogue trader" tournament in Hays, Youngblood was told he needed to find a local company willing to keep $2,000 worth of Warhammer product in stock.

Jumping on Youngblood's bandwagon was Hays Tees, 738 E. Eighth, which sells T-shirts and crafts.

"I think it will be a good business partnership," said Joseph Boeckner, owner of Hays Tees.

Since getting involved, Boeckner said he has noticed a small, local Warhammer "following" that already has shown interest in the upcoming tournaments. Youngblood said the game is popular among a wide audience of people as young as 8 years old and as old as 90.

Hays Tees also will sell custom-made short- and long-sleeve T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts for the tournaments.

With that hurdle out of the way, Youngblood next looked for sponsors who could help him with the remaining tournament costs.

Games Workshop was tremendously supportive of his efforts, Youngblood said, supplying him with $600 worth of product to be used as tournament prizes.

Having previously worked in Indianapolis for a record company, Youngblood said he checked with several large music corporations, such as RCA and Sony BMG, before finally getting a bite from Gold Record Productions, a company he once applied for a job with.

"I was like, 'These are multi-million dollar companies. Maybe they'll be able to give us some money,'" he said.

Gold Record loved the idea, Youngblood said, and offered him their money and connections.

A representative of Gold Record could not be reached for comment, but Youngblood said the company has offered to give $2,000 in scholarship prizes to the winners of larger tournaments he plans to host every December.

Youngblood said Gold Record also has partnered with Disc Makers, a CD and DVD manufacturing company, to create professional-grade advertising materials for the Hays events.

The tournaments should act as something "fun and educational for kids to do other than sports" and keep occupied those youth who might otherwise end up getting into trouble, Youngblood said.

Warhammer players assemble equal-sized armies of futuristic warriors -- represented by 22-mm scale miniatures that come blank but can be painted to make the figure appear more realistic -- that wage war on a tabletop battlefield of purchased or hand-made terrain.

Math is a central component of the game, he said, as players must calculate the distance between pieces to determine if they are in range of being hit with weapons.

Youngblood hopes to host six tournaments every year, with a larger tournament in December.

Depending on the turnout at tournaments before it, Youngblood said Games Workshop has expressed interest in turning the December event into one of its larger Games Day tournaments, which are throughout the year in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto and can draw 10,000 to 20,000 participants.

Youngblood said suppliers of Games Workshop products throughout Kansas and surrounding states already have pledged to send players his way.

"This could be really great for the economy here," Youngblood said.

Although he has yet to finalize a date or time, Youngblood said he has been speaking with Fort Hays State University about the possibility of using one of its facilities to host the tournament.

Having lived here a few years ago before moving to Indianapolis, Youngblood said Hays is a great place to live and hopes his tournaments can have a positive effect on the city.

"We've been really blessed, and now we're trying to give back to the community," he said.