What is Toss Yer Cabers?
Toss Yer Cabers is an annual charity wargaming event held in Vancouver, BC. The event raises funds and materials to support vulnerable people across the Lower Mainland. Since 2015 we have raised over $40,000 in addition to clothing and personal hygiene item donations for local charities.
The main recipients of the funds we raise are the Lookout Society, a non-judgmental non-profit that provides assistance to homeless and vulnerable people across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada.
In addition to the principal recipient, Toss Yer Cabers is proud to also have contributed funds and donations to several other organizations over the years, listed below.
We are proud to put on this event to bring people together to play the games we love, with the purpose of reaching beyond our community and providing a helping hand. The wargaming community is supportive, generous and inclusive, and we are honoured to be a part of it.
The events are run entirely by volunteers and all prize support is donated; all proceeds raised go to the charity chosen for that year.
Foodhammer
Foodhammer, the oldest charity wargaming event in Vancouver, and the inspiration for launching Toss Yer Cabers was founded in 2011, and ran until 2019, raising over $40,000 for food related charities across the Lower Mainland here in BC. in 2019 Foodhammer was temporarily shuttered, but returns in 2023! TYC is proud to host this storied and inspirational event, that set the standards for friendly competition for so many years.
How Did The Event Start?
The very first Toss Yer Cabers was held in 2014, on a wet and snowy January in a games store in Surrey, BC. The organizer had wanted to try his hand at running a Warhammer 40,000 event, and pulled together 17 people to throw dice and have fun.
Following on from the success of the first tournament, there was sufficient confidence to try and grow the number of participants, and in 2015 the event became a charitable endeavor, with the aim of raising funds to support organizations that worked with homeless and vulnerable adults, and the Lookout Society was selected as the main recipient, based on their successful track record and organizational values.
What Is The Ethos Of The Event?
Toss Yer Cabers is first and foremost an event which is fun and inclusive. Of the awards given at the end of each day the most prestigious is Sportsmanship, as what is valued most highly is creating a great atmosphere for others to play in. While all games are inherently competitive, participants are encouraged to play army lists that they feel would be fun to play against, and to paint them to the best standard they feel comfortable with.
At the end of the day the mark of success at the event is that regardless of how many games were won or lost by each player, they enjoy their time, and enjoy contributing to a cause that supports the wider community.
What’s Going on now?
Having started with a modest 17 people and 1 game system, Toss Yer Cabers has grown in popularity and now hosts almost 200 people a year to play six game systems! The event takes place across two weekends in the Croatian Cultural Centre.
Information about specific events is available on their relevant pages on this website and for regular updates and announcements we encourage you to like and follow the Facebook page, linked to on the right here on this website.
The organizers are humbled by the community’s enthusiasm for the event and generosity. The event could not happen without the support of numerous individuals who dedicate a significant portion of their time each year to making the event possible.