A Sweaty Giant Amongst Men: A Eulogy for Jesse Cornwell

We lost a pillar of the Kings of War community last week as Jesse Cornwell passed away from his long battle with cancer.

I first met Jesse at Adepticon 2017. This was a gaming pilgrimage for me, as it is for a lot of folks. I’d wanted to go to this event since I’d first heard of it, and while the main game I was playing had changed over the years, the pull was always strong. It was a gaming Mecca, something I felt I just needed to go to, a hole in my wargaming heart that could only be filled there, and that specific year the stars had aligned, the plane ticket had been booked and I’d made it out for the first time.

I’m not the most naturally social person, not very shocking from someone whose high school backpack was filled with old copies of White Dwarf, Dungeons and Dragons books, and the Anarchist Cookbook, but yeah I can be awkward as hell. Walking into that big old room on the second floor of the convention center I felt every bit of that nervous energy weighing in the pit of my stomach. It was like walking into the cafeteria of a new school and suddenly I doubted everything. Do I actually like Grand Tournaments? Are these people going to play like assholes? I come from a tiny meta, am I the one playing like an asshole? Where should I put my stuff? They all seem to just know to know where to put things did I miss something? They all seem to know each other also, why don’t I know anyone?

It might seem silly but these are the thoughts running through my head like little demons corrupting all they touch. Within a few minutes I’d convinced myself this was probably a bad idea, and after the first two games with almost no positive interactions with my opponents and my lame attempts at being social with other players falling flat I was in a bad state. I thought I’d rather be anywhere else in that convention center playing just about any other game than the GT I was signed up for. A truly sorry state of affairs mostly of my own making.

“How’s your day going” said a big fella with a goatee and a smile who was draped over one of the convention center chairs. I would find out soon enough he was named Jesse.

“Good” I lied. I was 2-0 in the event at this point but was feeling emotionally terrible to be honest. “How about yourself?”

“Well” he leaned back and adjusted to somehow be even more casual in the chair than he was originally “I just punched [name redacted] in the dick with my ogres so things are better for me. Where you from? Who’d you play?”

And we got to talking. Small talk, to be honest, things you just sort of pass the time with at an event, but it felt different. A generous and welcoming spirit radiated from him (even when he was swearing like a damn sailor). He was a form of human bonfire, that folks would gather around for warmth and companionship. Spending time with him was like snuggling up in a chair by the window on a summer afternoon, the feeling just washed over you and it felt like home.

I went into my next game in a much better mood, got smashed by the eventual tourney winner (and future Master) but had a great time. The event went on and I met some other great folks from the community, had some lovely games and generally turned my experience around. But what I remember most clearly from the weekend was meeting a big dude from West Virginia who instantly treated me like a lifelong friend.

What I find so important about that interaction isn’t the actual effect it had on me, that is trivial honestly. Instead, it was how normal it was for him. This is just how he acted, how he treated people, and how he welcomed any misfits he met into the fold (unless they were assholes). He probably didn’t even remember this specific instance of meeting me, even as we became friends later. You see for me, it was a moment of kindness and outreach that was seared in my memory for its uniqueness. For him, it was just his nature, one in a countless multitude of simple acts that brought comfort and joy to those around him. Don’t get me wrong, he could be a mean son of a gun when he wanted to, but only once you’d crossed him. And he did get great joy from stirring the internet cesspools just to amuse himself. But that was just Jesse. Capable of immense grace and understanding in one moment, and petty online mudslinging the next.

Luckily for us, he cared deeply about Kings of War, and more importantly the community it had created. This meant most of us are blessed with some form of “Jesse” story, even if you only knew him from online. Drunken rants Saturday night at a GT, online campaigns for mammoth rights, and spending hours on After Dark crafting elaborate alternate world high school teen dramas with Kings of War monsters (“Sweaty Gigante High” still waiting for funding from a major network or streaming platform), or most commonly, just a great game of Kings of War. The kind of game where winning and losing stops mattering, and you just enjoy the time you have. He was a big guy, with a personality only matched in size by his heart, and you sort of just had to love him. I really do mean that. He didn’t just light up a room, he set it ablaze and lit the way for all to see from miles around.

So raise a glass (or two), and let us honor the memory of Sir Jesse. He was a giant amongst men and kind of a big deal. He took in every stray he could find (both human and feline) and was always a great game. I wish he hadn’t been taken so soon, but if the measure of a man’s life is the smiles on the faces of all that knew him, then he led a very rich life indeed.

Until we meet again, rest in power.

-Brinton

Jake

Jesse Cornwell… what can be said about him that Brinton and others haven’t so amazingly captured…

I’d like to start by talking about the first time I met Jesse. It was the first US Masters and my first year as the Midatlantic Chair. Our region was small, and we barely cobbled together an 8 person team, but a couple of our players, Mike Austin, Alex Chaves, and others were rather good, so despite feeling like we had brought our entire region to the event (all 8 of us) I felt pretty good.

That year many regions hadn’t managed to bring a full team, and “mercenaries” from other regions were called upon to fill the spot. Rob P. of Counter Charge fame walked up and was chatting to me and said hey, by the way, thanks for sending so many mercs from the Midatlantic! I was puzzled, literally, all the tournament goers in the region were on our team of 8, what did he mean? I told him I had no idea what he meant, who else was here from the MA?

“Oh man”, Rob told me “You just had to meet Jesse”, the leader from this contingent of like 5 people from West Virginia, and Rob introduced me to Jesse. I don’t remember much about that first encounter, I remember thinking this guy is hilarious, and how the hell have I missed him and this solid group of players only a few hours from where I live?!

Jesse and I exchanged FB info, and I promised to keep him more in the loop. If I am being honest I fully expected nothing to come of this interaction, little did I know Jesse would become a staple of my region and the wider KoW community.

Fast forward several years, Jesse and I have hung out at multiple tournaments and events, he was a super chill guy, but we hadn’t really played a game or spent a ton of time with each other yet. Chicago Masters were coming up, and I wanted to drive up there early, to maximize my hang-out time with people around the country, but none of my regular drive buddies could leave as early as I wanted. Step in Jesse, who also wanted to get there early.

Jesse and I met about 3 hours from my house, early (ish) in the morning. I remember he brought a ton of stuff out of his van, packing it into my small Honda Civic, a fan, a cooler, snacks, multiple jugs of tea and juice, more snacks, extra pillows, and finally his army. He explained to me that he hated paying too much for snacks and drinks at the hotel, and had to live that teacher salary life, so this was a way to cut back costs. I chuckled, and pointed to my own much smaller pile of snacks, bumped knuckles with him, and said “public librarian life man”.

That started a 13-hour drive to the Masters (yes 13 hours, Chicago is far as fuck from us). We talked about anything and everything. Our childhoods; growing up with limited means (poor kid life as Jesse called it), I grew up in a small mobile home, with myself and my two brothers sharing a room, Jesse of similar but also different early experiences that later grew into more family financial security. Our mutual obsessions’ with Pokemon, both of us were the kid who strategized on Pokemon move builds, even at a young age, and our little pocket monsters regularly beat other kid players, or “dick punched them” as Jesse loved to say.

We talked about our love of graphic novels and reading, Jesse was a High School English teacher, who was very passionate about bringing engaging and relevant books to his students, and as a public librarian, I had similar experiences with the power of graphic novels. And finally our mutual love of miniature wargaming and Kings of War.

Early in the drive, Jesse had commented that with this long of a drive we either would be best friends by the end of the weekend or hate each other. About halfway through that first drive, I was amazed how much I had in common with Jesse, here was a kindred spirit, who had led a very different life than me, but we still had SO many similar touchpoints. The weekend was a blast and Jesse walked away with the top Sportsmanship award for the event, an award I know he was deeply proud of. Once the ride home was finished we bumped knucks and he said, “See you at the next event new best friend.”

I could go on at length about more, but I know others will be sharing their own experiences. I wanted to end by talking about Jesse’s passion for stray animals. As a fellow cat dad, it was a trait I felt deep in my core. I live in a one-bedroom apartment, so my wife and I always lament how we can’t help as many strays as we wanted. Through numerous conversations in the last year or so, Jesse knew this and gleefully would send me pics of the multitude of animals he caught and fixed and then fed in the wild, or took in himself. It was a part humble brag, part letting me live vicariously through him, I was honored he felt comfortable enough to share this deeper layer of himself. Throughout covid, after tough days we sent each other cat pics, often with the tag line “nothing a cat pic can’t fix.” In his final days, I shared some pics of my own cats hoping in some small way they brightened his day.

Miss and love you, Jesse, you were one of a kind…

Mike Adkins

In addition to making video battle reports, running events, evangelizing the game, appearing on podcasts, writing articles, and just generally being a massive pillar of the community and all around big deal, Jesse was also willing to volunteer his time to help hype other people’s events.  It’s become a bit of a tradition to have a ‘pre-tournament livestream’ where you announce the first round matchups, read through the lists, and get predictions from panelists on how the games will go.  Jesse was, of course, a hotly sought after panelist for these broadcasts.  Nothing got your players hyped up and in the right frame of mind to have fun like Jesse pouring out a hot cup of hilarious smack talk while illustrating how a game would go by bashing a couple of random action figures together.  It was a spectacle not to be missed. I’m still grateful that he took the time to help hype up the first Kings of War event I ever ran, even though he wasn’t able to attend it.  That warm and generous spirit shone through everything he did.  He’ll always be kind of a big deal to me.

-Mike

Mike Rossi

The first time I met Jesse was at the inaugural Keystone GT.  He tagged along with a bunch of us for lunch to Troeg’s, where we introduced him to the world of craft beers (his words, not mine).  I remember getting to know him over a pint, and he told us about his cancer.  In response, we were appropriately somber, but he immediately told us it was ok.  He then proceeded to make a thousand jokes about gaming, gamers, his weight, and even cancer.  He had the crowd rolling with laughter.  It was awesome.  We spent a bunch of time together that weekend, including him in every meal and boardgame we could.  He just fit right in. 

A couple weeks later he reached out to me.  He was running the Kings of War event at the first PAX Unplugged, and he invited me and my crew to play.  I got to actually play Jesse at that event, and he was an amazing opponent.  Usually when I play someone for the first time, it takes a while to feel the person out before I get comfortable.  With Jesse, that feeling out period took three seconds.  Before the first piece of terrain went down, we were joking and carrying on like old friends.  He just had that way about him, that made people feel relaxed and at ease. 

Through the years we kept in touch, taking time to catch up when we were at the same GT’s.  We bantered back and forth on the internet, as you do.  I never met anyone who could talk trash like Jesse.  His wit was sharp, and he used it relentlessly to speak his mind.  He was so kind, and so brutal at the same time. 

The last time I spoke with Jesse, he accidentally FaceTimed me while I was visiting my grandmom with dementia.  He had just got done with a chemo treatment, and we talked for a few minutes.  I could tell he was tired, but he still took the time to ask how I was.  He was so caring.  At the end of the call, I told him I was pulling for him, and that I loved him.  He said that any day he got to talk to me was a good day. 

Gaming has given me so many good people.  Jesse was one of the best.  Every interaction I had with him made me feel more upbeat, more optimistic, more human.  He had a way about him that brought out the best in everyone around him. 

I will miss you, Jesse.  My world is better because you were in it. 

-Mike

Around The Web

Check out Master Crafted on Youtube where you can see the man in action during happier days. Kyle and Jesse made a great pair and his involvement in the channel gave him great pride.

We were lucky enough to have Jesse contribute to the site here

Mantic Games awarded him membership in the Rules Committee and although I’m not sure any official work was done by him in that capacity, they should be aware he is probably going to be haunting them individually and at the Mantic offices if things should ever not go his way in the world of Kings of War.

The US Masters Council voted unanimously to name the yearly sportsmanship trophy at Masters in his honor.

The absolute gentlemen at Counter Charge Podcast had their own special episode about him Here

There is a Universal Battle Charity Tourney Feb 20th 2021. More Info on Sweaty Gigante Here

Ronnie Renton of Mantic Games wrote a touching post about Jesse and his larger than life persona in the KOW community Here and is offering a pre-order on a new Ogre Warlock with 25% of proceeds going to charity Here