DUEL AT DUSK VII General Details
Held at the original location, Team Touché Fencing Center
Sunday, 9 November 2025, 11 AM to 5 PM
Team Touché Fencing Center
11468 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite A-1
San Diego CA, 92121
Link for Google map directions
We will be featuring four types of interactive dueling:
Picnic Basket Battle Royale, Splendid Teapot Racing, Nerf™️ Gun Dueling, and Tea Dueling!
Participate, or just cheer on the competitors. We will also have steampunk-related vendors.
Visit the DUEL AT DUSK VII Ticket Page
Click This Link
Online sales end Saturday, 8 November 2025. See our special pricing and vouchers for early ticket purchases.
Picnic Basket Battle Royale
Announcing: Duel at Dusk VII - Round Two of Basket Battle Royal! 🧺⚔️
Get ready for an epic afternoon of food, fun, and friendly competition! This year, Duel at Dusk VII brings you the Basket Battle Royal, where creativity and culinary delights collide.
✨ Bring Your Own Picnic Basket ✨
Fill your picnic basket with scrumptious delights and join the battle for glory! Whether you're looking to show off your culinary skills or simply enjoy an afternoon of good food, this event has something for everyone.
🧺 Three Award Categories
🎖️Overall Presentation: Wow the judges with your food’s visual appeal! Impress with the arrangement, plating style, and table aesthetics.
🎖️Most Creative: Unleash your imagination! The more unique, themed, and colorful, the better.
🎖️Most Appetizing: Does your food look as good as it tastes? Show us those irresistible, mouthwatering dishes that everyone will crave.
What is Provided:
Tables and chairs will be provided, or feel free to bring your own picnic blanket and show off your entry in style. The choice is yours!
Don’t miss out on this deliciously fun challenge! Whether you're competing or spectating, join us for a fun-filled day at Duel at Dusk VII.
Mark your calendars, pack your baskets, and get ready for battle! 🧺⚔️
Splendid Teapot Racing
History:
Splendid Teapot Racing was conceived in New Zealand by Simone Montgomery as an inclusive event for a friend with limited mobility. Her friend was in a wheelchair that had a joystick controller, and Simone came up with the idea of a remote controlled teapot. With that spark, the first Splendid Teapot Racing event was held at the 2014 Steampunk New Zealand Festival in Oamaru.
Present:
In 2025, Duel at Dusk VII will be holding a Splendid Teapot Racing event with heavily modified New Zealand rules. There may be multiple race rounds for greater audience entertainment and to determine the Duel at Dusk VII Splendid Teapot Racing Grand Champion.
Your host, John Bollman, is a regular participant and a multi-time Grand Champion at Wild West Con and Clockwork Alchemy. His passion has grown into providing a Teapot 101 course with information, tips, tricks, hints and oodles of practical advice for any Teapot builder and racer.
So what’s it take to race at Duel at Dusk VII?
First – You need a Teapot Racer (there will be several “extra” Teapot Racers available for test drives and racing!). What you use and how it works is pretty much up to you, but here are our guidelines:
1. The Teapot Racer must have a teapot element and be mounted on a ground-based, battery powered radio-controlled vehicle. (No Zeppelins, drones, hovercraft, or the like no matter how steampunk they may be. Tracked vehicles are fine.)
2. The racer should be capable of self-movement on an indoor low-pile carpet surface, and have enough power to climb small ramps.
3. The teapot does not have to function.
4. The Teapot Racer’s overall dimensions with modifications and added teapot elements should not exceed 12” wide x 12” tall x 16” long in order to navigate the course and obstacles.
5. Bonus points for Racer design elements and Driver outfits that fit the overall event theme!
Second – Come to Duel at Dusk VII and bring your Teapot Racer (as we mentioned, there will be several “extra” Teapot Racers available for test drives and racing!).
Third – Find the Splendid Teapot Racing course and sign up with the organizer, John Bollman.
Fourth (optional) – Attend Teapot Racing 101 for demos and practice driving time on the obstacle course.
Fifth - Be ready to race during the Teapot Racing time slot listed on the master schedule.
About The Splendid Teapot Race Course:
The Course will be indoors on the fencing lanes and flooring and will consist of obstacles and hazards that most likely include the Ramp of Doom, the See-Saw of Indecision (aka, Teeter Totter of Terror!), the Chasm of Death, and a Slalom of Skill. These will test both the design of the Teapot Racer, and the nerves of the Driver while the audience cheers them onto glory.
Teapot Racers will negotiate the Course, one Teapot Racer at a time, and Drivers may walk with their Teapot Racer as it negotiates the Course.
All rules subject to change depending on the number of Teapot Racer entrants, the whim of the Judges, or the discretion of the Event Organizers. Anyone found not having fun will be sent to the first aid station to check for a pulse. 
Nerf™️ Gun Dueling
Bob Mogg, the Iron Taylor, is your dueling specialist and referee. Here is the Iron Taylor's description of the event:
For the gentleman (or lady), disputes of honor are settled in the time-honored fashion of dueling. As the challenger has the choice of arms, the aggrieved party must be prepared to defend themself with any weapon. Picnic baskets, racers, and teapots are already covered, so we will also give you the chance to show your skill with pistols. Steampunk pistols.
You may bring along your favorite NERF™️ gun, with the restrictions that it must fire standard NERF™️ projectiles, and you will be restricted to the number of rounds that you may use. A variety of NERF™️ weapons will also be available at the event.
In order to compete in this challenge, you must demonstrate the minimum skills, in order to safeguard bystanders. There will be a shooting gallery set up, and you will fire at assigned targets, to demonstrate your skills. The highest scoring individuals will be allowed to compete in a series of one-on-one duels, to determine who is the champion!
Tea Dueling
Tea dueling has a long and impressive history. The gist of the event is to dunk your biscuit (a “cookie” for you Americans) into your piping hot tea, and hold it up before eating it. Last person to eat the biscuit cleanly is the winner! See the rules here.
Erasmus (David Drake) will be back as the Tiffin Master, with a steely gaze and an unwavering pursuit of fair play. Ribbons of Honor will be given to the winners, culminating in the award of the Triple Spoons Ribbon!
Issues or questions? Email sales@drakeandmctrowell.com and we will help you as best we can.
