Maul in the Mall 2012!!

The Wolves at the Maul

I have returned Dearest Readers from The Maul in the Mall, and I must say fun was had by all. There were a multitude of beautiful armies on parade, with over 40 people in attendance. It was nice to be able to have gotten my Wolves all put together, painted, and based, something long overdue. I ended up with some really interesting match ups, playing against two 4th edition codexes and one that the Interwebz has deemed uncompetitive. My Wolves went 1-2-0 for a total of 20 battlepoints out of a possible 60. Not the greatest showing on my part, but I had fun, and isn't that what matters? Fellow DDK Bloggers Pariah Stevo and Wiley the Nord were in attendance, with Wiley snagging Best Sportsman.

Armies on Parade

Danny's Tau Army

Game One

The first game was against my buddy Danny from Cookeville playing his Tau, a table quarter objective game with 1st and 6th turn being night fighting. I went second against a Farsight/Crisis Suit/Blacksun Filter/Missile Pod army. Lets just say that his first 2 turns of shooting were devastating, and not one of my models ever made it halfway across the board.I ended up with 2 battle boints for having my drop pod in his deployment zone, he got everything else.

Andy's Kroot / Nids

Thor Starin Down a "Trygon"

So after such a butt whoopin, I figured, "Can't get any worse, Right?" So I go into the next game ready to lay the smack down, playing the 5 objective mission that we did the battle report on previously.

I come up against Andy, a nice enough fella with his Kroot "Counts As" Tyranids, a really cool army that, when finished, will be a true testament to what "Counts As' is. He ran 2 Tyrants, 2 Tervigons, 2 Trygons, a Tyrannofex, a few gaunt squads and genestealers. The table really hurt me, as the centerpiece blocked nearly half of the table from LOS, and I did not deploy as intelligently as I could have. This led to it taking me way too long to kill his big bugs, and his ability to control the table. His shooting was very effective too, and I ended up losing the game 3 obj's to 1, with 1 contested. I was extremely frustrated with myself after this game, as I believed that I was capable of much better play and could have put myself in a better chance to tie/win. But i did not, and Andy took advantage of my mental lapses and played a great game. 

Bart's Beautiful Black Templars

So on we went to the Third game, the Classic Maul in the Mall mission, the mission that up to that point, I had never lost, going 4-0-0 thus far. I get paired up with Bart and his fantastic Black Templar, which ended up taking best painted. 

Thor Sees His Big, Juicy AV14 Target

Once again I am on a board with severe LOS blocking terrain, with spearhead deployment. Not good when you are facing up against assault armies. Luckily, his Landraider-O-Doom with Helbrecht/Emp. Champ/Chaplain/Crusaders immobilized itself in his deployment zone. This game was a ton of fun, with things dying all over the place. coming into the last turn, we were almost dead locked on victory points, with Bart having the edge by about 100vp's. 

Long Fangs Preparing for the Charge

On the bottom of 5, i was able to finish off a terminator squad, kill his general Helbrecht, kill the Landraider, and take out 2 squads of Crusaders, tallying over 900vp's in one turn, winning me the game, and keeping my streak on the mission alive. To play on the same table with an army as beautiful as Bart's was simply a pleasure, and made for an even greater experience.

So All in all, a great tournament and some great opponents. I would have loved to have had a better W-L-T record, but hey, can't win em all. Now the priority will be to get crankin on the Grey Knights to get them ready for this year's American Team Championships. I picked up a hard copy of the codex while at the tournament, and am very excited about getting this army together. More pics below of all the goings on at tne Maul. Grizz, signing out.

Ride: Busted

Wiley the Nord's Grey Knight Army

New Tyrannofex

Thor and His Drinking Buddies Dismounting

Video Batrep # 3!!!

Welcome all to our 3rd Video Batrep here on Da Deff Komp'ny! This video pits Yours Truly against my buddy Rex and his Ultramarines. We are playing 1850 pts in preperation for this Saturday's Maul in the Mall.The Mission we are playing is also from the Maul, titled "The Maul Rats".


2012 40k Mission #3 "The Maul Rats"



“I love da’ smell o’ commerce in da’ mornin’!”
DEPLOYMENT: Modified Dawn of War (40k Rulebook pg 93.) NO Nightfight will be used. “Seize the Initiative” May be used.
Number of Turns: Random Game Length.

SPECIAL RULES: The Characters: Before deployment, the player that deploys first chooses ONE unit in their army to be ”Jay & Silent Bob” and ONE unit in their army to be “LaFours”. The other player then chooses ONE unit in their army to be “Brodie & T.S.” ” and ONE unit in their army to be “Brandi’s Dad”.


Primary Objective “This is MY Mall” – Use the Seize Ground Mission Rules per the 40k Rulebook (page 91) with the following Exceptions – 1.) ALL units in your army count as Scoring Units. 2.) Every Table will automatically have 5 Objectives. Each objective counts as one of Five Different places in the Mall: The Game Show Stage, The Easter Bunny, Stan Lee, “Time For Cookies” and The Sailboat Picture.


Secondary Objective “Do all there is to do at the Mall” – If you have CONTROLED EACH of the Objectives at ANY TIME during the game you achieve this objective. You DO NOT have to have controlled them all at the same time. Players should note every Objective when they control it DURING the game. Both players may claim this objective.


Tertiary Objective “Win back the girls and Fly Fat A5$ Fly!” – If your Brodie & T.S. or your Jay & Silent Bob are still alive and not fleeing at the end of the game AND your opponents LaFours or Brandi’s Dad is dead or fleeing at the end of the game, you score this objective. Both players may claim this objective.


The List I brought:

HQ
Rune Priest
jaws of the world wolf; living lightning; chooser of the slain.

Troops
7 Grey Hunters
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Arjac Rockfist
• Drop Pod

9 Grey Hunters
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Wolf Guard: power fist; combi-weapon.
• Rhino

9 Grey Hunters
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Wolf Guard: power fist; combi-weapon.
• Rhino

5 Grey Hunters
meltagun.
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun.

5 Grey Hunters
meltagun.
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun.

Heavy Support
Long Fangs
2× lascannon, 3x missile launchers

Long Fangs
2× lascannons, 3x missile launchers

Long Fangs
2× lascannon, 3x missile launchers
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun


My opponent Rex was playing his Ultramarines:


2x TDA Librarians w/ Storm Shields

5x TH/SS Terminators

Land Raider Crusader

2x10 Tac Squads in Rhinos
...Plasma Cannon, Melta, Combi Melta

1x10 Tac Squad in Rhinos
...Multi Melta, Melta, Combi Melta

2x Dual Autocannon Dreadnoughts

2x Predator Destructors w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons

All in all a great game, one that I was about 90% positive was lost by the end of turn 2. When you lose 45% of your long fangs and not one of them has had a chance to fire a shot yet, there tends to be trouble. But the wolves hung tough and made their shots/assaults count, and finally turned the tide back in my favor.

Rex always makes for a great opponent and a tough game, so big thanks to him for allowing us to video our game! I am really liking this list, as it has bodies, assault capabilities, and a massive dakka factor. Hopefully it will still be playing well come Saturday!

Thanks for checkin out our Batrep, Until Next Time, Take It Easy!!

T Minus 6 Days till The Maul!!

Evening readers, Your friendly neighborhood Grizz here. This post was originally going to be a treat for y'all in the form of a video battle report. Unfortunately, as soon as I began filming, my Flip Cam died. Go me.

So instead, I am going to let y'all in on my progress preparing for this year's Maul in the Mall tournament. I have been tirelessly working the past two days trying to get my beloved Space Wolves into proper form, something that has been long overdue!

We are on our way to finishing, with all but 8 models and 2 razorbacks left to paint. Everything has actually went alot faster than initially anticipated, so it seems that I will actually have a completely painted/based army in time for the tourney!

The Painted Part Minus the 2 Razorbacks

What's Left

The army I plan on taking;



HQ
Rune Priest 
jaws of the world wolf; living lightning; chooser of the slain.


Troops
7 Grey Hunters 
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Arjac Rockfist
• Drop Pod


9 Grey Hunters 
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Wolf Guard: power fist; combi-weapon.
• Rhino


9 Grey Hunters 
meltagun; mark of the wulfen; wolf standard.
• Wolf Guard: power fist; combi-weapon.
• Rhino


5 Grey Hunters 
meltagun.
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun.


5 Grey Hunters 
meltagun.
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun.


Heavy Support
Long Fangs 
2× lascannon, 3x missile launchers


Long Fangs 
2× lascannons, 3x missile launchers


Long Fangs 
2× lascannon, 3x missile launchers
• Razorback: lascannon+tl plasmagun.

You can expect multiple updates this week of my progress, and upon completion, some close ups of the army. Until then, I'll leave you with a shot of my Counts-As Arjac, Thor, Red Moon's Champion.

Return From Battle From Supremacy!

Well Pariah Stevo and Myself have returned from Murfreesboro with a bag full of schwag and smiles on our faces. We finished the day with a record of 3W-0L-0T against a field of 23 teams, and came in 2nd overall, with fellow collaborator Wiley The Nord and his partner Necronian getting best painted, so not a bad outing for Da Deff Komp'ny team. There were some great armies on display, with equally great competion behind them. We decided last week to run an Ork/Dark Eldar matchup, relying on multiple scoring units and lots-o-dakka to win the day. Our lists -

ORKS

Big Mek - KFF
11 Shoota Boys
...Big Shoota, Nob w/ Bosspole/Power Klaw
...Trukk - Boarding Planks, Red Paint, Reinforced Ram


12 Shoota Boys
...Big Shoota, Nob w/ Bosspole/Power Klaw
...Trukk - Boarding Planks, Red Paint, Reinforced Ram


12 Shoota Boys
...Big Shoota, Nob w/ Bosspole/Power Klaw
...Trukk - Boarding Planks, Red Paint, Reinforced Ram

2x14 Lootas

DARK ELDAR

Haemonculous
...Liquefier Gun, Mindphase Gauntlet
4x Wracks
Venom - 2x Splinter Cannons

5x Wracks
...Liquefier Gun
Venom - 2x Splinter Cannons


5x Wracks
...Liquefier Gun
Venom - 2x Splinter Cannons

4x Trueborn
...4x Blasts
Venom - 2x Splinter Cannons

5x Scourges
...2x Haywire Blasters

2x Ravagers
...Night Shields, Flicker Fields, Shock Prows
-------------------------------------------------------------

We were pleased with the way the list played, this bad boy pumps out some serious shots. The big Loota squads complement the DE well, and if you need to go punch somethin in the mouth, you can throw 2-3 trukks worth of boys at em. We played against some great opposition, who stretched this list to its limits. This may definitely become a more common list we try to take to team tourneys.

Regardless, we walked out of Grand Adventures with 50 bucks a piece worth of free GW product, which is always a nice thing. Battle For Supremacy was a well run tourney, especially considering the venue was changed due to circumstances beyond their control less than 2 weeks before the event. I will definitely have to put it on my calendar for next year, and you should too!

Maul In The Mall!!!!!!!!!!

Well ladies and gents, the Maul is almost upon us. For those of you not in the know, The Maul is an annual tournament held at Dicehead Games and Comics. It is one of the larger events on the Tennessee tourney scene, and always a blast. I was unable to attend last year's Maul due to being on my honeymoon, so I am really looking forward to this year's event. One of the funnest things about the Maul is its very unique, always entertaining missions, and this year doesn't disappoint. 


My hope is to get the Space Wolves ready for the tourney, but at only two weeks away, I got a lot in front of me. I will be working tediously over the next two weeks and will be updating my progress. If you have never been to the Maul, or any big venue tourney for that matter, come on out for a day of 40k and fun. I'll see you there!

The Times They Are A Changin...

Is this the new face of 40k?

Sorry for the long delay, but now we are back on track. I finally got some games in, and actually have some 40k stuff to talk about. Anyway, on to the good stuff!


Over the last couple of days, and the last few games, The Grizz may have come to a realization. There may have been a fundamental change in the game of Warhammer 40,000. Maybe its the new area, new lists, new players, or maybe its just a shift in the overall meta game, I don't know. Something, however, is different. 

Go Me

What is different, you ask? Lists that work. I played in a tournament Saturday and brought my usual Blood Angel tournament list. Out of the 8 people that participated, Yours Truly came in dead last. Thats right, dead effin last. First round I played against a 3 long fang/razor-heavy Space Wolf list. Second was a rhino heavy hestan list. Finally I played against Wiley the Nord's 5 venom flyer heavy Dark Eldar army.


In all of these games, my DoA army had shooting issues. Now, I am very aware that my Blood Angel army is not the shootiest army in existence, but I have always had just enough, and have been able to rely on my assault abilities. With all the transports, all the shooting, is it possible to play a foot based list any more? With the release of Dark Eldar and Grey Knights, can you run a list with minimal transports and still win consistently? I am starting to think you can't. Armies like Tyranids don't have a chance. If I take my Nid army to a tournament and face one, just one Grey Knight player with a half a brain, I may as well just go ahead and put a check in the L column. 

Typed Venom Spam into Google,
This was the first result.

Without transports, there is no way to hide from the poisoned shots and the S5 storm bolter shots. And with my specific DoA list, if 1 or 2 shots miss, then I have serious issues, as then I am having to pop transports in assault, leaving me open to my opponents' shooting phase. I don't know what they are makin rhinos out of these days, but they aren't as easy to bust as they used to be, and there is a whole lot more of them. The weirdest thing is, is that for me at least, it happened overnight. I feel like my competitive list went from good to uncompetitive in less than a month.


Like I said before, maybe its due to the change in the meta game from where I used to play to where I play now, though it feels like something more fundamental, something deeper. Now I am not saying this is a bad thing, and maybe everyone else is already aware of this and I am just behind the ball on this deal, I dunno. I do know, however, that in order to compete, My lists, my game, my style will have to change.


So, is The Grizz  off base? Is he late to the party? Or has there been a shift recently in the overall way that the game was played?

Updates

Well, today has been quite successful. Thanks to my buddy Shane at Dicehead Games and Comics, i was able to sell off all my fantasy stuff, and walked out of his store today with - 


Carnifex Kit - Tervigon conversion
Hormagant box


Space Wolves Grey Hunter Box
Devastator Box
Canis Wolfborn - on order - Finecast
Logan Grimnar - On Order - Finecast
5 bricks of Chessex Dice


Stormraven


So, needless to say, I have plenty to work with. I am currently tryin to get my Blood Angels completely painted for a tournament next weekend, somethin that should have been done a long time ago. I had a thought to paint up one of my Assault squads as a successor chapter, then make both of my other RAS from different companies, just to give the army some flavor. We will see, however.


What I plan on runnin next week


Librarian
---Jump Pack, Shield of Sang., Sang. Sword
Sang. Guard
---Jump Pack
3x10 RAS
---Melta, Flamer, Fisty Sarge


Furioso Dread
---Frag Cannon, HF, Drop Pod


Lemmiwinks
3x7 Death Co.
3x bp/ccw, 3x bp/pw, 1x PF
DC Dread
---Blood Talons
Stormraven
---Multi Melta, Ass. Cannon, Extra Armor


Stormraven
---Lascannon, Cyc. ML, EA


Wantin to try out Lemmiwinks, as he can be such a beast, as well as I7 on the charge, and getting to reroll the hits and wounds. I have been wanting to try the 2 Raven list, as the mobility and the firepower can be devastating. I don't know whether or not to drop the jp's off of a RAS and stick them in there, making it a mobile scoring unit, that remains to be seen. 


Well thats all for now, hopefully once things get settled, I will get back into playin some games and start makin posts with a lil more substance, till then peace out!

Post Tourney Recap

Well yesterday, Elthrai, The_Warsmith, and myself all loaded up in the Ford Explorer and made our way down to Dicehead Games in Cleveland, TN for the ATC Practice tournament. It was a 2000pt tournament showcasing the ATC specific mission, which is a blast.


 For those of you who arent familiar, the ATC mission is all of the basic missions smacked into one. there are 3 "Seize Ground" objectives, Capture and Control objectives, and killpoints, with ties decided by victory points. Each Mission also cycles between pitched battle, Dawn of War, and Spearhead deployments. It is a very interesting mission, to say the least. Unbroken made a pretty decent show, with The_Warsmith winning 3 games and coming in 2nd, only 12 vp's behind the winner, and Yours Truly coming in 4th, going 2-1-0, my only loss coming to the new and improved Grey Knights.

Fun was had by all, and the craziest thing ever has happened. Hell must've dropped a few degrees, cause I am playin xenos and..............Pariah.Stevo is rockin Power Armor!!!! The mightiest of the Xenos Filth is now protecting the Imperium from the Threat Without, The Bad Boys from Titan, the newest addition to the GW Lineup, The Grey Knights!!! I picked up his first boxes of Grey Knight glory yesterday while at the store. So, With my Nids, and his GK, there surely must be pigs flying somewhere. Well, that is all for now, we'll see y'all on the flip side. 

Change of Heart

Welcome to IIWPA... on location! This morning yours truly is chasing the deceptively crafty turkey bird, while preparing for the tournament tomorrow. My two passions, hunting and 40k, all wrapped in one!


Well after some thought, and lengthy discussions with elthrai and parish.Stevo, I have decided for the style of missions being played, I need more scoring units, and durable ones at that. So I am thinkin that chaos is going to be the better choice, I mean what is better at being a hard as nails troop choice than a plague marine? I will be taking the same list as what I played in our recent battle report, but for those of you who don't remember-


2x MoN DPs w/ wings/warptime


Greater daemon


4x 7 man plague marine squads

...2 squads plasmad out, 2 meltad out, fist sages w/ combi weapons in rhinos


2x 2 strong oblits


Autocannon havoc squad w/ MoCU


1999pts


I think this is a tougher list, able to go 13 rounds with Ali if it has to. It's not as offensive, nor does it have the shots at range, but it has staying power. Well, I am gonna get back to hunting, y'all take it easy!

ATC - A Preview of the S.I.E.G.E.'s best event

 This is the 3rd Annual S.I.E.G.E. (Southern Invasion of Everything Gaming Extravaganza!) I have attended every year so far and have had a great time every year. I have fond memories:

• SIEGE year 1 saw my first ever Apocalypse game (and the first time I saw a Titan!), one of the worst tournament showings I have ever had, a couple of douchebag players, a couple of awesome players, and some really awesomely painted armies! It also saw the death of my non-special character codex marines army.
• SIEGE year 2 saw a much larger event, 3 more games played (9 games for the weekend!), an ass ton of IG armies, and a great showing for my old Dark Eldar Army, Kabal of Violet Shadows (until it met Rob Baer's ridiculous IG army!). Tons of people showed up and it was a fantastic time. Hard to believe that Blood Angels were the new thing last year at that time!
• SIEGE year 3 promises to be even bigger, with a bigger tournament, bigger prizes, a bigger venue, and a bigger crowd.

 This year the big event for the SIEGE is called the ATC, or American Team Championships. This is modelled off of the ETC that the crazy Europeans hold every year. A bunch of the guys in the gaming community have pretty much talked our local illustrious game shop proprietor to host this event at his venue. And tons of people are responding! Seems like this is gonna be a great event!

We have been discussing this even on our local gaming forum, Fixed Dice, for a few weeks and several have shown interest in playing. Thankfully, the guys from Nashville (Blade and Bolter!) are coming, as are the guys from the tri-cities and Knoxville, hopefully TN can represent!

I have formed up a team with some local players, we are working on a team name currently, but the army mix is something like this:

• Player 1: Codex: Space Marines
• Player 2: Codex: Space Wolves
• Player 3: Codex: Orks
• Player 4: Codex: Imperial Guard
• Player 5: Coxex: Dark Eldar or Dark Angels

I think we have a pretty good setup. One of the trickiest things so far has been constructing armies that can compete vs all the top tier codexes that are available presently (ie Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Dark Eldar, IG) and I think we have accomplished that with our lists. One of our guys is still a little green, but we have been practicing the missions every Friday and Wednesday to get everyone used to playing them. I'm hoping to have a good showing.

There are tons of other things going on at the SIEGE though, including a team tournament on Friday for 40k, and lots of Fantasy, card games, board games, pretty much any kind of game you can think of will be played there!

I hope everyone makes it out and has a great time, my team is pretty excited about it!

Tournaments Pt. 2

God Bless America

We've all been there. Walkin into that game store with your little shoebox/tacklebox/toolbox full of hastily painted minis and looking out at the competition. Professionally painted armies, beautifully crafted show boards, gaming club shirts, the entirety of it almost stops your heart. 

You find a spot to place your things, and looking at the ridiculously well painted Daemon army on one side and the completely customized Ork army on the other side of you makes you wish you could just leave your own army in its box. 

Their Army

Your Army

They start reading off the turn one pairings, and you walk to your first table with sweat covered hands and a shortness of breath. You play through your games like a nervous wreck and before you know it, the day is over, and you can finally breathe. You look back at your games, at some of the stupid mistakes you made, and start playing the what if game. So, how can you avoid this at the nesxt tourney? How can you make sure you enjoy your first one if you have never been?

So the last post was all about getting you out to that first tournament. This one is all about what you need to do when you get there. My goal is to help you learn from mine and others mistakes so that you may be more successful at your first few tournaments.

1. Be Prepared

Why don't we go somewhere quiet where
 you can tell me more about that motto of yours...

In order to do well at a tournament, you must be prepared. Nothing is worse than being across the table from a player who forgot his tape measure/blast template. This looks bad on you, and can slow the game. It is not difficult to run through a checklist the night before and make sure you have what you need to play. A basic list includes - 

---List

---Appropriate FAQs

---BBoR

---Codex

---Measuring tape

---Dice

---Entirety of models required

---2 Blast Templates

---2 Large Blast Templates

---2 Flamer Templates

---3 objectives minimum

---Casualty Board

I always take 2 of each template, in case the opponent forgets theirs. Write your name with a permanent marker on all your templates/tape to ensure you get them back. Bring enough dice to play the game, scatter included.

2. Print off more than one list

When making a list, it is best to do it on the computer. I use Army Builder extensively, but you don't necessarily have to use it. I would encourage, however, taht you type it out and make it easy to read, for the opponent and the tournament organizer's sake. Also, print off more than one copy. If I am going to a 3 round tournament, I will print off 5 copies of my list; one for the organizer, one for each of my opponents, and one for myself. There is nothing more annoying than having to ask for your opponent's list 5 times during the game, because they only have one copy. It is not hard to do, and can save you some grief

3. Be on time. 

I typed "on time" into Google and this is what i get...
Whatever.

This one is a biggie. Being on time is imperative to having a good time at a tournament. If you are late, you will be rushing to get all of your stuff out and could delay the rest of the attendees. In larger tournaments, you might miss out on gaming that day all together. I try to show up 20-30 minutes before registration begins, that way I can get set up and enjoy the tournament. I then have time to purchase needed items from the store, as well as look at others' armies and chat with the other attendants. This will make your first tourney go a lot smoother.

4. Breathe. 

I remember my first tournament. I am not sure whether I took a full breath the entire time. This led to many mistakes on my part. Yes the games are timed. Yes you must play at a fast clip. You do, however, have the time to think things through and play correctly. Don't rush so much that you make stupid mistakes. Which brings me too my next point...

5. Practice like you play. 

Some practice to be a bi...

If you want to get used to playing in tournaments, then you need to practice like you are in one. Start playing your games with your friends with a time limit. Become accustomed to playing under pressure and with a specific amount of time. This will get you to think faster and play better, without feeling rushed and making rookie mistakes. You will also learn more about your army.

6. Don't Argue.

If there is a rule discrepancy, don't get into a shouting match with your opponent; Simply ask them to show you the rule. If there is still an issue, get a rules master/tournament organizer. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or to bring up rules. If you are not sure about something, look it up. You don't just bring your BBoR to look pretty, use it!

7. Have Fun.

Remember, you play the game to have fun, that's what tournaments are for. So, don't forget to enjoy it. Otherwise, what are we doin here? We all participate in this hobby because we enjoy it, so why should tournaments be any different? We go to enjoy our hobby with others of a like mind. Fun is the point, don't miss it.

Well, I think that is enough ramblings for now. So now you need to go out there and whoop some plastic booty! 

Tournaments Pt. I

Warhammer 40,000 is an incredible game. It has a great back story, fantastic miniatures range, and fun rules. The painting and the fluff provide a lot of enjoyment to the gamer, but at its core, 40k is a game, and it is this experience that is the culmination of all of the elements that make it great. Tournaments are a great way to see new things, learn new tricks, and make new friends. They bring people from miles around to one place to share in the enjoyment of their hobby with others of a like mind. 


There are people out there, however, who have sworn off tournaments, who feel that they will never play in one for one reason or another. These gamers are typically classified as "fluff" or "noncompetitive" gamers, players who build armies strictly based off of units they like or adhering to a strict theme. Some look at tournaments as a personal attack on their views and look at the players as people who cares nothing about the experience,  and only build lists to "Win At All Costs". Any gamer can gain from going to a tournament, regardless of their play style.


REASONS YOU SHOULD PLAY IN A TOURNAMENT


1. Meet new People

40k - Requires more social interaction than WoW

Warhammer 40,000 is a game that requires more than just one person to play. You can't do it all by yourself (well you can, but it is not near as much fun, I've tried it). Tournaments provide a place to meet new people and make friends. At a tournament, you have between 8 - 108 other people who all enjoy the same hobby you do. A certain camaraderie can be felt, and you may find new friends with which to play against.


2. See New Things.

The cool thing about our hobby is that everyone looks at things differently. When building lists or modelling units at home, often you do things similar to the way you have always done them. When you go to a tourney, you get to see how other people view the same thing. There may be 7 Space Marine Players there, but each list is different, and each paint scheme unique. You will see people run units you never gave a second glance, and often see the unit in a new light. You will see combinations you never thought of, and see ways to improve your builds.

You mean I shouldn't just throw my
Tau Suits at Ghazghkull? Astounding!

The tactics will also be different. You may find new ways to run your favorite units, or see how to overcome your biggest obstacles. Sometimes other peoples' perspectives are necessary to pull you out of your gaming rut, and allow you to play up to your potential.


The third part of this is the painting/modeling aspect. I have learned so much about painting and converting/modeling from the people at a tournament. 


By walking around and looking at others armies, you can see how others have gotten certain effects, how they were able to model something, or how they represent that character. You can learn from others experiences, as well as mistakes. That one color you couldn't ever get right, that one model that wouldn't ever stay on his base, many people have had the same issues as you, and have come up with creative ways with which to solve them.


3. Play more games.

Even The Dude plays in Tournaments

Think about it. How often do you get the opportunity to play against 3-6 good opponents and fully painted armies on actual tables with good lookin terrain within a 24-48 hour period? Unless you are at a tournament, then I would dare to guess not very often. 


Tournaments are a good way to play more games, and by doing that you become a better player. Now here in the United States of America, we are born with a few country-specific traits. One of them is hating to lose. I don't care who you are, where you came from, how much of a "fluff" or "noncompetitive" gamer you are, no one likes losing every time. Ya gotta win one every now and then. By going to tournaments, you gain the experience to know how things work and what to and what not to do. How does getting your butt kicked every game make you a "fluffy" or "themed" gamer?

Tournaments are a lot of fun, and have something for all gamers to enjoy. Join me for Part 2 of the series where we will discuss the ways to avoid First Tournament blues and fatal rookie mistakes.


So, what have y'all learned/experienced on the tournament circuit? How has tournament play changed the way you game?