Advice on a first tournament outing

[Simo429]

Not necessarily a specific wolf question but I would like the advice of brothers with longer fangs

What to specifically do and more important don't do in terms of etiquette and gaming

 

Cheers

[Mac the knife]

Well, I can't speak exactly for 40k etiquette, however there are some universal rules that do apply to gaming in general.

 

1) Bathe, please ensure that you have bathed within the last 24hrs. If you have bathed and know you sweat quite a bit ensure you wear speedstick.

 

2) Everyone is there to have fun... If you get mad quickly its better to take a step back drink a Mt Dew and take a deep breath than to lose your temper. (Also important if you lose) I've made some great friends just by knowing how to lose gracefully.

 

3) Always ask before picking up something of someone elses. Most people won't care if you want to look at their minis but make sure you ask permission.

 

4) Keep your gear with you... If you walk away from it don't be suprised if it's gone when you come back.

 

5) One thing that took me awhile to figure out is that most of the older gamers are great sources of advice and tips. They generally will be willing to help you out some if you act like an adult. Some moreso than others.

 

6) Constructive criticism is a part of every game make the most of it. Don't take it personally.

 

I'm sure some of my fellow brothers have some more focused advice for you.

[Stormbrow II]

Don't accuse the judges of rigging the tournament afterwards if the thing doesn't go your way. They *really* don't like that and many of them have long memories and will bear a grudge for a long time.

 

With that out of the way, I'd give some general advice.

 

1. Wash: There will be an awful hum from many of the people in the room. Make sure you aren't one of them or people will avoid you. However polite they may be, no-one wants to be given a blast of BO after having a big breakfast. Note that if you are at a 2-day event and you're hungover you can make the sacrifice if you have enough Lynx and are in a hurry.

 

2. Food/Drink: Just like an exam you should a decent breakfast to help you concentrate. Bring decent food and a bottle of water with you or buy a proper lunch/dinner. Eating sugary food/drinks gives you a sugar rush for a spike in energy before dropping your levels down later on. You'll feel tired and hungry faster than you would do eating healthier food where sugar breaks down slowerr and you won't be concentrating as much on what you're doing. You're mind will wander and you'll forget stuff if you start getting distracted. Which you will if you're tired. The same applies to being dehydrated.

 

3. Don't be afraid to call BS: If someone does something you think is wrong then call him on it. If he tries to disembark a unit from a tank that has moved Flat-Out call him on it. Most of the time people will simply have brainfarts. Sometimes they'll try to chance their arm. If something doesn't look/sound right then say it there and then. Try to resolve it first before going to a judge. Do *not* leave it and complain about it after the event has happened. That's useless to everybody as judges will actually appreciate it if they're given a heads-up about someone pulling shenanigans.

 

4. Focus on the mission: *Shameless plug*. If you read through the Brocon game 1 Battle report you'll see that I focused on killing off a pair of Zoanthropes with ranged fire from my tanks when I should have moved up to cockblock them, by forcing them to move around my tanks, and prevent them getting near to my objective. It cost me the win as they were able to run straight onto it. I tried to gun them down rather than protect my objective.

 

5. Know your foe: You should have an idea of what kind of lists you do and don't want to face. Go through in your mind what kind of tactics you'll use against what army in what mission e.g. Guard in Dawn of War if I go first I'll deploy aggressively and push everything forward foregoing shooting on Turn 1 but if I'm going 2nd then I'll hold everything in reserve and push everything up on one flank. When you have an idea of how to deal with an army you'll be a bit more confident and less prone to making silly mistakes or messing up your target priority.

 

The 2nd part of this is that its helpful to know the rules in as many of the other codices as possible so that you a) know what to shoot/assault and :devil: there isn't any...misinterpretations of the rules. See also point 3.

 

6. Go over your rulebook: you don't know it inside and out. Read it and apply a few rules with models in front of you so you can make a picture of it. When you make a picture of it and you read about it you are using both sides of your brain, not just one. You'll remember it better.

 

7. Bring your own stuff: Dice, templates, Codex, Army List, Measuring tape.

 

8. Declare what you're doing: If you declare that you are going to do something and its wrong then an opponent will usually correct you on it. Brocon game 2 saw me throw out a Melta shot from the top of a Rhino at a Falcon although I wanted to shoot the Rune Priest's power at a Wave Serpent's rear armour because I thought I could fire at 2 different targets using the Fire Points.

 

9. Don't be a sore winner/loser: There's nothing to stop someone offering to buy you a drink and then spitting in it at the bar before you get to drink it.

 

There's probably some stuff that I'm missing. If I think of anything I'll add it.

[TiguriusX]

3. Don't be afraid to call BS: If someone does something you think is wrong then call him on it. If he tries to disembark a unit from a tank that has moved Flat-Out call him on it. Most of the time people will simply have brainfarts. Sometimes they'll try to chance their arm. If something doesn't look/sound right then say it there and then. Try to resolve it first before going to a judge. Do *not* leave it and complain about it after the event has happened. That's useless to everybody as judges will actually appreciate it if they're given a heads-up about someone pulling shenanigans.

 

4. Focus on the mission: *Shameless plug*. If you read through the Brocon game 1 Battle report you'll see that I focused on killing off a pair of Zoanthropes with ranged fire from my tanks when I should have moved up to cockblock them, by forcing them to move around my tanks, and prevent them getting near to my objective. It cost me the win as they were able to run straight onto it. I tried to gun them down rather than protect my objective.

 

5. Know your foe: You should have an idea of what kind of lists you do and don't want to face. Go through in your mind what kind of tactics you'll use against what army in what mission e.g. Guard in Dawn of War if I go first I'll deploy aggressively and push everything forward foregoing shooting on Turn 1 but if I'm going 2nd then I'll hold everything in reserve and push everything up on one flank. When you have an idea of how to deal with an army you'll be a bit more confident and less prone to making silly mistakes or messing up your target priority.

 

The 2nd part of this is that its helpful to know the rules in as many of the other codices as possible so that you a) know what to shoot/assault and :) there isn't any...misinterpretations of the rules. See also point 3.

 

6. Go over your rulebook: you don't know it inside and out. Read it and apply a few rules with models in front of you so you can make a picture of it. When you make a picture of it and you read about it you are using both sides of your brain, not just one. You'll remember it better.

 

Knowing the rules and standing up against potential cheaters are the biggest items in my opinion

 

Don't panic...try to keep a plan in mind and don't forget the rules/objectivesfor your tournament mission

 

Don't quit

[G. A. K.]

Keep things moving, time goes very fast if your not thinking about it. You want to have as many turns as possible and assaults eat up the clock a lot when you are figuring out: # of att. hits, wounds, saves, etc.

On that note, be firm if you thiink your right, look it up, but eventually sometimes if the guy won't listen. Dice it and move on, its better to 50/50 than waist time.

 

Have a nicly written list and know it. It doesn't need to be armybuilder but a little time put into a hand written list really helps. Names and points don't give me any clue what weapons, etc. they have. The list isn't so much about your math as the info it provides your opponent. A lot of players know the other armies so simply listing your upgrades is enough for many players. Others however will look to you as the guy who plays they, and you better know the answers if you want things to keep moving. Have your codex handy (Glue too, plastic men jump of tables).

 

I take the time to clearly explain exactly what each squad has during deployment. With our WG and such it can be a little messly, after that they can ask but its thier job to keep track of were your moving what, and who hasn't arrived yet. Answer Q's but don't just mention your squad on melta scouts still in reserve :lol:

 

Always keep you eyes on the mission!! the bonus points can help a lot, even if you lose you can still gain some of these sometimes. Also keep your opponent from gettting his, make him really try for those extra three points or so. Even if your own outcome looks to be certain defeat.

 

Most imprtant of all have fun its just dice, you can't control too much.

 

G

[WG Vrox]

Other than what was already said,

 

1) measure correctly and move to the exact measured spot, I have made many friends by ensuring that my movements are precise and by the book, these are good friends to have later as you can expect the same in return.

 

2) Offer to roll a die to decide on a line of sight issue or a more than 50% in cover roll situation instead of calling the judge over. It's a huge time waster asking the judge to make the call and you have about the same chances.

 

3) Discuss what each piece of terrain represents before you pick sides.

 

4) Agree on when the game will end. meaning on top of turn 5 and you only have 3 min left to play, do you allow the person 3 min of play and the other person not get a turn or do you quit at the top of 5. This is a huge issue that if agreed upon at the beginning saves a lot of grief.

 

5) Do not take forever to do your turn, you should have a pretty good idea of what pieces are going to move where after his shooting phase is over, if you leave it till the end you will take precious time deciding on your time.

With that, if you think someone is delaying the game, call them on it, tell them they have already taken 10 min to move and would appreciate the time consideration for your up coming turn. Most people get stuck in a loop and don't realize they are taking so much time. Others do it as a sneaky FU tactic.

 

6) Have fun and enjoy the moment. Learn to laugh at a situation that would be funny if it wasn't you it was happening to. Five 1s out of 6 dice for a to hit roll, means your troops need to hit the practice range or spend some time considering their mistake while mopping the great hall of the fang for a month.

 

You can get mad and throw dice or you can laugh and focus on your next move. I have won many games because my opponent gets frustrated and starts making more and more mistakes.

 

-Vrox