After missing out on playing the last tournament at Games 2 Die 4 due to being the tournament organizer I am going to play in a tournament in Lafayette this coming Saturday. I have never played in anything in Lafayette, but already don't like what I am seeing about the setup.
2000 point tournament
#1. All players are required to bring at least 4 troops.
Even thought I was planning on taking 4 anyways, how do you make someone bring 4?
#2. All Space Marine armies get to use the standard space marine codex for rules on wargear and such.
Wow, Maybe I should take out my Daemonhunters or turn my Space Wolves into black templars to get all the updated wargear. Even better, Dark Angels just got incredibly better for the tournament. Again how do you change the rules this much for a tournament.
#3. All scenarios are kept secret until the game day.
So since Justin and I are traveling up there, I am sure the local crowd will not know the scenarios as they tend to leak out all the time. This is 2010 not 1997.
#4. 20 battle points, 15 soft score points-5 painting-5 Army composition-5 Attitude.
So again the 1997 format of tournaments which is going to determine the winner I am sure. I have no doubt I can get a 5 in attitude, a 3 or 4 in painting, but the army composition piece is stupid. One of the questions is, "Would you like to play this army as a pick up game on a regular basis?" Well if I crush my opponent what is he going to say??????? Seriously?? "Did your opponent spam any units?" Well, so now I cannot take like units in a TOURNAMENT? This is really up in my craw and it shows.
Anyways, I hope to do well and bust some heads as well as have a good time. I will always be polite except to Lysander/Shrike/30 TH/SS guy from the Ardz Boys semi-finals. :)
What are your thoughts on these type of tournaments?
Is it so terrible to actually have to alter your style to play to the tournament standards? Find a way to do well without three or four valkyries and four melta/plasma vet squads in chimeras if losing that one point per game is so terrible.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually play my guard that way. I do like the valkarie and chimera's, but use a different approach. I started using other units before I put the guard down to pursue my space wolves. The problem with this set up is armies like guard are at an advantage because they have multiple troop choices that are cheaper than other armies. Changing the FOC for a tournament is a little concerning for me. Secondly, it isn't the 1 point, but multiple points in army composition that are the problem:
ReplyDeleteDid your opponent use any cheesy combinations?
What kind of question is that? It uses Lash of Submission as an example. All I am saying is that if someone looses to an opponnent they are more likely to think the army is cheesy.
Thank you for your post Baugh.
More importantly I will have fun at the tournament!
Certain armies have to take more of their worst units(Eldar, Tau), while others have to take more of their best(SM, Gaurd). And several armies get free upgrades that they haven't been play-tested for.
ReplyDeleteMost TO's who impose comp restrictions, don't understand 40k as well as they think they do.
@Baugh
Restrictions like this limit the armies I can take to a tourney. For instance, my Eldar are out. I've built and painted a single army list for them, and that army list plays only 3 troops. Shame on me for using the printed rules of 40k to construct my army.
Imagine I had decided to go to that tourney and I hadn't seen this post. I would have been playing in the tourney with a 15% handicap, or worse barred from playing after an hour and a half drive to get there. Simply because I assumed I would be playing 40k according to the official rules of 40k.
Comp hurts 40k because it is exclusionary. It forces out people who don't agree with someones subjective opinion of how toy soldiers should be played. "You can't play in my sandbox, because I don't like blue power rangers, nyah, nyah."
We've been running no-comp tournies in Indy all year. Is it a coincidence that the we've steadily been getting more players from other stores?
I always dislike vague things like:
ReplyDeletedid your opponent spam any type of unit?
what is spamming? If I have 2 troops choices, do I HAVE to take 2 of each so I'm not spamming? can I take 4 of the 'good' unit, and not get a comp hit?
sit down with the Dark Eldar and/or Demonhunters codex, and tell me your comp systems are fair and balanced.