Vegas Invitational Dilemma

I received my Vegas Invitation in my email last night. I can't tell you how excited I was to get it. For one I wasn't in the top 2 of my qualifying event but was third, and 2nd I had completely forgotten about it.

But here's the dilemma, the Tournament ends on the same day I start my summer job. Yeah I know right, it took me about twenty minutes to find the dates for my summer job, where I'll be teaching 3D Modeling and Animation at a summer camp for teenagers, but it starts June 19th, and Throne of Skulls is June 17th - 19th.

So here are a couple of my choices:

1. Reply to the email and tell them I'm not going, and delete it from my Inbox like it never happened (crying myself to sleep).

2. Email my future boss, being as nonchalant as possible, inquiring about the starting dates and kind of mention the invitational and see if he doesn't recommend himself I come in a day later.

3. Show up for the event on the 17th for the non- tournament stuff, and leave Saturday night, after the first day of the tournament and forfeit the second day.

What would you do?

Missions Creep

Have you started to notice how tournaments are shoving in more and more objectives in a game? It's only been a couple weeks since my last tournament but it seems to me that every one I go to has at least 3 different objectives in each game. That's 3 times more objectives then what the 40k rule book has in it's games. It gets even worse when you start to see your Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Missions backed up by 2-3 bonus point objectives.

This wouldn't be to bad, if all of the objectives could be balanced out in a game. What I've started to notice happening is that very competitive players are no longer building their army lists to try to accomplish missions, but rather to table the opponent. Here's why. If you build your army for the in book objetives you have to have a balance of mobility, survivability, and fire power. These 3 items will accomplish the different objective types in the main game. Mobility to capture multiple objectives, Survivability to capture your opponent's objective, and fire power to gain more Kill Points then your opponent.

But Competitive gamers have learned the Skeletal Key of tournament games. If you build your list for fire power only, then all you have to do it table your opponent to win the game. They know that this tactic is the dynamite to your Rock, Paper, Scissors.

What can we do to curve these dynamite players and try to bring tournament armies back to the all-comer lists we used to see. For starters I believe if we began shrinking the number of objectives and stop rewarding those dynamite players for blowing a person up more then the other player who can only accomplish 1 out of 3 we'll start to see army lists at the top tables that are more well rounded.

We can also start creating missions that actually require the objective to be obtained, and on a table result only minimal points are scored. I can hear competitive players screaming now, "But I wiped them out, that's way harder then the mission!" But what if the mission was capture the flag? You don't gain anything by base camping unless you actually are able to get the flag back to your base. If we start to build missions with this mentality then maybe we could see something other then the normal net list across the table.

As I gain more time, I'm going to try to start creating missions like this. And maybe, just maybe the overall tournament environment can be changed a little (hopefully for the better).

Sportmanship Scoring: Your Thoughts

Through out the years I have played in many different tournaments. I have played with and with out sportsmanship scores, and I have played with varying types sportsmanship scoring.

But what is the right way to judge your fellow opponent in sportsmanship. I'm going to highlight three different type of sportsmanship schemes and give the pros and cons of each.

1. The Variable Score - This scoring allows for the most freedom to choose how good of a sport your opponent was during the game. It is usually a score that varies between 0 and another set number. For instance it could be 0-5, 5 being the highest score, and 0 being the worst.

Pros
- Gives the player the choice of what to give the opposing player.

Cons
- Is very subjective to the scoring player.
- Is hard to define what each numerical value is in terms of sportsmanship.
- Players can manipulate this score to hurt their opponents out of spite.

2. The Bad Game Score - I was introduced to this system last year at Wasteland Wars and was pleased with the way it works. The basis is that that everyone starts with the exact same score, and at the end of each game you decide if you had a good game or a bad game. If you had a bad game you mark your opponent as a bad game and that's it. If you only have one bad game as a player you lose a small amount of points, but if you have multiple bad games it escalates going from 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 to 64 for a five game tournament. So if everyone starts out with 64 points you will most likely end the tournament with 64 points unless you had something to be a bad sport about. To read more about this kind of scoring check out www.wastelandwars.org or www.alamogt40k.com where this system is run

Pros
- One spiteful hit from an opponent will not hurt your score drastically. Instead of being a 20% dock in a five game tournament it's only a 6% hit.
- It's not as subjective, it's a Yes or No answer to how good of a game did you have.

Cons
- There is still a small amount of subjectivity, and being hit by a spiteful player still hurts.

3. Answer the Questions Scoring - This is the type of scoring I've run in my events. It is a set of questions asked such as;
Was your opponent reasonably knowledgeable of the basic rules? +2 points.
Was your opponent courteous and civil? +2 points.
Even if you got destroyed, did you enjoy the game? +1 point.
This allows you to create a focus of how you would like people to behave and perform at your event.

Pros
- The TO can customize the how he would like an event to be held.
- Players are making informed decisions on what each point is worth and how to score their opponents.

Cons
- Players do not have as much control as how they are scoring their opponents.


These are the three different sportsmanship schemes that I've seen and played through. As of right now I prefer the last one but still enjoy playing through the second one. I have a problem with the first one as it makes it real easy for players to be spiteful if they lost the game. What are your thoughts and which type do you prefer to use in your events.

Incoming: Grey Knights

At last GW has announced the return of the Grey Knights. Check out their Article Here!

Grey Knights: Rumors or Wishlisting?

So Blood of Kittens has Release quite few rumors regarding the Grey Knights that are sound a little to good to be true.

In fact they're starting to remind me of my own wishlist from a while back. What do you guys think?

Here is some clarification of the big rumors that have been floated around the Internet concerning the GK codex.

1. GK codex WILL NOT have inducted units. Allies are effectively gone!

2. If it has boobies it will not be in the GK codex if has man parts it will be in this dex. That means Penitent Engines, Argo flagellants, Priests are in.

3. GK and GKT have plastic kits and will be troop choices.

4. Release Date is March-May window.

5. The Stormraven is in (duh) and along with Penitent Engines are currently the only two Fast Attacks slots in the dex.

6. Look for HQs changing the FoC around

7. GW will not take away your toys meaning if you bought 50 Imperial Storm Troopers they will have a place in the GK codex

8. Assassins are in as an Elite slot and any type of GK army can take them.

Let us start with the mundane stuff

GKs are Space Marines they do not have Fearless or Stubborn they have Combat Tactics and They Shall Know No Fear

GKs only vehicles options are Land Raiders, Razorbacks, Rhinos, Chimera and Stormraven. All GK vehicles are immune to Shaken and Stunned. Stormraven is not a dedicated Transport.

GKs do not get Bikes, Jump Packs, or Chaplains

All GKs are psyker and their powers act very much in the same way as Psyker Battle Squad.

GKs will not have access to most Vanilla Marine Gear especially Heavy Weapons and Special Weapons (No Melta Spamming)

Let us get down to some specifics

Brother-Captain Stern has Eternal Warrior and his attacks can remove models from play.

The Grand Master gives out special abilities to GK units (Not USRs) We are talking weapon upgrades and minor wargear bonuses.

All GKs cause Deep Striking units to mishap if placed within 6 inches of any Grey Knight unit.

All GKs Nemesis Force Weapons are Force Weapons and no longer Str 6.

Unlike the Archon’s court from the Dark Eldar Codex Henchman + Witchhunter rejects are Elite slots. These Squads can be mixed and have many options. For instance the Warrior can get Storm Shields and power weapon. Henchman act more like Beast Master Squads than the Archon’s Court.

Henchman include everything Daemonhosts, Death-Cult Assassins, Argo flagellants, Priests, Stormtroopers, Warriors

Holocaust is now 12 inch range large blast

Mystic is now only a teleport homer

All GK vehicles are immune to Shaken and Stunned (Sacred Hull). Stormraven is not a dedicated Transport. All GK vehicles are psykers with LD 10

Blessed is now a vehicle psychic power that picks one facing and raises the AV by 2 to a max of 14

GKs have access to GK Command Squads giving them access to Apothecaries (FNP)

Vindicare has unlimited ammo for all special shots.

GKs have access to many weapon upgrades.

GKs can pay for + str or rending for their storm bolters

Grand Masters give D3 special powers to Grey Knight units. Things like Digital Weapons, Master Crafted weapons, Wolf Standard, but with GK names.

Psycannon is Str 7 rending ap 4 either can fire 2 shots moving or 4 shots standing still.

Incenerator Str 5 ap 4 rending

Callidus Assassin = Long Fangs and Lootas no more. Works like Lictors/Marbo drops a str 4 ap 2 large blast when enters play and can still use the Neural Shredder which is now Str 8 ap 2.

The other Assassin are just updated versions of their old selves with the Culexus especially devastating to Psykers.

Their are three special character Inquisitors one of which will make Henchman Troop choices.

One GKs Special character will make Purgation Squads Troops (yes you heard that right) you can spam psycannons all you want.

One GK Special Character can take cheap termies talking Chaos Space Marine Terminator Cheap.

Grey Knights are around Plague Marine Cost

GKT are normal vanilla marine termy cost.

Nemesis Force Weapons can be upgrade as well increased initiative is one option.

Grey Knights do get a MC a cross between a Talos and Karamazov Elite choice. The plastic kit is done on this one so expect it with GK launch.

Dreadnoughts are Heavy Support.

GKT can mix and match Nemesis Force Weapons and TH/SS and get psy weapons as well.

Any GK unit can once per game gate of infinity with no deviation in the movement face and can shoot, but not assault. This could still be changed to become the new Grey Knight Teleport Attack and moved to Fast Attack slot.

Remembered something about 2000 point armies being about 20 models well this is what I mean…

The reason I held this last leak back is for no other reason than my idealized vision of what Space Marines have always been thematic depicted as. The fluff is filled with stories of Heroic deeds suck things like 10 marines holding back whole armies. This is the first unit that I feel is starting to get to that point of fluff becomes table top reality. Simply wave your magic mouse over the empty area all will be revealed!

Grey Knights will be see the return of the 2 wound terminator. These new elite terminators will have 2 wounds and FNP and access to all the upgrades and options of all GKT in the codex. To make things more interesting one special character can make these terminators troop choices. What remains to be seen is if they will get Eternal Warrior…