The one where I run a tournament...

Those of you following my recent tweet pattern and blog posts will know that I've had a spot of bother with a competitor who was frustrated at the way the list build worked within the tournament. Reflecting on this, between myself and the LGS, we didn't confer on what can/can't be included until about 24 hours before the event! I can understand the frustration of the competitor involved, however what was said is inexcusable. I can confirm that this person was a keyboard warrior who has no substance behind his idle threat! I do admit that it didn't help that when I waded in I read the original rule pack wrong so I posted something completely different to what was actually being said! Having discussed the list build with the LGS, we have agreed that it should be done the way I read it as next time! (Not saying I'm always right...but well, you know!) Instead of using one FOC where each person takes 750 pts, which is open to abuse of only taking 1 HQ and 2 troops between both players, it has been decided that next time we do this event it will be 1 HQ per person, which fills in the FOC HQ choice and then 2 troops each - 4 of the 6 slots for troops and then fill the lists out as they please!
I can confirm that the keyboard warrior was deeply apologetic for the comments he made, especially when he saw he was threatening to hit a 16 stone, 6'4" man with a ghetto booty! So all's well!

On to the tournament! We had 10 teams which was absolutely fantastic! The way we would score this is to do point differential for each round, which meant that players who wanted a chance to win would have to play either conservatively or aim to smash opponents off the table! For example: Team A win 9 - 6 in the first game, so they are on +3 and team B are on -3. This would mean rankings and opponent match ups are easier to calculate. The problem that I've experienced in the past is if I have won a round but only won by 1VP and another player wins by 15VP, on a score sheet a TO will only see a win! So I could end up playing someone who will completely blow me off the table instead of a match up which would lead to a close and exciting game for both parties! In this tournament we had a real mix of players; some who have just started, some who have picked it up to play doubles after an absence and some who play in the GT... Before I even start can you guess who is going to win? Spoiler Alert... It's not who you think!

So, 10 teams, 3 rounds (Purge the Alien/Dawn of War, Big Guns Never Tire/Vanguard Strike, The Scouring/Hammer and Anvil). Each round lasts 2 hours including set up and pack up time! Now, not every game lasted for the full 2 hours and we did manage to finish earlier than planned!

What I'm going to do if run down the tourney lists (without points) to give you an idea of what we dealing with! I have written the lists as it would be on 1 FOC but for some of them you can guess what goes with what!

List 1: News Team: Farsight with Tau

Farsight
Commander w/armour, engram chip, multispectrum sensor, system jammer

10 Kroot
6 Fire Warriors
7 Fire Warriors

Riptide w/EWO, VT, ECPA (Don't ask me what they are cos I haven't got a clue! All I know is, they'd be shit at Countdown!)
Riptide w/Accelerator, EWO, Defence System

5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders

Skyray w/Blacksun Fliter
3 Broadsides w/EWO

List 2: Where did all the calculators go?: Necron with Necron

Overlord w/Warsythe, Sempiternal Weave, Resser Orb, Phase Shifter
Overlord w/Warsythe, Sempiternal Weave, Resser Orb, Phase Shifter

15 Warriors
15 Warriors

6 Scarabs
6 Scarabs

4 Destroyers w/Heavy Cannon

Doom Scythe
Anni Barge
Anni Barge

List 3: Belial's Revenge: Dark Angels with Dark Angels

Belial
Librarian w/Termie Armour

Deathwing Knights

7 Deathwing Termies
5 Deathwing Termies
5 Deathwing Termies

5 Ravenwing Attack Squad

List 4: The Metal: Imperial Guard with Necrons

Overlord w/ Res orb and Warblade
Cryptek w/Harbringer of the Storm, lightning field, Vaultic Staff
Cryptek w/Harbringer of the Storm, Ether Crystal, Vaulatic Staff

36 Necron Warriors (Put into squads but for ease... you get the idea!)

5 Scarab Bases
Devil Dog w/Smoke Launchers
Valkyrie w/Lascannon

Manticore
Lemon Russ w/ Lascannon
Leman Russ w/Lascannon, H. Bolters

List 5: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH GITSNIK: Grey Knights with Space Marines (Ultramarines)

Cotez
Sicarus

10 GK Termies
12 Henchmen w/5 storm bolters, 7 bolters
10 Tact Sq w/Missile Launcher, flamer
5 Scout sq w/h.bolter, Land Speeder Storm


Stormtalon w/Missile Launcher
Stormtalon w/Missile Launcher

List 6: Missing my Midgets: Grey Knights with Grey Knights

Grand Master

Strike Squad
Strike Squad
Terminator Squad

Vindicare Assassin

Stromraven Gunship

Dreadknight w/teleporter, Psycannon
Dreadknight w/greatsword, psycannon

List 7: 476: CSM with CSM

Sorcerer w/Lvl3, familiar, sigil of corruption
Sorcerer w/Lvl2, familiar

10 Marines w/autocannon, plasma gun
10 Marines w/melta bombs, flamer, plasma
5 Marines

Heldrake w/Baleflamer

Hellbrute w/plasma cannon

3 Obilterators w/MoN and Vet of the Long War
Vindi w/combi bolter
Vindi w/combi bolter

Aegis

List 8: Kelly and Lee: Necrons with Necrons

Destroyer Lord w/mindshakles, weave, res orb

10 Warriors w/Night Sythe
10 Warriors
10 Immortals w/Night Sythe
6 Warriors

6 Wraiths
3 Wraiths w/Whip Coils

3 Anni Barges

List 9: 1 and a half men, AKA Emperor's Finest: Tau with Dark Eldar

Shadowsun
Haemonculi

10 Kabalite w/Raider (Flickerfield, Night Shield)
10 Kabalite Warriors
10 Kroot
10 Kroot

5 Stealth Team w/shield generator, fusion blaster

9 Pathfinders w/ 3 railrifles, 2 drones, 3 EMP Grenades, Bonding Knife
Razorwing Jetfighter w/Splinter Cannon, Flickerfields

Ravager w/Night Shields, Flickerfields
Talos Pain Engine w/Chain Flails, +1 combat weapon

List 10: Ginger Ninjas: Guard with Tau

Lord Commisar
Etheral w/Marker Drone

12 Fire Warriors
10 Veterans w/meltaguns, grenade launcher, carapace armour, Chimera
10 Veterans w/Vox, Melta gun, grenade launcher, carapace armour

 Leman Russ w/Lascannon, Camo netting
Leman Russ w/Lascannon, Camo netting

So, there are the lists... There is an interesting mix and some which are not the most likely of combos you'd expect! The whole day was a real success with a few rule disputes and one rule I didn't know but is totally awesome! The one rule dispute which stood out for me was the misconception that you can come on with a Stormraven (I'll let you guess which list that is) from the oppo board edge and assault on the same turn! Well, we of course know that this isn't the case and as soon as that was sorted out...no problems!
What I didn't realize was if you go to ground in area terrain you add +2 to your cover save not +1! WOW! So that makes it a +3 cover save instead of a +4! Awesome! I know now that I have a back up if I have to place an objective nearly out in the open! Every day's a school day!

The tournament went to-and-fro with teams taking points off each other! One list which will be of no surprise to you will be the Tau list with Farsight does particularly well. In fact, with the differential system in the first game they come up against the Belial's revenge. Bear in mind that there is 2 hours for a round, this game was over in under an hour... in the 3rd turn. On reflection, this random first match up wasn't the greatest success. The farsight list won 11-0! Another big win was the Missing my Midgets against the Where did all the calculators go; 13-2. So a difference of 11 too! It was inevitable that these two giants would play each other in the 2nd round. Other scores from the round:
Kelly and Lee 5 - 476 9
WAAAGH 5 - The Metal 5
Emperor's Finest 6 - Ginger Ninjas 7

A few close results! The challenge is to let everyone play games which would give them a test of their ability but also won't be a total whitewash! So the match ups look like this:
Where did all the calculators go 9 - Belial's Revenge 0
Missing my Midgets 0 - News Team 16
Kelly and Lee 16 - The Metal 3
WAAAGH 4 - Emperor's Finest 3
Ginger Ninjas 1 - 476 19
 Well... close... maybe in 1 game! The thing with some of the games is, you hold 2 objectives and things run away from you! Now this put it all into the mix. Yes, the tournament tau team (try saying that drunk) we winning on a differential with 27 points! The nearest contenders were 476 with 22. Everyone else was in neg numbers. Belial's Revenge on -20 and Ginger Ninjas on -18!

During this round I promised a regular down the store that I'd play Warmahordes High Command Card Game. I was a bit dubious about playing, because after all, I don't need another game to be investing in! After playing however, the game mechanics work quite similarly to My Little Pony (more on that later... yes, it is so manly!) TCG. You have to spend resources to buy creatures and put them in locations to earn VPs! The player who gets the most VPs win! Simples! You choose your faction, just like the game and your Warcaster(s)! Yes, you need 3 Warcasters to build your deck.

I did enjoy the game and it was challenging! An interesting dymanic that you have to pay for beasts before you can have them in your hand and use them on locations.

Now it is approaching the final round... And it looked like the win was in the bag for the fluffy Tau list. So fluffy that kittens would be jealous! So fluffy that pillows all over the world seem like stone. So fluffy... yeah okay, you get the idea and I've run out of ideas of fluffyness comparisons! What you need to know is that it was the fluffiest list... at a GT!

The match ups would pit the Tau against the CSM build. This caused great excitement all around...for the Tau players, not anyone else. The mission, The Scouring, would be something fairly testing and I had a sneaking suspicion that something unexpected could happen! Well, it very nearly did! Into turn 3 and 2 Vindis were still left and bearing down on the broadsides and riptides. That was, until the riptides popped out and eventually bust both Vindis!
Fear not though! The CSM players held high scoring objectives and their plan for the next two turns would be to just hold those two objectives and nick the game! This very nearly happened! The only thing stopping them... The Heldrake got shot down giving a VP to the Tau! The game ended with a 7-7 draw! Originally both sets of players thought the CSMs had won...until they pointed it up at the end! Nevertheless, this game was by far the closest the Tau came to defeat and it was thrilling to watch!
In other news, Kelly and Lee's Wraith Wing went toe-to-toe with 10 Termies and Cotez... I should tell you before I write about this combat that I visited WAAAGH's first two games both on Turn 1 and 3 in the past two games and in turn 1 there was a full unit of termies, in turn 3 there was just Cotez...both times! Now, I was really surprised that in an army with so many shots that the termies did not bite the dust. Instead a tactical error placed the termies up against the 5 wraith star with the destroyer lord. I think the phrase is...Dead! The whole unit of Wraiths destroyed in the first round of combat along with the lord! Not a great start for 1st turn! It was only then the rest of the cron force decided it wanted to smash the shit out of the termies!

One thing I do want to point out is this...

Yes, cron cowboys! Don't you just know it!

The final round panned out like this:
476 7 - News Team 7
Where did all the calculators go? 4 - Emperor's Finest 4
Missing my Midgets 15 - The Metal 0
Belial's Revenge 9 - Ginger Ninjas 3
Kelly and Lee 6 - WAAAGH 8

All in all a very worthwhile and exciting tournament. I know for some the match ups didn't suit them or the games they played they got tabled because of the lists but that's tournament play! I hope everyone had a good day!
The winners of the tournament got £25 in GW credit, 2nd place £15, 3rd place £10 and the losers were suggested that they play a different game, so were given a booster of My Little Pony each! This actually worked out better for the losers as you might think! Both the lads were very interested to play the game, so it was win-win! The comment one of the lads used was "I'm glad we got tabled every round!" So it's not all bad!

The final standings looked like this:
News Team +27
476 +22
Missing my midgets +10
Kelly and Lee +7
WAAAGH GITSNIK +3
Emperor's Finest -2
Where did all the calculators go? -2
Belial's Revenge -11
Ginger Ninjas -24
The Metal -28

A fantastic tournament with a great group of people. The comments on FB aside it was a truly worthwhile days gaming which brought everyone together to share ideas! Really enjoyed it and hope I can run one again soon!

Just because that is what you ALWAYS see on a 40k battlefield... what the Emperor will do in the Warp! Only included on this table because the wall you can see in the foreground in suspiciously like the one used in Jurrasic Park! Not like the movie replica but you get the jist! All we're missing are the cars, but I would think due to their previous track record, they're off the board broken down!







Now, I am off to play the manliest card game I know... My Little Pony! I will be writing a post on how manly I am! If you're lucky, I'll even include photos of in game play! In your heads right now you've just gone "OoOoOoOoOh!" Don't deny it...I know you did!


Thanks for reading! I'll see you soon!