Guest Post: Tournament Player 101

Tonight, I wanted to share a quick article from one of our local players concerning being prepared as a player for tournaments. I agree with most of it and think there are some pretty solid recommendations for new tourney players in here, so I decided to give Deathbringer the floor tonight for this rantish post.

Deathbringer here. The title seems pretty self explanatory but after playing in the tournament held by Dark Future Games and MI40K this previous Saturday i realized that a few players out there aren't coming to tournaments fully prepared (not that i had a bad time, it was a fantastic tournament). Being a good player and being a good tournament player are two totally different things and it showed in the games I played and saw on Saturday. There are a few things that need to be addressed that I believe would be good for both the veterans and newbies to hear and analyze. 
    
    First things first. Supplies are very important. I was surprised that some people came to this tournament unprepared even when it was posted on the site prior to the tournament what was required. A good tournament player will have at the very minimum the following;

The codex of the army they are playing

Templates and a Tape measure

Enough Dice (12 dice is not enough if you play a horde army, remember turns are timed)

LEGIBLE Army list (Multiple copies for every opponent each round is nice)

Your codex’s FAQ

    There are other things that are equally important. A firm understanding of your list and the rules of the respective units in your army is key. Having a good understanding of both makes a much more competent player and will prevent multiple trips back to your codex during your timed turn to avoid an unintentional stalling call to the judge. It also helps make the judges day a lot easier if you know all of your units abilities and how they interact with each other to avoid multiple calls to them. If both you and your opponent have done this, the judge should only have to come over for unusual big rulebook situations.

    When it is necessary to call the judge over to the table, make sure that both of speak calmly and clearly about what the problem is. Use models as a reference and let the other person speak as well. At the end of the conversation, let the judge restate the problem without interrupting him and make sure he knows exactly what the problem is so that he does not make a mistake or ruling error from lack of information. Good communication skills with the judge and your opponent is a very good skill to have. 
    Having a strong knowledge of the big rulebook and at least a basic knowledge of other codex’s will make your tournament experience a lot easier and more enjoyable. Both you and your opponent knowing the basic rules and other interactions of the rules will make the game go much smoother and resolve most issues fairly easy. Having a basic understanding of other codex’s will help you to not have any “rude” surprises and know the strange rules questions that come up from certain codex specific abilities (Dreadknight anyone?) and make the game go much quicker and problem free. Knowing other codex’s too will also help make you aware of strange rule interactions with your army and your opponents so you can address that with your opponent prior to the game starting when things can come and they will be much more biased depending on the situation and where you both are in the game.
    As stupid as it sounds, even though its a tournament, try to have fun! You have to spend 2+ hours with the person across the table from you. Having fun will help your sportmanship score and help to resolve issues easier without having to call the judge for every little problem you have. Remember, if your a dick through the whole day, even if you end up winning the whole tournament you still have to make it to your car at the end of the night! (LOL)
    If everyone that comes to a tournament would try to at least do this, it would make everyones life a lot easier and we would all have a lot better of a time. So please, Bring the basic supplies, don’t be that guy and know your rules and know the big rule book too. So now the floors open. Any comments or anything to add? Let hear about positive or negative experiences at tournaments or anything else that needs to be addressed that i missed.