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Hey Folks!

I've been playing Warhammer 40k Tabletop for a while now; I started after 5th edition came out. My first tournament ever was literally when I first starting playing, and it was the 'Ard Boyz tournament. I've since participated in two local RTTs and a couple of "40k tournaments" at my local gaming stores - 1850 tourneys, 350 point boss battles, that kind of stuff.

I'm a pretty intelligent and fairly tactically sound player, and the idea of expanding or building my army on prizes I earn at larger tournaments is appealing to me. SO!!!

How do I find out about the big tournaments? I know there are Grand Tournaments somewhere, I'm guessing once a year. Florida has a Necro tournament or something. Is there a "GW calendar" or something that would let me find out what's going on when and where, what the entry fees are, and what the prizes are?

Thanks!

http://adepticon.org/

You can register and ask questions about it at


http://www.adeptuswindycity.com/forums/

Understandable to see Adepticon brought up - from my understanding the guy who wrote the Adepticon's rules (Yakface) - this is his website?

What about the GTs and other big ones? I want to participate in a big tournament (I'll be living in North Carolina shortly), but I don't know where to even begin looking or planning.

He wrote the FAQ, yes, together with others.

It's probably the biggest indy tournament. For everything else
I guess you can check the GW website.

I found out info about the last GT at GW's website, but nothing about upcoming stuff.

What I'm trying to find out....is there any sort of "compendium" of what goes on where? And how much the stuff costs, and what the prizes are? I checked out the Adepticon page, and saw some stiff entry fees ($25-$125) where I'm used to having a $5 entry fee for local stuff...but I didn't see any details about what the rewards are.

Anyone?

Dashofpepper wrote:I found out info about the last GT at GW's website, but nothing about upcoming stuff.

What I'm trying to find out....is there any sort of "compendium" of what goes on where? And how much the stuff costs, and what the prizes are? I checked out the Adepticon page, and saw some stiff entry fees ($25-$125) where I'm used to having a $5 entry fee for local stuff...but I didn't see any details about what the rewards are.

Anyone?

First, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm the Marketing Coordinator for AdeptiCon, and I'll be running the 40K Gladiator tournament at AdeptiCon this year as well. I'm also definitely a Tournament Gamer, having attended numerous AdeptiCon's, other conventions, GT's and amassing a record that makes me quite happy (2-time AdeptiCon Gladiator Champ - hence why they told me I had to run the event this year - GT Chicago 2007 Champ, and a bunch of other awards).

Actually, AdeptiCon's prices are quite reasonable. Compared to a GT, where you spend $125-$140 for two days of gaming, at AdeptiCon, you'll spend that much for three days (or less, depending on what events you're participating in, etc.). The other major events are similar...you can't really compare a convention like AdeptiCon, the Necro, Grand Tournaments, or other independent events, with local tourneys at your FLGS. The Ard Boyz were entirely funded by GW Trade Sales, btw... that prize support has to come from somewhere.

Having said that, AdeptiCon has the largest amount of prize support of any GW-related convention, I believe. We've got a Sponsor Coordinator (Inq. Malice) who's been steadily working the interwebs and phones to line up sponsors who donate product and other services, some of which we use, most of which is given away, either as part of the goody bag all attendees receive (this year, for example, attendees will receive 2 BL books, ltd ed figs, etc.) and as prizes to event winners. The largest prize is always the 40K Gladiator (this year the winner walks away with a FW Reaver Titan), but every winner receives something. (When my team won Best Team Tacticians in 2006, we all got a box of Eldar Aspect Warriors, for example).

However...

...if winning prizes is your only reason for attending (AdeptiCon or any other event), my advice would be not to bother.

Because the competition is stiff, and after all, in the end its just a hobby we all enjoy. Did I mention that the competition is really, really stiff? If you've not attended any large events before, you've really got no idea what level of play and painting to expect. I know I didn't, when I started attending GT's. If you go and your only goal is winning product, you're quite likely to be disappointed, and will probably end up feeling a bit let down. And that's going to lead to a negative experience, not just for yourself, but for other people around you as well.

Attending AdeptiCon, a GT, or any other large event, is really a chance to make new friends, play games with people you've never met, see new armies, conversions, and paint schemes you've never thought of, and a time to enjoy hanging out with other people who enjoy the hobby as much as you do. If you win stuff, great! But in the end, it should be about playing the games, and playing them well, not the winning in and of itself. Because winning consistently at major event is not nearly as simple as winning among your local gaming group at your FLGS.

Some other GT/Adepticon veterans and myself once determined that anyone who could get into the top 20 at a GT could have easily ended up winning overall, had a little bit gone differently here and there. Simple things like matchups can make huge differences in the standings - I won the AdeptiCon Gladiator last year, but if I'd run up against a Mechanized Eldar army, I probably wouldn't have. There's simply too much stuff that you can't control. If you get too focused on winning, as opposed to playing well, you lose a lot of the enjoyment of the experience.

A major event like AdeptiCon or a GT brings lots of people from different areas together to play games for a weekend. All those people are dedicated enough to have better than average armies, and to spend the money/time necessary to take a weekend off for this hobby we love. Almost by default, these people will tend to be the bigger fish in their local ponds. At a major, you've got all these big fish together, and some are going to be bigger than others. The boys from Toledo, the 40K Wrecking Crew, Da Boyz, the Warmongers, SoCal GW, independents like myself and Scott Simpson...all excellent players and good people...and any given Sunday, we could all beat each other.

Anyway, this isn't to say that I hope you don't come to AdeptiCon or a GT...I hope you do. It's a great time, and its an experience not to be missed. But go with the intention of having fun first and playing as well as you can. Winning...will come in time. It's a nice bonus, but don't make it your primary objective.

Very well said. Can't add anything other than that.

Evidently some of the ones in CO have gone stright to Hell. When you buy that ticket to enter, Caveat Emptor.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/230345.page

I'd hardly consider that convention a major.

*laughing*

I'm not asking about GTs and big tournaments so that I can show up and sweep the competition. The local games I play where I am are fun, but I see the same people over and over, and the same armies time and again. I'd like to get out and see new things and new people and new armies - and see how other people react to different situations and perhaps expand my repertoire of tricks and tactics.

However, this is a hobby. When I go to a store and ask for a game, they don't charge me for their time. We both take pleasure in playing each other. If I'm going to have to shell out $150 to play my hobby, I'd like to know what I'm competing for. I want to have fun too, but I'm competitive. So I want to know what my money puts me in competition for....is that really out of line?

I'm not worried about losing. I am *very* competitive. Losing means more to me than winning; it gives me an opportunity to learn a weakness in my own tactics, or a strength in someone elses' tactics. Kind of like playing a video game. I'm freaking AWESOME at Dawn of War. I can whip the computer with my eyes closed, and on certain maps playing certain armies, I do particularly well. But when I go online and get my butt handed to me, I learn much more.

Make sense? I *want* to come up against the stiffest possible competition because I think I'm a master tactician (reasonable based on life experiences), and I want to see how people can beat me so I can shore up my strategies.

I'd look for events in Atlanta, GA (which shouldn't be too far for someone in Jax, FL), which has a pretty strong gaming community.

Dashofpepper wrote:*laughing*

I'm not asking about GTs and big tournaments so that I can show up and sweep the competition. The local games I play where I am are fun, but I see the same people over and over, and the same armies time and again. I'd like to get out and see new things and new people and new armies - and see how other people react to different situations and perhaps expand my repertoire of tricks and tactics.

However, this is a hobby. When I go to a store and ask for a game, they don't charge me for their time. We both take pleasure in playing each other. If I'm going to have to shell out $150 to play my hobby, I'd like to know what I'm competing for. I want to have fun too, but I'm competitive. So I want to know what my money puts me in competition for....is that really out of line?

I'm not worried about losing. I am *very* competitive. Losing means more to me than winning; it gives me an opportunity to learn a weakness in my own tactics, or a strength in someone elses' tactics. Kind of like playing a video game. I'm freaking AWESOME at Dawn of War. I can whip the computer with my eyes closed, and on certain maps playing certain armies, I do particularly well. But when I go online and get my butt handed to me, I learn much more.

Make sense? I *want* to come up against the stiffest possible competition because I think I'm a master tactician (reasonable based on life experiences), and I want to see how people can beat me so I can shore up my strategies.

Cool...I just wanted to add that caveat, because I don't know you, and I've known people who've shown up to AdeptiCon or one of the GT's just because of the prize support, found out that they weren't quite as good as they thought they were, and ended up very, very, very angry and/or disappointed.

Sounds like your attitude mirrors mine. I have a similar reaction to losing...I only get frustrated when I lose because of massive statistical anomalies. ("Oh look...my 2+ save tyrant was just taken down by a squad of rapid-firing bolters...and look, I my carnifex just managed to fail five of seven 3+ saves as well...and my 30 genestealers managed to get 1 rending hit...") Getting outplayed is actually kind of fun (in a painful, lessons-learned kind of way.

Anyway, I know you said you can't make AdeptiCon this year, but if you make the Baltimore GT or the trip out to Vegas (I may be able to go this year) I'd love to meet up with you and introduce you to the rest of the circuit regulars.

My favorite was when Ghazghkull Thraka failed 4 out of 7 of his 2+ invulnerable saves and died.

There's not a whole lot in that part of Florida, although there are a few small cons. Check out Rhubarb Games and Sci Fi City in Orlando (there are Dakka posters from both stores; thehod, Mahu, Captain Karuthers and Valhallan42nd come to mind).

I'd also recommend Tampa, but it's much further and the scene here isn't really big (at least not that I've found; I think it's splintered around here).

I'm moving to Raleigh, NC this weekend. I should probably change my location tag so people don't tell me more about what Florida has or doesn't. =p

If you're moving to Raleigh, I'd definitely plan on the Baltimore GT this fall.

If you're in NC and going to travel for 40k, why not plan on going to Baltimore?

You get to go through the fine state of Virginia, pop by our Nation's Capitol, see a few sights.

I used to be stationed in D.C. I've seen the nation's capital. =p

Traveling for 40k....well, I suppose that could be a use of vacation days. I suppose the Games Workshop site is the place to go to find out about when the Baltimore GT is, and where, and how much it costs to enter, and what the prizes are and stuff?

The reason I ask about prizes...I heard something about a life-sized replica of a bolter or something, and something about a life sized space marine statue and stuff - I was curious to know what prizes look like for that kind of thing. Of *more* interest to me is whether there are any..."regional" or larger tournaments around Raleigh or driving distance? I'm sure local stores probably have an occasional RTT or 40k tournament, but it would be great fun to get out and meet more people.

Dash we need a WC groupie... come along!

G

I wasn't playing 40K when I was living in Florida, but I don't think it could be as bad as Alaska. There are a great bunch of guys up here, fun and challenging to play against. And with such long winters they have time to make their armies look amazing. But you don't get much in the way of fresh blood to play against.

I was wondering if, instead of pics someone might be able to video and post to youtube some of the games from upcoming events. I'd like to attend, it sounds like fun and a chance to really improve my game, but when your looking at a 2400 mile road trip just to get to the lower 48, or an extra $400 on your airfare, going to a large event to check out the competition becomes awfully hard to justify. Video's of some of the games, while they wouldn't quite as good a learning experience as actually playing, might be beneficial for helping to pick up new strategies and such.

The 'Ard Boyz tournament should be coming up in about 5 months or so. It's a 2500 point 3-stage tournament (regionals, semifinals, finals) where anything goes and models don't have to be painted. It's a great event for crazy hard lists and cutthroat style tournament play.

I am going to finally try to play in the Ard Boyz. I had to miss it the last couple of years. It's really tough to make it out of Florida though.

G

http://saimhann.blogspot.com/search/label/2007%20Grand%20Tournament

This site has some You Tube stuff from the 2007 Baltimore GT. This guy's army looked very cool in person.

The biggest problem I've had with Ard Boyz was seeing lots of plastic colored armies on GT tables for the finals. Not my cup of tea, I suppose.

If you're not willing to travel far for the tournaments, you're probably not going to find too many big ones with big prize support. Anything local you probably already know about - local stores, whatever. Outside of the three GTs and gamesdays and the few major convention tournaments, there really isn't that much. 40k and Warhammer have a lot of tournaments at random stores all over, but not a lot of really big ones.

The list of all the GT circuit events is here:

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=3400018

There aren't very many, but this is what's big.

As for a GW calendar - white dwarf will have lists of tournaments, but most RTT stuff is store-run and GW won't know anything about it. You just need to try to find all the games stores within whatever your driving range is (there shouldn't be that many to sift through...I live in Los Angeles and can count the amount of stores with regular RTTs within an hour on one hand). I'm sure you'll find something, and some RTTs do end up with good prize support and I've seen they can sometimes be pretty easy to win if you bring a nice beardy list...there seems to be a lot of people who strangely play 40k for fun and not with power lists, even in tournaments with prizes.

I'm not a huge fan of the unpainted Hordes either, but it's reasonably safe to say a lot of those models were fresh bought. Per person, that's a very good volume for return sales.

Green Blow Fly wrote:Dash we need a WC groupie... come along!

G

WC? I haven't been in the hobby long, I don't know who the various factions and groups and stuff are. :(

Dashofpepper wrote:*laughing*

I'm not asking about GTs and big tournaments so that I can show up and sweep the competition. The local games I play where I am are fun, but I see the same people over and over, and the same armies time and again. I'd like to get out and see new things and new people and new armies - and see how other people react to different situations and perhaps expand my repertoire of tricks and tactics.

However, this is a hobby. When I go to a store and ask for a game, they don't charge me for their time. We both take pleasure in playing each other. If I'm going to have to shell out $150 to play my hobby, I'd like to know what I'm competing for. I want to have fun too, but I'm competitive. So I want to know what my money puts me in competition for....is that really out of line?

I'm not worried about losing. I am *very* competitive. Losing means more to me than winning; it gives me an opportunity to learn a weakness in my own tactics, or a strength in someone elses' tactics. Kind of like playing a video game. I'm freaking AWESOME at Dawn of War. I can whip the computer with my eyes closed, and on certain maps playing certain armies, I do particularly well. But when I go online and get my butt handed to me, I learn much more.

Make sense? I *want* to come up against the stiffest possible competition because I think I'm a master tactician (reasonable based on life experiences), and I want to see how people can beat me so I can shore up my strategies.

In North Carolina, we have local tournies, and then there the winners go on to larger venues. "Ard Boys" was played locally, then the winners went up to Charlotte, the winners from Charlotte went on to the next phase, and so on, until the ultimate winners went to Blatamore.

The tournies don't change much from this model. Theree is a Calender at your local gaming store, and if not, they can tell you when the next one is.

Gaming in NC is... just OK. It isn't the best as far as a outright bragging rights kind of thing here. You won't here any of the groups here pimping themselves as the be all end all of the tourny scene. They DO have alot of good and solid talent that knows thier way around and does alot of weekend gaming. There are the few that come over to Dakka, Warseer, BACS, etc. and play out mini maix lists, and then there are the players that write them.

As for pushing the tourny envelope? GW gaming here is going well along with a outright solid Flames of War Crowd that is second to none. There are still alot of players, but FOW is gaining in popularity in our area, and we are seeing more and more people getting into other gaming, along with regulars that play GW fantasy and 40K on a regular basis.

Is Flames of War a 40k tournament, or a different miniature game?

*EDIT* Answered my own question.

WAAAAAY too many miniature games going on. = p

Dashofpepper wrote:

Green Blow Fly wrote:Dash we need a WC groupie... come along!

G

WC? I haven't been in the hobby long, I don't know who the various factions and groups and stuff are. :(

40K Wrecking Crew, AKA the Disciples of Saint Parker (Marc Parker, winner of a ridiculous number of GT's a bunch of years ago, who recently ended a drought by winning Vegas this year. They're one of the few non-geographically based semi-organized groups out there. Most of the other major travelling groups are limited to a smaller geographic area - Da Boyz (Rochester NY, although since most now have multiple kids their travelling has cut down), SoCal GW (which sticks mainly to the west coast, the Toledo Boys (not really an organized group, just some friends who regularly travel and KATN), Warmongers (NYC), NATO (Atlanta), 40K Fight Club (not as much into tournament gaming, but also located all over), Adeptus Windy City (Chicago) and tons of other little groups.

Then there's us indies - we're mostly from places where there's not as much organized gaming, as opposed to large cities.

But its really no big deal. Just something that develops over attending multiple events, and gives us a reason to talk some friendly smack to each other. (Like right now how 40K Wrecking Crew pretty much has bragging rights, due to having members winning the AdeptiCon Invitational, GTs Vegas, Chicago, and Baltimore, and I think also picking up the Necro).

But its no big deal...

Lost Goblin- Raleigh

Fallen Ork- Cary

Games Galor- Cary

SciFi Gener- Durham

Here's 4 stores up there to check out. GL.