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I could write a whole article just on dice ettiqute.

Nice list of some common sense tips and more subtle aspects of a game with lots of room for interpretation and more stricter rules against cheating.

My self and fellow Snake Eyes Gaming member Heretic ( gkwh40kon Dakka Dakka) wrote a pair of articles about this topic for our site. You can find them here:
http://snakeyesgaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/heretical-thoughts-tournament-etiquette.html
http://snakeyesgaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/howletical-thoughts-tournament.html
I hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts.

Somnicide wrote:A couple of other things I have learned to always bring are:

Aspirin or Ibuprofin. Nothing sucks worse then getting a headache (probably because you didn't bring enough/ or drink enough water - see above) on game 2 and having to power through it and another game.

Amen to this one. The last tourney I went to I forgot to pack it and had a headache for the entire first day of games which to say the least sucked big time...

@Dash

This is an excellent article and really should be called the tournament survival guide. I only wished I had something like this 7 years ago and not have to learn many of these lessons the hard way.

If you have pictures of good dice and bad dice and put them in the gallery I can edit them into the article.

And other stuff. Let me know. I'll be watching this thread.

Bad dice:




Good dice



Those are my thoughts...

thehod wrote:@Dash

This is an excellent article and really should be called the tournament survival guide. I only wished I had something like this 7 years ago and not have to learn many of these lessons the hard way.

My sentiment exactly.

Keep the ideas coming; I'll edit the OP when I have some free time to include everything I see here that I feel needs inclusion.

Ugh, I had clear orange dice with white pips once... it was horrible! I had ordered them and felt bad throwing them away (funds were Real limited at the time) but it would've been worth it. They were such a headache... for me and my opponents, even for friendly games!

lambadomy wrote:
The other thing I'd disagree with is Army Builder. I use it, it's fine, but I think it's much better for making/testing lists yourself than it is for providing your opponents printed lists. The lists I get from people who do not use Army Builder are almost always more readable, and I'm very used to Army Builder. People who don't use Army Builder often look at my printed list and say "just tell me what's in your army, I can't read that thing". YMMV, just my experience.

This sure its easy but Its the hardest thing to read at a glance before the game when you have a time limit. best ones I've seen are people that hasve done thier own on word.

Excellent!!! +100

Are those company photos of their own dice? I'd be more comfortable
hosting people's personal pictures of items.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also: New link

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Tournament_Survival_Guide

I've parsed through all the feedback and added several more notes and elaborations to some of my bullets based on the feedback.

I bought this guide 5 times. Excellent read. 5 stars.

Here are a few sections needed:

How to deal with slowplay
Worse case scenarios: lost dice, armylists, models
How to deal with TFG

Maybe a FAQ on tournaments in general

Thanks Hod, I added all those sections.

On dice: Please, please, *please* have enough dice for everything in your army. This sounds stupid, since most armies can get by with a single cube of 36 or whatever, but if you're playing a horde army (or just a build that throws out lots of attacks, like Daemons) you may need to have more than that on hand. I'm not saying you need 1d6 for every model in your army, but don't be the guy who shows up with 180 orks to a tournament and only has 12 dice to roll their attacks with.

Good article.

I think that one of the most important things mentioned here is to get to know your list and practice with it A LOT.

My list isn't amazing, but I managed top 10/15 at Throne of Skulls as I knew it inside out and had a fair grasp of what other lists could do. The only game I lost was against a Fate Weaver list and as I'd never played daemons I wasn't sharp enough to immediately pulverise the Weaver first.

Tho in speaking after the game I was able to understand how best to beat the list.

I personally also agree that a list should have aspects in it to beat certain things (MCs, Mech etc). You can then get your forces doing what they do best.

A lot of people say that 40k is 80% list and 20% player but I think that's rubbish. Ok, maybe the best player wouldn't be able to win without a fairly competitive list, but once everyone has decent lists - the best players usually rise to the top.

Thanks again DoP

good advice....see you at St. Valentines Massacre!

Really good advice, enjoyed reading it.

I actually suggest you print off all FAQs and keep them with you. I would hate to be in that situation where my opponent says, 'but it was FAQ'ed...' but doesn't have the print-out with him. You look like the bad guy if you were to deny him, and players beside are not reliable in their interpretations of rules material, tbh.

Plus, giving them a quick read might give you a couple, 'ah ha!' moments in your preparation.

The problem with printing FAQs is that, at least the fantasy ones, get updated regularly. I always seem to have ones that are out of date... they also get disorganized very quickly, so if you do print them, you're going to need a binder (or at the bare minimum staples... somehow I made the mistake of not doing this, and ended up with a bag full of random FAQ pages!)

That's a really good guide.

I didn't see the original(pre-suggestions), but with all the additions that have been made it is pretty comprehensive. Nice work, Dash!

Very nice article

Fearspect wrote:I actually suggest you print off all FAQs and keep them with you. I would hate to be in that situation where my opponent says, 'but it was FAQ'ed...' but doesn't have the print-out with him. You look like the bad guy if you were to deny him, and players beside are not reliable in their interpretations of rules material, tbh.

Plus, giving them a quick read might give you a couple, 'ah ha!' moments in your preparation.

Shouldn't be an issue. Definitely keep your FAQ with you....

But if your opponent wants to use a ruling from their FAQ, and they don't have it - it doesn't exist. Alternatively, I've found that most TOs will pop onto a computer (if the store has one) and look it up on the GW website if it is a *real* divisive issue.

Dashofpepper wrote:

Fearspect wrote:I actually suggest you print off all FAQs and keep them with you. I would hate to be in that situation where my opponent says, 'but it was FAQ'ed...' but doesn't have the print-out with him. You look like the bad guy if you were to deny him, and players beside are not reliable in their interpretations of rules material, tbh.

Plus, giving them a quick read might give you a couple, 'ah ha!' moments in your preparation.

Shouldn't be an issue. Definitely keep your FAQ with you....

But if your opponent wants to use a ruling from their FAQ, and they don't have it - it doesn't exist. Alternatively, I've found that most TOs will pop onto a computer (if the store has one) and look it up on the GW website if it is a *real* divisive issue.

For the esoteric or lesser known rulings, right? No one would be that much of an ass to demand a hard copy of the BT FAQ giving a 3+ Storm Shield would they?

olympia wrote:

Dashofpepper wrote:

Fearspect wrote:I actually suggest you print off all FAQs and keep them with you. I would hate to be in that situation where my opponent says, 'but it was FAQ'ed...' but doesn't have the print-out with him. You look like the bad guy if you were to deny him, and players beside are not reliable in their interpretations of rules material, tbh.

Plus, giving them a quick read might give you a couple, 'ah ha!' moments in your preparation.

Shouldn't be an issue. Definitely keep your FAQ with you....

But if your opponent wants to use a ruling from their FAQ, and they don't have it - it doesn't exist. Alternatively, I've found that most TOs will pop onto a computer (if the store has one) and look it up on the GW website if it is a *real* divisive issue.

For the esoteric or lesser known rulings, right? No one would be that much of an ass to demand a hard copy of the BT FAQ giving a 3+ Storm Shield would they?

In a tournament setting, there would probably just be an overwhelming majority of players affirming the correct ruling, and it likely would satisfy most people. But don't think of it as the person demanding it just to screw you out of a save, some people genuinely don't pay attention to the FAQ's/Interwebs, and then attend an event. They're then surprised when what they knew as fact 3 months ago has been turned on it's head (and rightfully so) and want to see some proof to know you're not just pulling their leg.

But typically, stuff as common as a widesweeping change like the BT/DA update isn't an issue, it's the more esoteric stuff that you truly need the FAQ or you don't get.

Great, great guide, Dash'

For measuring, i've found that the red measure-sticks are much ideal for movement, when you cut some inches...

- One is cut for 6"
- One is cut for 12"

These two are very ideal for horde-armies, that also includes jump infantry/wings.
- Just throw down the 6" (vertically) in front of the line, and then place the 12" (horizontally) on the board, and begin moving up the backline...

Note: It can be tricky to sometimes spot the numbers on it. I simply painted the numbers etc. with devlan mud, and; problem solved!

In general, I agree with the, "if you're going to use it, have the rules for it with you," approach. Print a couple pieces of paper and that DA storm shield ceases to be an issue.

Billinator wrote:
For measuring, i've found that the red measure-sticks are much ideal for movement, when you cut some inches...

- One is cut for 6"
- One is cut for 12"

Make sure you measure those red sticks against a real tape measure before cutting, the GW ones are notorious for being either longer or shorter than they should be. And be prepared to demonstrate this to your opponent.