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Hello fellow Generals,

I am seriously contemplating going to the Ironman GT in Las Vegas next year, well in about a month. And I am really looking for some insight as to what I can expect once there. How do they differ from you regular RTT's? I assume the caliber of players will be quite a bit higher so I am trying to get some sort of idea of what to expect. Will they measure my movement? Rush me to finish my turn? Will they take for ever to do their turn? Try to run things by me hoping I miss them? That sort of thing.

What was your first GT like?

Thanks.

Grix.

I'm going to answer assuming it isn't a troll post.

You probably won't run into any of that honestly. If you play at a moderately decent speed and measure appropriately no one will say a word. Your basically asking if all the negative things you've heard about tournaments are going to happen to you. The answer is that it's very unlikely. I'd suggest going into in a less worried mindset. Most the people playing at GT's are still there just to play with toy soldiers first and foremost. Even those of us that want to win too

Ironman is a one day event; I'd liken it more to a good sized RTT. It isn't uncommon to get 30-40 people into an RTT when you are in a metropolitan area - what makes a GT stand out is that people travel to attend because its a 5 games or more, two day tournament - and with this being a single day event, not much traveling gets done - so you're still going to mostly see locals, and people within driving distance attending.

Bring a well-painted army, play quickly, be polite, and if you can't quote page numbers and recite rules from memory, don't presume you know them all.

normally you find good people that are there to have fun.

1. you are not going to win overall. ok you might but probaly so go for fun.
2. play games before hand with you list with a timer. if you can't finish a game with your friends well before the time is up you are doomed at the event.
3. everybody plays something slightly different, be flexible. you could be wrong.

large events are a fun way to pack a bunch of games into a tight space of time. you will meet lots of good people and sometimes a jerk. if you end small events smiling, then you should be good at larger events.

IMO - The phrase "Grand Tournament" gets thrown around a lot these days in independent tournaments that really aren't any different than a Rogue Trader Tournament. There's nothing really wrong with that, however when I think of the phrase "Grand Tournament" I immediately think of a large-scale event with 100+ players over 2+ days and ample prize support. Like Dash said, a GT is the type of event that would draw players in from more than just the local geographical area. For example, the Games Workshop GT's pull in hundreds of players from all over the world to play in them.

If you have honestly never played in a tournament before, my biggest advice to you is to enjoy the atmosphere. Generally in a tournament setting you have guys that are going to bring their best painted models, their best army list, and their "A" game. Hopefully this does not intimidate you. Make sure have played enough games with your own army list to have a comfort level of what it can and can't do. Play your games at a steady, comfortable pace, but don't stall. I would recommend that you have a display or large tray to move your army on from table to table. This would prevent you from having to pull models in and out of your figure case between games. Be cool, and treat your opponents as you would want to be treated yourself. If you are not familiar with a rule don't be afraid to ask, but do so politely.

My last piece of advice is to find out as much about the tournament as you can before you go. For instance, you may want to find out if the tournament is going to include snacks or a lunch. If it doesn't, you may want to do a quick check around the venue to see what is available to grab a quick bite or pack something to bring with you. (This actually reminded me of another funny tournament story that I'll share in another thread.)

Anyway, good luck and have fun!

GT's are like normal tournies with more terrain, more rules and more painted armies.

That being said...I've only been to one. So don't listen to anything I said. Except for that one thing.

spireland wrote:GT's are like normal tournies with more terrain, more rules and more painted armies.

That being said...I've only been to one. So don't listen to anything I said. Except for that one thing.

you forgot more people

The caliber of the players is about the same but since there are more players there will be more top notch people. Think of it as an RTT that is longer with more games and better prize support.

They are a lot of fun, you will enjoy yourself quite a bit.

I will respond for Ironman XVII specifically as the only thing that our group sees as a GT is the one put on by GW which is why we have never used the term GT for our events.
I can't say what you can expect from any other event because that is up to the people who run their events and everyone does things differently, all I can speak about is what I want to see when I go to an event and what we are trying to acomplish with the Ironman events.

1. Have fun playing some games.
2. Play against people you don't normally play as much as possible.
3. Meet people who have the same passion for the hobby that you do.
4. Recognition for individual achievements (Winning games , Painting, ect..) prizes are nice but not the most important part.
5. A well organized event.

For Ironman XVII
1. There will be swiss style pairings so you have a good chance to have fun playing games.
2. In the first round you should not have to play someone you play every day.
3. There will be prizes.
4. With people from 4 states and 3 countries (so far) you should be able to meet some people with the same passion for the hobby. (most of the locals haven't signed up yet but there will be a bunch)
5. Only time will tell if things keep organized but so far so good. (the club has been doing this for over ten years and I have been running events for longer than that)
6. Lunch will be provided by the church youth group that we give 1/2 of all entry fees to. And they will have drinks and snacks for sale all day long.
7. There will be at least one TFG there (there always is) but we will try to keep them in check and if they don't get it under control we will ask them to leave.
8. You could get everything you were asking about in your first post but we will try to make sure it doesn't happen.

In closing I will say that if you don't feel like it was worth $10 (half pays for lunch) to play then let one of us know but I think you will find that it to be well worth the trip out.

If there any specific questions that anyone has please just ask me and I will be happy to respond.

Yeah, the average caliber of player is slightly higher, but only because you dont' have a lot of complete neophytes at the lower tables. The median talent level is probably about the same.

So, if you're used to going 2-1 at smaller events, expect to go 3-2 or 2-2-1 or close to that.

Reecius wrote:The caliber of the players is about the same but since there are more players there will be more top notch people. Think of it as an RTT that is longer with more games and better prize support.

They are a lot of fun, you will enjoy yourself quite a bit.

This basically sums it all up. All a GT is is a more prestigous name attached to a tournament so if you enjoy one you should enjoy them all.(If you like the format ect...)