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Well in less than one week some of us will be lucky enough to roll some dice this Thursday in one of the US premiere events, the Adepticon Gladiator! It's the great grandpa of all 40k metagaming events. People pay up to thousands of dollars to build their mighty armies and bring them to Chicago for a shot at the golden ring. The Gladiator is all about the battlepoints and you can play with your expensive Forgeworld toys. It's an extremely competitive event and the rules say No Whining! So first of all don't even think about whining.

Now like I said some of us have paid a lot of money to build our armies and it can be a logistical nightmare to transport them to Chicago. As such even knowing how competitive it always is, here are some general strategies and my own personal philosophy about being a player.

1) Try your best to always be courteous to your opponent. They might well be a horse's arse but slipping to their level is not going to help your game.
2) Resolve disputes involving the rules as quickly as possible and be fair. If you find yourself spending more time arguing the rules as opposed to playing then you are doing something wrong. Their are plenty of knowledgable judges provided by the Adepticon staff so ask them for help if you can't resolve a rule with your opponent. All decisions made by the judges are final so don't waste more time still arguing after a decision has been issued.
3) This year I am going to time each player turn. I'm not saying anyone intentionally slow plays but I have seen some games not make it past the third turn. If you think your opponent is intentionally slow playing then call over a judge, show them how long it is taking to play and let them know how you feel about it. Again show some courtesy to your opponent and the judges.
4) Once you have either drawn or lost a match you are out of contention for 1st or 2nd place. Sure you still want to win any following games but at this point you should relax and simply enjoy the experience of being there. It's not worth the frustration to do otherwise. Make some new friends and have fun.
5) To me the Gladiator and winning is about who can bring the most powerful toys and that's just the way it is. The inclusion of Forgeworld units is very powerful. It's not the same as Ard Boyz. Probably at this point it's tool late to make any big changes to your army list. I reckon about 20-25% of the armies you will see have some Forgeworld. Like I said the Forgeworld units tend to be very powerful and can easily dominate the game. Remember that there will be at least one mission that features some rule that can mitigate Forgeworld units. You just have to deal with it if you come up against it. I don't think anyone can memorize all the rules for Forgeworld so keep that in mind and be ready to show your opponent the rules if they ask. This point ties in directly to my previous point about wasting a lot of time arguing rules.
6) A lot of people not playing want to watch. I suppose that is okay but spectators should never get involved in a game. Keep your mouth shut and let the players play. Nothing is more aggravating than the casual standerby that gets involved in a game, offering tactical advice and spouting off rules. Like I said people pay a lot of $$$ to play and nothing can ruin a game moreso than a spectator that wants to get involved in the game, so yes it's okay to watch but keep your mouth shut.
7) Finally remember it's just a game of toy soldiers. Sure we are very much into it, we want to win big, but still at the end of the day it's really just another game albeit much bigger. Try to have some fun and lighten up.

So in conclusion I will say to me the two most important aspects of playing in the Gladiator is to avoid long disputes involving the rules and don't let your opponent intentionally slow play. Know the mission rules inside out and don't let anyone change them. Most important try to have fun.

G

Really good suggestions. Nice one, BBF!

The Gladiator is all about the battlepoints and you can play with your expensive Forgeworld toys. It's an extremely competitive event and the rules say No Whining! So first of all don't even think about whining.

More people who come to play need to read this part of the rules pack. In each of the two years I've played (skipped last years event) I played against someone who just simply wouldn't shut up his whining. First year was a Guard player who didn't get the first turn and in '08 my Tyranid opponent kept bitching to me about the overpowered game breaker that is the Nightbringer

I've never had any whiners in the Championship or team event, just in the single event that says no whining allowed...

Quite ironic!

The games can be very tough and it's unfortunate when you play against someone who constantly complains. Last year was my 1st time playing. I had three fun opponents and one that was slow playing. I can deal with a little whining but all game long is a pain.

G

First off, it is on Friday not on Thursday.

The second thing is try to become familiar with the rules to monstrous creatures and super-heavies. You will want to know what a strength D weapon does, and what void shields do. You will want to know what you need to take them down.

I always play with a regular 40K army and do OK at this event. In 2007 I was 3-1 with my Word Bearers including a game where I took out 2 Warhound Titians, in 2008 I was 2-2 with my Eldar, and in 2009 I was 2-2 with my 3rd edition Thousand Sons.

In the past some players and a couple of winners have done well without the forge world and played regular 40k armies, but with the addition of Apocalypse rules with the Forgeworld, those days might have passed. Now the Forge World stuff is so powerful, that regular armies have a tough time competing.

At BoLS they did a breakdown of the Gladiator primer scenarios, and people can take a look at them here:
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2010/03/40k-gladiator-primer-mission-review.html

I think you meant gargantuan critters Allan.

I think it's pretty hard to counter the Forgeworld super nasties with conventional armies. Even without warpfield the Hierodule is just plain super nasty. I have no problem with Forgeworld units, their dominance and all their past wins. To me it's part of what makes this event what it is.

G

Black Blow Fly wrote:I think you meant gargantuan critters Allan.

I think it's pretty hard to counter the Forgeworld super nasties with conventional armies. Even without warpfield the Hierodule is just plain super nasty. I have no problem with Forgeworld units, their dominance and all their past wins. To me it's part of what makes this event what it is.

G

He who wastes the most money wins?

It's a 2250 point event with superheavies legal. As such, it's fun and completely noncompetitive. So, go and have a blast. Highly competitive? Really?

Instantwin army:

All Spacewolf Lone Wolves.

You're welcome.

Is it still an instantwin if your opponent does the same thing...

and if not, who wins?

Actually, the universe will just collapse in on itself.

Gosh apocalypse is ridiculous.

Fearspect wrote:Instantwin army:

All Spacewolf Lone Wolves.

You're welcome.

wait, there is no FOC?

Hello 26 lone wolves in terminator armor w/chain fist/ss.

Fearspect wrote:Instantwin army:

All Spacewolf Lone Wolves.

You're welcome.

You might try reading the rules....

The Gladiator conforms to the normal force org chart, with the sole exceptions being how super-heavies are incorporated (most take up a Heavy slot; you're limited to 1 super-heavy/gargantuan creature). The missions are intentionally NOT balanced, with the idea being that every army type gets screwed at least once during the course of the event.

MVBrandt wrote:It's a 2250 point event with superheavies legal. As such, it's fun and completely noncompetitive. So, go and have a blast. Highly competitive? Really?

QFT.

The Gladiator was originally conceived, and has always been meant as, a goofy over-the-top event. Sure there is a big piece of resin given away as a prize at the end of the day, but it is not meant to be a highly competitive event in the true sense. Sadly I think there has been a push to redefine it as such on the internet. Where that comes from I have no idea - no one associated with AdeptiCon pushes it as the end-all-be-all of 40K Olympics.

Some history: The Gladiator used to be the event that happened the night before AdeptiCon. It was like this for years until the convention became a true 3-day event. In that role, the Gladiator was just a goofy, social event that allowed you to play with those ridiculous Forge World models that hardly ever saw table time while sharing a beer with your friends. Now with Apocalypse and the a full Friday worth of time/events - the event has sort of mutated into something else and most likely needs a serious revamp in 2011 in order to put it back on track.

The AdeptiCon Model Policy also nullifies all those Moneyhammer cries, but people tend to not even read the Gladiator rules most of the time, let alone the Model Policy...

I think a lot of the people who play still consider it to be a very competitive event. That just might be me though.

G

Considering it to be a competitive event and actually being a competitive event are two entirely different things.

People can think of it however they want ... that doesn't make it competitive. I don't think it's a big negative, it's just ... you know, one of many tourneys with a basis that breeds random, instead of competitive evaluation.

You don't finish it knowing who the best player(s) are, other than ones you knew were good ahead of time, for far better and different reasons.

The point was not to deride you or kick you on the defensive though ... just to suggest that people shouldn't fret too much ... when you can bring titans and d weapon spam and random units from off the wall Forgeworld / apoc codices that many players have never heard of ... it's not really competitively evaluative. To be fair, there's a fine line of "competitive = evaluates better players" vs. "competitive = people play to win." It's obviously the latter, like all things.

List and mission heterogeneity is inversely proportional to competitiveness.

Have fun, there are apocalypse units and D weapons and crap in play ... it's not 40k, it's just ... fun times with weapons.

Funny that a lot of top players such as Centurion99 and Jwolf and muwhe and Fred Fortman have won this event in the past. I would love to be a part of that club.

Now I can understand why people not playing the event would like to bill it as non competitive... it just makes my day!

G
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There you go putting the cart before the horse again, GBF. Ever stop to think that people not playing in the event are refraining from doing so because it's not competitive?

Danny have you even stopped to consider people might not be playing in it because they think it is too competitive? I'm just saying... seriously.

G

Black Blow Fly wrote: Funny that a lot of top players such as Centurion99 and Jwolf and muwhe and Fred Fortman have won this event in the past. I would love to be a part of that club.

Now I can understand why people not playing the event would like to bill it as non competitive... it just makes my day!

Nah, it's still not a "competitive" event (and I do play in it every year). Pre-Apoc, maybe - IA units were a lot less potent for the points (which is why relatively few winners had IA stuff in their lists, pre-Apoc). Cent99 won the first time with standard mech IG versus my Siren daemon-bomb (didn't help that I didn't roll Siren ONCE with 12 rolls.... /grumble).

There are too many goofy rules interactions/crazy combos (see last year's fliers + Reaver) to figure out how it all fits into the normal 40k metagame. Yes, you still have to play well. Yes, you still have to pay close attention to the missions. Yes, good players tend to win. But the Gladiator is more matchup-dependent than "normal" tournament play - if you run into the wrong list in the wrong mission, it's a lot more devastating than usual.

Go, have fun, play with shiny toys. Win where you can, lose with grace if you must.

I think what you have said applies to any tournament.

G

Those were not names worth namedropping.

What's worse is you namedropped to try and prove something.
Chillax, it doesn't have to be competitive or properly evaluative to be fun.

It's a game. Good gamers win games. So what?

No I mentioned them to endorse the type of gamer that has won this event in the past. Because I believe in my position I have nothing to prove.

G

Because I believe in my position I have nothing to prove.

Ah, that explains why you rarely try and support your arguments. I guess this one will be no different.

I am playing in the glad because I need to secure a spot to germany. Otherwise team USA is going to lose in the drinking part of that event.
.

They will be needing your help skkipper. Good luck with it.

G

Those were not names worth namedropping.

Wow .. must not rate as high as I once did ... must be this newer generation. : )

I let the event numbers speak for themselves....

You are still awesome Hank.

: )

G

When this is a homogenous, professionalized sport w/ no dice rolling, there will be names worth dropping

Until then, can we all take ourselves a little less seriously?