Tuesday 26 March 2013

NZ Nationals 35 and 50 point lists

Well, it's only a few days away from Nationals so here are my four lists.

I don't reckon these are super powerful or elite by any means, what they are is fun (for me at least).

I should have four very different play styles during the weekend. Caine with his mobility,  Stryker and an Armour 27 Stormwall, Haley in her bubble controlling the tempo, and eNemo leading a wall of jacks.

I also managed to get a lot of different jacks, solos and units into these lists. There is little replication asides from squire and Jnr (Stormsmiths get used as 1 point fillers, and the sword knights appear twice). I'm pretty stoked at the idea about playing with almost my entire range of minis.

I'm looking forward to having a blast, don't expect to win too many games (especially after I saw who i'm playing......) but I should have a good time none the less. I'll be back after easter with a full battle report entitled "How to lose the Nationals - three days of shame"






 






Thursday 14 March 2013

A 4 pack of casters

So, its nearly time for "the Nationals"
Our nationals are on a much smaller scale than the NCAA

It's in bold and italics because its the nationals in name only really, it's not like you have to qualify to enter. Wargamers always seem to have the need to make things "prestigious and powerful"

Lord knows why, but anyway.....

It's a three day tournament, with day one being five games with 35 point lists, your placing after day one determines your pool for days 2-3. There are three pools for days 2-3 and games are 50 points each.

It's quite a neat concept and my hat is off to the organizer (Our local PG Palarel), because if your lose all your games on day one, you will be playing people who lost an awful lot of games as well. This bodes well for me as I kinda suck at this game. It should be good for all skill levels, the top players will hopefully have 2 days of intense competition at the top while the muppets like me flail at the back against each other.

I've set myself a couple of goals for Nationals

Stock art really is some soulless crap ain't it. 

THE GOALS!


  1. Play four different casters during the tournament
  2. Use as many units/jacks as possible across all 4 lists. 
  3. Don't play Siege
  4. Have as much variety in play styles across my 4 lists as possible.
I'm not playing to win, but I am planning on having a whole bunch of fun. 

I have 7 casters to choose from, dropping Siege leaves me with. pHaley, eHaley, eCaine, pStryker, Constance and Nemo2



DECISIONS, DECISIONS!


Well, first off I make a simple decision on caster number one.

It's epic Caine for one dirty great big reason. Hes pretty darned fun to play with. Well, that and i might win some games with him. eCaine is a unique caster, he does virtually nothing for his army and doesn't run jacks well. As far as being a general goes, he sucks.

He is however, a mobile death platform of awesome. I can already hear myself saying "pew pew pew" everytime he fires, and having a ROF of "AS MUCH AS YOU CAN" means he will be firing a lot.

Looking to make a mobile list with infantry and jacks that don't require any support from their caster





Decision two - Fear the mo


Looking at the casters left, its eNemo that stands out. I've played this dude twice, and both times he was fun. Hes virtually the opposite of eCaine. He runs jacks, lots of them, and he runs them pretty well. With 3 or more jacks his feat turn can be awesome.

Energiser + Feat = loads of rampaging warjacks.

I'm looking to run him with a small unit of storm-"somethings" (guard if i get them assembled and painted shortly, knights if not) and as many jacks as I can get.








Decision Three - Too many Haleys





A certain friend/workmate of mine who shall remain nameless (Lets call him "the ginger ninja") has threatened bloody and brutal harm upon me if I play more than one Haley. I believe a repeated stomping of my genital area was promised.

If I only play one Haley, he swears it will simply be one swift kick in the nuts for my troubles.

I totally get the Haley hate. The are both extremely good, and extremely annoying at the same time. Their spells and feats are full of denial and game breaking stuff that can make the game un-fun at times.

Lintman has commented to me that pHaley in particular (with Temporal bubble) sucks the fun out of the game like nothing else. To be fair, i don't think playing Vs. eHaley would be much more fun for you opponent. Especially if you're using the "Cheese du Jour" for Cygnar, eHaley + two Stormwalls.

I want to play one, as it's a different play style from the two casters i've chosen, Denial and area control. I'm leaning towards pHaley. I also expect to see eHaley played by about 5 other people.

Also, I need my nuts. my precious precious nuts.




Decision four - Power armoured Knight hero type caster 


Next up I need a heroic type, with armour, who buffs their army and on their feat turns gives out armour bonuses.......

Oh wait.......

Yeah, these two are pretty similar in a lot of respects, which is why i'll only take one of them.

I have a Stormwall, and using my own little restrictions I can take him in one list.

This is what is currently putting pStryker ahead of Constance is the Stormwall. I think it would rock with pStryker and be a real threat, as well as an immovable lump.

pStryker is also on the local "gimp list" of casters. He's a guy who just doesn't get much respect. Probably because he's as exciting as a real-time radio re-enactment of the hundred years war.

Earthquake is pretty cool though.

Conclusion

Still deciding what to take and I have very little time to choose. Any thoughts or feedback appreciated!


Friday 1 March 2013

A Noobs guide to Tournaments


Or “What have I gotten myself into, and who are these crazy people”

Introduction


Tournaments are scary places for a new gamer. Nothing quite as freaky as biting the bullet, signing up for a tournament and declaring to the world:

A beard hat will allow you to blend in
 at a wargaming tournament
“LO, I AM HERE FOR THE GAMES INVOLVING TOY SOLIDERS AND DICE! WHERE IS MY NOVELTY HAT”

Actually, tournaments can be a lot of fun, and, at least in my experience, the people aren't anywhere near as horrible as I
would have expected.

Honestly, I expected the tournament scene to be full of cheesy cheating a@@holes who would do practically anything to win. Your experience may differ, but mine has been positive. I've met some damn nice people and played some very enjoyable games. The positives have outweighed the negatives by some degree.

I’ve played in a whopping three tournaments, so take my advice as you will. I’m no expert.  

For my previous tournament reports check here


Why play in your first tournament?


The first thing to ask yourself is “What do I want to get out of this tournament?”

It’s a simple question on the surface, but a complicated one after you dig down a little.

Do you want to win the tournament? Well, I got news for you, you’re probably gonna get smashed your first time out. Tournament play brings out the competitive lists played by the best players. You might be the number one guy in your gaming group and crush everyone underfoot every game. You probably won’t replicate that at your first tournament because different groups have different play styles. People call this the local meta-game (or local meta).

Note - Winning a Warmachine tournament is roughly nothing like this.

You will face surprises, tactics you haven’t seen before and some seriously good players. If you’re aiming to win, go for it; just don’t place all your heart into being champion, as you might be disappointed.

Do you want to learn? This is probably the best thing your first tournament is good for. Playing against different players, from different clubs in a competitive environment is the best way to improve your play. Try to take it a little seriously and play to win fairly. If you get beat bad, chat with your opponent after the game. Take every opportunity you can to learn, if you die early. Go watch some of the top players having a game.

Or do you want to just have fun? There is nothing wrong with going to a tournament for the sake of playing a bunch of games with new people. It can be a pretty rewarding experience. Just don’t get distraught if you come across people whose idea of having fun is wiping your army off the board in two turns.

Preparing for your first tournament?


Step one: Find out what kind of tournament it is!



This sounds pretty obvious, but the type of tournament does make a massive difference on what armies you can select and how the tournament will be played. So, ask these questions of each tournament.
How to make a tournament poster!
  • What points value is the tournament (25? 50? 33 on day one 47 on day two?)
  • How many lists can I bring? Do I have to play all of them?
  • What character restrictions are there on the lists?
  • What scenarios will be included? (most likely the steamroller ones, see the PP site for the latest steamroller scenario rules)
  • Does the tournament require tiered lists?
  • Is the tournament a team play event
  • What are the painting requirements
  • Any extra rules like Reinforcements or Specialists to consider. 




A good tournament will send out a player pack with all this information in it. Make sure you read it thoroughly so you don’t get any nasty surprises. Pay special attention to the character restriction rules. If you are used to having a certain solo in all your lists, you may find out that you can’t with them in both lists.

All the possible permutations of tournament mean that you normally can’t just make one big bad 50 point list to take on all comers (Unless it’s a 50point, one list tournament of course).

So, have a think about the points values and the rules. Some casters work a lot better at small points values and some a lot better at high points levels. Also, think about the scenarios, if the tournament is assassination only you will probably pick a very different list than one that has victory point scoring. Just ask yourself “How will I win on scenario”?

Step two: Build some lists!



Building multiple lists is a tricky thing; initially you may have to take only one list as you don’t have the models for multiple ones (Consider borrowing some models off a friend if you need to).

If the tournament allows you to play two lists, then you better make them a bit different. If both your lists are very similar, then your opponent will have a big advantage. For example, if your two lists are Caine1 and Caine2 and both contain lots of gun mages (high defence, shooty infantry), then your opponent will pick the list they have best suited to kill high defence shooty infantry.
I've played Siege 17 times out of 21 at tournaments

Check my previous guide on building a list to see an example of what your lists need to take account of. The wonderful thing about two lists is you can specialise with them. If in doubt, make one list to crack Khador/Colossal armour and another to deal with fast moving high defence and stealth units.

Step three: Profit! I mean Practice



Once you have some rough lists together, play some practice games. Play against as many people and lists as you can find during your allocated gaming time. Play bad matchups if you can as well. If you always have trouble with Circle of Orboros, play some games against them. Refine your lists as you go along, don’t be afraid to changes your lists if they don’t seem to be working.

If the tournament has timed turns (minutes per turn) or deathclock (one countdown for all your moves during the game.... scary) you really need to practice with that as well. Timed turns can be very full on when your new to the game, so practice, even if your opponent isn’t using timed turns, use them on your turns. 

What to take to the tournament



Tournament ready!
Here is a handy checklist of things you want to take to a tournament, it might seem dumb, but its amazing how often you will forget something.

  • Multiple copies of your army lists
  • Your models (And a safe secure carry bag)
  • A movement tray (A tray you can place you unpacked models on that you can quickly move from table to table)  example
  • Your models cards, with plastic sleeves, and a marker pen for damage
  • Dice (different colours, rolling one set for hit rolls and one for damage can save a lot of time)
  • Focus/fury tokens, and effect markers for spells (if its not marked, its not on)
  • Tape measure
  • AOE templates (lots if you have units with covering fire, smoke etc)
  • A timer (A smartphone should do the trick)
  • Some flags and Objective markers (if required)
  • A drink bottle and some snack food.
  • Cash! (there may be stalls selling models, second hand goods, and food)
  • A notebook (For your checklist)




Last but not least is a checklist of things you must remember to do. For me, its things like “remember to allocate focus” and “activate Reinholdt first to give Siege an extra shot”.

Add to this checklist during the tournament if you do anything really boneheaded. (like forget to activate Reinholdt to give Siege an extra shot when you have epic haley in your sights on no focus”)

Some tournaments feature awesome scenery and custom tables!


The big day! Things to watch out for


Make sure you get to the venue on time and that your models are safe and didn't smash in transit.
If the draw is up, check out who your playing, what faction they play, and where your table is. Put your gear on the table you will be playing on.

There will most like be a welcome speech from the tournament organiser to kick things off, once that’s over its game on.

PLAY FOR FABULOUS PRIZES (Actual Wellington Call to Arms 2012 prize pool)

Remember, you’re a noob


Take time to read your opponents list, model cards, their casters spells and feat, before picking a list to play. If in doubt, play the list you are most comfortable playing.

Introduce yourself to your opponent and shake hands. A little bit of friendliness goes a long way. You’re playing to win, but you don’t have to be a douche about it, play hard but play fair.

You also don’t get “take backs” at tournaments. If you measure and move a model, you can’t take that activation back. So be careful when you decide your order of activation. I’d recommend not allowing your opponent take backs either, it’s just easier to play the game according to the rules instead of trying to be a nice guy (and chances are, if you stuffed up first your opponent wouldn't allow you to do a take back). This might sound douche, but it’s the best way to play the game fairly for all involved.

Don’t be afraid to ask for rules clarifications during the tournament, and if you think someone is playing a rule differently from how you would interpret it, pushing the rules, or cheating, you don’t have to put up with it. Call over a judge to help clarify the rule. If you’re wrong, accept the fact graciously.

I’d also suggest not touching anyone else’s models without permission. If you want to have a closer look, just ask. Most people are proud of their models and willing to show them off. Just show respect, and you’ll normally get respect in return.

Regardless of the result, shake your opponents hand and tell them it was a good game. Regardless of the result, talk over the game, the critical decisions, and why the result ended up the way it did. The post-game debrief is one of the best opportunities to learn.  Sometimes it turns out you had a perfect counter to the move they just pulled and just didn't realise it.

Regardless of where you finish, set yourself a goal to improve for the next tournament. If you won first time out, have a beer on me!

Conclusion


Go, play games, have fun, play to win, but don’t be a dick about it. And after all everyone's a winner on the day.............................


Well, actually, no..... no they are not




See Also


Part One -  An Introduction to Warmachine and Hordes

Read this to see if the game is for you

Warmachine and Hordes has a lot of options, figure out what one works for you


Some helpful advice on what things to pay attention to during your first few games. Or.... how I learned not to suck so hard. 


A quick highlight of the differences between the two systems, what they have in common and how they differ. 



A quick guide with some advice on how to put together an army list, and some of the common pitfalls new players fall into. 


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