Tournament Play and You
written by- John Ross
I get asked a lot, “Are tournaments only for competitive players?” The answer?
A resounding NO! The vast majority of players who come to tournaments do so because it’s a great way to meet new people, play with their miniatures, drink and complain about their dice. Equally important, they come to a tournament to learn. Even if you lose every game, you will learn a lot. Most of us don’t play more than one game a week, much less eight in a single weekend! Playing in a tournament will teach you two important things:
• The rules, as they should be played
• Tactics that let help you win more games
It seems strange to go to a tournament with no experience, but I always encourage players to do it. Last weekend I played a guy who had never played a miniature wargame - never played any miniature wargame. Literally it was his first time moving models and rolling dice.
We had a great time in our game, and I had no problem helping him out and coaching him. Wargamers want new friends, and we are excited to see new players; everyone wants to help newbies learn the game.
I know he had a great time – at the end of the event he thanked everyone for being so helpful, and received some cool prizes and invitations from local players to play.
The benefits are not limited to new players. Experienced players often learn a lot about how to win a game. I am often humbled by what I learn from tournaments. Someone brings a list I’ve never considered, or uses a tactic I never even thought of and I think, “Wow, that is something totally new - and cool!”
There is a big difference between knowing the rules and knowing how to execute a plan to defeat your opponent. Playing against good players, seeing how they move their models, prioritize shooting and use special rules is the fastest way to learn winning tactics.
Some tips for accelerated learning:
Pay attention to the winners’ lists – they are often streamlined with built in redundancies in efficient units. Their infantry squads often have very specific roles like holding objectives or aggressive assaults. Good players have purpose and tactics built into their lists. Learning how and why they construct their lists the way they do will help you build better lists.
Watch how players use reserves, outflank, infiltrate, or other special rules. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean it is always the right thing to do. Learning when and when not to use these special rules is a key to winning more games.
Pay attention to how experienced players deploy – their use of terrain, roads and other features will give you real insight on how to utilize the battlefield to help you succeed. It is said that more wargames are lost in deployment than a bad turn of the dice. Document how you deployed versus how your opponent deployed so when the match is over you can review and figure out if your deployment was advantageous or detrimental to your game.
Winning players tend to play fast. This is due in part to their familiarity with the rules but having a plan before the first model is moved is equally important. Nothing will improve your game more than looking at a table, looking at your opponent’s rule and (silently) telling yourself what your plan is. Too many players set up and start rolling dice without a plan on what they hope to do.
Remember the tournament mission. Look at the mission every round. Remind yourself that often killing stuff isn’t the point! Experienced players play the mission, not their opponent!
And if you lose, don’t sweat it. Experienced players were once exactly where you are. Losing a lot leads, over time, to winning a lot. It’s all a part of the learning process.
Learn to blame your dice when you are lucky, but not to blame your dice when you are unlucky. Sure, sometimes things just don’t go your way, but if you get used to thinking, “It wasn’t my dice but my generalship that lost me a game” it will lead to you recgonizing more about what to do, and what not to do next time. No learning comes from thinking, “I was just unlucky”!
So come to tournaments big ones, small ones, it doesn’t matter. Hang out, have fun, learn a lot and share a beer with your new wargaming friends!
