Rookie Rumble - WH40K 2015 Tournament

Last Saturday, I took part in the Rookie Rumble - WH40K 2015 Tournament hosted by the FLGS known as GR.  It was my first 40k tournament I have ever participated in… ever.  In this post, I will do my best to recount my experiences and thoughts about the tournament.

Farseer G vs Ork Warlord Pat

The Tournament itself.
Maelstrom Missions: Tournament Organizers (TO), decide which mission we will all be playing instead of rolling on the chart itself.
All tables and terrain were set-up by the TO beforehand as well as the objective markers.  Due to the size of table being typically smaller than usual, 4' x '4.  So instead of 6 Objective markers, the TO reduced it to only 5. One Objective right in the middle of the board and remaining four with one in each quadrant of the table itself.
There are three rounds of games for this tournament.  Participants are randomly paired off based on their relative experience and skill level.  If you have participated in previous tournaments you are automatically classified as a non-rookie and will be matched against more experience players.
In subsequent rounds, players are paired off based on the results of their 1st and 2nd match.  Participants who did well in earlier rounds can expect to face tougher opponents in their subsequent matches.
Each table has 2 hours approximately (+/-) to finish off their match.  Breaks were given in between the matches for participants to catch their breath.

My match-ups

Black Templars swarm the Imperial Swords dreadnought

First round – Black Templar Space Marines (Marshal Exantis)

Marshal Exantis is a player who returned to 40k for quite a few months starting since Sept 2014.  Roughly 3 months earlier than me.  And had a lot more playing experience than I am.   A passionate wargamer, he also dabbles in Cosplaying, making his own Space Marine costume.   This was a fairly fun game, Marshal Exantis knew the rules pretty well and did not take too long.  We both decimated each other’s forces.  But ultimately he won through scoring of objectives and was ahead of me in VPs by a huge margin. 

Second round – Space Wolves (Wolf Lord YX)

YX is a relatively new player, starting sometime around the same time as I am.   From what he tells me he has been mostly playing “Kill the Xenos” missions.  I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like typical cleanse & destroy missions where both players slug it out and try to inflict as much damage as possible.   The tournament was actually his first time experiencing a Maelstrom mission game.   Although I was leading in VPs and almost tabled his army, it wasn’t truly a fair fight.  His army list was simply not geared for the mission and he was not familiar with what he needed to do with his models to secure VP.   For a newcomer, his models are quite reasonably painted, with enough time he will be one of the better painters out there.

Third round – Spaces Wolves (Cmdr Ryanbo)

Because of how I scored in the second round, my third round was matched against Ryanbo was won his first two games.  Ryanbo and myself were both in the same gaming group so I knew what I was up against.  It was evident from the get go that I would not win.  Still, I tried my best to stop his grey tide of fur and fangs.   I succumb to the pressure of facing against his army and forgot to move my scouts in from reserve.  However, none of it mattered as my gunline simply did not have enough or the right type of firepower to counter his grey tide.   The game went pretty swiftly and I was tabled in the end.

Marshal WL vs Ork Warlord JZ

Results of the Tournament

According to the FB page, the prize category was as follows.
3 Wins - $50 worth of GW kits
Runner Up : $30 worth of GW kits
Best Appearance: $30 GW / Army Painter Voucher
Lucky Draw Prizes: $10 GW Voucher for every 8 Players participating

Unexpectedly, four players actually managed to secure 3 wins.  So the top prize and runner up prize was combined together and split equally amongst the four winners.  

From what I have been told, previous tournaments were based on most VPs accrued over 3 match ups unlike this tournament which awarded best general based on winning all 3 match ups.   As mentioned by one of my friends, one reason for this could be to encourage better sportsmanship.   In the previous tournament he took part, he recalled one participant deliberately prolonging the game to farm “VPs” even though the participant could easily table my friend.    Dragging on an unwinnable game and overall was not the most pleasant experience.

I count myself lucky to at least went home with something

Originally there was going to be only one prize for Best Appearance category as well.  But Instead of one best appearance prize.   GR awarded three prizes this time round citing that all three armies had styles that were too distinctive from one another and it is hard for them to decide who is ultimately the best.  Both Chaos Lord SJ and myself managed to snag this prize.   The prize went from single $30 SGD voucher to a $20 SGD voucher for three different persons.   I feel this is a good gesture by GR  to encourage the participants to put in effort to paint their models.   They didn’t have to do this but they did anyway.

However, if we go by the number of likes in FB page, I think Chaos Lord SJ would claim the top spot.  Although I put in a lot of effort painting my models, I think it is the final result that counts more.  As said, the end justifies the means.  The comment from the TO about my painting being “reminiscent from 90s GW” actually made me feel like my painting style is out of fashion.  And if I am truly keen about winning any future painting competitions, I will need to learn new techniques and evolve.  


Conclusion

All in all, I enjoyed myself.  It is a good experience as we get to socialize with fellow hobbyist that shares the same passion.  In a sense to get in on the vibe that the community extends beyond our immediate gaming circle of friends.  It is really an eye opener as well as you are exposed to so many different participants.  Each with their unique style painting, army composition and how they execute their plans.  What I find fascinating is also how each of us evolve in the hobby.  The newbie that we met in the tournament this time may turn out to be different the next time.  Developing their own unique style when it comes to painting, building a list and executing his/her battle plans.