40K: Let’s Get Super Serious in 5 Steps
Greetings boys and girls, Unicorns and children of all ages, Brent here… and it’s time to get serious about playing competitive 40K.
I’ll pause here, because if I’ve learned anything from writing these it’s that someone is feeling the urge to laugh, or smirk, or mock, or otherwise dismiss the whole thing out of hand.
Go ahead, if you must. I’ll wait. I’ve got nothing better to do.
Except style my hair. That’s fun! Except we’re not here to have fun: I’ve heard the message and I realize the error of my ways. You fine folks want serious, so serious you shall have.
Remember, moving through the school system has been my running theme; so the joking is done and class is back in session. Now step foot in the auditorium and realize one thing…
In college nobody cares what you think. Here, it’s all about what you can prove. In competitive play, that means playing to win.
Notice I didn’t say ‘winning;’ I said ‘playing to win.’ If you’re winning all your games you’re playing the wrong people.
- Learn your army.
- Prepare a strong list.
- Have what you need on hand.
- Play your strategy.
- Achieve the objectives.
Using Daemons as the example, I’ve brought you from Grade School through Middle School. We skipped through High School with the degenerate Slaaneshi Eldar – fitting, really. Now we’re here, finishing up and preparing for life in a more generalist fashion. I’m not done talking about what you need to know if you want to play Daemons in tournament play, but even so I’ll be the first to admit the only way to achieve #1: Learning Your Army – is reading your Codex and playing countless games.
There are no shortcuts.
Sorry, but downloading a list isn’t the same as knowing an army. It can be a start, but if you want to be good at anything you’ll have to do it. Over and over and over…
Which brings us to #2: Preparing a Strong List… and preparing a strong list is either overlooked or overworked – which is a shame, really. This is important but it isn’t the most important. It really is a contradiction that way.
Look, the bottom line is there is no top-secret super list, and if there was it probably wouldn’t work for you anyway. We all of us play a different game, for a variety of reasons, so the best way to prepare a strong list is to play enough games to know what works.
Don’t get me wrong; in this school, we do our homework, so look around and see what’s going on. Peek in some rooms and under some beds; see what works for others because chances are something similar will work for you.
Just don’t steal someone’s work word for word – we have a word for that.
Okay, okay! You’re ready to play: I get it. Well, #3: Have What You Need On Hand is the first step…
…what?
No, seriously – it might seem simple but people manage to screw this up all the time.
If I’m standing across from you, I’ll be prepared… shouldn’t I have the same expectation of you? Everyone should have a copy of their own Codex and rulebook, as well as their WYSIWYG miniatures, dice, ruler, and LEGIBLE ARMY LIST.
Don’t show up for class with some wadded up notebook paper in your chicken-scratch handwriting; be a Boy Scout! Or a Girl Scout, or a Unicorn Scout – I don’t care, just be prepared. Be a serious person and people will take you seriously.
Can the dude with the weekend faux-hawk get away with saying that? Sure I can. I’m a serious person I am; If I’m having fun then I’m seriously having fun, but if I’m paying money for a tournament I’d like to play people who want to be there and put in the prep time I did.
If that’s not you, then that’s cool – just don’t pretend it is. I have no problem with the Narrative Tracks or the painting competitions or anything like that. This hobby is inclusive, not exclusive…
…and I’ll love you even if you don’t love me! Yes, that is my hand and no I don’t wanna move it!
Oh, sorry. I’m serious again.
So, what comes next? We’re on #4″ Play Your Strategy – already? Now we’re playing the game… and yes, much of winning is all the stuff that happens before you hit the tournament table. It’s one of the reasons the same people are at the top tables all the time. Much is said about the format of this event or that, but the bottom line is hard work pays off.
Still and all, this step is about implementing a strategy that works for your army while trying to minimize the impact your opponent’s strategy has on the game. Playing your strategy is a subtle but all-important concept in any game. It turns a game with dice into a game of skill.
If you think there isn’t skill involved in winning games of 40K, then it’s my turn to roll my eyes at you. Of course there is – a skill is learning to do something well.
Darn, that sounds like all that work and homework and preparation Brent’s been yammering on about – it’s almost like he planned it.
Last but not least, #5: Achieve Your Objectives – is by far the most important thing, literally what you need to do to win… so why is it folks get caught up in the game mechanics and forget about actually winning?
I don’t know – I really don’t. All I know is I’ve done it more times than I can count and it’s really frustrating.
There are two things, in my not-so-humble-opinion, that separate the wily tournament veterans from everyone else. The first is know the rules so well you don’t have to refer to your book and the second is keeping the objective in mind throughout the game.
This is where I need to improve. Too often I don’t consider the mission until the last few turns. I admit it; I’m a student here, too. I don’t know about you, but for me the missions in tournament play are always different from the book, but regardless I still turn on the auto-pilot and stop thinking my way through the game. Since there’s usually a secondary and tertiary mission objective, I find I can’t maximize battle points in the way I’d like.
Don’t get me wrong, I do okay, but if I ever want to hit that next level I need to earn every battle point I can. I’m planning on writing the mission down on a note card and referring to it at the top of the turn. Does it sound extreme? Perhaps, but I think it’s necessary to break a bad habit, so we’ll see.
It’s how I taught myself to remember my psychic powers at the beginning of the turn!
That’s it for this Tuesday, folks; my time is up. I can’t promise I’ll stay serious, ’cause frankly the tension is killing me.
Look, all this competitive play vs hobby play vs play this way or that… blah blah blah! My bottom line (and yes, I’ll move my hand from your bottom line) is I do this for fun. Like many of you, my workweek is stressful and this is my fun-me-time. I never lose sight of that. I hope you don’t either.
So what steps do you use to prepare for the big leagues?
