Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: Play Like a Vet! Good Shoes, Carts, and Displays
Goatboy here with tips on the non-40K army things you need to compete like a seasoned vet.
If you’ve been reading these you know I have jumped back into playing competitive 40k as best as I can. This means signing up for events (GW Austin and NOLA purchased so see me there), building new armies, and hopefully mentally practicing enough. That last one is hard as having kids and a busy work life means I have a heck of a lot less time to play games as I used too. It showed pretty heavily at the last event I played in as I went with a list I had no practice with – but that is something to talk about another time.
This article is about some of the extra things you can do for your army instead of just making sure it is painted well, your cheat sheet is written, and you got all the important stuff in your backpack. This time I am talking about display boards, utilizing a cart, and just making sure you have good shoes. The last one is one of the more important things and something you should always think about as you get older and the events get bigger.
Lots of support – you’ll need it.
Good Shoes
Good shoes are needed as you will most likely be standing more than you would like. Plus you will also be leaning over, moving models, and straining to see if you’re actually within 12″ for a yolo charge. Beyond any of the normal wear and tear of game play you will also need something decent to wear as you will most likely walk from the event to any local restaurant to eat and chatter about how terrible you were in the last game you played. I would advise anyone to get some good walking shoes, have decent socks, and try to rest as much as you can as the weekend is long and no matter how much booze you drink your back will be upset at you towards the end.
Using one of these as a display board foundation works wonders!
Display Boards
Next up let’s talk about display boards. I love seeing an awesome display board but a lot of the time these things are so insanely big that it gets hard to move them around an event hall. Thankfully it seems coordinators are starting to set up their events with Covid and space in mind so it isn’t nearly as bad as moving from table to table, throwing the unwieldy display board under the table, and hopefully not stepping on it. When building one of these things make sure you think about how you are going to move it. I usually go for very simple things set up in some kind of manner that allows the models to shine, the tray is easy to sit on something, and I am not obnoxiously trying not to brain someone as I move between the rows of battlefields. I like to utilize either a magnet sheet, a metal tray underneath, or just making sure it is all recessed with handles when building simple options. I know a client was utilizing cabinet doors as the beginning of his try and it isn’t a bad idea.
There are plenty of folding ones available on Amazon.
Gaming Cart
Finally this is really me showing that I have gotten older as I think it is time to utilize a cart to move my stuff around. Hear me out as while it makes me look like a grognard I think finally moving towards that will end up doing better for myself, moving between areas, and just displaying your army in a nice way.
This is the one I am looking at and it should fit most of my armies. I will probably set up a display tray that slides in, has some unique terrain, and let’s me have a pretty sweet looking army that can hold all my business down below. Like your Foam for your army, drinks, and keep your pills protected from those robots. I like that it folds and while it isn’t something I could always fly with it is something I can drive around to events with and be comfortable as I move my hobby around.
I have always wondered why someone at big events doesn’t bring some up to “rent” for the event. Hell rent em with a display board as well! One of these days will go thru how to build a cool display as well as hopefully showing my cart in action. This isn’t as sweet as a Chaos’d up Rascal but it can be a lot of help for you as you look to 2-3 days of trying to get your army from top tables down to the bottom ones.
Odds & Ends
What other advice would you give for a player? I always say to bring an extra day or two of clothes if you are flying out somewhere. I remember one year I got stuck in Nashville for 2 days due to some hail damage on planes in Dallas. I got lucky and washed my clothes but there was one day I had to wear swim trunks while waiting in the airport to just be sent back to the hotel. Also having decent snacks is helpful. As well as not good for you snacks.
~What are your pro-tips for traveling to gaming events?
