Say “Hello” to one of ITC’s Newest GT Level Events!
Hello, folks! Captain Morgan from Forge the Narrative here to poke some fun at all those haters that say that 40k is dying out.
Salt City Gladiator Games is Now Utah’s ONLY 40k Grand Tournament!
Salt City Gladiator Games (SCGG) started in 2014 as an attempt to bring the convention experience to Utah. Not dedicated just to 40k, we also hosted the Utah Cup for Warmachine, and had several events for Infinity, Guild Ball, and Malifaux, as well as the Salty Dwarf painting competition. In the first event, we had about 14 people at the 40k event, and since then it’s been encouraging to see the 40k competitive scene grow in Utah. With steady growth each event since then, we were able to reach that 28 person benchmark and reached GT status with our event this year. Our 40k Narrative Event has also only grown since it started. Considering that we were sharing a weekend with the Bay Area Open, I tip my hat and bow to all the players who showed up and brought their game to the SCGG this year and helped us put on the best competitive 40k tournament we have had yet!
40k Tournament Army Composition Recap
I have to say that I was more surprised by the army composition at this tournament than I was for any other that I have run in the past. The fact that despite breaking records for attendance, we did not have a single Codex: Space Marines (SM) primary faction – yep you read that right: ZERO SPACE MARINE PLAYERS were at the SCGG in 2016 (Though our best Utah SM player and top SM in ITC Thomas Hegstrom Oakey was stolen by the BAO so maybe that’s where they all went). So, instead we had a very strong showing of Chaos and Xenos players. Here’s the breakdown for primary detachments:
Chaos Demons: 3
Imperial Knights: 1
Eldar: 6
Chaos Space Marines: 3
Necrons: 3
Chaos Renegades: 1
Orks: 1
Tau Empire: 3
Cult Mechanicus: 1
Space Wolves: 1
Dark Angels: 1
Grey Knights: 1
Dark Eldar: 1
Astra Militarum: 1
Harlequins: 1
Tyranids: 1
Player Standings and Tournament Results
As one would expect, Eldar made a very strong showing, especially in an environment where their “nemesis” (read: Space Marines) was very absent. With the ITC vote for GW’s FAQ to be held off until official, you’d better believe that there were copious amounts of Void Shield Generators present as well. Due to a local player preference and the timing of the ITC votes, Death From the Skies was being used in the event (no dogfight, but with air superiority). We were also using unmodified Space Marine psychic powers, though there were not many Space Marines around to make use of them. It was cool to see players adapt and use the new rules, especially as it’s something that we’ll have to get used to seeing more of as time goes on. Here’s the breakdown of placings (first to last from top to bottom):
|
First Name |
Last Name | Club | Primary Detachment |
| Dustin | Chesmer | Chaos Daemons | |
| Ryan | Polson | Imperial Knights | |
| Adrian | Sanders | T&T | Eldar |
| Russ | Tanner | Gitz & Gutz | Eldar |
| Ben | Cromwell | Team Zero Comp | Eldar |
| Matt | Johansen | Team Zero Comp | Eldar |
| Ryan | Burwell | Gitz & Gutz | Chaos Space Marines |
| Trent | Baxter | Necrons | |
| Caden | Humpherys | Gamer’s Enclave | Necrons |
| Seth | Rourk | Demises | Renegades |
| Rich | Kilton | Double Dutch Rudder | Orks |
| Christopher | Talley | Tau Empire | |
| Sean | Yeates | T&T | Cult Mechanicus |
| Bryan | Gordon | Space Wolves | |
| Aaron | Fyffe | Eldar | |
| Ben | Gabbert | Gamer’s Enclave | Dark Angels |
| Deron | Gross | Grey Knights | |
| Wes | Hall | Chaos Daemons | |
| Dallin | Burns | Dark Eldar | |
| Micah | Merkley | Chaos Daemons | |
| Eric | Peterson | Eldar | |
| Zach | Gill | Necrons | |
| Bryan | Humpherys | Gamer’s Enclave | Tau Empire |
| Ash | Palmer | Tau Empire | |
| Caitlin | Hawker | Chaos Space Marines | |
| Zac | Johnson | Chaos Space Marines | |
| Borf | Cline | Astra Militarum | |
| Mark | Vachon | Harlequins | |
| Shawn | Gately | Tyranids |
Congratulations to all of the attendees! We had some great games and some nailbiters during the course of the rounds. We’ve got a full album of action shots and mid-round gameplay updates on the SCGG Facebook page (also via live videos) that you can see too for some highlights. You just have to pay the price of looking at my ugly mug for a few minutes as I walk between tables…
Hobby on Display
I’ve always held the opinion that you can’t say you’re good at 40k with an unpainted army – it doesn’t have to be an expert paint job or even painted by you, but by having a painted army you are showing respect to your opponent. We have always tried to maintain our emphasis on a strong hobby showing as part of the games, and this year the players did not disappoint! Over the years the players have been improving their hobby showing, which is only a good thing for everyone who participates. We had some EXCELLENTLY painted models and armies on display here. Here are some of the photos of the armies as they were set up for paint judging:
To the Winners go the Spoils…
We had some excellent prize support at SCGG (over $1,000 worth of prizes for 40k alone!), courtesy of our many sponsors – including Frontline Gaming who graciously provided 2 F.A.T. Mats as prize support for our event. We were also able to hand out some custom-made plaques to the winners. Prizes were awarded based on the ITC criteria, meaning that they had to meet the minimum paint requirements to take home trophies and prize support. Take some time to congratulate the winners on being a part of the best Gladiator Games that we have had yet!
Another Year to Prepare for More Carnage…
With SCGG’s continued growth, you can count on the event picking up even more steam as time goes by! We are committed to delivering the ultimate 40k experience, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements for next year’s events! Keep track of the announcements on the Facebook page and watch for more new content on www.saltcitygladiatorgames.com, and you can message us there or on the Facebook page (linked above) with questions. 40k and ITC is only growing from here, so be sure to get your piece of the action at the burgeoning home of 40k in Utah as we set our sights on becoming the go-to Tabletop gaming destination in the Rocky Mountain area.
Cheers!
Captain Morgan