Well gentlemen. And gentleladies. It is almost time. LVO is around the corner and a brand new ITC season is about to kick off!
If you play competitive 40k, then there is always going to be another big event you are gearing up for. You will practice and practice. Countless reps will prepare you to take on the any opponent. Your bags are packed, you’re ready to go. And you are about to be “leavin on a jet plane.” * BUT, the big questions is, are your models ready!? Here are the three most likely reasons your beloved army may get flagged by the judges/TO, so prepare accordingly:
Those sweet, sweet, conversions I have been preaching about for the past few weeks on the FLG Hobby Blog better be approved. While those conversions may be totally OK with your gaming crew back home, the tournament organizer of any legit event, needs to sign off on them before they get table side. Every event, from RTT to Major usually will have some sort of standards that need to be met. These may be posted in the event packet or on their website, or simply an unwritten expectation. Regardless, if you are bringing in anything that deviates from the bold-standard GW produced model, then it is best to get approval in advance of game day.
Most TOs are pretty clear with what is an acceptable conversion , and have a set of rules in place. In short, all conversions usually need to appropriately represent the model’s rules and physical dimensions. WYSIWYG** is important here but it is also important that any conversions can not be modeled in such a way as to give a player a competitive advantage. No, you can’t have a bunch of Space Marine Intercessors converted so they are all lying prone an thus easier to hide behind terrain, no matter how cool it may look.
Bases are another thing to remember. The base size your models are standing on is in no way a personal decision, but is in fact a specific requirement outlined this year by the FLG team for events moving forward. No longer are Orks Boyz allowed to be on 25mm bases. They have to be on 32mm. And you better make sure your awesome HQ choice is not on an oversized base giving you a bit more range for their aura affects. Most Space Marine characters are on a 40mm base. But sometimes people put them on a 50mm base. While there is only 10mm size difference, the larger base can allow that 6” aura*** to extend far more than is actually legal. The general rule when it comes to base size is to use the base the model currently comes with. The key here word used here is “currently.” Yea, that is a shame that base sizes do appear to change for some of the repackaged kits, but it is also a shame that that some models get squatted completely****.
You better represent those separate detachments appropriately or face the wrath of a head judge. No longer can you field an army that looks the same but has different rules, chapter traits, etc for each detachment. Unless your entire army is playing with the same set of rules and there is no difference between one detachment and the next, than you better make sure each detachment is obviously distinguishable. And No, you can’t just put different color rubber bands on them and call it a day. That is becoming less and less of an acceptable solution as the atheistic standards of our hobby only increase. So if your Space Marine army is composed of a mix of Iron Hands and White Scars, then you better make sure those two detachments are painted uniquely and are easy for your opponent to tell which models are crazy durable and which ones are crazy aggressive.
And of course, if you have questions then ask them! The entire FLG team and all the judges ant any of their events want you to have a fun time, but they also need to make sure everyone is playing by the same sort of rules!
*Thank you John Denver for those timeless tunes.
**What You See Is What You Get … in case you are not down with the cool kid lingo yet.
***Those uber powerful Chapter Master rerolls for example
****We pour one out for Eldar Corsairs and those beloved Mongolian themed Rough Riders.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
