This weekend I went to my FLGS to get in some games of 40k, and while I was there I had the absolute pleasure of watching an AoS GT being run by one of the community organizers. I had been to this Tournament Organizer’s (TO) events in the past and knew that they ran an excellent event, but I never got to sit on the sidelines to see just how well things were running. Individuals who are playing in a tournament rarely have time to see everything their TO is doing, so they may not understand all of the work that actually goes into running an event. Some people desperately want tournaments to happen in their area, but no one is running them. A lot of the time tournaments aren’t happening because people are too afraid to take that first stab at running their first event, but running a wargaming event doesn’t need to be scary! With just a little prior planning anyone can get the thrill of TOing their own event.
Organization: The first step in getting a tournament going is finding a venue. If you have an FLGS with enough tables and terrain you are starting out ahead in this category. If you aren’t so lucky you may need to get creative. Small tournaments can be extremely successful just by finding a local hall to rent and pooling terrain from your gaming group. Places like local colleges, VFWs, or fire halls generally have spaces that you can rent at very affordable rates. These places also tend to have tables that come with the venue, and by throwing a few of them together with some FLG mats and terrain on top you can make a perfect wargaming table.
Once the venue is worked out the price of the tournament needs to be set. For some events, like a Conquest event I will be running in November, the entry is free as my goal is to get as many people to come and take part in a newer game. The price of the event can vary, but make sure your are covering your venue cost as well as any prize support you will be offering. Some stores even give everything they make from the sale of tickets at the event back in prize support in the form of gift cards to the store. This way your players get prizes, and the store gets the support it deserves for being the venue for the tournament.
A form of prize support that has grown extremely popular at my FLGS is 3D printed trophies. These trophies cost almost nothing to make, and will make someone’s day when they receive this cheap piece of plastic with gold sprayed on it.
Promotion: This is a huge step in having a successful event. It absolutely blows my mind when TOs aren’t shouting from the mountain tops about the event they are planning. If you want more than just your group’s regulars to attend an event post about it everywhere that makes sense. Store and gaming club Facebook pages are an excellent start, but also look into Discord groups that may have formed in your area as not everyone uses both platforms. I am not saying go on the Competitive 40k Facebook Group and post a link to your tournament that doesn’t include its location in the post (FOR THE LOVE OF 40K PLEASE INCLUDE THE LOCATION OF YOUR EVENT IN YOUR FACEBOOK POST), but I am saying make sure your event is getting some exposure from the store’s Facebook at the very least.
Also, try to give at least a months notice for the event. People are extremely busy, and need the chance to set aside time for an event that is likely to take 10-12 hours.
Execution: For this phase of TOing you absolutely could show up to the tournament venue an hour before the first game and run around in a panic hoping everything gets done to start on time. I’ve done this in the past, and please learn from my mistakes by not doing this. Prior planning will prevent a lot of headache the morning of the tournament. Have the terrain set up the night before if possible. Make sure you know the bathroom and lunch situation prior to players arriving because they are sure to ask you.
My local store has a nice PA system so the TOs can be heard throughout the entire store, but not many FLGS’ have this luxury. Roughly 10-15 minutes prior to the first game gather all of your players and explain how the day is going to go. This is your time to set the tone for the event. Let the players there know everyone is there to have a good time, and to feel free to come to you with any issues.
Once the games have begun the hard part is over! A lot of people don’t want to TO an event because they are scared of being asked to solve rules disputes during the games. In my experience players rarely get upset with the TOs, and they are just looking for an arbitrator to help them through a sticky rules situation. By no means do TOs know all the rules! You just need to have a copy of the rules and be able to pull them up when someone asks.
Wrap Up: All the games have finished, and you have successfully run your first tournament. Now is the time to start promoting for that next event! Let the players know when you, or another TO in your area, plans to have another event. One piece of advice for this stage of TOing. Do your prize give outs last. Anything you say after announcing winners, and handing out prize support, is going to be heard by about 25% of your players. 50% are leaving right after prizes, and 25% may hang around but aren’t listening to you anymore. Anything that you want these players to know should be said before you shower them with 3D printed trophies.
Being a TO is hard work, but I honestly think everyone should give it a try. You don’t need to be the best player in your meta, or have been playing a game for 20 years, to be a good TO. All you really need is a little bit of pre-planning and organization, and you will have an awesome time running an event. While you might not get to play any games as the TO, the feeling of putting together a successful event that players enjoyed is one of the great things about the hobby of miniature wargames that only a few people get to experience.