With Covid restrictions slowly but surely coming to an end in many parts of the world, the Warhammer tournament scene is (carefully) revving back up again – including three major US Open events in August and October. In fact, there are still a few tickets left for the Orlando Open, grab one while you can. So for this month’s Metawatch, our in-house events honcho Steve Wren spoke to US tournament expert Shaun Clarke about what newcomers should expect from their first competitive event, and British list-building guru Russ Veal on how to put together a winning army.
Steve: Hi Shaun, and welcome to this month's Metawatch. Can you tell us a little bit about your gaming experience and what drew you to Age of Sigmar?
Shaun: I was introduced at the end of the eighth edition of Warhammer Fantasy, when I wandered into a local Games Workshop and left with a starter box and a load of paints. I was immediately hooked on the game and amassed a large Bretonnian force, which I played until the end of the World-That-Was.
Age of Sigmar brought an exciting and dynamic ruleset that challenged players to focus on objective play. I was completely hooked after only a few games! I especially enjoy the drama of the priority roll and the tactical challenge it presents to players.
Steve: A lot of our readers may well be keen tournament gamers, but there are plenty who haven’t yet taken the plunge. With the new edition out now, what advice would you give to players looking to attend their first event?
Shaun: The best advice I can give to someone interested in tournaments is to go! Throughout the Age of Sigmar I have been an avid tournament-goer, playing in events across the United States and even one event in the United Kingdom.
Without exception, I have found the Age of Sigmar community extremely welcoming, whether you’re a new player or a tournament veteran. Once you’ve decided to go, I think it’s important to set personal goals and expectations. Do you want to win more games than you lose, compete for the best-painted army or the best sportsperson, or even win the entire event?
Steve: What sort of things do you like to consider when you're preparing for an event?
Shaun: The first thing that I do is read the tournament pack that comes with it, which is where tournament organisers describe the rules for their particular event.
With the new edition, I’m hoping that we will see events running the new Battlepacks, such as those in the Core Book and General’s Handbook 2021. These contain all the information about the battleplans that will be played and how they are scored, new realm rules, as well as information on any new core battalions that can be included.
A tournament pack also tells you about other rules that may be in play. The events I usually play in the Midwestern United States often reward players for things beyond the individual game outcome. These so-called “soft scores” can contribute significantly to a player’s final event score. At some events the various aspects of army painting and display, or being a sporting opponent, can be as important as winning your games, showcasing every pillar of the Warhammer hobby. Understanding how an event is scored contributes to my preparation and expectations.
Steve: Obviously getting your army prepared and painted is a challenge, but assuming this is done, is there anything else players can do to make sure that they have the best experience possible?
Shaun: The most important factor in tournament preparation is game repetitions. Personally, I like to have 10 to 20 games under my belt before taking an army to a tournament. This repetition allows me to develop a fluency with the rules and an understanding of how the army performs in a variety of tabletop situations and battleplans.
This helps reduce stress on the day and allows me to focus on playing the games rather than remembering what exactly my army does in a given situation. Once you’re at the event, you’ll be across the table from an opponent – possibly someone you don’t know – who also wants to win the game. However, based on my experience, that opposing player also wants to have a fun game – it is a game, after all!
I try to approach every game remembering exactly this point: it’s a game. Introduce yourself beforehand, have a conversation and get to know the person across the table. Prior to starting the game, I like to explain all of my army rules to my opponent to make sure nothing in my army list of mechanics comes as a surprise.
During the game, I make all of my intentions clear – if your opponent knows what you’re trying to do, there are fewer disagreements. Finally, Warhammer Age of Sigmar contains many rules interactions, some quite complex. I find that having a variety of tokens and markers at the table helps both players keep all of the rules straight during the game.
Steve: Do you have any final advice or top tips for players who want to improve their game play or progress from the mid to top tables?
Shaun: The journey from the mid tables to the top tables ultimately depends on the player and what they want from the game. Age of Sigmar has a variety of armies with a wide range of power levels, but I firmly believe that experience with a given army is more important than any other factor. This allows you to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your list and make appropriate adjustments to your list to make it more competitive.
So that’s a basic primer to the tournament scene – but what about the games themselves? Russ Veal, who’s played in tournaments for nigh-on 20 years, has a few wise words on the all-important art of building a competitive army list.
Steve: Hey Russ, it's great to have you on board for this month's article. Can you give our readers a little background on your wargaming history?
Russ: I’ve been playing competitive Warhammer for over 18 years. I started in Warhammer Fantasy sixth edition, and I’m part of the team that organises the long-running South Coast Grand Tournament. I also host Facehammer, a podcast and YouTube channel covering Warhammer Age of Sigmar, and have even been a guest on Warhammer TV! I’m also a member of the Faithful playtesting team – Warhammer has been a massive part of my life and no matter the trophies and placings, it's more about the friendships I've formed over the years. I even had the pleasure of playing Shaun at Blood & Glory!
Steve: Shaun has done a great job explaining some of the finer points of a successful tournament weekend, but we didn’t cover list design. You’ve been known to delve into the dark arts of building competitive lists, so I was hoping you could help me out. Where do you start with a list for an upcoming tournament?
Russ: This is a huge topic which can be a barrier to many players. I want to start by dispelling some myths about list building – context is important! You don’t always have to build the best list with the most powerful units, and you probably aren’t going to take the same list to a club game that you would take to a Grand Tournament where you want to get the best list you can from your collection.
Steve: I usually pick a theme or a model which will dictate the faction I am playing.
Russ: That is a great place to start. You might hear some people, especially on the internet, say “don’t play with X or Y, they aren’t as good as Z”. This may be true from a purely mathematical point of view, but the hobby, even at a competitive level, is about more than that.
Shaun touches on setting a goal when you attend an event. This is also a good way to approach list design. Making the best list with the models you love is really rewarding. The joy of list-craft is getting the most out of something within the context of a theme or goal.
Steve: Can you outline your process?
Russ: Absolutely. This is not the only way to do it, it's just how I do it. I mostly play at tournaments, and I like to compete, but I also enjoy taking models I like. So I prepare for a wide variety of opponents, as I never know what I'm facing or what mission I'm playing. You need the tools to deal with the meta lists,* compete in a varied environment, and cause your opponent to wonder how to beat you – another reason to stay off meta lists!
Let’s assume I want to run a Soulblight Gravelords army for an upcoming tournament. I’ve followed Shaun’s advice (I’ve even read the rules pack!) and I already have a fairly extensive Soulblight army. I don't have Mannfred at the moment, so let's write a list around him so it makes me paint one up! This becomes my context and my theme.
Steve: Cool. We’ve got a starting point. I imagine you’ll be putting him in the Legion of Night?
Russ: That makes sense. Legion of Night buffs saves for Deadwalker and Deathrattle keywords, gives you some ambush potential, and makes Vargheists Battleline. Mannfred also has an ability, Sword of Unholy Power, which gives summoned units extra attacks, so I need troops that can benefit.
Our Battleline choices are Zombies, Skeletons, Direwolves, and Vargheists. Interestingly, Mannfred is also your general in addition to another model, so a Wight King general will allow me to take Grave Guard as Battleline, so let’s take him on a steed. Grave Guard are summonable and have the Deathrattle keyword, making them the perfect anvil – and the perfect target for Mannfred’s buff. They also benefit from the Lord of Bones Command Ability, so let’s reinforce them a couple of times – which we can do since they’re Battleline – and have a unit of 30. I want them to churn out damage, so let’s give them great weapons.
Steve: I’d like to see zombies in the list. They have some great rules and can claim objectives.
Russ: I agree, so let's stick in two units of 20 (it’s their minimum unit size, so no need to spend any reinforcement points here). We’re just over 1,000 points, so now I want to get some survivability in and boost the Grave Guards’ damage. A Necromancer is a great pick.
He can cast Vanhel’s Danse Macabre, has access to the Lore of the Deathmages, and he’s another Hero to boost casting of Invigorating Aura. If we add in a Vampire Lord on foot with the Crimson Feast Command Ability, I can get the Grave Guard an extra 2 Attacks, add 1 to hit rolls, add another 1 to wound rolls, and re-roll 1s to hit. And Vanhel’s Danse Macabre means they can fight twice!
Mannfred’s ability only works after he's fought, so I need to be able to absorb blows with the Grave Guard, as they will charge and be hit first. Corpse Carts are great here: they boost Deadwalker units’ saves and give powerful effects like -1 to wound within 9”, a bonus to cast, and penalties to enemy Wizards. This is a bargain for 80 points, so let’s take two. We can then add in a unit to act as a screen or push up the table. Dire Wolves are great for this.
Steve: With 280 points left why not add a Vengorian Lord?
Russ: Perfect. Clotted Deluge gives another +1 to wound, Nightmare’s Miasma worsens the Rend of enemy weapons when units are within 3”, and his command ability can allow Mannfred to get a lot of healing.
With the new edition of Age of Sigmar introducing core battalions, it’s time to see how I can fit these onto the list. The warlord battalion stands out as it gives two benefits: an extra command point once per battle and a second enhancement. The Corpse Carts and the Vampire Lord on foot are not the fastest units, but by placing them into a vanguard battalion I can get them to run 6” without spending a command point.
Finally, Roar is a new monstrous rampage action that stops units from receiving commands. The Hunters of the Heartlands battalion from the new General’s Handbook can circumvent this for some of my larger units, so I’ve put the Grave Guard and Zombies inside it.
As for command traits, I’m putting Unholy Impetus on the Wight King. I’m all-in on damage output here, so another Attack is great. There are a few options from the available artefacts, but I’ve chosen the Amulet of Destiny from the core enhancements to protect the Vengorian Lord from any shooting, while the Necromancer has Morbheg’s Claw to help power through a vital spell.
I’ve given the Vengorian Lord the Flaming Weapon spell and the Vampire Lord Amethystine Pinions. Mannfred and the Necromancer both have spells from the Lore of the Deathmages – Fading Vigor and Overwhelming Dread are great defensive spells that allow me to reduce incoming attacks or apply negative modifiers to hit. These will give my Grave Guard even more protection.
Here’s the final list.
Russ: Now it's time to play some games and see if the theory behind the list works. If it doesn’t we can always make changes, which is why I find list-crafting so interesting. A list you make and design will often be better for you than a list you copy, so have fun, play more games, and enjoy the journey rather than the destination!
Massive thanks to Shaun and Russ for their wisdom – perhaps they’ve inspired you to experiment with that wild new army list idea or even to give the tournament scene a go. If you’d like to join the discussion, why not visit the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook page?
* Lists that are currently popular across the competitive scene