Sep 2, 2011
While I have already posted a general NOVA response on my own site, I thought I would save my more critical observations for Blood of Kittens. As those of you who follow my articles are already well aware, I am a hobbyist. As a high school English teacher, I honestly only get time to play 40k about once a month, but I am typically free each evening for an hour or so to convert and paint. That said, my criticism of the NOVA should be taken with a grain of salt, as I am far from a hardcore tournament player.
Really, the one issue I had at the NOVA was the limited amount of time per game. For my first two games (of eight), I was fresh and ready to go. Those games ended well within the 2 hour and 15 minute time limit. However, as the tournament wore on, the games became slower and slower.
While there were apparently ustream accusations of slow play, on my game at table 1 in particular, I can assure you that my opponent was not doing anything unfair. It was just the pacing of the game, at this point in an already exhausting weekend. On day 2, only one of my games hit the turn limit, and I think my first game just barely finished turn 3 by the time we had to end it. I didn’t even have all of my army on the board at this point, much less in position to win. I do not think it was just chance that my two wins over the weekend, were from day 1 which went all the way through the game.
Again, I am not a pro player, but it is worth noting that my army, a DE webway bomb, is at least %50 in reserve. This means that I should be a speedy opponent to play, with a few short turns early on where I only have a small portion of my forces available to move and shoot. So if my own noobness isn’t the culprit, and my opponents were not slow-playing (which I truly believe they were not), then what is to be done?
Perhaps 2 hours and 15 minutes is not enough time for tournament level 2k point games? Or more precisely, perhaps the time limits should be increased as fatigue sets in? Or maybe I just need to learn to maintain a high rate of play over 8 games. Honestly, I rarely play 2 games on the same day, much less the 4 required at the NOVA Open. Perhaps 2 hours and 15 minutes IS enough time for tournament level play, but my opponents and myself were not tournament level players. That seems a bit too insulting to sit well with me, as I would think a tournament made for “all kinds of players” would not be so exclusive.
Perhaps the 8 games should be spread out over 3 days instead of 2, in order to retain the integrity of the pairings system, while allowing entire games to be played out. I understand that a three day event would be impossible for many of us, due to logistics, but I am just brainstorming here. I personally have no experience with organizing a tournament, and I typically nod-off whenever I start reading about seeding systems. I just thought I would share my honest experience and criticism of the event.
Maybe I just need to move to England, play 1500 point “fun games”, and compete only in Throne of Skulls events. Alas.
My final observation is a bit touchy, and I refuse to go into specifics here as this deals more with players than the event itself. I also want to be absolutely clear that this observation has nothing to do with any of my opponents; I was very lucky to play 8 fantastic guys, and had lots of fun in each and every game, even when I was getting tabled. What I am absolutely amazed by, is the discrepancy between what I saw with my own two eyes going on at the NOVA, and some of the internet chatter surrounding it. I don’t mean the “peanut gallery” of ustream, but rather the manner in which some people conducted themselves, compared to the way they claim things actually went down after the fact. This honestly terrifies me. When I read some of the other NOVA reflections out there on the blogosphere, I feel as though I am bearing witness to significant psychotic breaks. With the mental stability of some players in doubt, I would be wary placing my own beloved models on a table near them, in fear of what damage they could do when they finally do go over the edge. As a teacher, I know that disturbed individuals certainly do exist in society. However, I typically assume that the more disturbed an individual is, the less capable they would be of traveling to and attending an organized event such as NOVA. I have assumed wrong.
I know that our hobby of choice appeals to people who sometimes lack certain social skills, and I am more than willing to accept this as part of our game. If you go to a multi-day tournament, you are going to smell some armpit. It happens, I can get past it. What makes me uneasy, is when I can no longer vouch for a players mental stability. I spend a decent amount of money, and far too much time painting and converting my models. I keep my miniature display cabinets closed, in an effort to keep my cats from running off with my models (I did find a plaguebearer in their toy basket once). So with that in mind, why would I want to put those same models in arms-reach of someone whose mental stability I truly doubt? Again, I know people are crazy. I am a little crazy too! But man, the discrepancy between what I saw, and what some people say… terrifying.
I hope this last bit wasn’t a cheap shot, or something that everyone already sees and ignores. I don’t mean to pick on anyone, either; you cannot blame someone for suffering from a personality disorder. This just happened to be my first truly national GT, and I had no idea just how deep the rabbit hole was.
All in all, I had a great time at NOVA, and these just happened to be the minor critical observations I had. Organizing a tournament is not a “for profit” gig, and I truly appreciate all of the effort the NOVA staff put in. I do not mean to insult the event in any way, and I will certainly return next year. In fact, I suggest that other people check it out too. I just thought I would offer up some feedback.
How about you, dear readers? Do any of you have any observations to make, or comments on my own thoughts? As always, I am all ears.
pathtyphon
TastyTaste
Frank Austin
fluger
Brent
Dethtron
newsun
AbusePuppy
nyhil
That Teri Girl
reecerobbins
badtaste
This is what I think of when I think of internet rants. It starts out reasonably sober and then breaks down into a primal expression of frustration and irritation.
I’m not sure the pops at the British and Ustream users are warranted, but that’s just my opinion eh?
I think your comment about game duration is a fair one, and the novel suggestion of gradually increasing play time as the weekend progresses is a solid idea.
But the burning question is what on earth were other people doing that convinced you that they were on the edge of having a mental breakdown as opposed to being stressed and tired?
GDMNW: Wow, I guess my tone was misconstrued. I am not knocking the British, in fact I legitimately think I would be better suited in their play atmosphere. As for the ustream, I don’t think it’s fair that they were calling my opponent a cheater. Should I apologize for defending my opponent? I not only stand by my position on these points, but find it difficult to understand how you could be insulted…
As for behavior at the GT, as I said in the article, it wasn’t about specific actions, but revisionist history that concerns me. I expect sour grapes and crocodile tears, just not to the level I witnessed.
I am sorry you take this article as a rant, but I hardly think two non-confrontational observations make a manifesto.
Dash of Pepper had a talking-to after some bad behavior in the invitational, but cleaned up his act for the open and by all accounts was quite pleasant to play for the last 2 days. He even won a sportsmanship award.
Stelek was a perfect gentleman in all respects. Which was a distinct break from his online persona.
Some people walked out after losing games on the second day of the open (to be expected). But for every butt-hurt quitter there were 1-2 guys that chose to leave early because of real travel issues caused by the hurricane or the schedule delays. I can’t fault them on that.
If anything, the all-around good behavior/sportsmanship I saw at the NOVA (even in the midst of all the scheduling snafus and some large cash prizes) just showed me how bad ‘Ard Boyz consistently is. I didn’t see any bullying, lying, convenient math mistakes, or anything else that I always see at ‘Ard Boyz, even in the prelims. Let alone the semi-finals. It’s been so bad that I skipped ‘Ard Boyz this year. But NOVA was great!
To be fair Dash was spoken to by Mike not because of poor behavior but because of his opponents poor behavior. His opponent to that point (who played next to me the previous two games) already had one bad game vote (of 2 games) and Dash was his second. His other two games had some major issues and both opponents and my third round opponents noted he was the only person at the Invitational they wouldn’t ever want to play again.
Basically Dash wasn’t having any problems with his opponent that people didn’t have with him all weekend. Just wanted to clarify.
I think a lot of people on the Ustream were LOOKING for mistakes. I don’t think everyone was trying to cheat. In my game with Ghostin (Orange and Blue ‘nids), we talked about the pressure of being under the Cam. (we were way down on Table 10, I think)
basically, we’re humans trying to play a game under severe sleep deprivation. We forget stuff. I didn’t see anything I’d call blatant cheating, even as a judge for the invitational.
I was a bit surprised at some of the whining after the fact. Buck up, campers. It’s a game. Have some fun with it.
BTW, I loved your Dark Skaven. very cool.
I didn’t see any cheating either, and I too was a volunteer ref during the invitational. As you pointed out, it was the after-the-fact commentary that blew my mind.
I am glad you got a kick out of my Skaven Dark Eldar! I would have been terrified to fight your Grey Knights, but it would have made for some great photo opportunities. Your work was exceptionally crisp. I was also impressed with the water effects you used on some of your bases, and wish I had asked you about the process. I have been thinking about how to use water effects to encase an already painted model in an angular block of “ice”, but then you guys don’t want to hear about my Malifaux projects…
Clear 2-part resin from tap plastics, and a mold / box of some kind… you can even add a drop of blue ink or paint to color the resin.
…just don’t put your “frozen” figures in your friend’s drinks.
Thanks, Gerbil! What I am worried about though, is how to make a mold in an angular “ice shard” shape. I had considered using a small amount of liquid resin in a cylinder, tilted at an angle, then after it cures, using more and more little “sips” of resin, turning the cylinder each time to different angles, to get that “shard” effect. I just don’t know what resin/water effects to use, so the ice wont just bond to the mold. Maybe latex casting rubber would be a better bet…
I bet you could seal the box from the resin with some kind of masking tape on the inside.
If you can convert an Ogryn carrier with plasticard then I bet you can make a jagged angled shape mold with old gift cards.
Nyhil, as someone who as honestly never been to a national tournament, what are you talking about with psychotic breaks? The Dash stuff that Sandwyrm mentioned? Because revisionist history is only apparent to those who have access to more data than the blogosphere…
I cannot expect anyone to take my word as truth due to my refusal to present specific data; I just wanted to share my personal response to attending the event. And again, the point isn’t about individuals, but rather about our hobby as a whole. In my opinion, some of the internet strangers involved in the NOVA have displayed considerable breaches of “fact”, which to me, is a huge red flag. To me, this breach highlights the absurdity of trusting internet strangers with models that we pour our hearts and wallets into.
So you’re not willing to talk about it, asks people to ‘take your word for it,’ and when asked, you say ‘well, it’s how I feel it went down!’
Either give the whole story, or shut up. You’re adding fuel to an already huge and terrible tale of consistent drama and falsehood that ties directly back to this blog.
At no point did I ask anyone to “take my word for it”. I am sharing my opinion, and opinions are neither right or wrong.
As for being upset with BoK, I can’t help you there. By focusing my response on my own personal interest, a perceived risk to the hobby and models I love, and by omitting player names and specifics, I thought I could share the unease I experienced without turning this into a fist-fight.
If you are looking for mudslinging, then I am sorry to disappoint.
I agree with VT2. Either you saw something the rest of us didn’t and need to name names, or you’re just making up mud to sling at the event and it’s players as a whole. Calling people psycho is a big deal and shouldn’t be thrown around lightly.
The only person I saw behaving badly enough to maaaybe threaten someone’s 40K models was Dash, who got a bit drunk. But that was handled by Mike and the staff with a minimum of fuss. So what’s your problem?
I’ll try again.
I take no issue with the event, the players at the event, or any actions of players at the event.
What concerns me, is the difference between what I saw at the event, and what I have seen reported. When Johnny the quarterback loses the big game due to a fumble, no big deal. When Johnny the quarterback goes home and tells his family that he won, then we have problems. This does not make Johnny a psycho, as you say, but certainly demonstrates a splitting off from reality. Like a child who lies so much, that they believe the lies themselves.
In an effort to keep from mudslinging, I have commented on the phenomenon, and not the individuals. I am in fact doing the exact opposite of what you claim, while allowing myself to give my impressions of the event. These are my impressions, and are written in such a way as not to point fingers. You can certainly disagree, especially because I refuse to go into specifics, but that does not change my impressions.
I honestly have no agenda here other than sharing my experience.
Have to admit, that in my first game on day 2, I had an opponent who was coming unhinged early on (made me glad I teach martial arts!) Later, my opponent calmed down, after getting enough of the “Really?” look from me and we had a decent game.
At Astronomi-con we frequently have folks who have difficulty finishing 1500 point games in two hours so I can certainly understand how it would get tough to finish 2k games in 2 hours 15.
Eight games! What a grind! (We do three a day and that’s down from the four and three we started with because feedback told us that was too tiring).
I’d say the timing comments are fair.
Glad it isn’t just me. Again, I am no pro player, so I am commenting from more of a layman’s perspective. Also, and maybe this is just far too personal to even mention as an observation, but as much as I love 40k, I am not entirely sure that playing 8 games over 48 hours is appealing.
I like bacon, probably as much as I like 40k. And we all know what happens if you eat 8 servings of bacon.
Even five games over two days is pushing it for me…
It was 13 games for anyone that played (or judged) in the invitational and the open. 14 if you played in the Whiskey Challenge too.
Some of us were walking Zombies by the end of the third day. But that’s hardly psychotic behavior.
Again, a psychotic break. A disconnect from reality. Sometimes called “splitting”. This is observed by comparing a shared experience and version of the truth, with a different account of the same event. It is seen after the fact.
This is different than “psychotic behavior”, which is why I never said those words.
I think you need to get your head out of the psych book and chill a bit.
If your issue is that some people said they won when they didn’t, then that just proves that they’re liars. People lie for all sorts of reasons (ego in this case probably). But that’s hardly evidence of an extreme psychosis or an imminent violent threat to others’ toy soldiers. You’re overreacting, it seems, to something that (for better or worse) happens all the time.
You know, you are right. It probably does happen all of the time. It just surprised me. And do I think someone capable of confusing the truth is going to flip a table? Probably not. But again, I do find it odd that we put our models, models that both you and I spend lots of energy on, in the hands of strangers.
Again, this was not written as a dig, but as an honest reflection.
This is why I absolutely hate the chaos power, lash of submission. I had one guy actually try to grab one of my models right after casting the spell, and I was what the hell are you doing? I stopped him from doing it and moved the models myself. I sensed that he felt I was being unsportsmanlike for doing so. While there were other things I did in the game that were unsportsmanlike (drinking beer and cussing when I lost models), that’s another story (one that I am not proud of).
Note to Chaos players: cast Lash of Submission does not give you permission to touch other people’s models. Ask first.
“Can too many carrots make your head grow leaves?”
No, but too many carrots CAN make your skin turn orange. I found this out to my the hard way, but fortunately it goes away in a few days if you stop eating them. Due to bad timing though, my Driver’s License photo looks like Mitt Romney with Hepatitis.
Oh Yeah: Nova.
Tournament schedules mini-Apocalypse games in a two hour block. Games are called for time. Surprise.