Editorial – Pre tournament jitters

Warhammer is a big game, extremely different to 40K (the ruleset which I knew inside out, then grew to loathe). I'm a seasoned player of 40K, but I'm finding myself nervous before my first fantasy tournament.

I'm not going to win, or hit the top tables (beastmen is not the list for that...). My army won't win best army.  I just want to make a good account of myself. As the victor of the wooden spoon before (with my inglorious dark eldar) and the runner up in the wooden spoon (at the woeful Carnage where my Daemon army faced the only two Grey Knight armies at the tournament and an awful "who can throw the last game worst" 6th game) I'm well used to being in the bottom half of the table. But I have fun. I've won best sporting before at Throne of Skulls, I rank pulling a draw out in a game against a 18 year old's Tau army as one of my greatest victories, I rank thrashing a none English speaking space marine army my worst. I've had people come up to me and shake my hand at the end of a long weekend thanking me for the game, I've had people whisper in my ear I've got the patience of a saint as I crawl through a tedious last game on a sunday against an IG Leafblower list and someone who questions (wrongly) every one of my armies rules yet won't refer to his own book regarding his own. I've seen grown men hurdle over table to shout at a poor barman running a Pub Quiz at whether a zzap gun or a termegaunt with a devourer with -1 strength is the weakest weapon in 40k. I've been on a team who won best team name with a rather rude limerick involving Marneus Calgar. I've met great people who I'm still in touch with. And I've met Max Pearson, my arch nemesis. 

My list has whethered an utter hammering over the course of the last few months, experienced general's picking it to bits and my own woeful decision making not helping either. In the mini one day gathering my army ranked the lowest of the AGOM participants, this I begin the weekend wearing the Pink Sparkly Pants (the forfeit for being on the lowest table). 

Last night was my final game, where I beat Rob's filthy Lizardmen after a dodgy charge neither of us are sure if it was legal or not. I'm having doubts, should I drop a Razorgor for harpies? Should I drop the BSB and take blackened plate, giving my unit a 4+ ward against flaming attacks?