So this weekend I has my first tournament for Warhammer Fantasy. It's a table top wargame set in a fantasy setting - elves, humans,dwarves, vampires, etc. You can find out more at http://www.gamesworkshop.com regarding the game background and the models.
Basically the game is two armies facing off trying to kill each other off and achieve objectives such as holding a tower, making the enemy run away etc.
Units are formed into rank and file like in ancient/Napoleonic times, with people on horse, chariot, flying creatures and monsters, as well as magic spells flying about. It's not amazingly realistic but I do find it a lot of fun to play and the models themselves are amazing.
I do play a lot of the sci-fi version of the game - Warhammer 40000, or 40k for short, but I have only played 3 games of the fantasy before this tournament, so I knew it would be a learning experience. Going in not expecting to win or at least fully compete for a win in a tournament is something new and enjoyable for me - usually my games involve intense concentration and consideration but this time I could enjoy myself fully and just learn from people more experienced than myself.
I ended up doing better than I thought I would, ending up in the top 1/3 of the room which was a reasonable achievement and met some lovely guys from all around the state who turned up to play which was nice as well.
The time I spent painting my models paid off, getting top marks for my work, which is really gratifying as the time you spend painting and building the models far outweighs how long you spend using them. I'm not the best painter in the world but I like to think I can combine a good theme with reasonable technique.
The really great painters leave me in the dust though - courtesy of whfm.blogspot.com
All in all a great weekend of having fun, drinking beer and playing games - we even got to see Danny Geale get hammered in 3 rounds in the boxing - it was over quicker than it took to make our lunch. (http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/27/daniel-geale-vs-gennady-golovkin-round-round-updates-live-blog/)
Eventually I'll go into more detail into the game and what I do in playing and painting warhammer, but there is probably only so much people can take at once.
They gave a trophy for the best anti social behavior as well - recognizing bad behavior and calling it through humour is a great thing.
Final thought - it's interesting that social behavior was so stressed throughout the weekend - it's great to see but it did make me wonder whether other sports and hobbies even need to do this at all?
Or is awkward social moments and bad behavior more common in gaming and common enough to be worth stamping out? Do people in cricket and soccer and chess have to proactively deal with this?
I don't know about whether social behaviours are so encoded in other hobby comps, but I have seen some of the.. perfectionist tendencies of people who favour this games. Perfectionists often struggle with social etiquette when they get a little riled. Much like three and a half year olds...
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