Tournaments have a big impact on the Warhammer hobby as a whole – possibly too big… 

In Days of Yore

For a long time after I started playing Warhammer, I didn’t know that tournaments even existed. I don’t think it ever occurred to me that someone would organise something like that. Even when I discovered that tournaments did exist, it was only through reading White Dwarf (then an exclusively UK publication, which was shipped across for our edification) – so I assumed that while they may have been happening on the other side of the world, there was nothing of the sort closer to home. 

Many experienced Warhammer players could tell you stories of how many rookies they have seen who turn up for a game armed to the teeth with archers, handgunners, mages, cannon and the like, hoping to obliterate their opponent before the game reaches Turn 3. A great many of those players were then sent running with their tail between their legs, having had their hides handed to them by a far more experienced player, using far less ranged firepower. To the untrained eye, the simple way to win a game of Warhammer would be to field as much shooting as you can, and then to simply pulp your opponent from afar. But does it really work that way?

Axeremastered is over, and it seems to have gone pretty well. Thanks to everybody who entered, and congratulations to the following winners of various glittering prizes:

First Overall: Andrew Goodman - Daemonic Legion (Khorne)
Second Overall: Ben Morrison - Vampire Counts (Von Carstein)
Third Overall: Sam Webster - Lizardmen
Best Sports: Andrew Noakes - Orcs and Goblins
Best Painted Army: Steve Kelsall - Dark Elves (prize give to Julian Jaksch for his Dwarves on countback, due to restrictions on Military Simulations employees winning prizes.)

Here is my army background. I thought I'd embrace my 'cheating' reputation and turn my Brets into a dishonourable rabble of low-lives. I'm assuming that it's an open-list tournament - I'm gonna put my list in. Not like it's gonna surprise you.

The Tale of Suzeraine Trompeur and Escadron de Forban
Putting down his quil, Suzeraine Trompeur de Carcasonne looked up at his henchman Gluant Ver. Trompeur hated being disrupted whilst doing his tax avoidance, but he had almost trusted Gluant since they were young nobles, stealing wooden swords and pantomime horses from the common children. These days, Gluant hardly ever stole from his lord, and Trompeur trusted Gluant almost as far as he could throw him. Gluant was his sticky fingered right-hand man.

Recently a player was telling me about a game of Warhammer that he had watched at the club. This game was between two regular opponents, one of whom had always won in the past. Naturally everyone was expecting the same result this time round, but this time things turned out differently. The game was close, and at a critical juncture in the game, a bystander pointed out to the underdog that he was calculating his combat resolution incorrectly. As a result of this revelation, the player went on to record a historic victory. It also upset the eventual loser of the game, who felt that the game had only been won because of outside intervention. Was the bystander right to point out the underdog’s mistake?

Spang Magakan It always seems odd to me that most people never name their characters. After all, your general is meant to represent you on the battlefield. It's such a nice way to personalize an army. You may not care if those Orcs over there get pounded to a greenish paste under the hooves of those Khorne Chaos knights. But if it's a case of Skabby Da Skragga an' iz Skraggin' Pals being shredded by Khraraak the Shredder and the Ancient blood-brothers of Shred suddenly it seems more important. Plus you can give your guys silly names. What more could you want?

The Warhammer world is changing, and players who left the hobby 10 years ago might not even recognize their own armies anymore. But are the changes all for the better?  

In the last few years I have discovered myself playing more and more games with my Orc and Goblin army. I think this is largely due to the fact that I tend to play fairly regularly in tournaments, and as such I tend to use the army for which I have the most miniatures painted. Certainly I assumed that this was the main reason, and thought nothing more of it. But then in the last few months I have started collecting a Dwarf army. Not just any army of Dwarfs, however – the majority of the miniatures that I have collected for the army are very old. I have always liked the old Dwarf miniatures, and this I attributed to my dislike of largely single-pose regiments (such as the current range of Dwarf Hammerers and Longbeards). This theory was supported by the fact that I do quite like the current plastic range, which are multi-pose and easily converted. Again, I was satisfied with this explanation and ceased to ponder the matter. I try not to probe too deeply into my own subconscious, as it scares me (and those around me)…

(or the tournament formerly known as Axemaster)

As the title suggests, this tournament is being run in the place of Axemaster, to prevent the sudden gap in the gaming calendar. It is being run with the full backing of Military Simulations, whose assistance is appreciated.

Axeremastered is a Warhammer Fantasy Battle tournament to be held on the 11^th and 12^th of November 2006 at the Hampton community centre. The tournament consists of 6 games played over the two days and costs $30 to enter.