This coming weekend, March 8-10, 2013, I will be attending the inaugural West Coast GT hosted by the Bill and Fred from the West Coast Hammertime podcast and held in what will hopefully be beautiful Mission Viejo, CA. I just checked their registration sign-ups against this morning and it looks like there are almost 50 players signed up for the event! Here are the tournament and scenario rules.
Tournament Rules:
As an event that "seeks to promote good sportsmanship, responsible gaming, dedicated hobbyists, and an overall good time," there are very few actual rules for the tournament other than to conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the above principles. Well, there are a couple more, but they are not that drastic.
The tournament is a 2500 point tournament using any army book that was available prior to the date that tournament lists had to be submitted including Chaos Dwarves from the Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos book. The following items and special characters are not allowed: Folding Fortress, The Book of Hoeth, Teclis, Kairos Fateweaver, the Masque, and Skulltaker. All other special characters are allowed, but you must bring a full copy of that character's rules for your opponent's review.
For the first time ever, terrain is not fixed!!! Instead, players take turns placing terrain (and must use all pieces on the table) each game. All forests are considered mysterious. All other terrain is considered normal except that hills block line of sight for non-large target models. A max of 30 infantry or 15 monstrous infantry models may enter and garrison a building.
Finally, the tournament is a CLOSED LIST even. The tournament is providing tournament approved copies of your list. These copies are to be given to your opponent at the end of each game for review. All hidden war gear and assassins must be clearly defined in the army list as to which unit it is a part of and all spell lores will be clearly marked.
Tournament Scenarios:
Scenario #1: Mad Mickey
"Quarterly profits are down in the Magical Kingdom and Mickey is pissed! Overhead is high and Mickey is looking to downsize. What you may not know about this lovable mouse is that he often moonlights as a gypsy bare-knuckle boxing champion -- which makes him hit harder than a coffin nail. This is a co-op mission to take the mouse down before he dismantles your army! Use your enemy to distract Mickey while you hit him where it hurts!"
Blood and Glory deployment with an exception: Mickey is deployed in the center of the board.
Mickey is a Bad@$$!
He moves 2d6 in a direction chosen by each player in their movement phase. He is strength, toughness, and initiative 5 and has 5 wounds. He has a 5+ armor save and has the "Magical Conduit" special rule. He does not block line of sight or impede movement. After Mickey moves he immediately makes a ranged attack at any unit within 8" and line of sight. The attack hits on a 4+ and does d3+1 wounds with no armor saves. All hits by Mickey are considered magical.
Mickey may be wounded normally with magical and shooting attacks however all multiple wound effects are halved. If Mickey fails a characteristic test he only takes a single wound. Finally, Mickey cannot be wounded in close combat. Rather, he can be hit by any character or champion in a unit. A unit passing through Mickey with a character or champion causes an automatic wound on Mickey with no saves of any kind, but will in turn automatically take (1 + the number of Mickey's remaining wounds) wounds with no armor saves on the unit moving through Mickey.
Battle Points are awarded as follows:
- 16 points for a win (200+ victory points)
- 12 points for a draw
- 8 points for a loss (200+ victory points less than your opponent)
- 1 bonus point if Mickey is dead at the end of the game
- 1 bonus point if you took a wound from Mickey during the game
- 1 bonus point for putting the most wounds on Mickey
- 1 bonus point for the most standards at the end of the game
Note: Mickey doesn't take any sh!t. If Mickey is not dead at the end of the game, no bonus battle points may be awarded to either player. Disney collects those points and adds them to their quarterly profit margin. Welcome to Disneyland!
Scenario #2: The Real Housewives of the OC
"Your jaunt through the ‘Magical Kingdom’ has taken a toll financially. Although you think that you and your mates are looking quite dashing in your newly acquired mouse ears, you are starting to learn that the expense was far too great. But you are in luck! Newport is right around the corner! There you quickly find a finely shaped Socialite with an axe to grind. Only problem is, your opponent found one too. Apparently these two socialites have been squaring off for years, so the cat fight is on! Welcome to the “Real” Orange County."
Meeting Engagement deployment with the following exception: each player gets a housewife model and must reveal which unit is carrying the army's most expensive magic item.
The Housewife is tough, just not Micket tough. The Housewife has Killing Blow and Regeneration and the following stats:
M W B S T W I A LD
6 5 5 5 4 3 5 3 8
Housewives are characters that may join any unit classified as an infantry of monstrous infantry unit and will gain any special break test mechanic of the unit they join. They are always placed in the front rank. Housewives hate any magical heirlooms that they can’t have. Each Housewife has a wedding ring that has the ability to destroy a single magic item on a Bound 9. To use this ability, choose a unit within 18” of your Housewife during the magic phase. Roll as normal. If the bound spell is cast successfully, the target unit must reveal all the magic items in the unit. Choose one of the items to be destroyed. This bound ability is treated as
a HEX spell. Wedding rings are bound items that cannot be destroyed by anything other than a miscast. Diamonds are forever! A bonus 100 victory points are awarded for killing your opponent's Housewife.
Battle Points are awarded as follows:
- 16 points for a win (200+ victory points)
- 12 points for a draw
- 8 points for a loss (200+ victory points less than your opponent)
- 1 bonus point if your opponent's most expensive unit is dead or fleeing at the end of the game
- 1 bonus point for destroying your opponent's most expensive magic item
- 1 bonus point if you destroyed all your opponent's rare units
- 1 bonus point if you control more table quarters than your opponent
Scenario #3: Beach Blanket Bingo
"After two hard fought battles, you and your boys are looking for some rest and relaxation. After reviewing your maps, you are happy to learn that the California coast is very near. It is rumored that the most beautiful girls in the world call this land their home. Excited by this proposition, you and your boys double time it towards the Pacific! You reach the coast in time to find the beach completely packed and the best babe watching locations are quickly being taken over. You and your boys are going to have to move quick if you hope to find a spot on the sand. Pick a beach blanket and hold your spot on the beach!"
Battleline deployment with three beach blankets in the middle of the table 18" apart from each other.
This is an objective based scenario and victory points aren't used to determine the winner of the game. At the beginning of the game, before deployment, secretly nominate one beach blanket you wish to control. Each Un-Contested Blanket you control at the end of the game is worth 2 Points. Each Blanket you are Contesting at the end of the game is worth 1 Point. Double the value of the blanket you selected secretly at the beginning of the game. Any non-flying Unit that contains a champion of standard bearer may claim or contest a Blanket, for so long as the Unit is alive and touching the blanket. A Unit must be touching a blanket to claim or contest it at the end of the game. Blankets do not impede movement or block line of sight. A Unit may entirely cover a blanket, in which case it may keep an opposing Unit from touching it (i.e. from contesting it).
Battle Points are awarded as follows:
- 16 points for a win (controlling more blanket points than opponent)
- 12 points for a draw
- 8 points for a loss (less blanket points than opponent)
- 1 bonus point if your opponent's general is dead or fleeing at the end of the game
- 1 bonus point if your opponent's battle standard is dead or fleeing at the end of the game
- 2 bonus points if your opponent reached their breaking point first
Scenario #4: Wizard of the West Coast"After a long night of beer, bonfires, and beach bunnies you and your army are finally able to settle down and get some rest. You awaken refreshed and ready to take your place on the center stage of the West Coast GT. But before you can step out on stage there is one final mission you need to complete. Deep within the City of Angles lays the Dark Tower. This is the stronghold in which the Dark Lord Kobe and the six Kings of the Ice Lands reside. Together, they have stolen nearly a dozen championships from your local hamlet. They use all your anger and spite to fill their Great Cup of Power. This is source of all their strength. They drink from it nightly as they party and celebrate to your great misfortunes. To disrupt their dominance over your mangy little village, you are going to have to steal back the Great Cup of Power.
Battleline deployment zone.
The scenario uses the following special rules. At the start of the Game, each player must choose a unit to carry the Great Cup of Power for their army. Every unit in your army gains the Hatred special rule when fighting against the unit bearing the Great Cup of Power in your opponent’s army. Further, to the dismay of Laker fans everywhere, The Dark Lord Kobe hogs the Ball of Stability. This item regulates the Winds of
Magic in the LA area. While the Ball of Stability remains in the Dark Lord’s hands the very fabric of Magic begins to unravel. At the start of every magic phase, roll for the winds of magic as normal. Then each player must then role a D6. Each player will negate any power dice or dispel dice rolled throughout the remainder of the magic phase that shares the same value as the D6 that they rolled at the start of the magic phase. Models with the channeling ability lose it for the remainder of this scenario. Instead, the D6 rolled at the beginning of the magic phase will determine how many channeling attempts you will receive for the phase.
Battle Points are awarded as follows:
- 16 points for a win (200+ victory points)
- 12 points for a draw
- 8 points for a loss (200+ victory points less than your opponent)
- 1 bonus point if you destroyed the unit carrying the Great Cup of Power in your opponent’s army
- 1 bonus point if the enemy’s General is dead at the end of the game
- 2 bonus points if the enemy’s most expensive character with the Channel ability is dead at the end of the game
Scenario #5: Californiacation
"Your long trek has final come to an end. You have made it to greatest stage on Earth. Legends from Long Beach, Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Orange County made their climb to the top from this very spot and you hope to do the same. But it will not be easy. Stars rise and fall in this state faster than you can say Lindsay Lohan. In any case, the stage has been set for you to turn yourself in a West Coast Legend. This could be your stairway to heaven or it may be an invitation to your wake. You are going to have to try your hand at fate and step onto the Center Stage. Be ready to give the performance of a lifetime, because those who fail to shine on the Center Stage do not often last long. Break a leg!"
Battleline deployment with the following exception: in the center of the board is a center stage of 12" by 20". No terrain may be placed in the center of the board.
At the beginning of the game choose a Mentor. Your mentor will be pivotal to helping you succeed while you are up on the Center Stage. Each Mentor conveys a differently ability to your general while your general is on the Center Stage, so choose wisely. You can choose from one of the following Mentors:
- Snoop Dog: The Long Beach Legend. His Rap styling’s are sure to rocket you straight to the top. Snoop is also notorious for reaching a ‘higher’ state on consciousness. Any General who chooses Snoop Dog to be their mentor will receive a bonus power dice and dispel dice during the magic phase while they are on the ‘Center Stage’.
- James Hetfield: Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main song writer, and lead vocalists for the Los Angeles heavy metal band Metallica. His contribution to the band has allowed Metallica to produce hit after hit and launched them into mega stardom. Just don’t download their music. They hate that. Choosing Hetfield as your mentor will grant your General the ability to re-roll any failed to To-Hit roll and any failed To-Wound roll made during the Combat phase while your General is on the ‘Center Stage’.
Be aware! This is a cut throat business. As you rise to the top, others will be looking to cut you down. They will send their underlings to eliminate you from the equation. Every Hero and Champion in this scenario will be granted the Killing Blow special rule.
Battle Points are awarded as follows:
- 16 points for a win (200+ victory points)
- 12 points for a draw
- 8 points for a loss (200+ victory points less than your opponent)
- 1 bonus point if your General is alive and on the ‘Center Stage’ at the end of the game
- 1 bonus point if you control more Heroes and Champions then your opponent
- 2 bonus points if the enemy General is dead at the end of the game
This is a classy place with what I was told were reasonable rates for the area. The rooms were spacious, clean, and had great beds. So good in fact that I rarely wanted to leave each morning for the tournament (though booze may have played a part in that decision).
The front lobby of the hotel.
There was also a giant elk outside!
And an elk inside!
The room were were playing in easily accommodated the roughly 40 players that were there without feeling confining. The tables were well spaced so that everyone could move around and there was a place to put display boards and gaming tools next to the play boards.
This was the room towards the end of Sunday after most of the tables had been packed up. Lots of space for everyone who was there.
Boxes and boxes of nice terrain getting ready to be placed on the tables.
Buildings galore!!!
Prizes, prizes, and more prizes!!!
Team trophy! This year's winner was Team Leadership 2 from northern California.
West Coast Hammertime, and tournament organizer, Bill Curry preparing for Round 1.
Bill's "all these numbers are making my head explode" look.
West Coast Hammertime, and tournament organizer, Fred Whitney.
Tournament winner Quentin Bohn (left) and Jeremy Campbell (right). Both are members of Club Capri.
Bill Curry entering the final scores from Round 5.
Leadership 2's Tony Pacheco, Johnny Haliburton, and Mike Scaletti.
Awaiting awards.
And finally, the West Coast Hammertime tournament T-shirt for 2013!
