Discussion: Materials required at tournament play.

After the recent tournament I had a thought about what we normally use to play games of WHFB, friendly and competitive.

Dice/army book/etc. excluded, do you feel that items such as arcs of sight should be standard issue materials? It's possible to play without one, but does the inclusion of one make matters simpler or more complicated?

On the flip side, I've pondered including more complicated materials, most notably a protractor and straight edge for determining the scatter direction of war machines (catapults) and more specifically: night goblin fanatics. I find discussing whether an arrow on a die is pointing towards a corner or a table edge to be one of the less pleasant experiences of WHFB and I'm looking for a way to remove the guesswork from the process.

What do you folks think?

That arc template thing is Very useful and i gotta get me one.

The scatter dice are always a problem cause what may look like one direction from your side of the table looks different from MY side of the table and it creates problems lots of times.

Autarch (CM) wrote:After the recent tournament I had a thought about what we normally use to play games of WHFB, friendly and competitive.

All that's required:

- A measuring device (tape measure)
- Templates you plan on using (having the full suite is nice to help out your opponent, but not required)
- Dice (at least 12)
- The main rulebook
- Your army book
- The most recent FAQs for the rulebook and your army book
- 5 printed (or VERY well hand-written) copies of your army list: 1 for you, 1 for the tournament organizer, and 1 for each of your opponents -- yes, it's a requirement to give your opponent your list (can be after the game for non-open list tournaments, but if requested, you must provide a legible copy of your list)

If you show up with less than that you should get docked for preparation, and if your list does not match the army you used, you should be disqualified.

Autarch (CM) wrote:Dice/army book/etc. excluded, do you feel that items such as arcs of sight should be standard issue materials? It's possible to play without one, but does the inclusion of one make matters simpler or more complicated?

The arc of sight is a nice tool, in that it makes the following questions easier to determine:

1) Is unit X in unit Y's line of sight to charge?
2) Is unit X in unit Y's front/flank, or flank/rear when charging?
3) Can unit X see unit Y to shoot at it? And, how many models in unit X can see unit Y to shoot?

The arc, when combined with a laser level (with the wide laser) makes for quite accurate results for this without the risk of pre-measuring if using your tape measure to determine a straight line. It is not required, though does make the game go more quickly and arguments less of a problem. If you get one, reproducing it on cardboard is quite easy.

Autarch (CM) wrote:On the flip side, I've pondered including more complicated materials, most notably a protractor and straight edge for determining the scatter direction of war machines (catapults) and more specifically: night goblin fanatics. I find discussing whether an arrow on a die is pointing towards a corner or a table edge to be one of the less pleasant experiences of WHFB and I'm looking for a way to remove the guesswork from the process.

What do you folks think?

Other than the arc of sight, things like the giant's template (when he falls down), a laser level, charge/retreat markers, and objective tokens are nice to have.

For the scatter die, the best answer is to roll the die as close to the unit/point that will be scattering as possible. If there's an un-resolveable argument, then it's the judge's call as to the direction, but normally, rolling right next to the unit/point answers most questions. Also, having a laser level (or two) and lining them up works well.

Mostly, it comes down to sportsmanship. Some guys are going to be more competitive and care more than others, and there's not tool in the toolbag to help with situations that arise from competitiveness.

The arc of site is awesome. It measure wheels on a very accurate level and when combined with the laser light it solves many LOS debates before they start.

Scatter dice are tricky. You're the only person I've ever seen hover the tape over the dice to get the most accuarte angle. I wish everyone followed your lead because I think your being as acurate and fair as possible with that practice given the tools at hand.

The protractor (interesting idea!), like the laser light, would increase your accuracy and may solve debates before they start. Alwasy a good thing IMO.

I Agree with Sam, after having plenty of arguments over the direction of the dice i just started rolling very close to the unit shooting/target. The Arc of sight thing is pretty cheap, its only like 10$ and is incredibly useful.

I can't play without the arc of sight anymore, I absolutely love that thing. Just for wheeling alone it's great. But I love the fact that it can tell you if you're in a unit's flank or not.

I concur completely about the scatter dice being close to the model / template in question. I've been rolling those dice alot for years, here's a few things I prefer to do with it.

1. Roll close (already said)
2. Let my opponent agree with the distance, and generally not argue unless I think its really far off.
For me personally, getting worked up over that sort of thing just makes the game unenjoyable as well as makes me lose concentration. By allowing my opponent sometimes to even measure it for me it takes alot of this frustration out of the way. If they are gonna be punks about it, then I make a note of it and bother not playing with them too often again.

3. Lasers are awesome.

4. Make sure to shine said laser in their eyes a lot. If they are half-blind you should have the upper hand when arguing about the scatter die's direction.

Diosamblet wrote:4. Make sure to shine said laser in their eyes a lot. If they are half-blind you should have the upper hand when arguing about the scatter die's direction.

Kunnin' plan, boss.

Diosamblet wrote:4. Make sure to shine said laser in their eyes a lot. If they are half-blind you should have the upper hand when arguing about the scatter die's direction.

Is that why im half blind on one eye ?!!? damn orcses always abusing us poor Night Goblins !!