A couple of weeks ago, I played in a small Warhammer 40k RTT, then a GT at a nearby FLGS. Between both tournaments (a total of 8 games) I won only 3 matchups. I haven’t played Warhammer 10th edition very well and it shows.
In my local game store, many of the players have left because they’ve grown frustrated with 40k and my regular circle of friends in my gaming group has gone from about to 10 down to 2. To be honest, it’s heartbreaking. I thought Pariah Nexus would bring some of them back to the game, but so far, no dice. We had a vibrant community but now it’s hard to get a pickup game locally. There’s usually a monthly RTT nearby that I can go grab some games to scratch that itch but I’m still sad that many of my friends have drifted away. I’m lucky that I enjoy the crafting side of the game and that allows me to stay engaged with the hobby via this blog and my Instagram posts though.
That’s a long-winded way to say that I’m not playing as often as I’d like, and I suck at the game.
However, a top 20 ITC 40k player recently moved to the area and started playing in the local RTTs and GTs. I’ve played him once and that really opened my eyes to see firsthand how a true competitive tournament player plays the game. The saying goes that you learn more from a loss than a victory and I really felt something click in my mindset for playing after that loss. Then I played in the Grand Tournament and I got to see that top 20 player, play against another top 120 player… and my mind was blown. Of course, they obviously play a lot differently than I do, I knew that, but there’s something about being there in person when the game was played that imparted some new way of looking at the game to me.
I guess I’m a narrative player at heart because I name most of my models and I try to tell a tale with the game in my own head-canon. I build my Space Marine armies with the tenants of the Codex Astartes in mind. I make thematic choices for my army builds, paint my models with all the appropriate and lore accurate decals, and make game decisions based on what a unit might do if they were fighting a battle in a real battle. “Of course, the Space Wolf Lord would charge mob of 20 orks.” Turns out, that’s not how to win actual games at a tournament.
I’ve watched a lot of competitive Warhammer 40k online. I’m a paid subscriber to the wonderful Wargames Live channel and I listen to a lot of podcasts/Youtube videos on 40k gaming. I’ve tried “net lists” of other successful players, but it never really improved my game play like watching these top players in person.
Usually after a tournament where I lose, I spend a lot of time on the drive home trying to crack the code and come up with a list or strategy that would beat the lists that just beat me. After this last GT, I had an “Eureka” moment and I think I’ve finally got it and transformed my way of thinking about 40k gameplay. Like, I fell I really got it. I feel like I’ve turned a corner or a fog has lifted revealing some insights that have always eluded me. Is “inspired” the right phrase? Emboldened? I’m not sure how to best describe my thoughts right now, but I’m very motivated to play with this new mindset.
At the same time, my good friend Kyle has felt the same way about seeing high-level play and feeling that spark and enthusiasm in him as well. To that end, we both signed up for the Flying Monkey GTT in Wichita at the end of September and are frantically playing as much 40k as we can to help create the best list ever. We play in a Call of Cthulhu RPG game together as well but all we do when we talk or text is get each other fired up for 40k.
Right now, I’m planning on taking a version of “Wolf Jail” to the GT. It’s slightly different from the typical list you see online but every one of my units has a purpose and is included to accomplish a task. I call my list, “Propero Bark Park.”
Champions of Russ – picking the Saga that gives sustained hits army wide.
Terminator Chaplain – Leads a unit of Wolf Guard Terminators, giving them +1 to wound.
Logan Grimnar – He’s included only for his once per battle re-roll charge/reroll hits everywhere rule. He’s not bad in combat though.
3 Wolf Guard Battle Leaders on Thunderwolves. They give lethal hits to the Thunderwolves’ 9 attacks, move the unit closer to the enemy when they get shot, and have thunder hammers.
1 Librarian on foot – joining a unit of assault intercessors. He gives them a 4+ invulnerable save and psychic protection. He’s there to try to score the secret mission in my opponent’s home objective.
2 units of assault intercessors – 1 to stay in my deployment zone the entire game to prevent my opponent from scoring a secret mission. 1 to go into reserves with the Librarian and try to sneak onto the enemy home objective to score the same secret mission that also unlocks +1 OC Saga for my entire army.
2 units of assault intercessors with jump packs. Both units are there to score Sabotage, Containment, or Behind Enemy Lines. I don’t want them fighting unless they have to, but they do mortal wounds on the charge. Plus, 12” movement is great.
2 units of Infiltrators. These are actually the MVP in any game I play as they block out the entire back 24” of my table from deepstrike. I can’t tell you how many points they’ve kept my opponents from scoring, but I’ve had more than one opponent tell me how frustrating they are for their game plan.
10 Wolf Guard Terminators, all with lightning claws. This unit is a brick. I can lockdown any objective or storm any objective with these guys. The chaplain gives them +1 to wound so even Knights are getting wounded on 5+ - with twin linked. They have 5 attacks each and while they only do 1 damage, they sandpaper most units to death. With Oath of Moment and Sustained Hits from my Saga, I’m usually hitting about 60 times.
3, 6 man Thunderwolf Calvary. They move 10”, have 7 attacks each, do +1 damage on the charge, have a 4+ invuln, and have 4 wounds each. Like the Terminators, they sandpaper units to death with their Sustained hits (from the Saga) and Lethal Hits from the Wolf Guard Battle Leader.
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