Tuesday, December 17, 2019

40k - Playing By "Intent"


One of the big things to come out of the Masters weekend was the concept of "Intent" in relation to gameplay. This is mostly with regard to model placement.



Intent is not a Get Out of Jail Free card. Intent NEEDS to be agreed by BOTH players. 

If it is important then it needs to be clearly spelled out and agreed. 

In some cases at the Masters I think that there were instances where people didn't want to signal their plan and then fell back on intent....and other cases where suddenly something became evident and then it was "But my intent....."

We all do this at times but with increasing competitive games I believe people need to be aware and precise re intent. It is also an easy excuse when things don't go your way.

The other situation is that what you "intend" has to be actually do-able. For instance, if you want to put three Aggressors in an enclosed ruin and not be charged by units that can't enter the feature then you need to place your models >1" from all inside walls. Mathematics says that the internal footprint of the building needs to be at least 91mm x 171mm to make you immune from a charge from any direction. You will still however be vulnerable to Infantry on 25mm bases. 

The key takeaway should be that if it's important, be explicit and to get agreement. Should your opponent be suggesting something you don't think is achievable, get them to place the models

Monday, December 16, 2019

40k - 12th Annual New Zealand Masters Results

Last weekend I ran the New Zealand Masters for 40k.

This was the 12th time the event has been run and we had a good turnout for the tournament with 15 of the Top 20 ranked players (plus NZ ETC member Aaron Wilson) battling it out on the tables.


For the first three rounds I had eight tables set up. As we moved into Rounds 4 & 5 I introduced two more so that players could avoid playing on the same table.

Also with the random first round draw I ensured that the out of towners avoided playing guys from their own area.


With the terrain, I tried to give a variety of tables that ranged from 'light medium' through to 'heavy' density. This was to reward an army that didn't have a single game plan and could be adaptable.



This also gave me to introduce some of my recent mat purchases (Frontline Gaming through Mighty Ape). I particularly like the Overgrown City which is ideal for my existing GW City terrain.

So onto the results:

 Well done to Sean for winning his third Masters crown. He went through undefeated, winning all five of his games. Effectively, the Top 8 armies were all Space Marines, IK/Ad Mech or Eldar.

Appreciate all the participants making the journey.


FOB Event Structure for 2020

With the 2019 tournament year over, I thought I would post a breakdown of the events that Fields of Blood will be running next year.




Fields of Blood NZ Open

  • 21/22 March
  • Cossie Club, Upper Hutt
  • Participants - 90 (87 tickets have been sold)
  • 2000 points
  • 5 Rounds
  • ITC format
  • Included: All codexes, Campaign books, Supplements, Forgeworld
  • Excluded: Legends
The Long War (in conjunction with Wellington Warlords) - Five Separate Events
  • 5 dates TBA
  • Warlords venue, Ganges Road, Khandallah
  • Participants - 20-24 (free for Warlords members, $25 each for casuals)
  • 2000 points
  • 3 Rounds
  • ETC format
  • Included: ETC acceptable books
  • Exclusion: FW, Legends
Fields of Blood Team Championship
  • 27/28 June
  • Cashmere Ave School, Khandallah
  • Six teams of five
  • Five Rounds
  • ETC format
  • Exclusions: FW, Legends
Fields of Blood NZ Grand Tournament
  • 26/27 September
  • Khandallah Town Hall
  • 72 participants
  • 1750 points
  • 6 Rounds
  • Hobby event - painting/selection/sportsmanship/battle
  • Inclusions: Pretty much all including Legends
Fields of Blood 13th Annual NZ Masters
  • 5/6 December
  • Cashmere Avenue School, Khandallah
  • Invitational
  • Top 20 players as per the FOB NZ 40k rankings for 2020 (31 Oct cutoff)
  • 2000 points
  • ITC format
  • 5 Rounds
  • Included: All codexes, Campaign books, Supplements, Forgeworld
  • Excluded: Legends


Hope to see you along for one or more of the events