This week we have some guest commentary from Chaos Mike, with some advice based on his recent Grand Tournament experience. Despite his obvious Chaos taint, he's a pretty good guy, so, with no further ado, I'll turn it over to him...

How to Have Fun at a Grand Tournament

After going to my first GT last month, I thought I would share what I learned about how to have fun at a GT. The GT I went to was in Vancouver, BC so I was looking forward to playing lots of new players, losing some games, and having lots of fun. The first thing I did was make sure I had everything I needed before I left. Games Workshop makes this task easier by giving you a simple list, but I went a little farther.

My list, and why I brought it:

-Main rule book, codex for my army, and relevant chapter approved articles. (Need to be able to pull the rules in a pinch)

-Dice, tape measure, and templates (Don't count on the other guy having these to borrow, and some guys get touchy about other people touching their dice.)

-Your army (can't play without that)

-Your hobby/repair kit (I brought my whole kit mostly because I had to do some last minute repairs on my models.)

-Spare copies of your army list and fluff, one for each player you will play and at least two for the judges.

-Any extra markers/miniatures they require to play some scenarios.

-Two changes of clothes (just in case beer gets spilt on you)

-Bathroom kit (and you better use it too)

Some additional stuff I should have brought:

-A display board to carry the army around. (These add a nice touch to your army for the judges, and allows you to move your army from table to table in one move. You don't have to do much for this, I saw some breakfast trays being used for this. Just don't make it too large.)

-A folding table to put the board on. (Can't tell you how many times I saw someone moving terrain to put their board down. The best thing is to either put it on the floor under the table or put it on a folding table you brought.)

Attitude
There is one more thing I did not add to my list of what to bring, but only because it deserves to be treated separately. Attitude.

A good Attitude is the easiest thing to forget to bring and the easiest thing to lose at a GT. Think you have a good Attitude? How is your attitude after losing 6 games straight? Or after playing someone who was rude and questioned every rule?

The truth is that a good Attitude will make your GT experience a fun experience.

Some simple things you can do to help you keep a good Attitude.

-Rest: Make sure you get enough sleep. Gaming all night sounds good at a GT, but it works against you the next day.

-Food: Make sure you eat right. Don't over do the sugar or caffeine, but have some snacks if you tend to get hungry during games.

-Losing: How do you react to losing? Smile when your opponent gets lucky. Laugh at your own bad luck. Be a good sport and shake their hand.

-Winning: How do you react to winning? Don't laugh too loud when you get lucky. Don't gloat.

-Time: Show up early to games, the sooner you get there, the sooner you can set up with your opponent and have more time to play.

-Rules: Be more critical of your own moves and army rules, and be more relaxed on your opponent. Don't give them a reason to argue with you on the rules.


These simple rules should help you keep your good Attitude through the GT. And remember to have fun!