Wargaming ASKEW: Tag-Teaming at its Best
One of the best things about wargaming is the wonderful people you meet. We come in all shapes and sizes and generally are charming folks. Some of the relationships we build can last a life time. Sadly, most bonds are forged through tabletop combat…
Once the mettle is tested (and usually after drinks) a great comradery can form- resulting in brothers joining dice to be thrown against greater opponents in the form of team tournaments. These team events are special because they combine the power of two devoted tactical minds for the single purpose of dominating all others.
Or it is an excuse to wear something silly and boast about just how fluffy your army really is. Or you strut your alpha male powers as you command your subordinates teammates to move your models. Or it is an excuse to drag your significant others to play with your toys. There are many more and as you can image teams come in all shapes and sizes.
From “Team America” wrapping themselves in the American flag…
to the Gold Chain gang from last year’s Adepticon…
(if anyone has a picture of Bigred wearing these chains please post it– he claims to have no knowledge of such an event)
…and there are always loose definitions of a wargaming team…
(I wonder if puberty just came early to that kid in the back)
Teams of all kinds bring unique and fun elements to our gaming experience. Team tournaments are typically not only about smashing your opponent face in. The real competition comes from creativity by designing and executing a specific theme.
Here are some examples from Adepticon.
I think the more absurd and fun you have with team events the better. That is why for Adepticon 2011 I put together a little cadre to join in the fun. For our theme it is built around non-scoring units, hence our team name…
Table or Tie!
On Blood of Kittens I made a post to better explain the concept…
This is not just an ego driven pursuit. We all felt that having no scoring units was the right handicap so the other teams would have a chance at defeating us.
Subscribe to our newsletter!Get Tabletop, RPG & Pop Culture news delivered directly to your inbox.By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Since our lists must have troops we selected codecies that have non-scoring ones. We found that Space Wolves, Daemons, Orks, and Blood Angels have just the right ingredients to produce this brew of pure silliness. For my part I am bringing Orks.
So what will my 1000 point list have? Here is the quick run down…
- 1 Big Mek
- 1 Nob Squad in a Battlewagon
- 1 Deff Dred
- 6 Killer Kans
Understand also that Adepticon has some pretty fancy force org rules for the Team Tourney.
AdvertisementThe main goal of our little band of merry men is to spoil some of the more douchey teams from winning (fun is the essence of the Team Tourney). In addition, we have some hurdles with the Team Tourney format. For some reason Adepticon really wants people to play armies that “naturally” would fight together. This injection of “realism” is kinda vomit inducing. So for folks that “stretch” the histrionics of the 40k universe like our team we are kinda punished.
Really! How are we suppose to make a story sound plausible for Orks, Daemons, Blood Angels, and Space Wolves to drum around the Kwanzaa Kinara anyway? Since there is very little chance of coming up with some hackney fluff story to tie our armies together better go another route– a route that (I think) makes sick sense.
So the plan is to include Internet Memes into our theme.
Don’t know what an Internet Memes is? Well basically it is a little piece of cultural data that society and sub-cultures use to describe pretty much anything over the Internet. Simple Internet memes are found in forums and comments everywhere: words like Death Star, Bubble Wrap, MSU, and fluffy are good examples. Still don’t get it Wikipedia to the rescue!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme
Still not understanding? This will help…
AdvertisementHow do you incorporate the concept of Internet Memes into a Team Tournament?
Luck would have it that a portion of the points you can score in the Team Tourney come from having a display board. Since our team has no fluff and our concept is pretty above-board– using Internet Memes seems like a perfect fit.
For those that have read this on Blood of Kittens you already know that I am running a contest (with prizes) to go along with the display board. We are using the Internet Memes to design our display board, with readers submissions as the main component.
I know many players are inspired by team events and I recommend them anyone. It as simple as getting a couple of you mates and running 2v2 at your local store. Besides you can only beat up your friends at Wargaming so many times before they stop fighting you.
So what has been your experience with team events? What has been some of the best teams you have seen and why? Do not forget Blood of Kittens Adepticon display board contest! Ends on March 15th.
