The ATC!

It’s been a week since I last posted, and this is mainly due to the American Team Championship! In our own backyard near Chattanooga, TN, this event is hosted by Shane from Dicehead Games, and provides a fairly unique format in the five-man team tournament. Each team breaks down and plays five individual games each round, with a total of six rounds. Total points are tabulated for each team, and when the smoke clears a team of victors is determined!

It has been several years since I had much to do with the competitive side of Warhammer 40,000. Mostly, I think I just needed a break from the hyper-efficiency for a while. I spent 2004-2007 playing a tournament nearly every weekend, and for a couple of years more I still attended at least one event per month. This eventually ground me down and wore me out, and I decided to sit out from that side of 40k and instead focus on the casual side of things.

When Shane approached me to be the head judge for this event, it was with some trepidation that I agreed. While I wasn’t able to put my finger on the exact reason for my apprehension, I knew that competitive 40k had left a bad taste in my mouth in the past. I figured being a judge was a “safe” way of getting back into the competitive side. I’ve helped with The Siege and the Maul in the Mall in the past, so I was no stranger to larger events.

We spent lots of time online discussing the FAQ and the armies, as well as the mission format. There were still imperfections in the finished product, but overall I was very happy with how the documents turned out. No one is perfect, and I think we achieved a high enough level of quality to keep most of the players happy.

I grabbed one of my local guys and we made the trip to Camp Jordan for the event. The closer we came to event time, the more excited I was. Where I had expected nervousness, I was just ready to get down to business!

As anyone who has participated in judging a larger event knows, your day passes in a blur. There was little time to watch the games or take in the painting before we were off to another table. The vast majority of our encounters with players required little effort on our part. We simply helped them find a rule they both knew to be hidden in there somewhere. Whatever the reason for being called to the table, our goal was to provide a quick, accurate answer so the players could get back to the game with minimal time loss. After the question was answered, we would then step back and find the printed rule to show both players. This kind of closure helped us to keep from second-guessing ourselves, and I hope the players we interacted with also found the information useful.

The event was over in the blink of an eye, and then it was back to Sparta. While it seemed to pass too quickly, it did provide me with the opportunity to meet some new people that were a blast to hang out with. It was nice seeing other armies in action, and the change of pace was a welcome experience at the cost of a weekend. If I was asked to do it again tomorrow, I’d be ready to go.

Maybe it is time for me to venture back out into the scary world of competitive 40k. I am setting a daunting task for myself, but I believe I’ll try to ready my Tau army for play at the Maul in the Mall next month. It is a stretch to say that I expect to complete the project, but participation in the ATC has renewed my batteries to get out there and play the game competitively once more.

To Shane, to Chris, and to everyone else who made the weekend memorable and enjoyable, I say thank you. I look forward to next year’s event with even more gusto, so we can improve on the performance that drew me back in this year.