Your Tournament warm up - What do you do?

So I have a tournament tomorrow. Couldn't help but chuckle when I have spent most of the night helping my wife decorate cookies. Cracks me up, but as i'll be gone most of the day tomorrow a lil love goes a long way, and shes doing it for a great cause.

But did get me thinking, how do you guys prepare for a big tournament? Go over tactics, review the missions? Jinx your friends with espionage as only a DE player can?

I spend most of the drive there wondering what I forgot this time. The night before I'm usually up late painting that last model.

Yep - night prior is painting for me 99% of the time plus packing, printing army list etc.

I try and get some down time on the good lady as well

The night prior is no time to be painting models. Instead, get a good night's sleep, wake up early, and weather permitting find a quiet, relaxing area to paint any last models in peace. Focus only on the models. Stop worrying about the tournament, except of course for time. The dice will either win or lose you the game, especially if you are playing a list based around die rolls.

Ever since I started doing this, I started placing better in tournaments. Stop thinking about the tourney. Stop worrying about the scenarios. Instead, regain your composure and enter the tournament ready to take advantage over your tired, overworked opponent's who spent the last 24 hours trying to fix every last flaw with their army. My first ever 1st place finish at a tournament with Dark Eldar was played with an army I threw together the night before out of already painted models on a laugh.

I would feel wrong if i were not painting a few hours prior and then working on adrenaline for the day of the event!

My trueborn for the last event were finished around 3am and i got up at 6am to get to the event! Managed 14 from 56 with a very average list so i was happy with that.

I sleep as usually there's a bit of a trek to get there and you're standing most of the day.

I usually have to travel a fair distance to the events I play in, a journey of 500-600 miles is not uncommon.

Most of the time I am overnighting near the place the tournament is. I usually find a good pub, get a decent plate of food and a few pints in, then have a good nights sleep. Sometimes I will have a think about deployment against certain opponents in different missions, but thats about it for serious thinking.

thecactusman17 wrote:

The night prior is no time to be painting models. Instead, get a good night's sleep, wake up early, and weather permitting find a quiet, relaxing area to paint any last models in peace.

But how are you supposed to paint those last 2 units for the tournament that you've never used in a game before? Seriously, this sounds good on paper, but I never seem to manage to have everything painted the day before....Could be because I', always painting new things though

It depends on what i take. If it's my Pre Heresy Emperor's Children, i toast to them the night before with a good bear, and celebrate the Victory to come. Also i will go to the tourney dressed in my white jeans and my pink poloshirt with "TEAM HERESY" in golden letters on the front. Usually i buy some grapes or strawberries for lunch.

I guess you get the point.

When i take my DE, its not that "extravagant", well as it's not the 3. Legion ;-)
But i tend to get into an archons mindset, when i play.

It may loose me a game, but its so much more fiun ;-)

Crazy_Irish wrote:

It depends on what i take. If it's my Pre Heresy Emperor's Children, i toast to them the night before with a good bear...

I always find a good bear makes for a poor drinking companion, what with the always hogging the pretzels and the growling...

I find that spending the day with my 5 yr old son doing whatever he wants to do relaxes the heck out of me; and helps to alleviate some of the parental neglect guilt I always seem to feel at playing with toys all day without him. Give it a few years though he'll rise through the ranks of the Kabal and maybe one day even take a "stab" at his old man.

I relax and enjoy the night. I dont get a good sleep though (Im an insomniac by trade) so its just the norm for me. One weird little tradition I do is I set my army up on its display board and leave it there all night, until its time for me to go asleep, then I pack it up. I dont know why, but I just love seeing it out on parade. I do this even before a game at my LGW (I set everything up in formation waiting for terrain to be set, mission and deployment picked, etc) Its just calming to me I guess, and helps me think clearly.

thecactusman17 wrote:

The night prior is no time to be painting models. Instead, get a good night's sleep, wake up early, and weather permitting find a quiet, relaxing area to paint any last models in peace. Focus only on the models. Stop worrying about the tournament, except of course for time. The dice will either win or lose you the game, especially if you are playing a list based around die rolls.

Ever since I started doing this, I started placing better in tournaments. Stop thinking about the tourney. Stop worrying about the scenarios. Instead, regain your composure and enter the tournament ready to take advantage over your tired, overworked opponent's who spent the last 24 hours trying to fix every last flaw with their army. My first ever 1st place finish at a tournament with Dark Eldar was played with an army I threw together the night before out of already painted models on a laugh.

Learned this the hard way...
And DON'T drink coffee, Cola/Pepsi/soda or beer before/during game. Water is best bet. Also eating and wearing warm clothes is not good idea, surprisingly (make You feel sleepy).

I usually don't do anything special the night before. What's done during/inbetween bouts is much more important imho. As mentioned, you're standing for most of the day. Good tips:

- stay hydrated. Water is indeed the best of drinks, though I think coffee's useful for some pep later in the day.
- stay warm. If you wear a sweater you'll spend much less energy producing body heat over the course of the day.
- keep the blood flowing. Take a walk or do some stretching whenever you get the opportunity. Might get some funny looks but it's worth it.
(@Ork: this is what keeps my drowsiness away also.)

I try to get a good nights sleep in as most tournies here in Sydney are early starts - with rego's beginning at 8.30am and game's beginning at 9am or thereabouts.

I try not to drink as I have little to no self control hehehehe, although it we're at a licensed venue then I will have a few beers during the last game on each day.

I think its important to get as much water and fresh air as possible - being cramped up inside for 6-8 hrs a day can take its toll on your stamina, so when the breaks come take advantage.

The night before or morning of I generally think of deployment tactics - with the player pack in hand I now know what the first 2 mission/deployments are going to be so can plan ahead - but you should never have a "plan" - should always be prepared for anything and be flexible......

As the old adage goes, "no plan survives contact with the enemy." Have a rough idea what your goals should be in given matchup ahead of time ("how do I play for a draw vs. Psyrifle Grey Knights?") you should instead go in ready to THINK on your feet. Preferably without giving your opponent's the ability to read your plans.

Well...I came 2nd Pleased with the result, so making cookies works. Maybe.

Grats on the position!.

What do I do? Get plenty of sleep and a good breakfast.