The UKGT - Washed Up

Round four in full swing

I'm typing this as I'm still coming down from an incredible weekend at the largest ever Malifaux tournament.  Mike, Matt, Lee and the rest of the guys put on a fantastic weekend of 'Faux for sixty-six players and I enjoyed every minute. Having the venue under forty drive minutes from my house was also a bonus.

This post is going to be a very quick high level of the event from my perspective.  I may drill into some specifics in later posts.

First I should congratulate the overall winner Ben Crowe with Outcasts, as well as John Wharton in second, and Graham Bursnell in third with Arcanists. It's good to see the podiums going to a range of different places in UK, another sign of the health of the game across the country.

The whole event was a blast and it was great to catch up with so many folks from around the UK for two days of great games and better banter.  The community took to the event in great spirit. With my first round opponent arriving late following some overindulgence I had to be re-paired.

On Saturday night most of us headed over to a local brewery for a private function in their bar. This gave some of us a chance to catch up with a special guest and living Malifaux legend Neverata (aka Jo). For those who don't know her, Jo can claim a significant part of the credit for popularizing the game in the UK.  Back in the day we attended many events together and I had a great time chatting and reminiscing about battles past.

Sunday morning dawned and after a night at the local brewery a number of players looked as green as a gremlin, literally and figuratively.

My opponents across the weekend, most of who I'd never played before, were all great guys which seemed representative of the experiences throughout.

On the table I had a lackluster time, ending up 16th of 66 players with 11 TP and +3 Diff, from; three wins, two draws, and a loss. Hardly a stellar performance but not something I'm ashamed of, despite being repeatedly told I'm 'washed up' by a few players.

Naturally my thoughts run to all the twists of luck against me over the weekend but the truth is my play overall simply wasn't good enough. A pair of stupid errors turned my fifth round game from a win to draw. I chose one scheme incorrectly which cost me a victory point, and made a basic activation order error which cost me another.  Getting my game rate up again will smooth these errors over in the longer term.

My crew selection was also a little all over the place. I need to do more list building in advance so I've better 'default' options to tailor on the day rather than building complete lists on the fly.

In the end My only loss came to overall event winner and all round great guy Ben Crowe with Levi in Stake a Claim, and was always going to be a poor match up for me and I need to think about that in more detail.

So what's next?

For the UK scene all eyes turn to the Masters Invitational in January which fires the starting gun on the 2015 season and promises to have the best standard of Malifaux play anywhere, ever.

For myself I'm revitalized for the game and looking forward to a few events I have lined up before the end of the year and trying to decide which Arcanist master I want to try my hand at next.

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I'm torn between the three, although I'm leaning to the left pair of the trio above.

Prelude to the M2GT - I'm not Dead!

It’s been a while since I posted here. The good news is I'm not dead!

A lot has been going on in real life and this has limited my hobby time to just the minimum required to play the odd game and paint the occasional toy for several months now.  To stay sharp I need to average ten or more games a month, and right now I'm running closer to three.  So frankly my competitive edge isn't what it was a year ago.

By the time you read this I’ll be playing in this year’s UKGT. This will by my fifth, having played in or marshaled at all of the previous singles GTs. The 2014 GT however will be the biggest Malifaux tournament ever held, and competition will be as fierce as ever before. Over six rounds close to seventy players will be fighting it out for first place and automatic Masters Qualification. 

The growing tournament scene is a testament not only to the brilliance of M2e but also to the welcoming nature of the UK Malifaux community, and long may that continue.

There's been a lot of discussion about the runners and riders for this event and who will come out on top.  To my mind there are at least a dozen players on the roster more than capable of winning. Things will be close and I predict the event will hinge on small edges. Much will depend on the strategy and scheme pool in play when top players meet.

One thing I haven't heard discussed is the nature of this being two day event impacting on players. A number of the top contenders for the podium are more used to one day events rather than two and I'll be interested to see if this has an impact.  To win a two day event, especially over six rounds you will have to play other top players in the room, not always so in a one day.

Bag packed and ready to go.

There is also a case of stamina, Malifaux is mentally taxing and longer events become mentally draining. There's also the social side, a two day event comes with a couple of nights socializing. While the social aspect is a vital part of what makes the event so fun over indulgence has claimed many victims over the years.  Stamina may well be a factor in the overall outcome.

Personally speaking I'm not overly confident and I’d realistically like to end the weekend on four wins and score more than eighty rankings points, which would mean finishing fourteenth or higher depending on final numbers.

However I perform this weekend I know it’s going to be a blast. The UKGT has always been a festival of Malifaux and I'm looking forward to the atmosphere and catching up with the community again.

Good luck to all participating, I'll see you on the other side.