This weekend, I'll be attending my first Regional event. Hoping that the experience will be positive and therefore it won't be my last, I thought I'd appeal to the wisdom of the boards for basic tips.

This is not a thread seeking strategy advice. My list has been picked and has seen as much practice as I can manage. I have already been advised that there'll be no meal breaks, so I'm planning to take healthy snacks and water to help survive the day.

My list is stored and ready for quick deployment with all necessary models, cards and tokens grouped together for quick access.

My question for you fine folks, then, is this- is there anything else I can do to prepare? What else should I know? If there's nothing anyone would suggest, I'll just let this thread go down in flames, preferable with a JB "bad topic" graphic attack to send it to its fiery grave. Otherwise, any input is appreciated.

my tip is, you should talk to girls more

First of all, you should not wash yourself. Try to smell as bad as possible so that your opponent can't concentrate on the game. Then, try to abuse as many rule loophole as possible and exploit every mistakes your opponent do by laughing at his stupidity. And don't forget to move his ship by "mistake" while moving yours.

If you do all that, I'm pretty sure you'll be welcome next time.

In a more serious note, go there to have fun. Don't lose your temper if it doesn't go your way. Be the opponent you would like to face.

(1) Go as slow as you need to.

Don't dawdle at the table, but don't rush your play (and don't let opponents rush you). Your pace is your pace.

(2) Make sure you don't tense up.

Standing for 8-10 hours at a time isn't a terribly unusual task, but you'll also be bent slightly at the waist most of the time. Sit when you can, remember to keep your shoulders down and centered over your hips--and take some Motrin or Aleve ahead of time if you know you're prone to lower back pain.

(3) Know your boundaries ahead of time, but don't be afraid to ask questions.

The job of the marshal and judges is to keep everything running smoothly, and that includes adjudicating rules questions. (It also includes rules disputes, but you're not going to let things get that far, because you're going to ask a judge to come over before a disagreement has a chance to blossom into an argument.)

(4) Be kind, and remember to thank your partners afterward.

A little bit of courtesy goes a long way. Remember the golden rule (or the Universal Imperative, if you'd rather) and treat your opponents the way you'd like to be treated.

You already mentioned that you're packing snacks and water, which is great. And you're all set for quick deployments.

So the only other thing I will recommend is to sit as much as humanly possible during the event. Your knees will thank you. And to fly casual, unless your opponent is a jerk. In that case, crush them.

my tip is, you should talk to girls more

My wife might not appreciate my talking to TOO many girls....

As far as I'm concerned, fun is the primary purpose of the event: 6 games against people whom I'm sure will be able to obliterate any list I bring, simply because they're probably better players than me. It's a chance to learn to play better and play new people. I have no delusional notions that I'll go anywhere beyond Swiss.

I guess I'm just looking for any points of tournament etiquette of which I may be oblivious. I am by no means a win at all costs gamer, so I think I'll still take a shower before going and risk that my opponent will be able to concentrate as a result.

I guess I'm just looking for any points of tournament etiquette of which I may be oblivious. I am by no means a win at all costs gamer, so I think I'll still take a shower before going and risk that my opponent will be able to concentrate as a result.

As far as etiquette goes, shake your opponent hand before and after the game. If you're used to do some things that is technically not legal (like revealing all dials of your ship of the same PS at the same time and then moving them) ask your opponent before doing it if he's okay with it, just in case you are up against one of those guy...

Don't lend out anything unless you are prepared to never see it again. Don't sell or trade your dice. If people want your dice, it is because they are magic. Don't leave bags unattended if the store also hosts Yugioh.

NEVER concede that Star Trek has equal merit. Firefly fans are also pathetic, the show was canceled because it was bad!

But this applies to nearly any situation.

Be prepared to possibly face a lot of the same list types.

Bring Lube

Make sure you have some sort of box or movement tray. When the next round's pairings are posted, you will have to fight the crowd to identify where you are playing, then move your stuff over ASAP. Sometimes the TO will only give 5-10min from the posting to start of the 75min round time. Thus you should have all your stuff gathered up from the last round, and able to change locations in the round with 1 trip. I also don't like packing up everything to unpack everything again, just make some piles on a tray to easily unload everything you need for your list within 1-2min.

Be prepared to possibly face a lot of the same list types.

Sounds like you've practiced, make sure it was at least against triple U-boats and PalpMobile with Aces. Otherwise, make sure you also know how to fly your own list, what moves are on the dial, when all your upgrades trigger, stuff like that

Firefly fans are also pathetic, the show was canceled because it was bad!

The person in charge of canceling Firefly at FOX actually admitted that it was the hardest decision she had to make to cancel that show. Just because a show was canceled doesn't mean it was bad it just had poor ratings. If everyone who loves the show now watched it when it was still on tv it would not have been canceled.

Be prepared to possibly face a lot of the same list types.

Sounds like you've practiced, make sure it was at least against triple U-boats and PalpMobile with Aces. Otherwise, make sure you also know how to fly your own list, what moves are on the dial, when all your upgrades trigger, stuff like that

Yeah the regional that i went to had 6x trip u-boat 2x palp aces in the top 8... i didn't have to play against any of them though

-----

Before a game have a good look at your opponents list, and let them have a look at yours.

Say what you are doing during play.

Only bring what you need and some spares (tokens and pegs)

I like to mark the asteroids i bring, i put a blue stripe pattern on the sides of mine (with a .. .. i think its called a hi-liter), you don't really see it when they lay down but easy to check when picking up.

Its also good to know how the scoring works, this is explained in the tournament rules on ffg, good idea to read those any way if you haven't yet.

Be friendly and civil with your opponents. This is a viable strategy that will sometimes trick them into letting you make up for something you forgot!

All good tips.

I'm expecting the dreaded deluge of u-boats and Palp Aces, and I've practiced against both, plus swarms and a few of whatever my opponent felt like flying. What I least look forward to, and hopefully won't face much of, is mirror matches. But, expecting such things, I'll still make the best of those opportunities and enjoy them, even if they violate my thematic sensibilities. Admittedly, I'm much more of a casual player, though the only house rules I generally face include occasionally treating Scum as a for hire sub faction, or playing to non-standard point values.

Thanks to all who have thus far contributed and to anyone who has further tips to offer.

My advice:

Try to view a few recent battle reports with the current meta. See how Palp Aces or triple Jumps are played.

Know your ships and dials, know your upgrade cards.

Have fun, and try to bring some snacks to help with your bloodsugar. At game 4 or so my hands start to become shaky and experience a dip in my concentration. A snack helps.

Don't expect to score high the first times you go to a tournament. In my first x-wing tournament I got second to last place or something. But then again, I had only played 5 games of x-wing then.

Remember fly casual is dead brah go hard go fast and have no mercy.

And if people moan tell em git gud.

If space is really tight, ask to use just one person's movement templates. I marked the edge of my obstacles with a grease marker, along with the plastic hub of my dials. Good luck and have fun.

Just don't be "that guy".

You will get breaks... Not all games will make it to the time limit. If you have effects that happen at odd times (Ghost turret firing at the end of the combat phase for example). You may want to make a Flash-Card. Tell people that it's your first time and that you don't wish to forget anything... They will smile thinking that they already have you.. It's a good place to be(underestimated). Look at the opponents list so there are no suprises.

Never, ever under any circumstance look your opponent in the eyes. This can often enrage gamers and cause them to become agitated or perhaps even aggressive. If you get into an altercation with a Palp Ace player, remember that the best response is to puff your shoulders out, stand as tall as possible, and make a lot of noise, as they are fearful of fair fights and will run off. If a U-Boat player becomes hostile, you need to play dead until they lose interest and go troll the forums for another list to net-deck.

Tell loved ones where you are heading before you go, leaving an itinerary with them. If you have a shelf of wargaming terrain fall and pin you in a back room while looking for a restroom you would hate to have to amputate your own arm with a modeling knife.

Always look at, and try to understand your opponent's list. If you see three y's with autoblasters, don't point your Deci at them and charge. Been there, done that. Ask any questions you have about their build and specific cards, 98% of your copilots in the tourney are more than happy to answer, and it's better to know how the cards and synergies work before the round starts. It can be very disheartening to see effects happen in the middle of the game that you had no idea of.

Another great benefit you should try to take advantage of is shooting the breeze with your opponent after the round, time permitting. Don't focus on any shoulda couldas, but general questions about the fight can be very enlightening. And while it's flogging a dead horse, it cannot be stressed enough: have fun. You will have moments of glory and moments of despair. Relish every moment, and you'll have a ball. Tourneys are long, exhausting affairs, even if you don't clear Swiss. But it's worth it.

Don't hesitate to ask the opponent or the TO if faced with something you aren't sure is legal. Lots of players make rules mistake bybaccident or because noone ever questioned them.

Of course, do it in a nice and friendly manner, not like you are accusing them of cheating. More like "is that how ot works? I thought it was like this." And then call over the TO unless they can provide rules or the FAQ supporting their claim.

Be this guy every time you activate a ship. Every time you set down a dial.and every time you roll dice.