I'm going to my first tournament/store championship in Buffalo, July 8.

What, if anything, should I bring with me to the event besides me and a winning list?

A big bottle of water and some advil are in my "Armada Tournament" essentials list! Nothing is worse than getting a dehydration headache from not drinking or a foot ache from standing still for 4 hours midway through game two and getting thrown off your game.

Other that, just bring your best attitude! Win or lose, make sure you have a ton of fun and it will be worth it!

Multiple copies of your list, because they will walk away, and knowledge of food plans. Hunger can be just as pernicious as thirst. Good luck.

It's a solid 8ish hours. I bring and drink lots of water and have good snacks with protein. And take every chance to sit. It's a long day but it's a lot of fun.

Count your damage deck before you go. I always do just out of paranoia that I'm missing a card.

I bring coffee but don't do that if you get the shakes from caffeine.

Lots of water and chocolate or glucose pastilles, whichever is your thing. Seriously, 6 or more hours of intensive concentration takes a toll on you and you can have an edge over your opponents if you're fresher than he is. For that you should drink regularly and time to time take in some sugar which helps you to keep sharp.

Whiskey.

Don't freak out!

Don't worry, most opponents will be super reasonable with you especially if you let them know you're new at the game at the start. I'll also second the water/food/headache meds availability as listed above.

And most important: Have Fun!

Indeed. Relax and don't worry about win/loss. This is an opportunity to get in a lot of games in a single day.

Enjoy. Learn. Network.

I like to make sure everything is packed the night before. This way when you leave for the tournament you know everything is in your bag ready to play and you don't have to pack last minute.

Leave your squads at home. It will liven it up for you

15 minutes ago, Ginkapo said:

Leave your squads at home. It will liven it up for you

Having done this, I can fully agree that last minute panic and buying of my 4th Rebel fighters pack back in the day is a great way to get livened up.

If it's a bigger event, a tray!

This will let you transfer to your next table, or clear the previous one, without too much hassle. Otherwise you risk scrabbling around for tokens, etc. as the next person is setting up on your old table while you're still clearing up.

Agree with the water. I also like to pick up a protein or energy bar (Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter is my personal pick). At least 2 copies of your list in case the TO keeps them when you do the initial sign up. Make sure you have all of your ships, cards, bases, and accessories, including a complete set of obstacles. If you only have 1 set of dice (3 of each color), I STRONGLY recommend getting another set. Also a second maneuver tool built for speed 2 is very handy to have. When checking off your cards, don't forget the reference cards and all of the objective cards (not just the ones in your list). It can make the game easier for you.

A pen. So you can write down your scores and opponent's names. I always forget to bring one!!

Pack your stuff up the night before, as Spaceman01 says. Then go to bed nice and early and get a solid night's sleep. It will help your performance the next day immensely.

Dont stay up till 3am trying to tweak your list and find the cards you didn't put away properly from your last game.

NOT speaking from firsthand experience, nope, nosirreee.

Now that I'm home from work and I have some time...

Thank you all for all of the suggestions!

10 hours ago, BrobaFett said:

A big bottle of water and some advil are in my "Armada Tournament" essentials list! Nothing is worse than getting a dehydration headache from not drinking or a foot ache from standing still for 4 hours midway through game two and getting thrown off your game.

Other that, just bring your best attitude! Win or lose, make sure you have a ton of fun and it will be worth it!

I will definitely bring water. And, no expectations here in regards to winning. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting other players and having fun.

10 hours ago, GiledPallaeon said:

Multiple copies of your list, because they will walk away, and knowledge of food plans. Hunger can be just as pernicious as thirst. Good luck.

Multiple copies... Check! I'll probably pack a small cooler.

10 hours ago, Undeadguy said:

Count your damage deck before you go. I always do just out of paranoia that I'm missing a card.

I bring coffee but don't do that if you get the shakes from caffeine.

I have a two hour drive starting at 8am, so coffee is definitely coming along.

5 hours ago, Spaceman01 said:

I like to make sure everything is packed the night before. This way when you leave for the tournament you know everything is in your bag ready to play and you don't have to pack last minute.

I will be packing the day before...actually Thursday night since Friday is a super long work day for me.

5 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

Leave your squads at home. It will liven it up for you

5 hours ago, geek19 said:

Having done this, I can fully agree that last minute panic and buying of my 4th Rebel fighters pack back in the day is a great way to get livened up.

Right now I'm planning to bring one of my best thematic Alliance battle groups.

13 hours ago, ImpStarDeuces said:

Whiskey.

A bottle of beam never done me wrong.

Good luck! Hope you have a great time. I don't have any competitive experience but I will say you will probably learn a lot from your opponents. Pay attention to there tactics and strategy and see how pieces may fit into your strategy.

Don't forget to write a nice AAR after the event