This weekend I will be making the drive down to GA to slap around some locals at Regionals (I'm looking at you @GiledPallaeon). However, this is my first tournament, so I was wondering if you had any advice. I've read through Cannot Get Your Ship Out's article on it and perused some of the old posts on here from others, but I was wondering if you had any fresh advice, particularly for a Regionals event.

How do I politely wipe my opponents tears? Any suggestions on proper tournament etiquette? Any tips on making the transitions between matches easier? Most realistically, any suggestions on how to quickly chat out a game afterward to make sure it's a good learning experience?

Also, is it frowned upon to wear a full wookie cosplay?

A small tray upon which to transport your fleet from table to table is always handy. For quicker cleanup and setup I try to reset a ship or squadron's dials as soon as it's killed and I remove it from the table.

As far as learning from the game, it's as easy as a handshake, a "good game", and if you start commenting on some key "cool" moments of the game it usually leads to a good recap of the game.

Just be polite. If you're not familiar with minis gaming etiquette, it's okay to just be upfront about that and ask your opponent for feedback if you unintentionally breach it. Do your best to be respectful of your opponent and a good sport and you'll have a good time 99 times out of 100.

Also, definitely bring something to carry all your stuff on. Makes it WAY easier to move around. I use a plastic box lid; I've seen everything from cookie trays to custom-laser-etched wood trays.

Eat breakfast.

Don't be a ****. A regional is a Formal Tier event so this doesn't mean hold your opponent's hand, but just in general tell them when they made a good move, and be courteus if they make a mistake. Try to be above the board with everything you do. Shake hands when Turn 1 begins, and wish them luck. Shake hands when the game is finished. Don't be a ****.

If someone is being a ****, get the marshall / judge over to watch your game.

Above all, have fun. More than anything else, you are paying money and possibly traveling to enjoy 2+ games of Armada.

A challenger for the dreadnoughts? (I'm famous enough to warrant challengers?) I look forward to missing you in the fray of 30ish other players, several of whom are in line to space my rear again as well.

On a more serious note (I'm probably just going to be TL;DR'ing the CGYSO guys but they're smart fellows), short list of things is thus: When in doubt, say what you're doing, and if the intent is important, that too (e.g. "I want Wedge out of distance 1 of Soontir") so everyone understands what you're doing; ibuprofen or tylenol if you're prone to headaches; several copies of your fleet list; @jamie nasmyth (the yelling Brit) is the TO/God, depending on your taste in titles; please for the love of God and anything you hold holy bring mats, please; have fun; and if you want to meet folks beforehand, there is a Waffle House down the hill (and most of the way back up it) at least I will be raiding for ceremonial breakfast. Oh, and Giga sells both food and drink (and beer), so concerns about that aren't too huge (just understand it may be a wait).

1 hour ago, Maturin said:

A small tray upon which to transport your fleet from table to table is always handy.

This is a great idea. I'm definitely going to bring a tray.

55 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

If you're not familiar with minis gaming etiquette, it's okay to just be upfront about that and ask your opponent for feedback if you unintentionally breach it.

This is my main concern. I'm almost certain I'm going to accidentally breach some etiquette. Armada is my first minis game, so I'm still learning. Thanks!

32 minutes ago, BiggsIRL said:

Eat breakfast.

Don't be a ****.

Nice! This is how I like to start all my days.

32 minutes ago, BiggsIRL said:

be courteus if they make a mistake

So I tend to operate under the general rule of "if the game state hasn't really changed, feel free to fix it". Is this a pretty appropriate approach? Example: remembering they were going to take a shot, but they've already moved (probably a no go unless it was clear what range/arc they had) vs remembering they were going to spend an engineering token, but they've already moved on to measuring for the movement (this I'd be okay with).

20 minutes ago, GiledPallaeon said:

A challenger for the dreadnoughts?

They won't hold up to my exclusively pelta firing line.

21 minutes ago, GiledPallaeon said:

please for the love of God and anything you hold holy bring mats

Whoo-hoo! I can be helpful. I have three mats I'll be bringing, and I believe the guy I'm hauling down with me will be bringing one as well.

I look forward to (maybe) seeing you there! I'll be the 7 ft tall hairy guy with the sash. Actually I'll probably only wear some good luck Star Wars socks.

9 minutes ago, Astrodar said:

Actually I'll probably only wear some good luck Star Wars socks.

Only?

I feel like this is a good time to mention pants (not even mentioning shoes and shirt) are most likely required to be in the store. Unless you never plan on being within 150ft of a school ever again in your life. In that case, you do you.

3 minutes ago, BrobaFett said:

Only?

I feel like this is a good time to mention pants (not even mentioning shoes and shirt) are most likely required to be in the store. Unless you never plan on being within 150ft of a school ever again in your life. In that case, you do you.

You underestimate how large these socks are.

7 minutes ago, BrobaFett said:

Only?

I feel like this is a good time to mention pants (not even mentioning shoes and shirt) are most likely required to be in the store. Unless you never plan on being within 150ft of a school ever again in your life. In that case, you do you.

To tell the truth, if you don’t wear pants but the sign only says “shirt and shoes” then they should have to serve you.

Good answers already, and I'll leave my two articles on the subject here:

http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/2017/07/tournament-structure.html

http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/2017/10/preparing-for-and-attending-armada.html

12 hours ago, GiledPallaeon said:

is the TO/God, depending on your taste in titles

I tried going by God but my children's refusal to listen proved that to be a lie

7 hours ago, jamie nasmyth said:

I tried going by God but my children's refusal to listen

To be fair, so did His.

15 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

To be fair, so did His.

Just wanted you to know this post caused the water I was drinking to end up all over my nice work shirt.

Serious lols.

Good hygiene helps in all aspects of life. Start your day with that, then breakfast.

Enjoy it. Take it all in (and in stride).Don't be the person whose every move is amazing ("did you know that was going to happen?!?"). Conversely, don't be the person down on everything that doesn't go how you want it to ("I'm just no good at tabletop games"). Learn from all of it. Make mental notes (or actual notes if able) and if time permits have a discussion with your opponent AFTER gauging their mood (not everyone wants to discuss a game, even one that goes well for them. Don't take it personally, they might just be hungry).

Just remember that no game is as important as the people playing it. That mantra will make you a joy to lose to.

Good luck

19 hours ago, Astrodar said:

So I tend to operate under the general rule of "if the game state hasn't really changed, feel free to fix it". Is this a pretty appropriate approach? Example: remembering they were going to take a shot, but they've already moved (probably a no go unless it was clear what range/arc they had) vs remembering they were going to spend an engineering token, but they've already moved on to measuring for the movement (this I'd be okay with).

This to a certain extent as you said however I would go pointing out mistakes they made to have them go back. They forget to add a dice for most wanted or some other mistake that is on them if things have progressed forward.

One other thing that is surprisingly helpful - bring a granola bar (or something) for you as well as a bag of peanut M&Ms to share. A little bit of improved blood sugar for yourself and your opponent usually makes the game a lot more friendly. Also, stay hydrated!

I also strongly advise you put your entire fleet out the night before (all cards, tokens, models, etc), with damage deck, templates, etc. - set up everything to where you could actually play. Then pack it. That way you won't find you've forgotten something when you sit down to play the next morning when it might be too late to get a replacement.

4 hours ago, Ken-Obi said:

bring a granola bar (or something) for you as well as a bag of peanut M&Ms to share

This sounds like a great idea! Thanks!