Accused cheater Marshall Peterson’s withdrawal from the Tacoma Open Warhammer 40k tournament sparks a conversation on integrity.
Accused 40k Tacoma Open Cheater Forfeits Win Amidst Backlash
Marshall Peterson, a figure well-known in the Warhammer 40k tournament community, has decided to withdraw from the Tacoma Open Warhammer 40k tournament after acknowledging a series of significant misplays during the event. This decision comes in the wake of past controversies, including accusations of cheating with Necrons in previous years. It is also rumored that Peterson has faced restrictions from participating in certain Northwestern events due to these past issues.
During the Tacoma Open, Peterson made notable errors, such as incorrectly placing Ghaz in a battlewagon with upgrades that violated the transport rules. Additionally, he mistakenly stated Snikrot’s toughness as T6 instead of T5, a discrepancy that was promptly corrected by a judge. These incidents were not isolated and seem to be part of a pattern that has previously raised concerns within the competitive Warhammer 40k community.
In light of these mistakes and in an effort to uphold the integrity of the game, Peterson made the decision to step down from the tournament, forfeiting all points and rewards he had earned. He expressed his intention to take responsibility for his actions and to ensure that the competitive environment remains fair and enjoyable for all participants. This move, while challenging, underscores the importance of honesty and accountability in maintaining the trust and respect of the gaming community.
Announcement of Withdrawl from Tacoma Open:
Marshall made a statement on Reddit after the event about withdrawing from the Tacoma Open, passing all his awards along with the Golden Ticket to Atlanta to second place.
Marshall’s Statement:
TLDR: I am the one who took 1st at the recent Tacoma Open. For a multitude of reasons boiling down to it simply being the correct and decent thing to do, I am dropping from the event, forfeiting all points received from it, and passing all rewards (Golden ticket to Atlanta, trophy etc.) to Scott Ketcham, the sisters player who placed second.
I was recommended by several parties involved to make this a public post rather than a behind the scenes action. Last week I reached out to GW and frontline gaming to be dropped from the Tacoma open.
For context I was playing Orks at the event.
For the first six rounds I played my list incorrectly, placing Ghaz inside a battlewagon that had the ard case and zap gun upgrades. This is not allowed as written under the transport rules for the battlewagon. For this I received a yellow card when the mistake was noticed during the shadow round on day two. This came with a 10 point deduction for the round, and a change in the game state returning ghaz to his original deployment position.
In addition during round 7, I mistakenly when asked said snikrot was T6 not T5 when recalling his profile. This was immediately corrected by the judge, but was a mistake all the same. No yellow card or penalty was given.
While for other players yellow cards are not cause enough to eject someone from an event, (there is a reason we have yellow and red cards as different things) and I don’t recommend other players drop events simply for receiving a yellow card, (it happens often, mistakes are made.) I think in the larger context of me and my Warhammer experience it is only right for me to drop the event even if that was not the judges ruling.
During the 2022 season, I made enough play and list errors that my play was nothing short of sloppy. This combined with pretty good event placings were a nasty combo that left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. Some pillars of the local community told me after one particularly bad misplay that while they trusted me, from an outward perspective there basically wouldn’t be room for doubt that it could very well be purposeful. I was left with the direct task to do better.
The errors made by me during the Tacoma open thus I think aren’t acceptable, and warrant my disqualification from the event as well as the champ event it would have qualified me for. I don’t think anyone should think less of the judges or the GW events team for not disqualifying me as they were simply operating under the structure they had in place. But my own accountability requires I forfeit given the bigger picture. I should not benefit from my mistakes.
I hope my opponents at the event can forgive me for my poor play and hopefully we can have a better game in the future. I also hope my poor play doesn’t reflect on the competitive community as a whole which has become a great place for new players to explore the hobby.
Hindsight is 20/20 but I think I should have dropped as soon as I realized my mistake rather than play the semi finals as I very well did not belong.
Anyway, sorry. I’ll do better.
The Unbeatable Ork Warhammer 40k Army List
Here is the Orks list he played at the event, along with some commentary on how it should be played normally.
Marshall Peterson’s Orks
War Horde
Strike Force (2000 Points)CHARACTERS
Boss Snikrot (95 Points)
• 1x Mork’s Teeth
1x SluggaGhazghkull Thraka (235 Points)
• 1x Ghazghkull Thraka
• Warlord
• 1x Gork’s Klaw
1x Mork’s Roar
• 1x Makari
• 1x Makari’s stabbaWarboss (65 Points)
• 1x Attack squig
1x Kombi-weapon
1x Power klaw
1x Twin sluggasBATTLELINE
Beast Snagga Boyz (105 Points)
• 9x Beast Snagga Boy
• 9x Choppa
9x Slugga
• 1x Beast Snagga Nob
• 1x Power snappa
1x SluggaBeast Snagga Boyz (105 Points)
• 9x Beast Snagga Boy
• 9x Choppa
9x Slugga
• 1x Beast Snagga Nob
• 1x Power snappa
1x SluggaBeast Snagga Boyz (105 Points)
• 9x Beast Snagga Boy
• 9x Choppa
9x Slugga
• 1x Beast Snagga Nob
• 1x Power snappa
1x SluggaDEDICATED TRANSPORTS
Trukk (65 Points)
• 1x Big shoota
1x Spiked wheels
1x Wreckin’ ballOTHER DATASHEETS
Battlewagon (160 Points)
• 4x Big shoota
1x Deff rolla
1x Grabbin’ klaw
1x Lobba
1x Wreckin’ ball
1x Zzap gun
1x ’Ard CaseFlash Gitz (80 Points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
• 1x Choppa
1x Snazzgun
• 4x Flash Git
• 4x Choppa
4x SnazzgunFlash Gitz (80 Points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Kaptin
• 1x Choppa
1x Snazzgun
• 4x Flash Git
• 4x Choppa
4x SnazzgunGretchin (40 Points)
• 10x Gretchin
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Grot blasta
• 1x Runtherd
• 1x Runtherd tools
1x SluggaGretchin (40 Points)
• 10x Gretchin
• 10x Close combat weapon
10x Grot blasta
• 1x Runtherd
• 1x Runtherd tools
1x SluggaKill Rig (170 Points)
• 1x Butcha boyz
1x Savage horns and hooves
1x Saw blades
1x Stikka kannon
1x Wurrtower
1x ’Eavy lobbaKill Rig (170 Points)
• 1x Butcha boyz
1x Savage horns and hooves
1x Saw blades
1x Stikka kannon
1x Wurrtower
1x ’Eavy lobbaKill Rig (170 Points)
• 1x Butcha boyz
1x Savage horns and hooves
1x Saw blades
1x Stikka kannon
1x Wurrtower
1x ’Eavy lobbaMeganobz (80 Points)
• 2x Meganob
• 2x Kustom shoota
2x Power klawNobz (105 Points)
• 1x Ammo Runt
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Power klaw
1x Slugga
• 4x Nob
• 4x Power klaw
4x SluggaStormboyz (65 Points)
• 4x Stormboy
• 4x Choppa
4x Slugga
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Power klaw
1x SluggaStormboyz (65 Points)
• 4x Stormboy
• 4x Choppa
4x Slugga
• 1x Boss Nob
• 1x Power klaw
1x Slugga
It’s a pile of boys in transports that get buffed by transports, with more of the same stat-lined boys running around to do actions. Clearly a perfect list for Pariah, giving you everything you need in terms of damage and still a lot of ability to move, hold objectives, and do all the actions the game asks of you.
Three Units of Beast Snagga Boys in Kill Rigs is the heart and soul of this list, complimenting each other perfectly. Kill Rigs deliver and buff up the Beast Snaggas to swing well into any target with +1 Strength, or Lethal Hits if they’re lucky. With three tries from the ability you can really stack some power behind those blows even without getting the Lethals.
What’s Next For 40k Tournaments?
Overall, Marshall Peterson’s decision to withdraw from the Tacoma Open Warhammer 40k tournament and forfeit his awards demonstrates a commitment to fair play and accountability to the gaming community. His public statement and acknowledgment of the mistakes made during the event set a positive example for maintaining integrity in competitive gaming.
Moving forward, we hope his experience serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding the highest standards of sportsmanship and honesty, ultimately contributing to a more enjoyable and respectful environment for all ITC players.
Click Here For More Top Warhammer Army Lists
What do you think about the cheating accusations and Marshall Peterson’s withdrawal from the Tacoma Open Warhammer 40k tournament?
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
