The Bay Area Open is due to start this week, and we’re seeing major last minute changes in the rules. Is a week enough time to make the list changes needed?
The Bay Area Open takes place this weekend, July 29th & 30th. The folks over at Frontline Gaming just dropped a bombshell on the people playing in the tournament that is not even a week away at this point. They made the following post was on the new Warhammer 40k FAQ that was just released Sunday, 6 days prior to the BAO.
Hoooo nelly, these are going to cause some waves. And yes, these do take effect immediately so plan on using them for BAO and other events coming up unless your T.O. specifically says otherwise.
The new FAQ was a major adjustment to the current meta, and certain tournament lists, i.e. Razorwing and Flyer spam, are no longer viable. Granted, certain lists did need fixed, but is the time to make such a drastic change six days before the tournament that “started everything” for these organizers?
This is a tough call to make for any event organizer, but it seems like there should have been a little more of a heads up needed for the players. Some tournament players are already making their way to California for this event or have already made it there with armies that are no longer viable.
But wait! There’s More! The format is going to make it even harder for people to fix their lists in time ever if they wanted to.
Format:
- 8th edition Warhammer 40k Tournament
- ITC Formated Event
- No models with a Power Level of 31 or greater will be allowed for this event.
- Armies may only be constructed using current 8th ed Indexes for this event.
- All models must be painted to a tabletop standard, with at least 3 colors per model and fully based.
- Ruins: For this event, the bottom level walls of all ruins are considered to block LoS even if they do not actually do so. This means existing openings in them such as those created by windows, doors, bullet holes, etc. block LoS. This rule does not mean the players create walls where none existed. If in doubt as to where to define these barriers, clarify with your opponent before the game begins.
Not only have the rules been changed six days out, but all models must be painted to a tabletop standard, with at least 3 colors per model and fully based. So, for the players that have the funds to go out and buy the new models they need for their new lists, now they have to be painted and fully based. But for a lot of people, especially the people that have already made their way out to California, this isn’t an option.
8th edition is still very new and the recent American Team Championship, knew this, and for the first time there wasn’t a paint requirement for models.
Is this something the folks over at Frontline Gaming should’ve considered, or should be taken into consideration now for the Bay Area Open and perhaps the Las Vegas Open as well?
Frontline has also made a change to terrain that is worth taking note of as well. With first turn being so devastating it may be worth taking a look at changing terrain to the point of blocking line of sight either though visible or abstract means (like in 4th Edition 40k i.e level 1, 2 etc).
The Long War talked about that very real and viable terrain concept to help in preventing the extreme advantage having first turn in 8th edition is on their last podcast:
How Good Are Chapter Tactic Now? Episode 110
Welcome to the Long War, a new place for bringing the hobby back to wargaming! A podcast hosted by Rob Baer, Kenny Boucher, Stephen Fore & Mike Haspil.
@4:30 Table Top Market Place
@22:51 Major Tournament Win
@33:53 A Terrain Errata is Needed
@48:50 New Chapter Tactics Break-Down
Back to the fresh army restrictions by the ITC, normally, for a change of this magnitude there’s a vote by them for the public to weigh in on, but that didn’t happen this time. Of the “100’s of games” test played by the Tournament Organizers out there like Frontline, and NOVA Open, why wasn’t flyer spam identified and addressed sooner?
Is it fair for this type of last minute change to the format of a major tournament, and why are competitive players being so penalized in this manner?
What are your thoughts? Better yet, what are your solutions? Should an updated FAQ that changes the meta that is released so close to a tournament date be used? Should the players participating in the event had a voice in the decision making on this? With such major changes to player’s lists, should the paint requirement be overlooked this one time? What about going back to a one month out FAQ / Codex book implementation standard like it was for past events?
Let us know in the comments below, and if you still fancy a competitive scene don’t forget Las Vegas Open is on the books for 2018.
Las Vegas Open 2018
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.
