Warhammer Underworlds has come to the Michigan Grand Tournament and taken its place amongst Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k.
Hi, my name is Travis and I’m a newbie. Read all about my first experience at the annual Michigan Grand Tournament.
Recently Lansing, Michigan (Go Green) held its annual Michigan Grand Tournament. This is a 3-day weekend of all thing’s tabletop wargaming. It’s one of the largest events of its kind in the Midwest with more than 400 attendees over the three-day weekend. Games included everything from Warhammer Underworlds, Bolt Action, 9th Age, and of course Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k. It was also my first convention of this size so let’s dive right in on this newbie’s first Grand Clash.
A Newbs First Grand Clash at 2018 Michigan GT
Starting off, I was able to take a half day (unfortunately Spikey Bits is not my day job) and play in the Warhammer Underworlds tournament on Friday, which was very enjoyable. A lot of the guys playing in it were in town for the Age of Sigmar tournament that started Saturday morning. It was great meeting new people from all over the Midwest to talk about Age of Sigmar and what kind of events, armies, etc. there are in their neck of the woods.
Other events were going on at the same time (Horus Hersey, 40k Doubles, and some 9th age) and it was cool to see all the boards set up waiting and ready to be played on.
It was like the calm before the storm that is the massive amount of people coming in on Saturday. I was a little worried about the competitive nature of Warhammer Underworlds, but everyone was very relaxed and just generally there to have a good time. Sure, we all wanted to win that sweet trophy GW sent us, but, overall everyone I met was more than happy to kick back and drink a beer while throwing some dice.
Getting there on Friday gave me the chance to explore, chat with the organizers about the various events, raffle, etc. which gave me information I might have otherwise missed. For any new people looking to go to a large event like this- I highly recommend getting in on one that might be less crowded to get your feet wet. In between games I was able to chat with the other Warhammer Underworlds players over a beer, explore the tables, and get close views of all the tables laid out with their awesome scenery. (I even managed to schedule an AoS game at my local FLGS.)
Unfortunately, I was not able to play in the Age of Sigmar tournament on Saturday, (committing to an entire weekend is still too hard with a 20-month-old.) But, I did manage to swing in and check out all the players. Holy cow what a difference, it was packed wall to wall with people playing all sorts of games and it was amazing.
I could check out the Age of Sigmar tables and just 10 feet away I could see people playing Bolt Action or Infinity. The largest group was, of course, 40k, making tons of noise. It really made me glad I was able to come in the day before and explore the place before everyone invaded the next day. One thing that really made this event great was that it required painted miniatures, and some of your match points rewarded were for painting and being a good sport.
The point system rewards a win and great play the most, but, having points for painting and a display board is a great way to get people to paint beyond a base coat. Some of the display boards and miniatures were amazing, and even the more average ones were still high quality. It made for more realistic battles and you found yourself immersed in the games going on around you. Also, the good sports points are a must.
I didn’t see anyone raging or throwing a fit when walking around in between matches, (I did see one person drinking a beer at 11 though, think he had a hard loss) which is a perfect way to run these. All it takes is a couple people fighting over a rule or a game to destroy the enjoyment everyone is having. Sure, playing to win is one thing, but getting grumpy over some dice and ruining everyone else’s game is not what it’s all about.
Overall, I would be more than happy to attend more Grand Clashes like this one. While long-distance travel is probably out the question with the kiddo right now, a good goal is to prep for next year’s Michigan GT. (More on this in another article.) I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about going to their first. Especially if you can go the first day and play in some less crowded events.
This will let you explore before the bigger crowds show up, chat with vendors and event managers, and maybe even have a drink at the bar with some fellow gamers without much hassle. Once you’re settled in, sign up to play in one of the larger events and dive headfirst into the whirlwind of dice rolling and measuring and try to climb the leaderboards!
