With the New Year, I know a lot of people are planning/building new armies and so I thought I would give you a “heads-up” on scoring criteria prior to the Players’ Pack being released next month.
Army Size/Restrictions
The army size will definitely be 1750 points…..you can bank that!!!
All current codexes released up to a month before Fields will be valid. That means if it is released before 19 August it is fair game. After that e.g. September 2009 release – no way.
Codexes that have been superseded with the release of new contributing codexes are not valid. This means no “Eye of Terror” lists because new codexes have been released.
I will entertain White Dwarf lists and units on a case by case basis. However the decision rests with me and once made it will be final. If you are considering a WD list/unit it is probably best that you ask early – so I can shatter your dreams early :-)
Special Characters may be used (but beware – I hate them….see below)
Scoring
My underlying philosophy with Fields is that I want it to be an event that tests a player’s generalship but also has threshold levels in sportsmanship and painting that I view are an integral part of the hobby. The scoring criteria below are designed to reflect that philosophy
Gameplay - this will be 40% of total score. It will also be a “real” 40% in that you will need to earn all your Gameplay Points. As with last year a win will be worth 10 points, a draw 5 points and a loss 0 points. There will also be a potential 5 bonus points on offer giving a raw score of 0-90.
The “Bloodthirster” award will be on offer this year for the person with the highest Gameplay score however in 2009 there will be one important difference. To qualify for the Bloodthirster your army must score more than 12/30 for Composition.
Composition – this will be 30% of total score. In a departure from last year this will be entirely panel judged and will use a scale of 0-5. The panel will be made up of eight judges and each will grade your army from 0 (truly awful) to 5 (wonderful). The highest and lowest scores will be disregarded giving you a score out of 30. This translates exactly to 30% of your overall score. The possible range is 0-30 and remember at least two judges need to grade your army as a “3” for you to possibly make the threshold to qualify for the “Bloodthirster”.
The aim of this system is to encourage people to bring a list that their opponents’ will not despise playing. Fields of Blood is meant to be an enjoyable event and for a lot of people this extends to the army their opponent brings. It is also because at Fields I want to reward generalship more than list design. We are all able to copy some egregious combo we’ve seen on the net but that isn’t the aim of Fields.
This brings me to Special Characters. I hate them. A lot. Therefore if you are looking to bring a Special Character then make sure it fits the fluff of the 40k world and is not there to exploit some loophole. By way of an example, a list comprised of the Space Marine character Vulkan combined with lots of Sisters of Battle will score poorly :-(, as will any list that puts together a United Nations of SM characters. If in doubt err on the side of conservatism.
Sportsmanship – this will be 15% of total score. The system used will be the same as used at FOB 2008. This gives a score out of 30 which will be converted to a score out of 15. Given the expectation is a score at or near to 30, I reserve the right to disqualify anybody who continually impinges on his opponents’ enjoyment. I’m sure this would never happen as I would hope that Fields will only attract gamers who play in a pleasant and sporting manner.
Painting – 15% of Total Score. As per 2008 your army will be marked by a painting judge who will be using a checklist methodology. If you have a nicely painted and based army with some detailing and/or conversions etc then you will score close to maximum points. Twelve armies will be chosen for Players Choice and the votes given will decide the “harlequin” for best painted. Of course to qualify for this award the painting must all be your own work. Note however that your painting score is independent of Players Choice. Finally all armies at FOB must be painted to compete.
So those are the criteria. They are designed to reward the all-round hobbyist. While it might be possible to win the event while ignoring one of the criteria (except Sportsmanship) it is highly unlikely with the size of the field that you will place highly. This is intentional :-) . By giving you all early notice of the expectations and the criteria it allows you to make any adjustments you feel you might need be it in army design or regarding painting.
The Players’ Pack will be sent to you early February but please feel free to share this with your local gaming group/any potential attendees.
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