5th Annual New Zealand Masters - December 2012

This is the heads-up for the 5th Annual New Zealand Masters to be held in Wellington. The tentative date is the first weekend in December 2012. I am waiting to hear back regarding the hall. If that date is not possible then it will likely be the week before (last weekend in November).


Here is the proposed format for the event:

Competitions – Flames of War, Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy

Competitors – 12 people maximum per competition

Umpires - TBA

Rounds – Six


The selection process will be as follows:

Automatic NZ Masters Champion Entry – 2011 Masters’ winners

Automatic Geographical Entry – Top two ranked 2012 South Island Flames of War players (as per RHQ)

The subsequent 11 (9 for Flames of War) places will go to the top ranked players in each system as per RankingsHQ after all tournaments to 31 October 2012 are entered. Selection will go down to and include the player ranked 20th in each system UNTIL the twelve places are filled. If the places are not filled but there is an even number then the event will run with at the reduced size. If there is an odd number the organiser will select a player to make the field an even number – this is likely to be the next ranked player but it is at the organiser’s discretion.

Therefore if you want to compete at the NZ Masters you should strive to attend enough tournaments to qualify in the Top 11 ranking places for each system (Top 9 for FoW if no South Island players in Top 9). There is a chance you will still qualify if you are ranked 12-20 put that will depend on dropouts.

I have set out this process upfront to provide clarity to tournament goers. Having clear criteria means that everybody knows what they have to do to achieve selection. Hopefully it will encourage tournament attendance as players strive to qualify.

This should in no way be perceived as a criticism of this year’s attendance list. Different TOs do things differently and that is their prerogative. This is my methodology after some discussion with the community. It might not be everybody’s preference but the criteria are there twelve months out from the event and are clear to all.

As I have previously flagged, the Sixth Annual New Zealand Masters will be held in December 2013 in the northern part of the North Island. I’d suggest interested parties from the clubs and gaming groups start talking to one another to who is looking to put their hand up to run the event. If there is more than one candidate then a mechanism will be put in place to resolve any impasse.

Finally I would like to give a big thank you to Phil Wu and all his helpers over the weekend. When I started the NZ Masters the intention was that it be an end of year celebration of tournament wargaming in New Zealand. Phil and his team did a fantastic job in furthering that aim. Thanks again.

Happy to answer any questions.