Games Day: Stuff to Do 
Once you've arrived at Games Day, what are you going to do? Answer: lots.

Pre-registered Games
Pre-registered games at Games Day aren’t like the pick-up games we’re all used to playing at our local gaming stores. At a store, you meet somebody, ask them what they play, and challenge them to a game. You negotiate point values, the mission, and the use of any house rules and special characters. You then spend the next few hours writing up an army list, setting up terrain, pondering and deploying your units, considering your moves, debating rules questions, and actually moving your models and rolling dice. All in all, a slow process.

That’s not how it is at Games Day. Everything is set up ahead of time: the mission, the terrain, even what units and miniatures you have. You won’t be commanding an entire army; instead you’ll have one or two units you’re responsible for.

Why’s that? Because instead of a one-on-one game like you’re used to, at Games Day it’s you and three other guys you’ve never met before versus four other guys you’ve never met before. There’s no hassling over rules or lines of sight or such because a referee (one of the Outriders, guys who work part-time for Games Workshop running demonstration games and tournaments) runs the game. 

There’s also no time for dawdling. Each game is scheduled for only an hour and a half, so you have to move, pick your targets, and roll the dice. Everyone on your side moves, shoots, and assaults at the same time.

There are two approaches to take when you play one of these games. The first approach is to largely ignore the other players on your side and just play against the person opposite you on the table, your unit against his. It’s easy to do but not much fun (“Oh look! My squad took 5 casualties from your shooting, failed its Morale check and is falling back off the board. How fun. Shall we play again?”).

The other approach is to organize your side into a coherent fighting force. This is more hassle but definitely more fun. If you think you have what it takes to lead your side to victory, seize the initiative and rally the others to you. Don’t be obnoxious, but don’t worry too much about making a fool of yourself because a lot of players like having a leader who’s really stoked on winning. 

Hanging with the UK Guests
Every year, Games Workshop sends a few members of their UK staff to meet and talk with the Games Day participants. Past guests have included Andy Chambers (with me in the photo at right), Robin Dews (one of the chief honchos), John Blanche (the premiere GW artist), Jervis Johnson, Jake Thornton and Paul Sawyer (editors of White Dwarf magazine), Rick Priestley, and many others.

Though actually getting to speak to the guests is an exercise in patience (because they're usually mobbed by fanboys), it's well worth the wait. They're happy to sign autographs, have their pictures taken with you, and (the REALLY good part) answer any sort of question you might have about 40K or Games Workshop in general. 

I've found that if you're going to talk to the UK guests, you might as well make the most of it and ask them something that you're probably not going to get the answers to anywhere else. In my opinion, there's not much point in asking, say, when a certain product will come out, because if it's anywhere close to being released, you'll find out about it on a rumor site like Portent or in White Dwarf,and if it's not close to being released, they probably don't know when it will be out.

Speed Painting and Similar Goofiness
Lest you think Games Day is just all fighting (“And what’s wrong with that?” I hear you ask), there are—shall we say—less serious events too. Such as Speed Painting. 

Forget Golden Demon-style artwork. In the Speed Painting competition, being fast and having a good time are the only considerations. The GW folks sit you and about 20 of your closest friends down at a table, supply you with a miniature (which you get to keep at the end) and paint. They do have a couple of rules you have to adhere to (“Rule #7: No topless dancing on the table”) but other than that, you’re on your own. Paint away!

Oh, wait, I forgot to mention the goofy part. You didn’t think they were just going to let you sit there and concentrate on your painting, do you? Heck no! The GW gremlins try their darndest to distract you: blowing bubbles around you, sounding horns, etc. Every once in a while they’ll halt the proceedings for further wackiness: perhaps they’ll tell you to exchange miniatures with the person across the table from you and paint THEIR figure for a while. Perhaps they’ll make you put on a funny hat. Perhaps everyone has to get up and put on lederhosen--okay, so I made that one up, but you get the idea. The clock, of course, still runs. 

Winner? Who knows? Who cares? The point is to have fun!

Who needs NASCAR? It seems that every year GW has a whimsical take on racing. One year it was Squig Hopper races(imagine a steeplechase with Goblins and Cave Squigs instead of jockeys and horses). Another year it was Sentinel racing. Next year--who knows? Jet bike heats? Or maybe something a little different: say a Land Raider demolition derby?

Trust me, there's even more to do, though....

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© Copyright Kenton Kilgore, June 2000
 

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