Competitive Waharmmer 40K play is tough and the learning curve can be quite steep. Tournament play especially makes for a tough environment.
Switching from casual to competitive Warhammer 40k is not as simple as flipping a switch. The learning curve can be quite steep and it can leave a casual gamer quite flustered during the transition. However, there are some things a player can do to make this transition easier. Learning from what top-tier competitive players do is key to finding success in tournament play.
Warhammer 40k and other Games Workshop titles have gained popularity during the current pandemic. There has also been a flood of new Warhammer games as a result. Some newcomers to the tabletop game may be intrigued by the idea of competitive play especially now that tournaments in some places are coming back. Alternatively, a player may just want to test themselves at a competitive level in Warhammer 40k, especially if they are dominating gameplay in their friendly circles.
What sets a competitive Warhammer 40k player apart from a casual player is simple: Competitive players tend to take the game much more seriously. Some may think that this level of seriousness takes the fun out of the game, but that's not necessarily true. Just like some players find fun in min-maxing a D&D character, some Warhammer 40k players find joy in tabling their opponents in a tournament. There's nothing wrong with that as long as some semblance of good sportsmanship is maintained.
Knowing the rules in competitive Warhammer 40k is an obvious must. Playing casually with friends, players can sometimes fudge rules or even make home rules. That won't fly in competitive Warhammer 40k tournament play. It's not a game of Dungeons & Dragons and homebrew rules won't cut it. Knowing the ins and outs of each turn phase is equally important. It helps the games play out faster as tournament rounds are timed. There's nothing worse than waiting on an opponent that has to look up every rule during a tournament game.
A player knowing their own codex in competitive Warhammer 40k is key as well. Arriving at a table against an experienced opponent and not knowing one's codex front to back will leave them vulnerable. A competitive player should be somewhat familiar with every codex and not just their own. If a player is set up across the table from a ten man Scarab Occult Terminators unit, it helps to know all of that unit's capabilities. It leaves no room for surprises and helps in planning one's tactics. Since the introduction of 9th edition, new aspects of the game - such as stratagems - have been introduced and knowing these instinctively is very helpful in staying a step ahead in tournaments as well.
Warhammer 40k's rule book and codices aren't all that a competitive player needs to read. Just like Dungeons & Dragons has overpowered class builds, so does Warhammer 40k have overpowered army builds. Knowing these builds front to back and keeping up with the current meta is integral to a competitive 40k player's success. Reading tournament news and understanding why Drukhari are currently dominating the circuit can be just as important as having a grasp of one's own army. Coming up with army builds that are a good counter to these dominant builds is a skill in its own right that takes a lot of practice.
Once a player is read up on Warhammer 40k that doesn't mean they know how to play the game competitively. Even Witcher star Henry Cavill seems to know about 40k. There's a whole lot more that goes into it. The only way to get better at playing competitively is to replicate competitive play as often as possible. In a friendly game, a player may forget to roll for something, like rallying a fleeing unit before ending their turn. It's very likely that they'll get the opportunity to roll that in a friendly setting. Though not unheard of in tournament play, it's much less likely to be permitted by an opponent.
The solution may seem simple. A player could just replicate an army build that's dominant in the current Warhammer 40k meta so they'll have a bit of wiggle room for mistakes. It's not the worst idea and it may actually help a bit to have an overpowered build, but it won't solve everything. A top-tier competitive player would likely still beat a tournament novice even in command of a "bottom tier" army. This is simply because a competitive player will have a good breadth of experience. That competitive player not only understands how that low-tier army works, but they've also likely played with it before to become familiar with it.
Warhammer 40k is not a cheap hobby or game to get into. Occasionally a Warhammer game is discounted or free, but the monetary cost of tabletop 40k is well known to new and old players alike. So how does someone get their hands on this many codices to read and armies to play? Joining a competitive gaming club is probably the best way. It's not only a pool of resources and different codices, but it's also a pool of experienced minds. Having mentors when transitioning to competitive play is a really convenient way to go.
Tournament Warhammer 40k play is fast and a bit unforgiving. That is an understatement when comparing it to casual play. It can feel about as harsh as a Squid Game tournament. Tournament games usually run on a two-and-a-half-hour time limit. Army lists are inspected by judges and printed copies are often expected to be made available for opponents to inspect pregame. The games themselves can be really quite contentious depending on who a player is sitting across from. Judges are available to solve rule disputes, but in the worst of cases solving disputes can come down to a coin flip or roll-off. It's best for a player to just be well versed on the rules and Games Workshop's FAQs for the rule book and codices to avoid needing the judge.
Someone interested in competitive Warhammer 40k play may need to up their hobbying and painting skills as well. Almost all tournaments have a minimum paint requirement. Taking it further, in some tournaments a hobby or painting score counts toward a player's overall score. Sometimes a bit of model conversion work adds bonus points to this score. Tournaments also function on a WYSIWYG or "What you see is what you get" system. That means that a player who has been using proxy models in friendly games won't be able to do the same in competitive play. For players who simply refuse to paint their models, there is always a fun line of Warhammer 40k mobile games.
However a player transitions into competitive Warhammer 40k, it will likely take some getting used to. It could be years before a tournament win or even a "best of" army award. Many top-tier competitive players have been competing well over a decade so the field can be very tough. All a player can do is grow and keep getting better. How seriously a player takes that process will show over time. Following some of these tips should help the process be a little less stressful.
Source: The Guardian: GW Sales
