Tactics for Tyrants - 'Ard Boyz Training: A Simple Introduction.

Thinking about testing your guts against the 'ard opponents in this year's 'Ard Boyz Warhammer tournaments? TheTrev0 is already gearing up for this year's event and will be bringing us a series of articles outlining his progress. Study up and you too might have the 'ard bits it takes to compete with your tribe!      

---

'Ard Boyz Training - A Simple Introduction

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the beginning of Basic, Advanced, and Specialized training for all you grunts that want that competitive edge in this year’s ‘Ard Boyz!

My name is Trevor (TheTrev0) and I’ll be giving you all the information you need to know about ‘Ard Boyz, from proper etiquette to the rules, basic tips, all the way to advanced strategies. I will be writing one new article each week that discusses a different topic about ‘Ard Boyz until the ‘Ard Boyz Preliminaries begin.

This first article is to give you a little background on myself, why I am qualified to write such an article (and why I am even doing it in the first place), and a little about ‘Ard Boyz for those that don’t know anything about it (Fresh meat!). So consider this “Article 0” as it is simply just an introductory piece.

---

About myself and my gaming background

First and foremost, my name is Trevor and I live in Florida here in the USA. I’ve been playing “nerd” games since about 1998 with the Pokemon trading card game. This game created a competitive spark in me that has turned into an overwhelming blaze of fire that can be felt when I sit down at whatever table I’m playing on (depending on the game). You’ve never seen a 12 year old with such competitive desire, especially when you play a Purple Psi-deck and place first in two Pokemon Tournaments.

It didn’t take long before I realized the limited strategies and competition that Pokemon offered when I switched to Magic the Gathering in 2000. Picking up on the game quickly, I began competing in Magic the first year, but unlike Pokemon, Magic the Gathering was far less forgiving and incredibly complicated. I lost many tournaments that year, but the last tournament I went to (for my birthday) I placed 3rd and had gained a better understanding of the rules. The following year I read the rules over again extensively and applied to and took my test to become a level 3 Judge for events (so I could host my own local tournaments). That following year I did much better and placed top 3 consistently at every event I went to. Of course, being in high school, I had limited opportunities to really advance or travel long distances for certain events. I played magic for 5 years before it slowly fizzled away, mainly because I didn’t have anyone to play with and it became a game that I only played when I went to a competition.

Then the long stretch of nothingness; I only played computer games competitively (like Command and Conquer), but I longed for another game that I could play on a table. December 25th, 2010 two of my friends were sitting at a computer after our “Friends and Family Christmas Dinner” and going on and on about a miniature game (that I never heard of) and one of them was saying that he used to play it; I wasn’t a part of the conversation, but I was listening. My friend who had played it previously said that he would love to play again, but that he can never find anyone to play. I knew how he felt because of Magic the Gathering, so I chimed in and asked him:

“Is it a competitive game? Like – do they host competitions for it?”

He replied “Oh yea for sure! They host local small tournaments all the time and there is actually a really large nationwide competition every year.”

I was sold and we got around six others to buy and get into it.

Beginning Warhammer, my first few games, and first ‘Ard Boyz

My first Warhammer Game was in the middle of January 2011; it was a 500 point game on a coffee table. I was instantly addicted to the game, although I was incredibly angry at how the rules were written (If you played Magic the Gathering, you understand my plight of the poorly written rules of Warhammer). Once I started to get the hang of the rules and we were playing 1000pt games, I asked “Hey when do they hold that big tournament” and that’s when I learned it’s called ‘Ard Boyz and that it’s held in April. At this point it was March already and we only had 1 month to prepare!

We played 3k game after 3k game after 3k game. We helped each other out. Every step of every phase of each turn, we each played both armies out loud (a group of three of us). A 3k game can usually be over in less than 3 hours, but each of these games lasted 6+ hours (one game) as we consulted the rulebook over every little detail. In addition, the three of us played both sides and played both armies. We all discussed where it would be best to move units and what to attack or when to charge. We learned all of our armies that we played so that we could understand the enemy and be able to see how others think. Then the last week before ‘Ard Boyz, we each made our 3k list and fought each other using the rules from ‘Ard Boyz Scenarios. With that much practice and preparation we felt invincible.

That April our first ‘Ard Boyz was fun and we entered it thinking we were the best of the best. Although we placed very high at both Preliminaries and Semi-Finals, we realized very quickly we weren’t that good. We made so many mistakes and errors, both on the field and in list creation, that we have learned from. Subsequently, this year we are feeling really relaxed about ‘Ard Boyz because we looked back at our old lists and how we played and laughed at how amateur it was, but we still placed top 3 consistently and played very well. This year will be a cake walk! Unless of course, I am matched up against someone that reads through these articles… in which case – Blood and Glory to the victor!

My qualifications (in case you were wondering)

So if you have kept up reading so far, you may have noticed that I’ve only been playing WHFB for one year with no previous Warhammer Experience. However, I’ve come to learn that time spent playing Warhammer doesn’t mean you’re a professional, which is good for me because I love to win (haha)! In fact, it has very little to do with the amount of time you’ve played and more about the quality of time you’ve played. You see, a lot of people play Warhammer as a fun, entertaining game – others, like myself, play it to crush their enemy. And please, as you read this section, do not take this as boastful or arrogant, I only want to boost your confidence in me and my ability to guide you to success.

Simply put, my first and biggest qualification is that I am not a “fun” Warhammer player to play with. I don’t play in the spirit of the game nor do I pay too much attention to lore (although I do love the Warhammer Fantasy setting). I play to win and I’ve been playing that way since I started. I have come to understand rulings so complicated and complex that I have to know exactly where to put my finger on it in the rulebook, and combine it with an FAQ, for others to believe me (usually they were taught the rule wrong or it was an old rule that they didn’t know changed). And if there was ever someone that I wanted to teach me how to compete in ‘Ard Boyz, it would be a guy just like me – cold, cruel, and unforgiving.

Second, although I’ve only competed in one ‘Ard Boyz I did place 1st place in last year's Preliminaries and 4th in the Semi-Finals (out of 18 players). My friends placed 3rd and 4th in the Preliminaries and then 3rd in the Semi-Finals. That was our very first ‘Ard Boyz. Oh and don’t forget – I played as and represented the Ogre Kingdoms... before our new book was released.

In the Semi-Finals I had to compete against 18 players total, 3 of them played Warriors of Chaos, 3 Lizardman, 2 Daemons of Chaos, 2 Dwarf armies, and 2 brought High Elves (the other armies were Orcs and Goblins, me with Ogres, and a Brettonian pkayer... less threatening armies is what I am saying). Of those 18 players, I placed 4th with an old book and an underdog army. One ‘Ard Boyz or not – it was a good one.

Lastly, I study, learn, play, and read other people’s strategies, armies, and forums. The Ogre Stronghold is not the only forum I read, but the Ogre Kingdoms is the only army I own.

I borrow friend’s armies to play as High Elves, Daemons, Warriors, Tomb Kings, Dwarves, Vampire Counts, and the list goes on. By learning how other players play, by learning how other armies play, by learning the special rules of an army, I can be fully 100% prepared for any situation and trust me – I am ready.

So, in summary, my Qualifications are:

1. I hate everyone (on the battlefield and with limitations) and play to win.
2. I am unforgiving and a rules monger.
3. I’ve played at ‘Ard Boyz and placed well – this year will be no different.
4. I read, play, and study about all armies, strategies, and play styles.

About the Competition ‘Ard Boyz

‘Ard Boyz is a special Warhammer competition that is held every year to find out who is the “Best of the Best.” The name ‘Ard Boyz means “Hard Boys” in Orcish (if that’s considered a language) and its something that the Orcs use to describe someone that is incredibly difficult, big, strong, and powerful; “Aye, ‘dat une der is an ‘Ard Boy; best be stayin’ a’wayz from himz or heed keel you and you’d die!”

The competition allows all currently legal Army Books to compete and is set at a 3,000 point game. There are no restrictions as to what models, units, or armies that can compete – so you will be seeing some of the most powerful (in a lot of ways unbalanced and overpowered) special characters in the game. The rules of ‘Ard Boyz are relatively limited and simple with a general theme of “Anything goes,” and if you have competed in one or heard of one then you know that anything goes can get very cheesy.

‘Ard Boyz for Warhammer Fantasy is broken into three phases, Preliminaries, Semi-Finals, and Finals. At the end of each phase, the top 3 players from that region will advance to the next phase. Preliminaries are usually hosted all over the country in many different areas of each state (basically your local hobby store). Semi-Finals are usually hosted at 1-3 places per state, so if you make it to the Semi-Finals you can expect to drive a little way to get there and there are going to be a lot more players to beat (typically speaking) as it’s the top 3 winners of all the local Preliminaries. Finals are usually hosted in only 2 spots in the country and everyone who makes top 3 in the Semi-Finals are invited, but the number of people that actually go are limited because it usually requires you to fly to that location (since there are only 2 spots in the country that host it per year).

Each phase of ‘Ard Boyz is broken into three games that are each three hours long in which “Standing Points” are awarded at the end of each match depending on how well you performed. At the end of all three games, a little over 9 hours has passed to make for a nice long day of Warhammer. Totaling and added all your scores together, this is your final standing; comparing it to the others who competed will determine positions 1, 2 and 3 for the event.

Prizes are awared to the winners (regardless of whether or not they want to proceed) and then a list is created to find out who is progressing to the next Phase of ‘Ard Boyz. For example, in the Preliminaries, a prize of $60, $40, and $20 of in store credit is given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, then the judge (or moderator of the event) will ask each of the winners if they wish to proceed. Last year for me, I was first and said yes, but second place did not want to go. Then he asked 3rd and he said he did want to go. So that’s two going, but since second gave up his seat, it goes to the next standing, which is 4th. That player said he would like to go and thus three people were signed up for the Semi-Finals.

This same scoring is repeated for the Semi-Finals and Finals (but with increasingly bigger prizes).

Next time

That's all about me! Check back next week for the first "real" 'Ard Boyz Article where I will discuss and introduce you to ‘Ard Boyz Scenarios, special rules, etiquette, important terms/vocabulary/glossary as well as what to think about before you begin your list creation. A new article will be posted each Sunday of the week leading up to 'Ard Boyz!

I expect to see all you grunts back for Basic Training!

-TheTrev0