The Conflict GT 2012

Hey guys,

So my next big event is coming up in January, The Conflict GT!  Click HERE for tickets.

Why should you go to The Conflict?  Well, it is close!  The Conflict is held at the Palisades Mall in Nanuet, NY, just north of New York City. It is convenient to all of the north east, from DC to Maine!  For me it is an hour away, which means I don't have to drive forever to get there.  So I can actually go home in the evening and not have massive wife agro.  To put it straight, if you live in the greater New York City area, you should be at The Conflict.

The 2010 Conflict Loot. Note the cup! Players

organize themselves into teams of 4. Each team totals

their overall score. The highest total wins the cup!

To be sure, it has had it's share of problems in the past. But last year's conflict was massive jump in the right direction. I had been pretty critical of the event, but TO Aaron Fishkow took every word I said to heart, as well as every one else's, and made it right. He sought out opinion, and listened.  He eliminated what was bad, and improved what was good.  Simple right?

The biggest two improvements are adding a new venue, and dropping the comp system.

The previous venue was Toywiz, which was not a bad place, but not really big enough for the numbers of players.  I believe there were close to 200 including Fantasy and 40k?

The new venue, a meeting hall at The Palisades Mall about 5 miles away from Toywiz, is immensely better. The room is much bigger and spacious, and the mall itself is great because there are limitless food options as appropriate for one of the biggest malls in New York State.

Probably the most important change Aaron made for last year though, was changing the rules. The previous incarnations had a comp system, which was poorly implemented. As such, there were more than a few unhappy players. Comp is a touchy subject, and time limits on tournament games are pretty much a form of comp as it is since guys simply cannot play some armies. But once dudes found out that they probably could not win the Conflict if they played Vulcan, interest dwindled pretty fast.  It is not that comp was a totally horrible thing, it is that it was implemented in an inconsistent and arbitrary way.  Those two words spell doom for a 40k GT.

So, Aaron sacked it all. The Conflict is a battle point GT. Guys go there knowing that they are going to beat face, or get their faces beaten.  Mixing in stealth comp was a bad combo.  Da Boyz have a pretty good hold over the Comp GT thing and all guys going there should understand the expectations.  Such is how it should be for any GT.  That was something Aaron learned, and he made every effort to make last years Conflict as transparent as possible.

End result? A great GT!  Last year went off without a hitch.  Well, sorta. In my opinion, last year Aaron went over board the other way. The old saying is true, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." But Aaron tried to do way too much by himself.  He needs to do what Mike Brandt did at The Nova.  Get 2 or 3 guys you can absolutely trust, jaw their ears off to make sure they are on absolutely the same page as you, and let them run their respective parts of the show. Then Aaron should set back and watch the magic happen. He needs to be the welcoming face to The Conflict, and appoint some brute to be the Rules Judge for example.  He should also appoint a paint judge.  I know, easier said than done, but it would help a lot.  That way when dudes like me whine about our paint scores, we won't accuse the TO of playing favorites and so forth.  :)

Most importantly is the last part I touched on. The TO should appear to remain unbiased.  He should not get personally involved in settling rules disputes and paint scores.  Yes, he is the final word, but should only be tapped by a rules judge who needs a final ruling.  Know what I mean?  Brandt was a master at this.  He walked around Nova and shook hands with a smile, while his trusted henchmen took the beef.  He only got involved with rulings when absolutely necessary.

So any way, what is new for this year?  Well, Aaron added more stuff!  There is a doubles tournament for both 40k and Fantasy, but also there are tournaments for Flames of War and Warmachines!  Once again we see Privateer Press getting some love.

It seems The Conflict is becoming more than just a GT.  How bout a hobby event right in our New York City back yard!  Aaron has refined the rules, and organized the time so that things happen smooth and well.  This year's Conflict is shaping up to be the best one yet!

One of my favorite things? The point totals.  The Conflict is a 1750 tournament.  In my opinion, a much needed total in the days of 2k events.  40k becomes less competitive at 2k points with a couple armies able to bring every thing but the kitchen sink. 1750 helps to level the playing field a bit because for some armies, that extra 250 points just doesnt buy very much. In fact, I actually think it will help my army. I will only lose The Sanguinor. But I know that I will be facing much more manageable sized armies across the table!

So there you go, I hope to see you all at The Conflict GT on January 13, 14 and 15.

Jawaballs