What does seeing the whole board mean?
Well I could go into explanations about some sage wisdom of an ancient Chess Master... then there's the episode of the West Wing... even Photography uses it as a theory on perspective.
Look, what I want is to help people to be aware of the fact that winning at an event like Arc40k is about seeing the whole board.
It isn't about just winning every game no matter the cost. It isn't being the smiling assassin or nicest bloke. It isn't about having the best looking army at the event...
But it is about the fact that every choice has a consequence in how, what and where you will score points that added all together will decide your final position.
Points are Premium… but you could score more points from what's ‘Cool’ than getting heated about winning every battle and loosing more than you think you are gaining!
As a Tournament Organiser writing and then releasing a Player Pack has always been about challenging participants so they look beyond the brutal, encouraging them to see the tactical, yet allow them the chance to still bring some ‘Cool’...
There are loads of points on offer at our event that just need a simple focus by the players to show off what they find exciting about their army of chose.
Before planning an army for any event, it's good to have a thorough read of the player pack. You'd be surprised how many people attend events and don't read the players pack - only to find that they could have earned more points and placed higher if they'd made some simple additions.
You also gain an understanding of how the event will work - when things happened like lunch breaks! But more importantly, as we're all a little bit competitive by nature, you can work out where to score points for bringing the ‘cool’.
Most, if not all, the ‘Cool’ points on offer can be secured before the weekend of gaming, before a single dice is rolled. That's in how you prepare your army. A lot of players focus of their preparation is in play testing army lists. Fielding a functional army is important, but not as important as placing effort in other areas.
Over the past 23 years an average of 61 points separated our Champion and the player who placed 100th. The previous 10 years has seen this average reduced to 53pts... with an all time low of 40pts in 2022. 2023 will be no different.
That equates to 2.5 places per point. So, earning a couple of extra points in preparation can positively influence your overall placing.
The opportunity a load of players miss is to put some effort into creating a theme for their army!
If you finished in the top 100 in 2022 and didn't present your army list next to your army during the Parade of Armies then you lost 3 points - those points could have potential moved you 7 places higher in the overall rankings.
All I can say is Read the Players Pack - understanding the points system of the event is the first step to seeing the whole board!. You can then tick some boxes and make informed considered choices about where you can maximise potential points well before the event.
When you then come along on the weekend you can be confident that you've done everything you can to maximise your chances to earn points that are easy to score. It may take a little more work - particularly the reading part.
But It will leave you ready for a weekend of challenging gaming and only the dice to decide how many points you'll be able to bank for winning or loosing games. That parts up to you.
Hopefully you're starting to see more of that Board...
