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The ETC and the Long Road Home.
Aug. 27th, 2012 03:22 pmThe European Team Championships is a yearly event for Warhammer Fantasy and 40k. Thirty four eight man teams (and a woman in the case of Latvia) went head to head for six games over three days. A pairing system was used where each side tries to create a favorable match-up, then the games are played and total scores tallied. There are scoring caps in play to prevent teams from being utterly stomped or blowing away the competition.
OUr first opponent was Team Finland. I scored very high in my game, but our team lost the round. Our hung over captain arranged some very bad pairings and as a result several team mates scored zero points. The downward spiral continued over the next three days as we lost to Hungary, the Netherlands, Belarus, and Northern Ireland. Sunday afternoon we played on the lowest table against Switzerland, and once again Canada lost. Even though we went 0-6, we always earned about the minimum points for the round, so we did end up above Hungary (who was dead last). My personal record was two wins, one draw, and three losses, for a total of 61 points. I'm rather pleased with this, actually. None of my losses were massacres, and my average points come out to a draw for the event. I was the third highest scorer on my team; not too shabby for my first year.
Standing aside, the whole experience was amazing. There is a lot of good will and camaraderie at the ETC. Players swap shirts with other teams, exchange custom dice or little gifts (like beer cosies or wristbands), and everyone loves to swap stories over a drink or three. In addition to my opponents, I also chatted with players from England, Australia, and Singapore. Our team was interviewed by Gareth from the Bad Dice podcast, I am eager to see how much of our interview makes the final cut.
We had a very early cab to Berlin in the morning, so after the event I dropped my bags off with Team America and we all walked through the darkened streets of Gorzow. The river front area was lined with bars and restaurants, and most of the players who hadn't gone right home found their way there for one last blow out. Stories were exchanged, drinks were had, and everyone got to relax and talk shop, indulging their geeky hobby to their heart's content. My friends went to sleep for a few hours, but I stayed up until we had to leave for our cab at four in the morning. A two hour ride to Tegel airport followed, my friend Alex and I chatted with two members of the Austrian Warhammer team at the airport, they we caught our flight to Frankfurt. Frankfurt took us all the way in to Newark. I've been conscious for more than a day straight, the ride home was torturous as neither of us were in peak shape for travel. Two energy drinks and a third wind propelled me to Boston, where I dropped Travis off and made it home safe and sound.
I got to travel to Europe, see one of the countries my ancestors came from, and play in the most prestigious Warhammer tournament in the world. I have a good shot of making the United States team next year, and pretty much a given for Canada as well. The travel seal is officially broken, I'm already considering a trip to England to visit some of my teammates next year.
OUr first opponent was Team Finland. I scored very high in my game, but our team lost the round. Our hung over captain arranged some very bad pairings and as a result several team mates scored zero points. The downward spiral continued over the next three days as we lost to Hungary, the Netherlands, Belarus, and Northern Ireland. Sunday afternoon we played on the lowest table against Switzerland, and once again Canada lost. Even though we went 0-6, we always earned about the minimum points for the round, so we did end up above Hungary (who was dead last). My personal record was two wins, one draw, and three losses, for a total of 61 points. I'm rather pleased with this, actually. None of my losses were massacres, and my average points come out to a draw for the event. I was the third highest scorer on my team; not too shabby for my first year.
Standing aside, the whole experience was amazing. There is a lot of good will and camaraderie at the ETC. Players swap shirts with other teams, exchange custom dice or little gifts (like beer cosies or wristbands), and everyone loves to swap stories over a drink or three. In addition to my opponents, I also chatted with players from England, Australia, and Singapore. Our team was interviewed by Gareth from the Bad Dice podcast, I am eager to see how much of our interview makes the final cut.
We had a very early cab to Berlin in the morning, so after the event I dropped my bags off with Team America and we all walked through the darkened streets of Gorzow. The river front area was lined with bars and restaurants, and most of the players who hadn't gone right home found their way there for one last blow out. Stories were exchanged, drinks were had, and everyone got to relax and talk shop, indulging their geeky hobby to their heart's content. My friends went to sleep for a few hours, but I stayed up until we had to leave for our cab at four in the morning. A two hour ride to Tegel airport followed, my friend Alex and I chatted with two members of the Austrian Warhammer team at the airport, they we caught our flight to Frankfurt. Frankfurt took us all the way in to Newark. I've been conscious for more than a day straight, the ride home was torturous as neither of us were in peak shape for travel. Two energy drinks and a third wind propelled me to Boston, where I dropped Travis off and made it home safe and sound.
I got to travel to Europe, see one of the countries my ancestors came from, and play in the most prestigious Warhammer tournament in the world. I have a good shot of making the United States team next year, and pretty much a given for Canada as well. The travel seal is officially broken, I'm already considering a trip to England to visit some of my teammates next year.
