Tournament Prep

So, you’ve signed up for your first ITS event.

Feeling nervous? Unsure? Confused?

Eye Tee Es?

Don’t worry! In this article, we’re going to see if we can assuage some of those concerns and get you ready for that event.

First, let’s go through a checklist of things you should bring to the tournament:

• Models – These are kind of important.
• Tape Measure – One that is sturdy and can lock is ideal.
• Dice – You’ll probably want three or four of these, minimum.
• Tokens – At least markers that cover all that you can do, such as wound/unconscious, suppression fire, prone, and spearhead markers. This includes templates.
• Water – Mostly anything is fine as long as it hydrates you, but plain water is best.
• Snacks – A bag of nuts, trail mix, or other quick bite to keep your long term energy levels high.
• Carrying Tray – You are much quicker if you can set-up and break-down before and after each round without having to deal with foam or whatever other storage means you use.

Got that. Got that. Got that…

Though, these don’t really require all that much preparation. What really matters is in your mental state.

Well, OK. You probably don’t require Zen levels of state of mind.

This may sound cruel, but be prepared to lose. This isn’t to say that you will not win. This is more so that a losing game doesn’t hurt your performance later in the event. Some refer to this frustration at losing as “going on tilt”. When “on tilt”, players will often lose sight of the objectives, make irrational decisions, and generally play much sloppier. These tend to be rather unpleasant experiences for at least the player that is on tilt.

Relax. Seriously, just relax. Take a deep breath and clear your mind. If you start caving into the pressure, you’ll miss things that would otherwise be obvious to you. This also helps you keep your cool and not go on tilt.

Know your rules. If you’re bringing a model, know the special rules and equipment that come with it. It saves a lot of time and stress during the event. Most events have timed rounds, and removing a lot of “lookup” time relieves that concern.

Know the schedule. Often times, TO’s will post their expected schedules publicly. This can include meal times, round start times, and registration times.

Keep your mind on the objectives. No matter what happens, remember that each mission has it’s own set of tasks to accomplish in order to get objective points.

Don’t fret the rankings. For your early tournaments, the objective shouldn’t be to place first, so much as to acclimate yourself to the environment and be able to play during tournaments as you would play during casual pick up games.

Note that these are guidelines from one person’s perspective and not a guarantee for success. If you know something else works for you, go with that.

Best of luck and remember that the main objective is to have fun!

Have fun, like these fine fellows.