40K Escalation League Rules

UPDATE:

Please send an email to gophermafia@gmail.com upon registration providing the following information:

1) Name (first and last)

2) Email Address

3) Which faction you're playing

4) You Discord Handle

Introduction: What is Escalation League?

Welcome to Gopher’s Debut 2023 40K 10th Ed. Escalation League.  The goal of this league is to get new players into Warhammer 40k and those who already play 40K to explore new factions, playstyles, and hobbying techniques.  Players will build and paint their armies over the course of 3 periods, or ‘PHASES’ as well as play games with others enrolled in the league.  

Please note that this league is meant to be fun and casual and to encourage veteran players to stray from their regular play-styles/comfort zones, while new players are encouraged to learn the game and get acclimated to the intricacies of the hobby.  

To emphasize: This league is not solely focused around game play but will also focus on participation, to include hobbying and sportsmanship as weighted metrics.

Players may join the event during the course of any phase; however, it is important to note that by joining, a participant is committing to the assembly and painting of all miniatures forming part or all of their army for that phase and those that follow.  This includes any and all units/models that may be summoned, added, or deep-striked in at any point during a game.  

Finally, it is highly recommended that the hobbying aspect of the league (assembly, painting, basing, etc.) should be documented in some form or another.  We recommend uploads to our discord, for which a channel will be made as soon as registration is available.

Introduction: How does Escalation League work?

There will be 3 phases during the escalation league:

During each phase, participants will be ranked in three main categories:

End of League Final

Following the conclusion of the Escalation League, there will be a final tournament of the “Elite Four,” which will be comprised of the winner of each phase as well as the participant that accumulated the most points during the entirety of the league.  In the event of a tie or if one player meets multiple criteria for the EoL Final, the next in line for that category will be chosen.  

Players attending the EoL Final will be required to use the same lists used at the end of Phase Three. At the end of the Final, a winner will be determined and prizes awarded (TBD based on number of players). 

Escalation League Rules

Event Participation - As previously mentioned, participants may join the league at any time during any of the three phases, on the grounds that they will paint all of their models AS WELL AS play all of the games required to complete that phase by the deadline.  

Playing Games - Participants will need to complete one game per week before the phase ends (8 games total).  We encourage participants, during each phase, to get games in with other participants they haven’t yet played during that specific phase.  Games do not need to be played on a weekly basis, as long as 8 games have been played by the end of the phase period.  The participant with the most points accrued at the end of the phase will be considered the winner of that phase.

Games can be played at any time, but for reasons of sportsmanship and courtesy, must be completed at Gopher Games.  Score sheets will be available for use and must be submitted to an official Gopher Member upon completion.

Lists should be submitted prior to the participant’s fist game of that phase.  Missions are to be determined via the 10th. Ed. Mission Cards.  If both participants agree, a mission may be chosen at random.

Scoring - Participants will be scored on their play, their hobbying, and their sportsmanship.  The following weights will be used at the end of the phase to determine the final score:

1. Game Points (MAX. 80) will be determined at the end of each game.  The point totals of each player will be divided by 10 and rounded to the nearest whole number.

Example -  (Player A scores 65 points and Player B scores 64 points. At the end of the phase, Player A will be awarded 7 Game Points [65/10=6.5 rounded to 7]. Player B will be awarded 6 Game Points [64/10=6.4 rounded to 6]).

1. Sportsmanship Points (MAX. 40) will be determined by the participant’s opponent at the end of each game and will be on a 1-5 scale.

1. Hobbying Points (MAX. 40) will be determined at the end of each phase by Gopher Members and who knows…. Maybe a celebrity or group thereof?  The Scale is 1-5 and, once determined, will be multiplied by a factor of 8.

Scoring Games - Games will be scored based on the following:

1. 10 pts for painting (as per the official Games Workshop RAW)
2. 50 pts for Primary Objectives
3. 40 pts for Secondary Objectives.

This makes for a total of 100 scorable points for any single game.

Scoring Sportsmanship - Sportsmanship will be scored by how well your opponent won or lost, how helpful they were during the game in both interpreting the rules, assisting new players with acclimation and understanding, and whether or not you’d want to play them again.

After each game, players will rate each other’s sportsmanship by giving a rating of up to 5 points divided as follows:

1. Outstanding Sportsmanship – Your opponent was awesome and the game was awesome! He/she went out of his way to help you and to provide you with an amazing gaming experience and was a true sportsmanship especially when disputes arose! This is the type of player which the community needs more of!! 5 points
2. Good Sportsmanship – a decent opponent and decent game of warhammer: your opponent was knowledgeable, came prepared and provided you with a decent gaming experience. There were no issues throughout the game and disputes were resolved amicably. 3 points
3. I don’t want to play anymore ( y u mad bro?) – this is the reason why you never play! The game was awful and you are left with a bad mouth taste which almost makes you want to leave the hobby! Reserved for the worst of the worst, you should only ‘award’ this mark in the direst of circumstances. This mark should be an evaluative negative on your opponent’s sportsmanship only and should NEVER be a reflection on the results of the game. 0 points. 

The most sporting participants will be anointed with the title of “Commissar of the Month.”

Scoring Hobbying - Hobbying will be scored on a 1 to 5 point scale and will be determined by the event organizer and allocated at the end of the phase.  Hobbying will be determined by, but not limited to, the following criteria:

1. Minimum painting and basing rules as outlined by official GW 10th. Ed. Documentation.
2. Presentation, precision, and accuracy of painting by the participant of their army.
3. Theme and cohesion - how the army looks as a whole/theme sensibility

Additional Hobbying Notes

Painting - Models must have a minimum of 3 colors covering the entire model.

Basing - The base must be painted or dressed in a minimum of one color.

Completion - all models, characters, units that could be used must meet the minimum painting requirements (this includes models that could be summoned later i.e. splitting Pink Horrors into blue or units that can enter the battlefield through a deep strike).

Additional Paint Competition - There will be an additional Single Model Paint Competition held at the end of each phase.  The prize pool will be determined on the number of entries and the winners will be dubbed “Fabricator General.”  Entry to the paint competitions will be $5 per phase and limited to 3 models per participant.  Only one model per phase may be entered and the same model cannot be judged more than once.

List Building Rules

List building will follow the rules detailed in the Warhammer 40K 10th Ed. core rules and all available supplementals.

Army Size - The size of your army will boil down to point cost on an individual unit basis and vary based on the current phase.

Army Composition Rules - Once a unit is selected to join the army, it may not merge with other similar units, split into smaller units, nor can it be removed/replaced.

Example - if you purchase a unit of 20 Chaos Space Marines for your army in phase 2, it may never split into smaller units, and it needs to be kept in the army for all the remaining phases. Similarly if you have 2 units of 10 chaos space marines you may not merge them into one unit.

Start of Phase List Adjustments - At the start of a every phase, you may do any number of the following:

• Appoint a new HQ/War Lord to lead your army
• Gather fresh recruits and add them to your existing units (meaning a unit of 10 chaos space marines can be increased to 20 etc.) or to form new units (if your army had 2 units of 10 chaos space marines you may now add a third unit).
• Update/Change your detachments and/or Assemble Units already forming part of your army, and any freshly added units, into Detachments.
• Update/Change the enhancements of your units

Proxies and Bases and Weapons (OH MY!)

Old Vs New - In cases where there are multiple (official – i.e. GW releases) models to represent a specific character, monster or unit, and the model size and base size do not match, the latest sizes will be considered official for all intents and purposes. An older model size is legal only if a newer version hasn’t been released by Games workshop.

Units and weapon entries which do not have an official model (neither old nor new) – In the case of units which do not have an official model, a model from other manufacturers and or a kit bashed/converted model may be used, given that the model make sense (i.e. a greater demon sized model needs to be proxied by a similar size model and on the same base size) In the case of weapon options which do not have model representation, players may choose to represent the weapon with a similar weapon option which is already in production by games workshop.

Base Size & Shape - A model must always be on the correct base to include the proper size and shape.

Converted & Count As Models – Players wishing to include converted and/or count-as models are to post them in the appropriate Discord group seeking the general approval of the Community and even officials. Models are to be posted online with enough time for the general public to vote on them and determine whether they are acceptable as replacement to the original models.

Proxying Units vs Count As Units – Proxying (I.e using an empty base or a set of toothpicks and putty to represent models ) is Strictly forbidden. Count as Units (i.e A non-games workshop daemon prince to represent a daemon prince) may be accepted if they have the same base size, and same overall dimensions. Players should contact the community and organizers to verify whether their count as models are permitted.

Weapon Type and its effects on the Wielding Unit - Weapon types may be changed between games and/or phases, as long as the new weapon type does not change the datasheet of that unit.

Example - If a unit is initially equipped with a regular weapon, it is not then acceptable to be equipped with a ‘heavy’ weapon that will change the unit from a regular unit to a ‘heavy’ unit of a different name and datasheet. IE. Aggressors can change weapon load outs, but Infernus cannot become eradicators, and Intercessors cannot become assault intercessors, as they are different datasheets.

The Phases (In Detail)

Phase 1 - Muster Your Army

• Launch Date will be Saturday, July 8th, 2023
• End Date will be Friday, September 1st, 2023
• Entry will be $10 (+$5 for Single Model Paint Competition Submission)
• Starting strength will be less than or equal to, but not to exceed, 750 points (Incursion)
• Table Size will be 44”x60”
• Participation Prizes may be awarded based on the number of participants
• ‘End of phase’ prizes will be awarded to the winner of the current phase in the form of a reserved spot in the “Elite Four” and free entry into the next phase of the league.

Phase 2 - Amass Troops

• Launch Date will be Saturday, September 2nd, 2023
• End Date will be Friday, October 27th, 2023
• Entry will be $10 (+$5 for Single Model Paint Competition Submission)
• Starting strength will be less than or equal to, but not to exceed, 1250 points (Strike Force)
• Table Size will be 44”x60”
• Participation Prizes may be awarded based on the number of participants
• ‘End of phase’ prizes will be awarded to the winner of the current phase in the form of a reserved spot in the “Elite Four” and free entry into the next phase of the league.

Phase 3 - End the Heresy

• Launch Date will be Saturday, October 28th, 2023
• End Date will be Friday, December 22nd, 2023
• Entry will be $10 (+$5 for Single Model Paint Competition Submission)
• Starting strength will be less than or equal to, but not to exceed, 2000 points (Strike Force)
• Table Size will be 44”x60”
• Participation Prizes may be awarded based on the number of participants
• ‘End of phase’ prizes will be awarded to the winner of the current phase in the form of a reserved spot in the “Elite Four” and store credit in the amount of the paid entry fee.

The Elite Four - Following the completion of all three phases the winner of each phase as well as the player who has obtained the most points from participation in all three phases will compete in the top four for the title of Supreme General and a prize (TBD – depending on number of participants). If a player wins more than one phase, the invite will be passed on to the next ranked player in that phase. Players participating in the top four must use the same armies used in Phase 3. Rules for painting will still apply. 

The Top four will take the form of single elimination matches as follows:  

1. Winner of Phase 1 vs Winner of Phase 3  
2. Winner of Phase 2 vs Player with most points gathered from all 3 phases  Final