2018 In Review and 2019 Resolutions

Over the last year, while post frequency remained lower than we'd like, I started the year with a Year Review and Look Ahead post. So it seems appropriate to kick off 2019 with the same, looking back at 2018 and my resolutions for the year, and then making new resolutions for 2019.

NOVA 2018 Recap

NOVA was, as always, a blast. It was a couple weeks ago at this point, but I am already looking forward to next year and have it marked on my calendar. This year, as well as playing in the 40k GT for a sixth time, I also had the pleasure of playing in the Invitational for a third time. I am going to (somewhat) briefly run through my nine game over the course of the convention and give some highlights.

The army I took to the GT

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 73: The NOVA Recap Show

What is up Everyone? In this episode, Evan and Chandler come together to talk about Evan's last minute preparations for the NOVA Invitational as well the GT.  The guys start off talking about the Daunting Challenge that is Nick Nanavati.  Evan talks about his thoughts on his list and the challenges it will face against Nick's list.  They then break down the scouring system that NOVA has gone with this year, the round by round missions, and the challenges that his list will face in each mission.  They also break down the scoring for the Primary, the Secondary, and the Tertiary and their thoughts on which ones work well for his list.  We also break down Evan's lists and talk about the strengths of both lists in each of the tournaments.  Evan goes round by round and talks about the challenges and success of each round.  He had a great showing and talks about what he liked most about his GT list.

Two in a WEEK? Must be a NOVA thing!

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 72: The Week Before NOVA

What is up Everyone? In this episode, Evan and Chandler come together to talk about Evan's last minute preparations for the NOVA Invitational as well the GT.  The guys start off talking about the Daunting Challenge that is Nick Nanavati.  Evan talks about his thoughts on his list and the challenges it will face against Nick's list.  They then break down the scouring system that NOVA has gone with this year, the round by round missions, and the challenges that his list will face in each mission.  They also break down the scoring for the Primary, the Secondary, and the Tertiary and their thoughts on which ones work well for his list.  We also break down Evan's lists and talk about the strengths of both lists in each of the tournaments.

Tyranids, Gene Stealers, and Blood Angels! Hopefully Evan has a great showing.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 71: The NOVA Invitational Breakdown

What is up Everyone? Tonight on the podcast, Evan, Bryan, and Chandler break out the beer, the lists, the match-ups, and talk about the NOVA Invitational.  With a heavy hitter list, with match-ups that look into a mirror, and with Evan going up against one of the toughest opponents in the World (look he was part of the Team USA win at the ETC) in Nick Nanavati, we talk about everything we can when it comes to the Invitational.  What more could you ask for? Well glad you asked.  We talk about our thoughts on some of the key matches, we joke about some of the match-ups, and we try to figure out a tactic to help Evan win, and if Evan wins, who he could face down the road.  It's a fun time getting ready for the NOVA Invitational, and we do it the Grey Tide Way.  Don't forget to check out the link to the 2018 NOVA Open 40k Invitational Challenge Bracket!  Will Evan pull the upset?  Will Blood Angels, Knights, and Guard rule the Day?  Will we see a perfect bracket?  Only time will tell!

May the Slamginor protect Evan!

Competitive List Building and Bat Rep - Evan's Tyranids 1.3

Building off my last list-building post, this post is going to go over the changes I made from the last version of my Tyranid list to the one I used last week in a game against James and his Poxwalker bomb list, and review how that game went. This is also likely the final version of the list before the impending March Balance FAQ, which I'm nervous could impact the future of the list.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 56: NOVA Recap, WZA/Renegade Prep, and Death Guard

What is up Everyone? Evan, Bryan, Ron, and Chandler come together to recap the NOVA Open.  Ron and Evan showed up with some of our mates from the Blog to join in on one of the premier events on the East Coast.  They discuss the overall tournament, some thoughts on the Meta, and the awesome showing from vendors like GW.  Everyone follows up by discussing WarZone Atlanta and Renegade, the next two tournaments coming up for the podcast and where we are with our individual lists.  To round out the show, Death Guard come knocking.  Like a plague, the boys can't help but talk about how awesome the army is, how cool the models are looking, and some of the fun stuff they want to try once all of the goodies are up.

Tournament Prep, jokes, and a break down of a cool event by your favorite Death......Tyranid hosts.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 55: Kill Team Event and NOVA Prep

What is up Everyone? Evan, Bryan, Ron, and Chandler come together for that special time of the year:  Tournament Season.  One of our listeners asked us to give him some list ideas for a Kill Team Event going on this weekend.  The Boys put their collective brains together to give a few list ideas, some thoughts on Kill Team Events, and what are some armies that could do especially well.  We then get right into NOVA.  Evan and Ron are representing the Grey Tide this year and talk about their lists (SURPRISE - They're taking NIDS!).  They also talk about the tournament, some of the neat events this year, and of course we round out our podcast with some wishful Nid thinking.

Kill Team: CHECK.  NOVA: DOUBLE CHECK.  Hands Across America: CHECK!

NOVA Bound: 2017

It's been a pretty quiet year on the blog, but as far as my first and biggest event of the year, NOVA, not much has changed this year. We're in the home stretch, and I feel like I'm still a ways away in terms of preparation; business as usual.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 44: Back At It Again

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Chandler, Bryan, and Evan come together to talk.  It has been a long time and the boys have been busy.  Evan returns from NOVA with some insight, Bryan is getting ready for The Renegade, and Chandler and Evan talk about their initial prep for Warzone Atlanta.  Since the last show, Genestealer Cult drops, Blood Angels have been summoned, and 40k is crazier than ever.  The boys jump from topic to topic after a long hiatus.

Episode 44 goes from Point to Point before bringing it home.

NOVA Recap Part 3 - My Experience

For part three of my NOVA recap, I wanted to finally get into my own experiences at NOVA. Part 1 was a pic dump primarily from the 40k hall, while part 2 dug into some of the stats from the 40k GT. I'll cover my games briefly, and hopefully discuss them a bit more in an upcoming podcast, and overall share my experiences at one of the premier hobby and gaming events out there.

NOVA Recap Part 2 - 40k GT Stats

For this part of my NOVA recap, I wanted to dive back into my stat analysis role from Torrent of Fire and break down the results. Field of Fire took a crack at the stats from the event, and I'll probably be retracing some of that ground but looking to dig a little deeper. Part of this is massaging the data a bit to get slightly more accurate results. For example, Chaos Space Marines as listed did very well, but we need to differentiate between any Chaos Space Marine primary lists and those that were actually Renegades primary.

NOVA 2016 Recap Part 1 - Pic Dump

A bit behind my normal schedule, but finally time to begin the NOVA Recaps. As always, I had a total blast at the event, and might have had more fun this year than in previous years. For this first post I'm just going to do a bit of a pic-dump of many of my favorite photos from the weekend.

A selection of Greg's DreadMob

NOVA Bound: The Final Push

Amazing how time flies; NOVA is less than a week away at this point (more exact time in the side-bar counter), and I still have a good bit to do (to the surprise of no one). I've got a couple projects I need to finish up before I head out the door to NOVA, and some more I will probably be working on in the hotel room.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 42: NOVA with Phil

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, the boys welcome in Phil R. who is the co leader of the Warhammer 40K GT and Warhammer Invitational Tournament at the NOVA Open.  He stops by to give us some knowledge on the Tournament, some of the rules and mission setup, as well as break down some of the cool hobby, tournament, and little tid-bits of information that could help you have a great weekend at a spectacular event.  The NOVA Open runs Labor Day Weekend September 1st - 4th, and if you need any additional updates see the show notes below.

Phil joins us with plenty of knowledge towards the two big events.

NOVA Bound: List Building Again

As is my norm at this point, I'm still debating what list I'm going to take to NOVA this year. That said, I'm coming closer I think to settling on something, which is good seeing as we're just a little over a month out. 

FTGT Ron - NOVA Update 8+ Weeks Out

Hey Everyone,

This post is a status update on my Tyranid painting progress for NOVA.  If you missed my first post on my army and work remaining, you can find it here : http://ftgtgaming.blogspot.com/2016/06/ftgt-ron-back-in-2-part-epoxy-putty-mix.html.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 40: 40K Recent Games and Updates

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan, Ron, and Chandler sit down and discuss some of the recent games they were able to get against each other when Chandler got married.  Evan and Chandler talk about their first game that they had: Space Wolves and Knight vs. Raven Guard and Ron and Evan discuss their game: Nids vs. Raven Guard and Nids vs. Necrons. Evan runs down his time at a recent tournament in the Tri-City Area of Tennessee, and finally we talk a little bit about NOVA missions.

When Dice get to fly, good times are had by all.

FTGT Ron back in the (2 part epoxy putty) mix

Hey Guys!

Ron here, back from a somewhat lengthy 40k break.  I hung out with Evan and Chandler last weekend and managed to sneak in a pair of 1850pt Nova style games.  These were my first 40k games in 10 months, and they reminded me that I actually do still enjoy playing the game .  Yes, some rules are creeping more than a guy in a white van with a mustache, but Tyranids are still my first tabletop hobby love.  As Sheryl Crow put it, the first cut is the deepest.

NOVA Bound: Early List Building and Speculation

While NOVA is still a ways off, I have already begun the yearly debate on what I'm going to bring to NOVA. I'll also be competing in the Invitational again this year, so may opt for two different armies. I will have the Necrons to fall back on, and the list I brought to NRVCon is probably about the ideal list I would take.