Team wargaming is in our opinion the best version of what gaming can be.
It adds a level complexity to army list building and forces players to think strategy at team inception. Its also fun. The teams have the emotional support of team mates and the result of each game played isn’t a judgement on the player but on the team. It will also create a more engaging watching experience. Teams will develop fans from local clubs, or the region they hail from. There is so much to it that is going to be exciting for us to explore.
How was a team formed? Why was that composition of players included? And probably loads more questions!
One of the big considerations was how to put those teams together and that has been a really big talking point amongst our team (please laugh). The two types of teams we are used to are “club teams” and “super teams”. Club teams are exactly what you think; teams put together by local gaming clubs, usually made up of mates and there’s nothing wrong with that. Super teams are defined as being made up of as many “good” players as you can get. I guess the consensus is that club teams are not as driven by winning and that the super teams lack heart or a home. I (Rob) am not sure I agree with that but we have, we think developed a series of pathways into being in the Super Series that we think will not only alleviate any stigma for super teams but help strengthen and grow clubs.
Some clubs are already well established and others are still growing, which means that they have only a few top performing players while the most established clubs may have a plethora. It’s very widely agreed upon in any sport that to get better you must engage with opponents who are better than you in order to develop and grow. None of us should be put off by that if our goal is to become a better player over time. So those more established clubs with bigger pools of talent to draw from are likely to have more players vying for a spot on the team, where as the smaller clubs may not have this advantage. What we hope both will have, however, is dedicated and motivated individuals who take part and pride in the social contract of delivering an exciting and action-packed tournament. However super teams may make it difficult for newer players to break into closed groups of friends or competitive gamers. Problems, yes, but solvable ones, we think.
So to cut to the core, the format will be super teams, like you see in any other sport. The perceived best players to be hired by a coach but the story isn’t over there. Teams are not formed by a coach, or even a coaching team, but they must have a none playing coach. This is very important to us. The coach will be responsible for creating, crafting, training a team. Providing support, training facility and many other things. As a club, one person taking the role of coach could really forge a group of local gamers into what could become national champions. That’s what we want, someone to take responsibility for growing squads of talented gamers. The coaches will be our point of contact and will be as important to us as the team members. We are hoping coaches develop skills that they share with the wider community and we will do everything we can to facilitate that growth.
Giving all that responsibility to one person, the coach, may come with its own set of issues though. What if they are rubbish, or don’t support the team or simply there is someone else who is doing better at forming quality teams? That is where the team qualifiers come in. Before each Super Series, teams will have a chance to enter and qualify for teams through a more traditional team tournament format. This is important for us as it means everyone has a chance to become part of the team that eventually takes the title. In this way we feel it will be merit and skill that will provide us with the teams but there are loads of support structures in place in local communities to develop, grow and make some kick ass teams. It’s all very exciting and we can’t wait to come back to this article later down the line and see where we are as a community
Teams consist of 4 people with 1 sub for emergencies. This team cannot change members over the course of the series and must forfeit if unable to play.
Team Names
Teams are encouraged to create their own team “brand” , get sponsorship and become the tSports stars of the future. We are aiming to create an environment for players and viewers. Also because we know we can’t trust at least one of you lot ( you know who you are ) Team names must be approved by your regional organiser.
Rules from the Beta Pack
Teams must have a coach and it’s the coach’s job to select the members of a team, provide support and engage with the series. It’s also the coach’s job to help the players in all manners of development leading up to the series matches. A team can have a coaching team but there must be a head coach.
How a team is formed is always at the discretion of a coach but don’t worry. We will have pathways for new coaches and teams to enter the super series structure via team event qualifiers coming soon.
Organisers Notes: We are aiming to provide the best experience for a team of players to play tabletop wargames in. We want them to compete at their best and to create an environment for the players to thrive inside. There are many gamers and community members who could provide amazing support, direction and generate sponsors and material for a team and we see this role as vital. We as the organisers will be discussing and liaising with the coaches the most as we intend to expand the number of teams eventually in the super series format. This will help us be efficient but also a coach who supports their team loads will end up with a better performing team. On the coach.
A Coach is allowed to:
- Do/assist the Pairings
- Collate and submit Team Results
- Ask questions about how the game is going (only in English, see below)
- . Tell their player how their team is doing and if they require a win/draw/loss from this gam
A Coach is not allowed to:
- Give Tactical advice (they may not tell their player ‘how’ to get that win/draw/loss!) or interject in any way on in-game situations like forgetting that their player forgot to pile in. If they perceive situations like that, especially in the case where players must do something but forget to, they can call for the game to be stopped, and then get a judge to rectify the situation.
- Once players are at their tables at the start of any given round, it is not allowed within a team to share info on matchups or tactics by means of cellphones or other devices either. Any breach of this rule that gets noticed will see all offenders on the team admonished with an immediate disqualification.
- Be a player.
Thanks for reading
If you would like to support us as we start this new adventure there are 2 great ways you can do that
1. Our limited start founders pack
https://thehonestwargamer.bigcartel.com/product/founders-tier-3
2. You can join our patreon at the ground level and watch us grow
https://www.patreon.com/tSportsNetwork
Thanks for reading and hope to see you all at the Q&A