Series: The Road to Adepticon

Adepticon signups are going live on Sunday, and as a Chicago based gaming group, we here at Grim Dark Filthy Casuals could not be more excited! I wanted to announce this regular series, The Road To Adepticon, and invite you all to follow along the journey. The goal of these articles will be to develop yourself as a player no matter what level you are at. I aim to give you a set of tools you can use to analyze your games and make small steps each time you play to get ready for a big event like Adepticon.

Why you need to go

My first tournament ever was the 40k Championships at Adepticon 2019. I was bringing a fluffier Space Wolf list that had 20 Reivers in it, 2 Repulsors and a Storm Wolf, in a meta were the Castellan was still raging rampant. I was nervous if I would enjoy the games, or could even have a good time in such a meta. I had a clear expectation in my mind, knowing I chose to play a fluffy list over a competitive one, that I just wanted to play each game as best I could, and gain some tournament experience.

Nothing like seeing a full on titan battle on your way to lunch!

What I ended up experiencing was even more than that. I had 4 tough games, getting to play against meta Ork lists and even the dreaded Castellan soup, which I thoroughly enjoyed. My opponents were great and it was amazing playing against armies I had never seen before, but on top of that the atmosphere is something else entirely. Walking around seeing all the amazing conversions, getting to meet some famous content producers, and generally just being surrounded by like minded people really amplified the experience. It was a celebration of everything I enjoyed about the hobby. While the tournament was my initial goal walking in, I walked away from adepticon with so much more.

The most disgustingly awesome armies I have ever seen!

Getting to see Jim Vesal’s army in person was amazing!

My favorite army from the event. Yes his Stormboyz are converted to be holding balloons!

I was so inspired by the cool armies I saw, I bought an airbrush the next day. Adepticon ignited everything at my core that I love about the hobby, and I think it will for you too!

There’s also something for every aspect of the hobby. There are painting and tactics classes, narrative events, friendly events (where people just bring their fun lists to play), doubles tournaments, and the featured team event. Tournaments are a great way to celebrate the hobby, and having some buddies from home joining in on the fun just amplifies the experience.

How do we get there?

The path to Adepticon is like hiking through the woods to the top of a mountain. I don’t want to lay out a path for everyone one, because that won’t fit with what everyone is trying to do. Instead this series will provide you with a set of tools, such that if you get lost in the “woods” of this hobby you will be able to navigate yourself to where you want to go.

We are not “pro” players here at Grim Dark Filthy Casuals (hence the name), but we do try to improve every time we play. Join us in that journey and maybe we can come up with a few ideas together! I hope to hear from what you guys think on our Discord and look forward to seeing you at Adepticon!

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