I probably should have mentioned it earlier but I attended the Warlords event at Warhammer World last weekend (10-11th Sept). This was GWs first AoS matched play event. It had 100 places and sold out in less than a day b
It was the first time I'd played Matched play, I'm more of a narrative sort of guy. Although that wasn't a problem even in matched play AoS feels very narrative and all the armies play like they feel in the fluff.
Needless to say I finished well down the tables but had an absolute ball. I didn't face an army I couldn't have beaten if I'd been a better player. No one beat me through list building or exploits they were just better players.
Warhammer World runs a great event. It's a awesome place to play a few games. Superbly painted scenery, an amazing castle backdrop to the hall and even a Forgeworld retail shop (oh yes)
A few things I learnt were;
Matched play works and is probably more balanced that what they've done before (certainly more balanced than 40K)
What you do with a unit on the table is much more important than what it does on your list.
Large units are best deployed in blocks, especially if they are going to get charged.
7 1/2 hours of Wargaming in one day is actually quite a lot.
I rather like big tournaments.
The big tournament mechanic actually suits me rather well. My available time play is close to nonexistent so being able to block out a weekend every so often helps me get a good stretch of games in.
