Today we’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with Tables and Towers and Fabricator’s Forge to launch the Unified Tournament Circuit, a collection of events across Eastern Canada and the Northeast United States supporting Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. This regional circuit gives players the opportunity to compete for exciting prizes and glory, while giving Tournament Organizers additional support for their events.
We’ve partnered with stores, gaming clubs, and tournament organizers across the region to line up a set of events this year that we believe represent among the finest the community has to offer. We’ve also come together as a group to build out support for those events in the form of prizes, streaming support, terrain, and judging. Our goal is to make sure that players in UTC events have the best possible experience playing competitive Warhammer.
The first official UTC event is this weekend’s RTT at Tables and Towers, but check out the ever-expanding calendar for more great upcoming events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This a Competitor to the International Tournament Circuit (ITC)?
Absolutely not. We love the work that Frontline Gaming and Games Workshop have done – the ITC remains the premier global tournament circuit for Warhammer. Furthermore, we aren’t interested in forcing tournament organizers to choose between circuits – events in the UTC will still submit scores to the ITC, same as before. The players who participate in those events will receive additional scores for their efforts in the UTC over the course of the season. We’ve made joining the UTC as seamless as possible, so TOs won’t be forced to choose between circuits.
How do I have my event become part of the UTC?
We’re looking to expand the circuit, both for this season and the next. If you’re a tournament organizer in the region and you’d like your event to be included, email us at contact@goonhammer.com and we’ll be happy to talk about inclusion.
How will UTC events be scored?
We’ve been hard at work on our own metric for scoring UTC events that takes the best of the existing system while also avoiding some of the challenges of the ITC system. In particular, our system has better rewards for smaller events, getting into winning position at an event, and is less harsh on players who lose in the early rounds of an event. The best part? It’s completely transparent – you can go see how scoring works right here, and you’ll know how each event can improve your score. For this first season, we’ll be using the top 6 scores for each player for best overall.
Where can I see my score?
Goonhammer have built out an entire site just for the UTC, complete with a calendar of events, the complete rubric for scoring, and player profiles for players in the UTC. You can find it all by going to the official site. It’s all under construction now, but profiles and event results will start going up in about two weeks, as we start to collect results from the first two events in the circuit.
How do I win the UTC?
Now we’re talking – I love where your head’s at. At the end of the 2023 season, the top Warhammer 40k and top Age of Sigmar players in the UTC (final numbers TBD) will be invited to participate in an invitational tournament to determine the circuit champion. Show up to the event, win your tournament, and claim your prizes.
What events are in the UTC? Where can I find them?
We’ve got an entire schedule of events you can find here.
Are there custom guidelines and rulings for the UTC?
Yes. While we’ll be using all GW FAQs and official rulings, from time to time there’s a need for additional rulings to cover things that slip through the cracks. We’ll be issuing a limited set of rulings for UTC events, though tournament organizers are ultimately the final authority on their events. We’ll also be issuing guidelines for UTC events as it relates to judging, terrain, and best practices.
What’s so special about UTC events?
We’re working hard to make sure that UTC events enjoy a higher standard of play, judging, terrain, streaming, and just generally provide better experiences for players. And that includes event coverage – Goonhammer is committed to providing in-depth support for UTC events every week as well. We’re also commited to providing prize support, and we’re currently planning a year-end invitational event for the circuit’s top players.
Will there be Best-in-Faction awards?
Yes! We’ll be tracking best in faction scoring as well and issuing awards to the best players for each faction in Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar. Stay tuned for more on this.
What about team/club rankings?
We’ll be doing team/club rankings as well. Stay tuned for more on that topic as well. We’re still working out how we want to score this, and how we want to score things like team events.
