Today we are excited to announce the expansion of the Unified Tournament Circuit with the inclusion of the Lord Marshall Conference, the Mid-Atlantic Tournament Circuit, and the Florida region as conference participants! As a part of the UTC in 2024, all events previously recorded in each of these areas from participating stores – LMC, MATC, or Florida – from January 15th, 2024 onwards will be included in the current UTC season and the standings updated accordingly with players and events.
In addition, starting in 2024 any independent Tournament Organizer in the United States or Canada not currently involved in the established UTC conference structure may also include their events in the UTC and participate as an equally affiliated member, with the ability to add their events to the circuit.
What This Means
For the first time, players and organizers within and outside of the Northeastern US and Eastern Canada will be eligible to participate and compete together for the year-end finale which in 2023 featured over $10,000 in real cash prizes in Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, and Kill Team. We invite all of North America to participate.
The conference structure of the UTC allows multiple paths for players to receive an invite through their performance within their respective conferences or via at-large bids as a result of their overall circuit ranking. Independent players may seek finale inclusion via at-large bids.
The Mission of the UTC
The UTC is dedicated to the principles of openness and inclusion, and focused on encouraging meaningful, local competition and regional growth of the competitive community at local stores and game clubs. To this end, we have instituted a number of developments to help players and organizers flourish that includes:
- An open and intuitive scoring system that encourages participation and performance in local, RTT-level events while still rewarding attendance at large, multi-dayÂ
- Empowering organizers to seamlessly run UTC events by eliminating token requirements and providing accessible event management toolsÂ
- Support for players and organizers in growing their local competitive communities via the conference structure and conference bonuses for finale invites to winners and top performers
Finally, as a part of the open and inclusive system being built, the UTC provides an opportunity for organizers to help shape the future of the UTC through participation in the UTC discord and direct engagement with UTC administration in periodic town halls, Q&As, and eligibility to participate in policy-making directly through working committee establishment!
The Conference Structure of the UTC
The UTC has taken a unique, league approach to competition that seeks to bolster local and regional identity and participation through the establishment or reinforcing of federated conferences who each are empowered to run their individual circuits while participating in a broader, North American system. In addition to conference awards, conference players are eligible for invites to the year-end North American finale in addition to their eligibility to at-large builds based on their North American performance.Â
What About the ITC?
The UTC is in no way designed nor intended to compete with the International Tournament Circuit operated by Games Workshop. In fact, we strongly encourage UTC tournament organizers to continue submitting their events to the ITC, and have tried to make it as seamless as possible to be a part of both. Our focus is different – where the ITC focuses more on international rankings and large, highly competitive GT and supermajor events, the focus of the UTC is on driving play and building competitive communities at local stores and smaller events. We believe there is a place and different purpose for each circuit.
How Organizers Can Get Involved
Organizers throughout the US and Canada may join the UTC and participate in the growing community. Establishing your events as a part of the UTC is as simple as creating an account with Goonhammer through Tabletop Battles, joining the Discord, and submitting your event to the circuit. To do so, simply:
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- Contact us, either via Discord, through another UTC TO, or through email at contact@goonhammer.com.
- Tell us about yourself – what events do you run, when, and where.
- Join us on the UTC Discord and collaborate with other TOs.
- Create your event in Best Coast Pairings
- Sign into our proprietary TO tools using your Goonhammer login and begin submitting and managing your events – no other work required!
Special Thanks
Finally, we’d like to thank several individuals for their openness, support, and enthusiasm in helping to build this growing competitive community. These include:
Jason Horn, Brian Hunter, Joshua Thomas, Ben Cherwien, and Sean Dilley of the Lord Marshall Conference, Ken Knox of the Mid-Atlantic Tournament Circuit, Luis Betancourt of Florida, and all of the dedicated organizers and players in these regions. Thank you and we are excited to grow with you!
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
