I've been trying recently to pin down some additional detail on several areas of the website as we move ever closer to the competition. In particular, the rule set has now been almost entirely pinned down, with the only gaps being how match-ups will be determined in the ASC2 and how scoring will be undertaken. Apart from this the Rules section is complete and provides coaches with exact details on how to build their teams and how this event will differ from other comparable tournaments.

I've also now added some detail in regard to the AusBowl Painting Tournament (APT) which will run at the same time. Ever since we first discussed hosting this event in Adelaide, we've been talking about also having a dedicated fantasy football painting competition. It's no secret that this is close to my own heart as, while I've been lucky enough to make the SA state team on both ocassions, painting has always been my main focus and I love to see amazingly painted miniatures and teams line up on the pitch with one another. I know there are many others in the same boat and, to make a rounded event, I feel that including painters in the "AusBowl" event is vitally important. In future years I would like to see it become a feature of both the State and Team Championships, although this decision rests, ultimately, with the organisers for any given year.

The categories that are planned for the APT are Player, Big Guy, Team and Open. The first three should be fairly obvious, although team has been defined further. Open is for anything else: dioramas, custom pitches, large scale models, etc.

It is also important to note that we are not requiring entrants to actually be present at the tournament, so long as they can get their entries there somehow. Given that there are a large number of players converging on the tournament from across the country, we figure this gives everyone the best opportunity to be involved by using attendees as mules (of course, this is at the discretion of the mul... err... attendees). I'd love to see the painters from around Australia come along though. Perhaps it is selfish, but having the chance to share a beer with danielcollins, DevilsReject, the Chad and many other gamers known for their amazing painting (yes, even Sart) would be awesome. Either way, however, seeing their work in the flesh would be almost as good.

It's also important to note that this stands apart from the Best Painted Team awards in both the AusBowl State Championship and SA Open, which are open only to competitors in those events and which will be judged by peer vote.

Once you've finished reading this, nip over to the "More" tab on the main page and select "Painting Contest" to see the rules as they stand. Keep posted on this too as we have some ideas re the trophies and 'branding' of the contest going forward.

Until next time...
SinisterDexter

I've made a couple of updates to the site today to start being more specific about the rules of the tournaments. This is relatively easy for the most part because the rules are very closely based on the Southern Shrike Bowl 2012 rules. Having said that, there are some small changes that are fairly important.

First, the SSB MVPs are not available for AusBowl or the SA Open, meaning Cirwin and the "Whack a Wardancer" competition is not happening in March 2013.

Secondly, there has been a bit of discussion regarding the skill packages and the relative strength of the Agility upgrade package. At SSB 2011 any player could be given the +1AG upgrade, leading to a bevvy of AG5 Wardancers (although, interestingly, the tournament MVP was a Wardancer without the AG upgrade). In 2012 the stat upgrades were limited only to 0-12 or 0-16 positionals. This led to only one coach using the stat packages (a halfling coach). For the AusBowl State Championship 2 and SA Open we are looking to take a middle road and allow stat upgrades to be given to any player of 0-4 positional or greater (ie - 0-12, 0-16, etc). This stops power pieces like Wardancers becoming too powerful, but still allows the skill package to make some difference to the tactical milieu.

There was some discussion around potentially including wizards... but this has since been designated a bad idea. 50k special play cards are the current topic of conversation and may be included, but this is yet to be determined.

Obviously some rules need to be included to cope with the team nature of the Stat Championship, and some of these rules are still being ironed out along with the scoring structure. I am personally terrible at all that stuff, so I've left it to the rules lawyers on the BBLOC to deal with it. Either way, the gaps will be filled relatively soon.

In the meantime, the rules as they stand allow teams to start to work out the race and team composition they may bring to the tournament. In a nutshell, the team creation rules are:

• CRP plus NAF approved teams
• 1.15m
• one of five skill/stat packages applied to the team
• inducements available but no more than one Star (two for stunty teams)
• Representative teams cannot take more than one of each race across the six representatives.

Full rules can be found on the Rules page (see the tabs along the top of the page).

I also wanted to note that I've been looking into accommodation options for interstate teams. I had sent a few emails out to enquire re package deals but hadn't received any response. But with around six months to go I wanted to give people the best head start on booking accommodation they could get. As previously noted, Adelaide is truly alive in March and accommodation will fill up very quickly, so booking soon is really important if you want to come along.

As the tournament is in the CBD, pretty much anything central is very very close. There are a number of backpackers in the CBD for those who are looking for a very cheap option, while budget hotels and motels also exist both in the CBD and just outside it. As the venue is on the eastern side of the city, accommodation in Parkside and Kent Town is also within walking distance. If you're bringing the partner or have the luxury of a slightly larger disposable income, there are some incredible options very close to the venue as well. I've listed a few options on the Location page, along with website links for them.

Can't wait to see everyone there.
SinisterDexter

Just a quick note today as I upload some of the sponsors that have come on-board to support the ASC2 and SA Open. WE sent a call far and wide for sponsorship support and, considering this is only the second time this tournament has run, we were relieved to get any responses at all. But responses we did get!

If you haven't already, check out the sponsors page on the site and check back there regularly as we move closer to the tournament date. Some of the prizes on offer for the SA Open are already spectacular, such as a fully painted copy of Mantic's new game Dreadball (thanks to Mantic Games) and a fully painted amazon team (thanks to the Three Die Block podcast).

There is also more to come as many businesses offer exceptional discounts for orders of their products. We will be holding a mass group order for a range of different miniature manufacturers closer to the tournament date, so start making your wish list and stay tuned.

I'd like to sincerely thank the sponsors that have already come on board. If your business can help out, please drop us a line at [email protected]

SinisterDexter

It's been great to see the response to the date announcement. In the short time between this and my last post, much discussion has ensued amongst communities about getting a representative team up and running.

Here in SA plans have been afoot for a long time. The selection process hinges on results in SA's only big (standard format) tournament, Southern Shrike Bowl, with the top two SA-based players in 2011 and 2012 qualifying. This means there are already four "Steelballs" on the team; myself, Evan (One Eye), Adam (Olaf) and Mikey (lone duck). In the next month or so a "wildcard" entry vote will be undertaken to choose the final two team members.

In NSW an arcane process of result averaging, tournament ranking and numerological divination (I think) has resulted in two current team members (Pete - tribalsinner and Iain - Grumpsh), with more to follow as qualification tournaments occur. I sure as hell don't understand the process, but then I don't need to because I'm South Australian! Regardless, the "Blue Bloods" have also been on it for a while and will certainly be hard to beat.

In the rugged West there are also a series of qualification tournaments set to determine their team, and this process has been underway for a while. Three of what were called the "Western Brawlers" last year have been chosen (Duro -  Frosthammer, Drew - Reaper and Rob - Fanglord13), although a decision still needs to be made whether the team retains this name.

In the tiny outpost of the ACT, the corridors of power are, well, very quiet. In offices with padded leather walls and large wooden desks, the furtive rulers of the land argue over who to send. Of course, the decision is an important one, because the "PM's VI" won this whole shebang last time and are, I'm sure, keen to repeat the performance. Of course, I have no idea if the marble-paved roads of the nation's capital resound with the aforementioned arguments, but I do know that team captain, and individual champion from 2011, Andrew Vulling (Shadow) is on the case.

Up north, the hustle is also on. Last year the "Battle Toads" placed last, needing a ring-in (affectionately dubbed "Marooncard") to make up their numbers. But this time they look to be ready and the call has gone out to the four (or is it five?) leagues of the maroon state. An exact selection process is yet to be determined, but we can be sure that a team will come together soon.

Heading to the other end of the mainland, the Victorians have also begun recruiting under the prodding of self-proclaimed team captain Andrew (JoeKano). A rigorous selection process has been applied that requires, in order, residency, recent tournament attendance, availability and spousal consent. Of course, if more than six qualify under these criteria, only those that can actually stomach a stubby of VB (and, hence, qualify as "Victorian") will end up going (only kidding guys, love ya, really).

Two additional outposts of Blood Bowl glory remain, as yet, unknown. In the humid depths of the Darwinian north, a Northern Territory team has been invited along with a team of unintelligible trans-Tasman international travellers from New Zealand. In both cases we sincerely hope a team can be formed but, at the current time, cannot be 100% certain. We will keep everyone posted on whether we can entice these two "new" teams into the competition. 

And finally, of course, is the hype over the SA Open! Even if you don't make a representative team, the atmosphere of so many coaches from different parts of the country getting together is something you shouldn't miss. In 2011, 12 coaches fought for the NSW Open, with "Hammer" winning out as the first Open Champion. Many interstate coaches have committed to making the trip even if they don't make their representative team, as the experience itself is just incredible. The Open has its own attractions, however, with prizes on offer for the victorious. Especially if you are local to Adelaide, don't miss this event!

Wherever you are coming from and whichever team you're rooting for, let me be the first to wish you the best in the run-up to the tournament. I am truly pumped and can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones in March, next year!

SinisterDexter