The Indy Open: Non-40k thoughts.

I wanted to give some feedback on the non-40k aspects of attending the Indy Open.

Venue: The tournament was held in the local American Legion in Indianapolis. The place was pretty spacious and we had our own side-door to enter the facility. The American Legion bar-room was also open to us. [Editors note: drinks are very cheap at an American Legion]

Food: Aaron brought in an outside caterer (the same one who had done his wedding), it was an excellent and non-costly idea. There were also non-gaming table set up in the back as a place to eat. All in all, very well thought out.

Lodging: I stayed at the comfort Inn (about 2 miles from the tournament location). It was very clean and smelled nice. Not "didn't smell bad", but actually "smelled nice". The breakfast they served in the mornings was also quite excellent. If I am ever in Indianapolis again, I will choose the Comfort Inn (near the airport).

Travel: Originally, I was going to hitch a ride with a friend who has relatives in the Indianapolis Area. He got sick. I decided to do the drive on my own. It is 550 miles (+/- a few) from my house to the American Legion. The initial drive out there was awesome. I left a little before 7am on Friday morning, the drive was peaceful and scenic. The drive home was not as awesome.
Knowing that I had to make the drive back (only 2 days later) loomed over me the entire time I was in Indianapolis. I actually dropped before my last game in order to leave at noon so that I could arrive home as soon as humanly possible. Making the drive myself was definitely a mistake. Once I was out of contention for "Best General" it was all I really thought about.

Prizes: The Indy Open had some nice prize support, the table was pretty stocked with new releases. I did notice that we did not get a "Swag bag". I was not too put off by it. I guess since they used the NOVA format, I just expected one. Maybe I am getting too spoiled as a tournament player, lol.

Criticism: I was not a huge fan of the "Modified Capture and Control". I felt like it placed too much emphasis on the center objective and armies that are great at holding midfield (Wolves, Grey Knights) would have an advantage.
The time thing was odd. We were told "you WILL have enough time to finish a game", but I was told "dice down" after my movement phase. Then my opponent took a full turn. I felt a little surprised by it.
There was a disparity of terrain between boards. Some boards had way more terrain than others. Some boards even had trenches that criss-crossed the entire board. I do not know if these were played as difficult, but if so, would have given non-skimmer vehicles a problem.

All in all, I enjoyed this event, I will definitely try to return. It was great to meet new people. It was also great to see old friends from across the country.

-Mike