Dice Masters is a wonderful head to head game that plays very well competitively. There are a few things one should know before attending a tournament though. To start with, Organized Play Events are fun at a wide range of skill levels and worth attending even if you don’t consider yourself a competitive player. I’ll go into detail as to why this is, but first we need to figure out how to find an organized play event.
Finding a Dice Masters Tournament
- The Wizkids Event System: This system is far and away the most convenient way to find a Dice Masters Organized Play event. I encourage all stores to post their events here if possible. At least two of the stores I visited for Dice Masters are ones I never would have come to had I not seen their listing in the Wizkids Event System.
- Ask Your Game Store: If your game store carries Dice Masters, ask them if they have any regular meet ups or events. Some stores may not even be aware of the Dice Masters Organized Play Kits. If you are especially proactive, you can volunteer to run your store’s Dice Masters events. Starting and running a Dice Masters tournament is surprisingly easy, especially when using the Wizkids Event System as a tool.
- The Internet: Social networks like Google+ and Facebook all have Dice Masters communities. Find or create a social network group for your region to keep yourself and others notified of the events in your area. If events aren’t weekly, it is imperative to keep your local Dice Masters community informed.
What to Expect
Thus far, the only tournament I’ve attended that did not have at least one new player was the San Diego Wizkids Open. I’ve since attended several tournaments and have never seen a new player leave unhappy. From my experience, building a good team can be overwhelming, seeing what others have come up with can be an enlightening experience. It’s also oddly exciting to be on the receiving end of powerful strategy I’ve never seen before. Often, someone will have managed to execute an idea that I had rolling around in my own head, but could never get to work myself. It is a mistake to think that you will see only see the same most powerful teams at every tournament. The element of surprise is as potent a weapon as any card in Dice Masters.
While the topics from official rules forum or the nuances of turn order and the transit zone are important, you don’t need to know everything coming in. It is OK to learn while playing at an event. All the experienced players I’ve met thus far have been good at making sure their opponent knows these rules well before they become relevant. The nuances of Dice Masters are best learned through play anyways. Between and after games, those same players were always happy to share thoughts and strategies. I met players at the Wizkids Open that drove hours to compete. I still talk to some about the game and play against them through video calls.
Organized Play Events are understandably more competitive than playing Dice Masters in your living room. The atmospheres of the ones I’ve attended are not much different from any other Dice Masters meet up I’ve attended though. It is a far more relaxed and enjoyable experience than some might expect. These events also make a great jumping off point for organizing casual meetups to play without time limits or pressure. The countless possible results of your dice rolls will present you with countless novel decisions to make. The experiences you gain from playing in a tournament and challenging players that beat you will prepare you for those situations.
