The last staff Steamroller has come and gone, and it’s already time to start thinking about the next one. What lessons did I learn from our staff Steamroller? Well, first, don’t kill box yourself. Moving past the absurdly obvious, the lesson I take away from my first in-house tournament. Practice makes perfect.

I’ve been playing High Exemplar Kreoss for years now, and that was whom I first intended to bring to our Steamroller. I found myself waffling because I could not decide on a second list. I could play some sort of Harbinger of Menoth board-control list and try to play for the scenario; maybe I could play Grand Scrutator Severius and enjoy the strengths of Eye of Menoth and Defender’s Ward; or I could change things up and go with a more technically demanding Thyra, Flame of Sorrow list designed to bypass my opponent’s army completely and go for some assassinations. As the deadline approached for list selection, I realized that the reason I was having such difficulty was that my heart lay with another faction.

I have been playing a lot of Mercenaries since I painted up the gorgeous new alternate Ashlynn d’Elyse, so it felt like a great alternative. I had even recently finished painting Magnus the Traitor, so I even had my a second list. The allure of Renegades obliterating units of infantry was so strong I left the warm embrace of the Creator.

All my opponents played well and knew their lists, so I faced stiff competition. My lists had lots of strengths, I just hadn’t logged enough practice hours to know how to utilize them to full and deadly effect without needing to think. In the end with a bit more practice, I’m confident I would have been cracking skulls with my rowdy band of mercs with the same skill I have when it comes to cracking the skulls of heretics with my tried and true Protectorate.

For our next staff Steamroller, I’m going back to the Lawgiver’s warm embrace and playing lists that I know inside and out while I continue to get in more practice with my Mercenaries.

Regardless of the outcome, this tournament reminded me what a blast Steamrollers are. If you want to put your battlefield acumen to the test, ask about Steamroller tournaments at your local gaming store. If they don’t have a Steamroller scheduled yet, talk to the manager and have him or her contact me at retailsupport@privateerpress.com, and I can get the store up with everything your community needs to start participating in Privateer Press’ organized play!