ITC first floor wall LOS rule

[peter.cosgrove]

If you are going to have a tournament system, you need to have solid, unbreakeable standards. This ITC rule fails at every level of both quality and quantity, sportsmanship, gamesmanship, modeling, event preparation and planning. 

uh, what's the civilian term for when something has to work here and there? In multiple locations/scenarios? it's not portability. ya. that, whatever it is, This rule fails there too. This rule fails to work in different situations because there's no minimum standards that apply in each for it to work off of. i/e what's to stop someone from having an event that has no terrain whatsoever.

I need to explain this one because it doesn't make sense, even to me.

When you sandbox a build, you mathhammer based on most ideal situation. The most ideal situation doesn't include any terrain effects. Terrain effects detract from any most ideal build, both shooty and assaulty. Terrain reduces both shooting and movement, movement leading to charges, etc. 

If you have a build that works on one table, then for competition parity it needs to work on all tables. You should never be forced into a situation in competition where the tables are so drastically different that you can only lose based on what table you are on.

The easiest way to establish table parity is to completely remove all the terrain off the board and leave it flat. That is a standard.

A route to go from there is to say, Ok. in each 2x2 square there will be a single 1' by 1' centered, multi level ruins. This is a standard.

NOW, from there you can say AND the walls of the first floor of the ruins all block LOS. This is a standard.

And are considered to be 3" (or 4") in height. THIS is a standard.

This ITC rule here, that isn't a standard. Not by a long shot. If the intent was to reinforce parity between shooty and other less shooty armies it doesn't establish a standard on the quality and quantity of parity being given. It's an uneven/lack of quantifiable data standard. It's doesn't have anything to measure it with. it just says.. ruins/wall, any gaps/windows. 

The first thing I'm going to say is, ok so what's the highest wall on the board. Ok, that wall over there (goes over and measures wall), Ok I measured that wall over there and it's 4.5 inches high. so THIS divot/gap here in the wall  here is ALSO 4.5 inches high. Wait, you are saying that this wall here is only 3" high, how come  you get 4.5 high walls and I only get 3" high walls? Ok, wait because you are "discussing" that it's ok that you get higher walls than me, before we start I'm going to move that wall over to my side and give  you the 3" high wall. There now I definitely have 4.5 inch high walls. Wait, what? Ok, fine, Hey TO how come this board is uneven? Look, I measured the table and according to the deployment that side has 27 3/4" of walls averaging 3.85 inches and this side only has 22 1/4" of walls averaging 2.45", it's uneven. Oh, ok lack of terrain, right, but how come one side is higher than the other? Just go with it? But it's uneven. Well can I at least move this piece so it's at least more even? ok, how about this one then? that would make it even more even. Oh, ok. Go pound sand? really? ok, fine. Whatever. Oh, you won the deployment and you want this side.. ok. Well, let me spend the next 5 minutes moving ALL my stuff, my dice, my army boxes, my models that I have set out, my drinks, my glasses, my pencil, my army list, my rulebooks, my other pencil (in case I lose my first pencil), and my ruler OVER THERE and  you move your stuff OVER here. Great. Awesome. Ok, well, let's have a game shall we? Wait, where's my pencil?

See? This rule, by ADDING imaginary crap that isn't on the table, will actually ADD bull[big bad swear word] to the game.

Whereas, without this rule see, this happens. 

Ok, Hi, how ya doing. Oh wow, cool board. Looks pretty mirrored, lots of ruins over there in that corner, I'm so glad 8th edition made cover rules simple, Welp. the board looks about as mirrored/symmetric as it can be with the limited amount of terrain we have, Let's have a great game!

[Lord Hanaur]

Your stream of consciousness is awesome.  It reminds me of the radio version of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy when Zaphod Beeblebrox is speaking.  GIT EM PETER!

[peter.cosgrove]

nobody understood a word that he said, but we had fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils