Tournament Likes / Tournament Hates....

Martin Mayers

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Open format guys. If someone was to produce a blue print for a tournament what would you LOVE to see and what would you/do you despise ?

Just post whatever you see fit.

Looking like running my first tournament later this year. I have some ideas which are wonderful in my head. Wondering what runs through other people's heads to ??
 

Vinnie

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Likes good lighting, varied but limited scenario choice, avoids the tyranny of choice. Short 2-4 hour scenarios. Variety of theatres and times. Strong leadership from the organiser.
Dislike: playing the same opponent twice. Playing older, long scenarios.
 

nebel

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Likes:
Scenarios in the 5-7 hour range (large enough that you don't lose to a single ill timed bad DR)
Variety of Themes is good / Having one classic scenario as a choice in each round is not bad
Scenario list not published so far in advance that top players play them all prior to tourney
I really enjoy the PBS bid system - disappointed to not see it in tourneys more often
Chance to play players I don't normally play is a key benefit (especially early rounds)
Like the rating approach to pairing but make everyone feel as welcome as possible
Minis for players knocked out early on are always valued


Dislikes:
Restrictions against the BattleSchool dice which I spent good money on and expect to be able to use
Attendees who take things a bit too seriously
Wondering how long I will have to wait until next pairing
 

Spencer Armstrong

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Nothing is more important than time management, IMO. This means starting and ending rounds on time and selecting appropriate scenarios for the rounds. I got booted from an ASLOK mini once because I overslept. I wholly approve. I loathe tournaments/cons where the time is managed badly. I haven't had the experience much in ASL but have suffered it badly in other games and it's maddening, since it almost always boils down to inconveniencing a lot of people impersonally because you don't have the guts to inconvenience a few personally.

I also like: Easy access to decent food, easily available water and restrooms and reasonable on-site accommodations.

I'd also add a requirement for precision dice. It's a small thing, but there's just no excuse for cheap dice in this hobby and it's awkward for a players to have to have that conversation.
 

Spencer Armstrong

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Dislikes:
""

Or in other words - dice superstition.
I’ve tested enough non-precision dice and had them fail that I won’t use them out of a sense of fairness. Haven’t had a precision die fail yet. So, no. Evidence. Not a massive sample size, but not tiny either. And when somebody thinks they have “lucky” dice, there’s usually a reason.
 

lightspeed

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Likes:

* I'll second the time management suggestions; if you are having time limits, they need to be strict.
* Blind scenario choices. I've seen people with VASL printouts, including LOS. I'm too lazy and care too little about winning to do that.
Double One has a blind round...it's always exciting/terrifying. I think blind choices allow the better players to be better players.
* Decent food close by.

Dislikes:
* Old scenarios. It's a minor point. I think Zon or Gavin Take are fab. I've played each one several times. I'd rather play something new (to me).

A question: What's the issue with Battleschool dice?

Good luck with your tournament, Mayers.

indy
 

jrv

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Without having investigated the matter scientifically, my thinking is that a non-precision die would tend to favor the lighter side landing up. If the die has its pips drilled out, it would seem likely that the lighter sides are the ones with more pips drilled out, i.e. the 4, 5 & 6. So if you find an opponent who won't play you with your non-precision dice, come on over to my table. I'll take your money.

JR
 
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Spencer Armstrong

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Without having investigated the matter scientifically, my thinking is that a non-precision die would tend to favor the lighter side landing up. If the die has its pips drilled out, it would seem likely that the lighter side is the one with more pips drilled out, i.e. the 4, 5 & 6. So if you find an opponent who won't play you with your non-precision dice, come on over to my table. I'll take your money.

JR
If it’s evenly manufactured otherwise and has drilled spots, that would seem right on first glance. I’m not physicist or engineer enough to know how all the faces interact, but pondering the 1&6, yeah. But the reality is that being non-cubic is a major (and I suspect more significant) problem for “standard” dice and that’s another unbalancing factor. So they end up being unpredictable in all the wrong ways.

Fun fact: the most common flaw I’ve come across in testing dice is a propensity to roll 5’s.

Anyway, sorry for hijack. We’ve been over this ground on these forums. I won’t belabor it further here.
 

Sparafucil3

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Without having investigated the matter scientifically, my thinking is that a non-precision die would tend to favor the lighter side landing up. If the die has its pips drilled out, it would seem likely that the lighter sides are the ones with more pips drilled out, i.e. the 4, 5 & 6. So if you find an opponent who won't play you with your non-precision dice, come on over to my table. I'll take your money.

JR
The pips are drilled and then filled with an equally dense material bringing everything back into balance. -- jim
 

jrv

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The pips are drilled and then filled with an equally dense material bringing everything back into balance. -- jim
In precision dice. We were discussing non-precision dice. It isn't necessarily the case that non-precision dice are drilled out (and not re-filled), but in general they are.

JR
 

Cpl Uhl

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Non-precision dice do not necessarily equal totally imprecise ("cheap") dice. I imagine there is quite a range of "less than precise" dice. And "favorite" dice aren't necessarily favorite because they roll low. I like mine for the color. Don't know if they tend low or high, nor by how much, nor do I care. I lose 50% of the time either way, so [shrug].
 

Michael R

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Try for two rounds per day, rather than three. The first round needs a start time and an end time. The second round needs a start time. You can specify no end time, IMO, only if a tournament staff person will be available for rules questions/disputes.

Choose scenarios that more or less fit in the round time (either use David Goldman's spreadsheet to estimate time, or the scenario archive).
 

Robin Reeve

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Requiring precision dice is, as von Marwitz expressed, superstition.
You would need a sample of tens of thousands of rolls, in absolutely similar conditions, to make the difference with normal (i.e. not deformed) dice.
One could whine about non precision dice towers or glasses too.
It is also a very convenient way to support the idea that skill can very easily be overthrown by dice.
And, making mandatory precision dice a tournament rule is typically a manifestation of a psychological trend: a mix of anal relentive with normative-persecutor parent.
Heeding to such OCD pressure wrecks the social dimension which belongs to a good ASL tournament.
ASL is about fun and it should not be taken too seriously.
It is not the icy, impersonal world of chess and no money gain is involved.
Please allow freedom in as many domains as possible.
I have precision dice myself.
But if they would be declared mandatory, I would shun the tournament.
 

STAVKA

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The pips are drilled and then filled with an equally dense material bringing everything back into balance. -- jim
Seen several Battleschool dice lose their fillings completly or started to worn out its number-one-symbol. Still the players have no desire to use Precision dice instead, when asked to.

Received Battleschool dice as a gift with some silver foil symbols, schratched it with my nail and it was immediately a tiny visible mark, trash can next.

Have Precision Dice dated back to 1996 still never have any dot pop out or even started to worn out.
 

tekay44

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Nothing is more important than time management, IMO. This means starting and ending rounds on time and selecting appropriate scenarios for the rounds. I got booted from an ASLOK mini once because I overslept. I wholly approve. I loathe tournaments/cons where the time is managed badly. I haven't had the experience much in ASL but have suffered it badly in other games and it's maddening, since it almost always boils down to inconveniencing a lot of people impersonally because you don't have the guts to inconvenience a few personally.

I also like: Easy access to decent food, easily available water and restrooms and reasonable on-site accommodations.

I'd also add a requirement for precision dice. It's a small thing, but there's just no excuse for cheap dice in this hobby and it's awkward for a players to have to have that conversation.
 
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