Tournaments are serious to some people.

Indeed. However, this isn't a professional sport, it's a tabletop game that costs $10 to participate in to nab a potential bye.

Give it time and it could get following on twitch and climb the ranks of being part of a MLG format.

And you sir must not travel for tournaments. while entry is 10, the travel costs get up there.

Played in tournaments in i think 5 states now. (not complaining, just giving another pov)

Some of us do take this game (semi) seriously. I do because this is the first game I've played, and done well enough at, that i feel i could make a name for myself in.

Fair point. I've traveled up and down my state to participate in tournaments, but have yet to travel to another state to do so. Travel costs certainly add to the overall price of tournament participation. More for some than others. So does just getting into the hobby, unless you're lucky enough to borrow ships and game pieces from friends.

If I were to borrow $10 from a buddy, borrow his ships, review and implement his tactics and squad setup, get a ride from said pal and then win a local store championship and grab a by (bye?), would that make me a bad person?

Roy Stone, I'll try to summarize the history to the current competitive scene flow:

FFG has instituted a new order of sanctioned tournament play for X-Wing miniatures this year (2014). To start, they have received many applications from gaming stores from all over that have a significant X-Wing scene in January-ish. They then sent out tournament prize kits to those accepted stores for their 'Store Championships' which occurred Feb-April. One part of the prize support is a certificate that is proof that the winner actually won a store champs on a certain day. This can be used at a single Regional Championship to get a first round 'bye' (a full win without playing and full strength of schedule). See the link for the Store Championship prizes: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4473

There are 16? Regional Championships in the USA, about 2 per 'region' of the country taking place in late spring/early summer. These are going to be even higher level of competition, with up to 64 players, most of will be traveling (ex: the closest to myself is a 6 hour drive, but the plane tickets are cheaper). Then, whoever is the winner of a Regional Championship, will get a similar certificate that grants a first round bye to the National Championship in late summer (one step under the World Championship at FFG HQ in November). See the link on the prizes for Regionals: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4607

Thus there are a lot of people (including myself) that definitely prize a first round bye at a major competition. The main reason the problem happened is there is a certificate that doesn't have a name written on it that has popped up on Ebay. Thus think of it as a blank check, which has to be accepted at a Regional. So whoever buys it didn't earn it.

Being new to the game I'm going to ask a question which will undoubtedly sound stupid to those of you who know what this topic is all about:

What is the benefit to someone who buys the whatever from whoever?

I openly admit I'm commenting out of ignorance, so be gentle on me, but I shall at least try to articulate my bemusement as best as possible here:

From what I can gather, and I may be wrong, somebody was playing in a tournament. After a round or two he sold his whatever on ebay which someone bought to take their place in further rounds of said tournament. Hoping I got that part right.

Whatever your feelings toward the seller I can't figure out why someone would spend money to buy it. Why? What is to be gained?

If the seller had gone through the tournament, earned a shiny trophy and then sold it I can get that. Buyer either wants to impress someone by saying they earned it, or just wants a nice shiny ornament to sit on their shelf. But to pay so much to enter a tournament after it has already started seems a pointless waste of money to me.

Please can somebody take this ugly bag of snakes and lay them out straight for me.

In winning a previous tournament, the seller was awarded a "bye". What that does is it ensures during the next tournament that the player will pass through round 1 with an automatic full win. It essentially lets that person off easier than the rest of the people there because they were awarded a free win that others have to play through.

The dilemma seems to mostly be a moral one as I dont recall the issue being addressed in the tournament rules. It certainly feels wrong but as there is no concrete ruling on the subject it would fall to the local TO to rule as they see fit. I don't see much of a warrant for ruling that it is an okay thing to do, so most likely it wouldn't be allowed, provided the TO feels the same on the matter.

Roy Stone, I'll try to summarize the history to the current competitive scene flow:

FFG has instituted a new order of sanctioned tournament play for X-Wing miniatures this year (2014). To start, they have received many applications from gaming stores from all over that have a significant X-Wing scene in January-ish. They then sent out tournament prize kits to those accepted stores for their 'Store Championships' which occurred Feb-April. One part of the prize support is a certificate that is proof that the winner actually won a store champs on a certain day. This can be used at a single Regional Championship to get a first round 'bye' (a full win without playing and full strength of schedule). See the link for the Store Championship prizes: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4473

There are 16? Regional Championships in the USA, about 2 per 'region' of the country taking place in late spring/early summer. These are going to be even higher level of competition, with up to 64 players, most of will be traveling (ex: the closest to myself is a 6 hour drive, but the plane tickets are cheaper). Then, whoever is the winner of a Regional Championship, will get a similar certificate that grants a first round bye to the National Championship in late summer (one step under the World Championship at FFG HQ in November). See the link on the prizes for Regionals: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4607

Thus there are a lot of people (including myself) that definitely prize a first round bye at a major competition. The main reason the problem happened is there is a certificate that doesn't have a name written on it that has popped up on Ebay. Thus think of it as a blank check, which has to be accepted at a Regional. So whoever buys it didn't earn it.

Eureka! Now I get the motive to buy it.

The "look at me I've got a shiny trophy" guy/girl who didn't actually win it.

It essentially lets that person off easier than the rest of the people there because they were awarded a free win that others have to play through.

It certainly feels wrong

Disgusting

Yes, it does feel wrong. That explains people's strong reaction.