Just had our Regionals here in Florida yesterday. There were a ton of people there, and I saw some interesting things that didn't make it in to my regionals video, so I wanted to share here.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

Some people take this game WAYYYY too seriously. One guy wouldn't talk to me because he had to "Concentrate" for the next round, which didn't even start for another 10-15 minutes... Which might not seem that bad, but he also got into a heated argument with his opponent and the judge because he thought his opponent was trying to cheat by taking too long to do movement dials. (This argument continued even after he had already WON the match - he almost had this girl in tears). He wasn't saying anything "wrong", but he was winning and it just seemed like he was adding insult to injury.

Broken Ships -I noticed one table there was no ship on a stand - and I remember reading in the rules that the ships MUST actually be attached to the stand by the end of the turn... IE you can take them off for movement, but then you have to put them back on. The guy said it had just broken the previous round. Now I would let this slide, but I could imagine that some "super Serious" people would try to get him disqualified over this. Turns out he also had a B-Wing dial face, with a Y-Wing dial moves on it.... so that part was indeed totally illegal. No idea what ended up happening to that guy.

Damage Decks - Playing in close proximity can be devastating. I realized at the end of one game that the guy NEXT to me had his damage deck very close to mine, and I had been drawing some damage cards from HIS deck by mistake! Ended up having to sort out ALL the cards to ensure the integrity of the decks.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

You guys see any bizarre or special things at your regionals or tournaments in general?

I had a spectator complain I was cheating. At some point my opponent had nudge his X-wing at an angle and neither of us noticed. Throughout the match I'd been helping the kid avoid this, and yet when it inevitably happened and caused a crash it's my fault because I'm not sure why. In the end the kid won the tournament despite me beating him(as he should have. He played way harder opponents than me and was tied with me and 2 other guys at 3 and 1) It was frustrating because I spent so much time helping this kid reach his ships because I could reach and he couldn't and then suddenly I'm cheating...

Just had our Regionals here in Florida yesterday. There were a ton of people there, and I saw some interesting things that didn't make it in to my regionals video, so I wanted to share here.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

Some people take this game WAYYYY too seriously. One guy wouldn't talk to me because he had to "Concentrate" for the next round, which didn't even start for another 10-15 minutes... Which might not seem that bad, but he also got into a heated argument with his opponent and the judge because he thought his opponent was trying to cheat by taking too long to do movement dials. (This argument continued even after he had already WON the match - he almost had this girl in tears). He wasn't saying anything "wrong", but he was winning and it just seemed like he was adding insult to injury.

Broken Ships -I noticed one table there was no ship on a stand - and I remember reading in the rules that the ships MUST actually be attached to the stand by the end of the turn... IE you can take them off for movement, but then you have to put them back on. The guy said it had just broken the previous round. Now I would let this slide, but I could imagine that some "super Serious" people would try to get him disqualified over this. Turns out he also had a B-Wing dial face, with a Y-Wing dial moves on it.... so that part was indeed totally illegal. No idea what ended up happening to that guy.

Damage Decks - Playing in close proximity can be devastating. I realized at the end of one game that the guy NEXT to me had his damage deck very close to mine, and I had been drawing some damage cards from HIS deck by mistake! Ended up having to sort out ALL the cards to ensure the integrity of the decks.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

You guys see any bizarre or special things at your regionals or tournaments in general?

Key word there was Florida, now i love Florida i go there most years on holiday and have property in the Tampa area but there is something about Florida which makes some folks crazy.

Just had our Regionals here in Florida yesterday. There were a ton of people there, and I saw some interesting things that didn't make it in to my regionals video, so I wanted to share here.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

Some people take this game WAYYYY too seriously. One guy wouldn't talk to me because he had to "Concentrate" for the next round, which didn't even start for another 10-15 minutes... Which might not seem that bad, but he also got into a heated argument with his opponent and the judge because he thought his opponent was trying to cheat by taking too long to do movement dials. (This argument continued even after he had already WON the match - he almost had this girl in tears). He wasn't saying anything "wrong", but he was winning and it just seemed like he was adding insult to injury.

Broken Ships -I noticed one table there was no ship on a stand - and I remember reading in the rules that the ships MUST actually be attached to the stand by the end of the turn... IE you can take them off for movement, but then you have to put them back on. The guy said it had just broken the previous round. Now I would let this slide, but I could imagine that some "super Serious" people would try to get him disqualified over this. Turns out he also had a B-Wing dial face, with a Y-Wing dial moves on it.... so that part was indeed totally illegal. No idea what ended up happening to that guy.

Damage Decks - Playing in close proximity can be devastating. I realized at the end of one game that the guy NEXT to me had his damage deck very close to mine, and I had been drawing some damage cards from HIS deck by mistake! Ended up having to sort out ALL the cards to ensure the integrity of the decks.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

You guys see any bizarre or special things at your regionals or tournaments in general?

Key word there was Florida, now i love Florida i go there most years on holiday and have property in the Tampa area but there is something about Florida which makes some folks crazy.

There are several blogs about this, but my favorite is the twitter feed "Florida Man, the world's weirdest super-hero", in which he combines all of the headlines including "Florida Man" into the exploits of a single individual.

Awesome to see the report from the Coliseum. I spent three weeks (my vacation) in Kissimee (did the Disney Parks with the family) a little over a month ago. While I was there I played in the store's monthly tournament (brought my little plastic ships with me across the Atlantic, and they rewarded me by allowing me to actually win the monthly tournament) and got to play and chat alot with Tim Wright, the Regional TO.

Awseome experience.

For anyone who was there, this is 'The Rebel Spy'.

Tim did a great job with over 40 entrants, but you will always have some weirdness. My bizarre moment was facing off in the 2nd round against a kid who - bless his heart - had no damage deck, no movement templates, no identifying base marker and only three dice. I had to come out of tournament mode and keep reminding myself to help him, which i did tactically (at the cost of an x-wing) and by loaning my 2nd set for the duration of the match.

In the end, I had to pour it on and beat him, but I honestly felt bad because he took it pretty hard.

Other than that. It was a fantastic experience. Alan from Jacksonville! Email me brother! Also played Percy and Jose, two other gents of the highest character. All told, a great time with great people. Thanks again Tim, CoC, and FFG.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

Hmm....

Always, always always count your deck after every match, and count your opponent's before every match.

Just had our Regionals here in Florida yesterday. There were a ton of people there, and I saw some interesting things that didn't make it in to my regionals video, so I wanted to share here.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

Some people take this game WAYYYY too seriously. One guy wouldn't talk to me because he had to "Concentrate" for the next round, which didn't even start for another 10-15 minutes... Which might not seem that bad, but he also got into a heated argument with his opponent and the judge because he thought his opponent was trying to cheat by taking too long to do movement dials. (This argument continued even after he had already WON the match - he almost had this girl in tears). He wasn't saying anything "wrong", but he was winning and it just seemed like he was adding insult to injury.

Broken Ships -I noticed one table there was no ship on a stand - and I remember reading in the rules that the ships MUST actually be attached to the stand by the end of the turn... IE you can take them off for movement, but then you have to put them back on. The guy said it had just broken the previous round. Now I would let this slide, but I could imagine that some "super Serious" people would try to get him disqualified over this. Turns out he also had a B-Wing dial face, with a Y-Wing dial moves on it.... so that part was indeed totally illegal. No idea what ended up happening to that guy.

Damage Decks - Playing in close proximity can be devastating. I realized at the end of one game that the guy NEXT to me had his damage deck very close to mine, and I had been drawing some damage cards from HIS deck by mistake! Ended up having to sort out ALL the cards to ensure the integrity of the decks.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

You guys see any bizarre or special things at your regionals or tournaments in general?

Ok, let the games begin!

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship,

I can understand wanting to beat someone at there best. At that time your best was forgetting to declare an attack. Assuming your opponent did nothing to distract you into forgetting this attack it should have been skipped. You showed great sportsmanship by telling him he did not have to let you take it. In the rules it is his right to allow you missed opportunities. Just please don't come to expect all players to be so forgiving on these missed opportunities.

Some people take this game WAYYYY too seriously.

The not talking to you does seem a little weird, but to each their own. If he felt the other player was slow playing then he should have gotten the TO involved. Once the TO was involved it is up to the TO to control the situation once a ruling has been made. He may not have been rude or saying anything wrong but it seems the TO failed at his/her duty there.

I would be one of these player who takes the game "WAYYYY too seriously". So let's clear this up. When I sit across from you at a regional, I am doing everything in my power to win. Now, before you hit that reply button hear me out. When I say everything it does not mean being a d**k or cheating. What I mean is, I will take advantage of your squads weaknesses, I will try to out maneuver on every turn and,I will take advantage of your mistakes. At the end of the match wether I Win or Lose, I will shake your hand and wish you luck for the remainder of the tournament.

Broken Ships

It is unfortunate his ship were broken mid tournament. This is a hard call to make but he should not have been able to continue. Finishing the match when the ship were broken is one thing, starting a new match is another. He should have made an attempt to repair, replace, borrow or buy ships to have his squad ready for the next round.

The guy with the mixed dial should have been DQ immediately. Unfortunately you have to assume the worst here no matter if it was a mistake or not. There is no real way to tell what the intent of the player was.

Damage Decks

There are many ways to help prevent things like this from happening. Use a different side of the table to keep them better separated. Find a unique sleeve for your damage deck. Use a highlighter to color in the title of the damage card to make it stand out from other people damage decks.

New Players

This goes back to the first subject. Your opponent missed an opportunity, it not your job to play his squad for him.

Osoroshii summed it up perfectly with grace, respect and honesty.

The most bizarre I've seen in X-wing tournaments was a player that never used both hands for moving his ships. This obviously led to poor placements and bad precision so I started moving them for him whenever I had the chance (IE when they were deep on my side of the table).

The most bizarre person I've ever met on a tournament (Warhammer) was a guy that didn't know how to or couldn't pronounce dreadnought, came out something like drechnoch and he had the most intense smell that I have ever felt. It was quite frankly not a smell any more but an aura that assaulted my nose as if I had smelled pure ammonia. Disgusting.

I don't think that the 'no ship' rule is meant to be applied that strictly. I can't imagine a TO that would kick someone out who showed up prepared but, during the ordinary course of the event, could no longer place a ship on its peg.

As far as the other stuff, sounds pretty standard for most wargaming tournaments (let's be honest - the characters that you meet are half the fun). The only thing that you are missing for Wargame Tournament Bingo is the 'Opponent Forgot to Bathe for a Year' square.

If i was DQed for not having a ship on a peg because it broke during the turn i know a store that would never get another dollar from me. And quite possibly a company

I think the biggest thing for me is that I am just not that competitive. If it were a sport, maybe, but I equate this with just throwing dice and blowing up hapless Imperials. I did play in a handful of local events, and did have fun, but I think wanting the prizes got the better of me.

I just can't get cutthroat. I've met gamers who think that is a flaw.

Very sad...

Always, always always count your deck after every match, and count your opponent's before every match.

I wish FF would number the casualty decks, like Wings of Glory manuver decks are. 1 of 18 etc. That would make it much easier.

I've not been to a tournament yet, but I was a sprinter for 9 years (county level) and have took part in plenty of other sports, including several martial arts and football.

In all of those I'd play hard but fair, and I'd do the same in X-Wing. I play to win. But I'll also lose graciously. After a battle, regardless of result, you shake your opponents hand and wish them all the best.

I'm probably harder on myself than I am others though, berating myself for forgetting an action.

Basically, I play hard, and would punish mistakes, but I'd do it in good spirit. I'd expect the same in return.

If i was DQed for not having a ship on a peg because it broke during the turn i know a store that would never get another dollar from me. And quite possibly a company

Like I said a hard decision but the rules are the rules. DQing a player during the match in which the ship was damaged is where I could see a grey area. Once that match is over you have a chance to correct the problem. If we were playing in the same tournament I would be happy to lend you a ship to continue and I'm sure there are many in the community that would.

Some folks had truly great sportsmanship. One guy in particular I played even went so far as to allow me to attack one of his ships after the turn was over, after I had actually forgotten to declare that last attack. We had already started doing the next round's movement dials. (It was the last round of the tournament so I was tired and wonky). I said "Dude you don't have to do that", and his reply was awesome... he said "If I beat you, I want to beat you at your best". He won that match and played like a champion.

New Players - I had some people who were either new - or just inexperienced. I'll admit it was a breath of fresh air when someone has a Labda shuttle with Vader Crew - and they got my falcon down to 1 hull left.... and FORGOT to use Vader's ability!!!!! Whew! In a casual game I would probably remind them but not in a tournament!

Hmm....

Yup I am not quite as good a sport as the first guy. Not to say I'm a bad sport - but I am not going to go so far as to remind people to use abilities. The other guy was like... above and beyond - WHICH was why I called out his extreme awesomeness.

At Imdaar Alpha, whenever one of my ships was destroyed (an all too common occurrence), I used my mobile phone to play one of the "friendly ship destroyed" music score from X-Wing Alliance... does that count?

The Imdaar Alpha tournament was the first time I had ever played X-Wing, and I definitely made some newbie mistakes. Running a squad of a shuttle and 3 bombers led by Jonus:

In the first game I forgot to have Jonus drop his bomb before revealing his dial.

In the third/final game, my opponent was all apologetic about rushing me, saying that he really wanted to get into the top 4 to win one of the ships. I realised after the battle that during my ordnance alpha strike I'd completely forgotten to use Jonus's ability, and those rerolls would probably made enough of a difference to take Biggs out of the game in the first pass, which may in turn have been enough to win me that game.

In the end I came 5th, but if I had won the last battle I would have probably been playing with the new ships, so I was kicking myselfhard for weeks after that >.<

Always, always always count your deck after every match, and count your opponent's before every match.

I wish FF would number the casualty decks, like Wings of Glory manuver decks are. 1 of 18 etc. That would make it much easier.

How? During a tournament there is little time for setup. You cannot expect someone to reorganize their deck for you to count. Also the decks are shuffled. If someone is going to cheat they just will. I am not going to be a card counter during play.

I would rather entertain the idea of new damage decks for UPPER level tournaments, heck poker does that.

If i was DQed for not having a ship on a peg because it broke during the turn i know a store that would never get another dollar from me. And quite possibly a company

Like I said a hard decision but the rules are the rules. DQing a player during the match in which the ship was damaged is where I could see a grey area. Once that match is over you have a chance to correct the problem. If we were playing in the same tournament I would be happy to lend you a ship to continue and I'm sure there are many in the community that would.

Well nobody there had any super glue to fix the thing. And while I will usually loan someone a ship if I know them.... I'd imagine at a scenario like this people would be a little hesitant to loan out a ship to someone who drove from 3 states away and you are likely to never see again.

Always, always always count your deck after every match, and count your opponent's before every match.

I wish FF would number the casualty decks, like Wings of Glory manuver decks are. 1 of 18 etc. That would make it much easier.

How? During a tournament there is little time for setup. You cannot expect someone to reorganize their deck for you to count. Also the decks are shuffled. If someone is going to cheat they just will. I am not going to be a card counter during play.

I would rather entertain the idea of new damage decks for UPPER level tournaments, heck poker does that.

I think the level of competition should be proportional to the level of the tournament.

At regionals and higher, one should know the game. Lower levels then there should be allowances for errors.

I made a few mistakes, but did see someone turn their ship too much after a bump to keep my in their arc. This cost me the game.

Overall tournaments are fun, but there are those who take it very very serious for plastic counters and turn templates.

Coming from other games, I always felt that a specific damage deck was really really weird. Also the intensely specific rules about each player having one deck. Especially since most of the cards are dealt face down.

They probably should b numbered but shuffling in the midst of the battles is pretty time consuming. Also felt I weird that the games would usually go to time instead of bring played out. Just feels funny