Gosh I don't think that I would ever even *think* of giving up tourneys. Generally they are a very positive and fun experience for me. Sure you get the odd moron, but you get that in every walk of life and they are more than balanced out by fun, friendly folk who just want to fly casual and have a blast

To your question: I do not know of a single person that has stopped attending tournaments. In fact, I know of local players that previously never played tourneys in other game systems that are now playing x-wing tournaments.

Same here. Lot's of people picking up X-Wing as their first miniatures game (myself included) and going to their first gaming tournaments (myself included).

Only had one player stop playing and sell his collection after buying a few ships, but that was before we even had tournaments around here.

I still play other board games with him when he's in town, X-Wing just wasn't for him!

OP, it sounds like tournaments just aren't the right venue for you. That competitive tension you mentioned, that's something that I love and feed off of (in moderation), and that I know other competitive players get a rush out of it too (in moderation). I love that adrenaline rush when you're playing that win-and-in match in the swiss against a stranger, and you're not sure what they're going to do but you think you've got them pegged and have the perfect move to trap them and you're watching them like a hawk to see what they'll do and to make sure you don't get screwed out of your top 8 by your opponent's "accident" that happens to favor them. *fans self*.

I don't care how much of a d-bag my opponent is in a tournament because I don't lose to d-baggery, I either lose to superior play by superior opponent's or I lose to myself. How much of a d-bag my opponent is only decides whether or not I'll want to be friends with them after the match, I'm going to do my best to crush them and see them driven before me, regardless.

But that can be just as stressful as it is exhilirating, and I balance that out by playing casually at the LGS on week nights, where I can test out new builds and not feel bad for reminding my opponent to use Lone Wolf or for letting an opponent change their dial after they fly off the board on turn 4. Also where I get to cherry pick who I play against, and where there's no penalty for scooping up my ships against an opponent and saying "good day sir" if they're being a d-bag (which thankfully I have never had to do in X-Wing, can't say the same about some other games).

OP, sounds like the tournament experience just doesn't agree with you. I would recommend sticking to the casual game nights where there is less stress and you have more control over who you play against. If your local area doesn't have a casual game night and only does tournaments, I would recommend your strongly encourage your LGS to start one.

Also, don't feel like you need validation from the internet to do what is best for you. If you don't like tournaments, don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you don't like.

This is a game. I refuse to treat it as anything other than that which includes trying to get too competitive over what is practically two guys (or gals) playing with models with rules against each other.

My local game store has a league and seems to have nothing but nice, friendly people who play in it. If I competed in the store tourney and ran into some jerk then I simply would choose not to play with that person on a casual play basis. If some player(s) are truly that horrible to others then I have to think the game store would simply ask them to stop playing at their location.

Im just a lil confused here about the OP complaints

Personally I had to borrow 2 autothrusters for our SC this weekend. Everyone understood I play a ton, am active in the group but couldn't afford another Star Viper yet so they let me borrow cards to finish my list

As for the preparation...why wouldnt you for Store Championships?

This year will be the first year myself and gaming group will not attend our local store championship. The tourney play has become stale with the 100 point, six asteroid, kill fest. When you add in the host of meta builds the shine is gone from this part of the X-Wing game.

We have a large gaming group and have been enjoying playing scenarios and more creative builds which would not be meta competitive. The entry fees now go towards beer.

Im just a lil confused here about the OP complaints

Personally I had to borrow 2 autothrusters for our SC this weekend. Everyone understood I play a ton, am active in the group but couldn't afford another Star Viper yet so they let me borrow cards to finish my list

As for the preparation...why wouldnt you for Store Championships?

The only thing I can see from the OP about borrowing is if this person has to borrow from people every game just to field a list. If that is the case then I would agree with the OP that is not cool.

I've run into only 1 or 2 people that I disliked playing after a year of going to tournaments pretty regularly. I don't let it ruin my gaming experience and if you do run into those folks just remember to fly casual. Kill em' with kindness as it were.

I love playing in tournaments to meet new players and to see people from my local X-wing community.

Seems like a fishing post to me. OP is had a bad experience and is looking for others for validation. Hence the not wanting any advice, only concurrence. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Quit.. No.

Thinking about it? Yeah.

I have a store champ this weekend and if its just full of bull#### copy and paste from the internet decimator and phantom lists like all the other tournaments being posted on these forums I might well call it at that.

If I wanted to play the same cookie cutter list over and over against unoriginal opponents I'd go back to 40k.

I've always had pleasant experiences. Most of the x-wing crowd in my parts seem like nice people. We chat and have fun while competing. Sure, there are those with certain eccentricities but, I play to have fun. Unless the player is outright cheating don't let it bother you.

Quit.. No.

Thinking about it? Yeah.

I have a store champ this weekend and if its just full of bull#### copy and paste from the internet decimator and phantom lists like all the other tournaments being posted on these forums I might well call it at that.

If I wanted to play the same cookie cutter list over and over against unoriginal opponents I'd go back to 40k.

See,

This is what I don't understand.

Tournaments, by their very nature, are competitive. I'm assuming that most people who enter these tournaments, including the ones you enter, pay (real money) to enter, and that they do so in the hope of winning real prizes?

If people feel that copying what looks to have been a successful build from the internet increases their chances of winning real prizes, then I'm sorry, I don't see anything wrong with that. If anyone wishes to buck the trend and tries to counter what people think are successful builds by running something unusual, then good luck to them. If they win with it? Well done, but you know what? YOU'VE just built the next super dooper interweb squad, and if you lose? There's no point in moaning and selling your models because you're in a huff; you've tilted at windmills and failed.

Behaviour of ALL players at a tournament on the other hand is something that the tournament rules place squarely on the shoulders of ALL players and the TO. No-one should have to put up with the ass that takes wanting to win to obnoxious and beyond and simply needs to give the TO a shout.

At the end of the day, if the guy across from me is being an ass, I'll tell him.

Cheers

Baaa

Quit.. No.

Thinking about it? Yeah.

I have a store champ this weekend and if its just full of bull#### copy and paste from the internet decimator and phantom lists like all the other tournaments being posted on these forums I might well call it at that.

If I wanted to play the same cookie cutter list over and over against unoriginal opponents I'd go back to 40k.

I felt the same thing for a long time

fortunately, X-wing lets you actually steamroll these creatively-challenged copypastes because (unlike 40k) ****'s actually balanced

I've clashed against and dethroned Dash, Whisper, Decimators etc. plenty of times with...an X-wing (Luke, specifically). The trick is control (particularly stress), because control absolutely shafts all of the Wave 5 meta ships (and stress is completely dice independent, so you don't give a **** if they're rolling 4+ dice). It shuts down PTL, ACD, and forces fatties to limit themselves to green maneuvers or else lose boost/evade.

R3-A2, Tactician, Rebel Captive, Flechette Torpedoes, and things such as Kath Scarlet's (imp) abilities will see you through.

Quit.. No.

Thinking about it? Yeah.

I have a store champ this weekend and if its just full of bull#### copy and paste from the internet decimator and phantom lists like all the other tournaments being posted on these forums I might well call it at that.

If I wanted to play the same cookie cutter list over and over against unoriginal opponents I'd go back to playing in any tournament with decent prize support for any moderately established game anywhere that isn't my kitchen table, ever.

Fixed that last part for ya. Doesn't matter what game you play, if it's been around longer than a year and it's a tournament with good prize support, people are going to use what works and what they know.

Luckily, the meta right now is quite varied, there's quite a few different lists floating out there that could be called tier 1 or tier 1.5 that aren't just YT-1300s, Decimators and Phantoms. Dual Agressors are super popular right now, BBBBZ and BBBY Panic Attack are very strong and gaining in popularity, Interceptors are getting more popular, Dash is still strong and got better with the release of scum, double Firespray lists are back in vogue thanks to scum.

All of these are doing well on the tournament scene right now. If you get paired against the same list 3 times in a row, it's probably just bad luck.

I will never let the actions of someone stop me from attending what I deem as enjoyable. Certain people can be hard to deal with but that's the way of the world.

Not only am I not tired of the tournament scene, I just ran a store championship this past weekend.

If it's not enjoyable for you because a few people attend, you should reconsider why you play the game. I don't play the game to win at all costs and I have no problem calling people out for acting like a grown man baby because their plastic spaceships didn't win.

I play to have fun and every event I attend is fun.

For now, I have stopped attending FFG local tournaments, but that's only because I scored a 4th and 3rd place in the last 2, meaning I have 2 sets of tokens and don't need any more (others deserve the joy of winning them too). I don't need a plaque taking space and a bye? If I go to the regionals, it will be to play, not to sit a round out

I go to other local tournaments instead with miniatures or other goodies in prizes. I can only attend so many after all and maintain a healthy family life, so might as well go for those with prizes that I'll enjoy

Win or lose, I'll have fun!

The thing about "the TO playing" is most stores don't have a person that is willing to run an event that doesn't play as well. You will be hard pressed to find that person that just so happened to spend the time reading the rulebook and FAQs, but never played or plans to. Most that will run an event don't want to be left out of something like a SC or a regular tournament that most of his group's playing in as well. This games "Fly Casual" attitude is what I think draws alot of it's players on top of being an amazing game. I have in almost a year never had to make a ruling in an event that I am TOing that has taken anymore time away from my game than deciding what action I am going to take with said ship. On the flip if there needs to be a ruling made on my game we either roll or get another player to make the call. Usually 90% of calls are "is that in the firing arc" which laser lines have helped solve those nicely.

I've never had any bad tourney experiences per se, though this year's SC's were disappointing just because of how I did.

For the first time I also really realized how OP some ships/lists are in the game. When I saw players making the top 8 who I know are clearly not top 8 players, but did so because of their lists, something seems wrong.

I haven't quit, as tournaments here are fun, well organized, have a strong TO presence, and there are no unmanageable players.

It is crazy how little I have to travel to meet the exact opposite though

Just across the border.

But then again, it was only at Regionals (two years in a row). The other events are just like ours.

Been to 3 tournaments so far this year (2 store championships). Attending another store champ on Saturday, 2-3 regionals, a standard tournament and the UK nationals, and that's just what I have planned til May

So, nope

This year will be the first year myself and gaming group will not attend our local store championship. The tourney play has become stale with the 100 point, six asteroid, kill fest. When you add in the host of meta builds the shine is gone from this part of the X-Wing game.

We have a large gaming group and have been enjoying playing scenarios and more creative builds which would not be meta competitive. The entry fees now go towards beer.

Pretty much the right attitude - if you aren't enjoying the competitive scene or the tournament format - don't whine, don't moan, just don't participate

That said I'd like to see some creative ideas for different tournament formats

Semi-fixed build tourneys would be interesting way to shake things up and allow some different and more creative builds to see some table time

Give a choice of say 4-5 specific ships per faction, your list must contain at least 3 of them. and must include 1 of 4 specific named pilots. It wouldn't necessarily ban fat turrets, but if you know ahead of time that you have to include Porkins and a B-Wing - or Nera and a HWK - it would force you to put Han or Dash on SlimFast

I get that some people are more sensitive than others and if there's one ahole there it can ruin your day, I'm not like that but I know people who are and get super wound up.

I have a mate who's good at psychological warfare during a game, it doesn't work on me but it does on others In the group but it's a valid if underhanded tactic.

Don't bash on the OP for not enjoying tournaments that environment isn't for everyone.

I just went to my first tournaments the last few months and enjoyed them so much I'm going to be running a couple of events at my local club.

You got the usual "person with no social skills", "person who can't take losing", "person who was smug" and so on, but honestly you'll get that in any competition in anything, whether it's sports, miniatures, your job or whatever. If you don't have a way to tune them out from affecting your mental or emotional state then I don't know how you function in social situations in the real world.

Honestly, if someone is unwelcome in a 100 mile area then you seriously need to prompt a discussion with your TOs as to whether he needs a caution or a blacklist. That's assuming everyone has as much of a problem with him as you do.

I did reasonably well in all 3 events, pulled second place in 2 and top 8 in another, only been playing since Christmas. I do enjoy this game a lot more than the current situation in GW systems, which is why I'm cutting down my 40k collection in order to invest more into this hobby.

On the other hand, I will point out that due to the inherent nature of the game systems, X-Wing is FAR more "cookie cutter" than 40k. X-Wing had (to a degree still has, until people get fully integrated into Scum) two factions, and of those two factions, you had maybe 2-3 archetypes, giving a total of half a dozen top tier list concepts, with less than 10 ships appearing, often with identical loadouts.

Meanwhile 40k has 11 factions, each with their own top tier units, each able to ally almost freely with themselves, plus dataslates etc etc. It is extremely unlikely you'll ever find someone with a literally identical list to someone else, whereas in X-Wing that's not unheard of, and in any large event is almost common.

i have to admit i had wanted to quit because of all the turrets, then i decided to go to 2 SC in 2 different areas thinking that Scum would help to alleviate the boringness of turrets, well i was wrong, 7 out of 11 lists had turrets at the 1st SC, and at the second 4 out of 14 and the top 4 where 3 of the turret lists. Very dull.