It just had not occurred to me that a store hosting an SC would, or could, offer early registration to certain people. As an X-Wing event planner and judge hoping to bring in new players, it just never crossed my mind to do that. That was naive.

The passive aggressive attacks are strong on this thread.

Sorry, but if the space is too small to run a bigger tournament, then the store should go and find a bigger room for the tournament. This is done in many areas.

It should also be in the interest of the store to have high accessibility to benefit from additional promotion. It is unexplainable for me that there are stores that does not make the effort to find an appropriate room so that everybody can/could participate

You can go and help them i presume? You know since gettinre bigger space is too easy

It is obviously in best interest for a store to have more customers , but just beacuse you have 64 players to attend a tournament there is obligation to accomodate all of them. I am not even touching Logistics likr tables, bathroom, refree s and such.

That´s what I did the last two tournaments (although I do not know the owner of the store, just the TO). The poster is talking about 16 people restrictions, not 64 people or more. Don´t change the facts in order to have your arguments fit better. There are always plenty of rooms for rent (for free). We always bring our own playmats etc. What is the part of the store? Just find a place that everybody can play. Like many others, I don´t play anything else than X-wing (and I never had). I buy the ships and all the stuff around it, and my biggest fun is to play in tournaments (and of course to prepare for them). Why resign just because of "secret store member illuminati groups". Maybe they should meet each other every saturday evening and run around with candles and cowls.

It just had not occurred to me that a store hosting an SC would, or could, offer early registration to certain people. As an X-Wing event planner and judge hoping to bring in new players, it just never crossed my mind to do that. That was naive.

It isn't exactly common. I don't necessarily approve of it. But I can see the reasoning behind it, and as long as it isn't a closed tournament, I don't see the issue. I know how lucky I am in my preferred stores, and how they have a good amount of space. Not all stores have that luxury. And, since these are presumebly to be the high point of most stores running the game, I don't see the issue giving the locals first shot at the limited spots.