Tomorrow I host the first wargaming tournament I have ever attempted . I think I have thought of everything, but am still understandably nervous. Any veterans tournament organizers have any advice for me?

So long as you're Setup well in advance, and have a voice to carry over to get people's Lists in early (if you're verifying them).

Other than that, be fair, but take no crap from anyone. If they can't decide on the table, and the FAQs don't cover it (have a copy for yourself), then make a call and take no crap from that point on.

I'll add a few other thoughts as I have them... Although I've yet to run an Armada or X-Wing Tournament, my Wife and I created a Gaming Club back home in Australia before we left for Canada - lots of tournaments for many different games systems...

With an Armada Tournament, its pretty well "BYO" with all of the stuff... Players are expected to have Damage Decks, Equipment and Scenery, which takes away a lot of your requirements for a regular tournament game. Otherwise that's a layer of concern you usually have.

If you have a Tournament Computer to log the final games on - Don't sit behind it. Walk a pattern around the games as they're being played - get a feel for the way they're going - but don't get caught up being a spectator. Just check what rounds people are on, and give a quick kick around to anyone who is lagging behind to the point they won't make the round timer... This lets you get the lead out on people before it becomes a problem.

Enter stuff quickly as you get the information back - if you can pair up beforehand (for example, if its Round Robin), then prep what you can in advance.

Other than that. Don't freak out. Your players should be - at least - responsible young adults, if not adults, and they should have the respect for each other and the game, and the venue. If they don't, then don't have any hesitations in going for the advice I posted First of all

If you have an Issue come up a few times in a single round - Take a Moment between rounds to tell *everyone* your decision, that way they know in the future its final... But save those for issues you have coming up again and again on a walkaround... Don't bog down between rounds explaining minutae. Tell everyone that was the decision and move on from it...

And most of all... Don't freak out.

I'll necro this thread, rather than posting a fresh one.

Tomorrow (or, later today, if you want to be strict about it) I'll be running a little tournament here in Portland (thread here ).

Thus far, I've TO'd two tournaments that I inherited from someone else who had to skip out. This will be the first one that I'll have organized one start-to-finish. Those past two tournaments I won, and it felt awkward because I was also the TO - not that I had to make any calls that benefited me. My role was no more than to calculate the points and hand out the prizes (to myself).

But anyway, tomorrow I don't intend to play if there's an odd number of participants, and if I do play, I'm not planning to bring my A-game. My primary objective is to build community and make sure that everyone has a good time. If the Dark Side rewards me for this with (yet) another medal, so be it.

But how have you other TOs handled this? Did you win your own TO'd tournament? Or, did you give the odd-numbered player a bye and still sit out the games yourself? If so, did you also pay the participation fee?

What are the best practices in this regard?

I'll necro this thread, rather than posting a fresh one.

Tomorrow (or, later today, if you want to be strict about it) I'll be running a little tournament here in Portland (thread here ).

Thus far, I've TO'd two tournaments that I inherited from someone else who had to skip out. This will be the first one that I'll have organized one start-to-finish. Those past two tournaments I won, and it felt awkward because I was also the TO - not that I had to make any calls that benefited me. My role was no more than to calculate the points and hand out the prizes (to myself).

But anyway, tomorrow I don't intend to play if there's an odd number of participants, and if I do play, I'm not planning to bring my A-game. My primary objective is to build community and make sure that everyone has a good time. If the Dark Side rewards me for this with (yet) another medal, so be it.

But how have you other TOs handled this? Did you win your own TO'd tournament? Or, did you give the odd-numbered player a bye and still sit out the games yourself? If so, did you also pay the participation fee?

What are the best practices in this regard?

==Heavy Personal Preference, and not from Armada TOing - I've TO'd a bunch of other games instead==

At least where I come from, If you are playing - it has to be "Fair" in all regards. If you're playing, you pay.

If the tournament has prizes for the TO, then they don't get those automatically - even if you lose - - they're back in the pool - if they're playing... (For Example, the Massing of Sullust's prize structure). The Freebie prize is when you Enable and sit out, especially when there' s a LOT of Players, a LOT of Number Crunching, and a LOT of table wizardry to get people to play nice...

Building the community is the absolute number one thing... No player wants to see a TO in it for themselves* and themselves only.

* That being said, there's nothing wrong WITH being in it for yourself, just don't let people see...

But anyway, tomorrow I don't intend to play if there's an odd number of participants, and if I do play, I'm not planning to bring my A-game. My primary objective is to build community and make sure that everyone has a good time. If the Dark Side rewards me for this with (yet) another medal, so be it.

What are the best practices in this regard?

At least where I come from, If you are playing - it has to be "Fair" in all regards. If you're playing, you pay.

If the tournament has prizes for the TO, then they don't get those automatically - even if you lose - - they're back in the pool - if they're playing... (For Example, the Massing of Sullust's prize structure). The Freebie prize is when you Enable and sit out, especially when there' s a LOT of Players, a LOT of Number Crunching, and a LOT of table wizardry to get people to play nice...

Building the community is the absolute number one thing... No player wants to see a TO in it for themselves* and themselves only.

* That being said, there's nothing wrong WITH being in it for yourself, just don't let people see...

Well, the above-mentioned tournament happened. Circumstances were such that a number of people canceled before the tournament, leaving us with four players if I joined. So, I joined to make it an even number.

Halfway through round 1, one player announces that he'll have to leave in 30 minutes. He was playing me and I win that game. So, at that point, I have the choice of bowing out to make the participants even again, but that means that the two remaining opponents play against one another again and again. I figured that it'd be better if the guy losing the other game gets the bye - gets 8 points - and is thus in the running to win the tournament despite the earlier loss. I make that call, we start setting up, and then the guy with the bye decides it's not worthwhile to stick around.

It wasn't ideal. It's just me and my one other opponent. The Dark Side was good to me again, and sends me home with the medal.

I'm starting to see the Dark Side of the Dark Side, because the Dark Side is favoring me, but it's not helping me achieve my objective of building community. Instead, it's making me look like the guy who runs tournaments so that he can win.

Send me one, then I've been sacrificing myself in league play to teach people how to play better... And when we do get to Tournaments, I'll be sit-out TO-ing... So I'll never see one, otherwise

Send me one, then I've been sacrificing myself in league play to teach people how to play better... And when we do get to Tournaments, I'll be sit-out TO-ing... So I'll never see one, otherwise

You don't understand the power of the Dark Side. I must keep my medal.