A thread over in the Armada forum has turned into a discussion on 'Prize Sniping' which seems to refer to travelling to FLGSs to play in tournaments with prizes that you might not play in on a regular basis for non-competitive play.

When I play in tournaments at my local place I personally don't care who turns up and if they're good enough to win the prizes then good for them. I pay my entry free (usually £7) and for that I get a whole day of playing X-Wing as well a chance to chat with likeminded people. If I happen to win something then great, if not then I'm just pleased that I've had the chance to play with people better than me and have hopefully learned something.

However from reading around it seems that some think that the regular players have more right to the prizes than the 'outsider'. Thoughts?

I do this a little bit. I'm in Vancouver, but I've travelled down to Bellingham to go to a tourney at a shop owned by a friend of a friend. I placed both times (didn't win, but I did alright), and got some swag.

The swag is nice, but I'm there for the competition. If I restricted myself to only showing up to the one store, I'd get to play in maybe a couple of tournaments per year. I'm really excited about competitive play; it's fun to craft a list and see how it matches up against my opponents. Competitive play is a more tense, engaging beast than regular play. And that's what I'm there for. The prizes are a nice cookie, if I earn them.

Also, I just don't think you'd have enough of a turn out for each individual store to only cater to their own people.

Oh boy hear we go again... The last kind of post like this ended up with like 700 replies...

Oh boy hear we go again... The last kind of post like this ended up with like 700 replies...

Whoops! Sorry.

There is no LGS in my town and I can only play a few tournaments every year. I do alright. I'm sure people have had similar thoughts about me.

If you want the prizes then earn them and beat the outsiders.

I do this a little bit. I'm in Vancouver, but I've travelled down to Bellingham to go to a tourney at a shop owned by a friend of a friend. I placed both times (didn't win, but I did alright), and got some swag.

The swag is nice, but I'm there for the competition. If I restricted myself to only showing up to the one store, I'd get to play in maybe a couple of tournaments per year. I'm really excited about competitive play; it's fun to craft a list and see how it matches up against my opponents. Competitive play is a more tense, engaging beast than regular play. And that's what I'm there for. The prizes are a nice cookie, if I earn them.

Also, I just don't think you'd have enough of a turn out for each individual store to only cater to their own people.

You've been down to Lynnwood and Bellevue as well haven't you? I know you...

Yeah I don't get why this is a thing. Just, play the game, support the store - wherever you choose to play - be it a mile , ten miles, or a thousand miles from home and have fun.

I'd like to add that I'd really like to go to the Wyse road x-wing nights, but weds is such a bad night for me... (it's on a weekday).

Yeah I don't get why this is a thing. Just, play the game, support the store - wherever you choose to play - be it a mile , ten miles, or a thousand miles from home and have fun.

This is a problem becuase the "casual" players and environment is upset when "competitive" players show up. It is a sign that the "casual" players aren't really casual.

So it's one big logical fallacy then?

I believe I heard that FFG was going to start doing more OP kits that were not competitive so that casuals could have some fun events without feeling the pressure of a store championship or regional event.

Personally, I have no problem with people showing up to store championships or regionals no matter where in the world they come from. I think showing up from another state for a game night kit tournament is a little less tasteful. I feel like those should reward local players who play at the store. The solution, of course, is to use those kits for leagues instead of one-off tournaments. Anyway, I think FFG will surprise us with some new stuff in the future.

I wish I had more time to attend official events, and an out of town(in this case out of Nova Scotia)gamer visiting to test his steel against us I would see as nothing short of awesome. Dammit X-W nova scotia needs a friday game. I could attend those at least one in two weeks.

Having a couple of players that hit every store in a large area and end up winning multiple store championships seems a little wrong to me but I don't know what I'd do to change it that wouldn't create a worse situation. I think most of these people are looking for good competition and aren't really "prize sniping".

When you've got folks driving 2-3 hours to a store championship (when there are 3-4 closer stores to them) it stops being a store championship and starts being a mini-regional.

I enjoy traveling to cities in a 2 hour radius to test my skills in the various tourneys. Its also fun when your group travels together and wins on the road. With store champs coming up, if scheduling will allow i'll be TOing three and traveling to at least five, most likely with my group.

We have 4 stores in our area that run regular X-Wing events, each on a different day of the week. Each store gets about 8-10 people a week, with very little crossover. I would find it boring if a tournament happened and I only saw the same 8-10 players there. Instead, each store will have its own Store Championship and each one has a potential draw of about 40 players (though it'll probably be closer to 20). Still, that's double the money for the store, which is good because they bought those prizes and would like to profit from the event (because they are businesses.... always remember that). It's also good for the competitive players because they get exposed to more players and lists and can up their game. It should be good for casuals as well--if they're truly casual--because they'll get to meet more people who love the same game they love.

The only "problem" comes from a player who wins every week at his store assuming that the prizes that the store-owner paid for belong to that player, and then being upset when another big fish or three comes swimming into the pond.

I think the Armada thread is a bit different. They are complaining that the TO changed the date of the pre release tournament on short notice so him and another guy could split the prizes when no one esle would be able to show up. That is wrong on many levels.

Showing up, and playing at game stores to get prizes is fine if you are good enough to win the prizes.

What upsets me is people who come into my FLGS and act like over-competitive d**ks when people are there to have a good time. Example at my game store some people drove up from a city south of Seattle, that copies Seattle in every way but pretends like it doesn't, to play in a SWLCG tournament. They proceed to be total jerks: "oh you touch a card you have to play that card" even if you just touched it to read it with b/c glare on the cards can block text. Generally stupid procedural crap like that. Luckly my friends are better than me at SWLCG and that jackhole who bragged about how much he won just to sell it on ebay, and how he was going to dominate our local group, got his teeth kicked in by my friends and didnt leave with a prize. unfortunately they beat him by giving him what he was dishing out and it was not a fun tournament for anyone.

Everybody gets something for playing in the event usually. My store has a sort of "gentleman's agreement" that a player will decline to take a prize that they have already won elsewhere so more people get in on the fun. How many range rulers or copies of alt-art whosits do you need?

The only behavior that is unacceptable would be a local player feeling like they "deserve" a certain prize. The winner of the event earns the prize. However, it would be bad form to play in many events with the same kit and then put all your extra copies of, say ,CP-3O on the ebays.

Store Championships are... Poorly named, in my opinion. They serve as the first step on the road to Regionals, nationals, and Worlds. They are basically mini-regionals. People use them as a sort of practice run for the really big competitions. The more people, the better the competition (In theory).

The seasonal tournament kits are a bit more casual. Still, don't begrudge people going out of their way for a game. If you really feel out of town players are creating a negative play environ for the locals by being a little too competitive, I'd recommend themed events and scenarios over standard 100 point dogfights- It'll encourage people to shake things up and not treat the event as practice for the big leagues.

Oh boy hear we go again... The last kind of post like this ended up with like 700 replies...

Whoops! Sorry.

Yeah, we can just lock this thread now instead of in about 10 pages when it totally devolves into Flame Fest 2015?

Prize 'sniping' is a loaded term.

The poster in the Armada thread probably plays Stark in AGOT and thinks Lannister and Intrige are broken...

Anyway, if you win an event and get the prize it is earned. Not sniped. Semantic argument for the win.

In my area its the norm for people to go to a store they normally wouldn't for a tourney. I'm really not seeing what's wrong with it, if a player is good at the game as long as there being nice about it, shouldn't it be fine?

I do this a little bit. I'm in Vancouver, but I've travelled down to Bellingham to go to a tourney at a shop owned by a friend of a friend. I placed both times (didn't win, but I did alright), and got some swag.

The swag is nice, but I'm there for the competition. If I restricted myself to only showing up to the one store, I'd get to play in maybe a couple of tournaments per year. I'm really excited about competitive play; it's fun to craft a list and see how it matches up against my opponents. Competitive play is a more tense, engaging beast than regular play. And that's what I'm there for. The prizes are a nice cookie, if I earn them.

Also, I just don't think you'd have enough of a turn out for each individual store to only cater to their own people.

Come on down this weekend! We've got a tournament starting at noon on Saturday at Dark Tower Games.

Snipers welcome.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all. Even if there goal is to win all of the prizes in a large area to sell on ebay than that's there prerogative.

So it's one big logical fallacy then?

More or less. The whole concept seems to be based on the idea that there's a pro league and amature league for X-Wing, and you have the Pro's coming into the Am's store and beating them all.

This is of course not really true. A small isolated store may not allow for the same opportunities to play as a bigger one does. My LGS is in a small town and not many people come, so the people who play at the FFG event center will play more often and against more people.

But I still finished 22nd overall at the MN regionals. That had people like Hothie playing there... So the people who come from the event center to my store aren't unbeatable, they still have to play and win to get a prize.

I don't know what I'd do to change it that wouldn't create a worse situation.

That is IMO a different thing though. If you won a SC, have the plaque, the bye, the cool swag, ect... and are only looking for some competitive games. I think you shouldn't accept the prizes you already won somewhere else.

I'm not sure you could codify that in the rules, but if I won a SC then went to another store having a SC, I would give any prizes I won to 2nd place.