NOVA Squadron Radio – Episode 37: Worlds 2015 Follow Up Show

Welcome to NOVA Squadron Radio! This week we joined by Jeremy Howard (Top 4) and Paul Heaver as we break down Worlds 2015 in its most tactical form. We break down each of our rounds and all of the lists and players we faced in this amazing event. All of that and a LOT more…

NOVA Squadron Radio is:
Ed Horne – Host
Chad Brown – Co-Host/Editor
Sean Dorcy – Co-host
Bob Randall – Co-host
Kris Sherriff – Co-host
Jeremy Howard – Special Guest
Paul Heaver – Special Guest

Here are the show notes from Episode 37:

[0:00 – 1:45] Show Opening
[1:45 – 47:00] Flight Deck
[47:00 – 1:07:45] News:
Capa Cup 2016 http://www.capacup.net/
Steve Horvath Interview w/Team Covenant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-1Jm5Z1Sfs

[1:07:45 – 3:44:00] Main Topic: Worlds 2015 Tactical!
[3:44:00 – 3:46:45] Show Closing

Musical Credits go out to the band ‘Insane Ride’ and their songs ‘Sound of Rock and Roll’ and ‘Wrong or Right’ found on the Free Music Archive at http://freemusicarchive.org/

Thanks for listening, and talk to you again in two weeks!

Here is the direct link: http://novasquadronradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NOVA_Squadron_Radio_Episode_37_final.mp3

www.novasquadronradio.com

On the point about tltact wardens being worth the points:

Is this really true of one of them or only in pairs? I can't ever make it work as filler despite doing pretty will with Danger Zone.

next time Paul wins worlds they need to give him a new mic so we can hear all his secrets to wining more clearer

grate show guys keep up the good work

Well little known fact, Paul spends most of his time now locked in the bowels of FFG and he is only permitted out to participated in FFG gaming tournaments. So communications with him is very difficult to get through.

I spot checked some of my parts of the podcast, and I can understand it just fine. I'm a little muffled compare to everyone else, but it's not as bad as it used to be.

Another dev who wants to make x wing less competitive, what a shock.

If Steve himself says you don't win while playing it safe, and that you got to play the whole match lest your opponent scores a last-minute TD, what's so bad about players adopting the exact same attitude?

Paul, you were fine. I thought the audio was okay actually.

Hondo -> That is an interesting take on the interview. Personally, I didn't hear it that way. What I heard is that they didn't want to nix out the casual players and wanted to help include them, not make X-Wing less competitive.

Another dev who wants to make x wing less competitive, what a shock.

If Steve himself says you don't win while playing it safe, and that you got to play the whole match lest your opponent scores a last-minute TD, what's so bad about players adopting the exact same attitude?

Unfortunately I don't think we will really know what Steve Horvath was hinting at in his interview until it is actually announced by FFG. Also, Steve Horvath is a VP of communications, he is not an X-wing game developer. Currently (to my knowledge) only Alex Davy and Frank Brooks are the active developers.

let's be honest:

"we" who are 'more competative' (reading/talking on forums because of xwing, most of us practice and analyse etc) are having a blast - and that should not change.

however - if you are the 100% casusal type, playing it for fun only .. there is a point pretty early in beginning were you ask "okay, I got the rules.. now what can I do with it?"

..and the answer (from us) is "well, we play 100p games of deathmatch and thats it".

..can see where casual players get disappointed, because they "want something more"

while I also would like to point out that these forums totally have "something more" -and in abundance!- , a lot of people prefer written expansions/scenarios by the manufacturer of the game.

and -that- is the point where I think Steve wants to do something; FFG realised (a long time ago..) that their games aren't for competative people only, and they try to get the casual ones 'more involved' in stuff, without 'converting' them to be competative.

that said: I'm really interested in how he can/will accomplish that. but they have done some very good work so far, I trust they'll continue that.

let's be honest:

"we" who are 'more competative' (reading/talking on forums because of xwing, most of us practice and analyse etc) are having a blast - and that should not change.

however - if you are the 100% casusal type, playing it for fun only .. there is a point pretty early in beginning were you ask "okay, I got the rules.. now what can I do with it?"

..and the answer (from us) is "well, we play 100p games of deathmatch and thats it".

..can see where casual players get disappointed, because they "want something more"

while I also would like to point out that these forums totally have "something more" -and in abundance!- , a lot of people prefer written expansions/scenarios by the manufacturer of the game.

and -that- is the point where I think Steve wants to do something; FFG realised (a long time ago..) that their games aren't for competative people only, and they try to get the casual ones 'more involved' in stuff, without 'converting' them to be competative.

that said: I'm really interested in how he can/will accomplish that. but they have done some very good work so far, I trust they'll continue that.

Well said. As you said, which 'we' (am I am most certainly guilty of being in that group) have taken this game to the seriously competitive level and 'we' are generally happy with how things are going, I am not concerned at all. I can only see more players playing this game as a good thing for the community and anyway FFG wants to support that I fully support.

the "Problem" (it is no problem per se, but a situation) is just that casual people are a bit left out, the story driven aspect which many people like is non-existant, scenarios and really-epic events are not at the point they need to etc etc.

-intermission- I don't believe in a casual vs competative in any way, it should be an "we people who enjoy xwing" and is for the most part, so from here on simply for the sake of bringing the point home-

furthermore, if "one of them" runs into "one of us", say at a tournament.. it doesn't end well. casual players -will- lose most of the time, just as a village-football-club will lose to a big-city-big-name-club most of the times (not because we are better, people! just because we train and they don't. or just as we lose a game we are new in against someone who trained and knows -that- inside out).

anywhoo..

losing every game in every tournament is discouraging, and people want to have a more positive time. which everybody can understand.

so I think FFG is going to do sth exactly there.

tournaments live through elimination/points - let's play something that doesn't use this mechanism, too.

scenario-events for example could be fun. REALLY epic battles with lots of players per side could, too. just something where practically everybody wins and there is "no best", but maybe a winning side, a losing side - but apart from bragging rights everybody is a winner and gets some small price (card, token, whatever) and has a great time.

these events would be much too soft for the (over)competative crowd with their cutthroat-"there can only be one"-mindset (again.. to bring the point home), but should be fun for the entire rest, the moderately competative players as well als casual people - and could be run even parallel; so everybody could have a good time - as everybody deserves

also.. Steve: stop being so infectious with that rebellion-stuff..! I really do.not.want. to like that game, too (money, time..) - but you make that very hard with your enthusiasm!

I agree. I can see how some people could want to get into this game for the 'narrative' game, to re-create the trench run or the battle of Endor. And those players should feel equally supported as we as competitive players feel supported.

I just don't know how FFG does it. So I'm looking forward to seeing what they try to support them.