What are the impressions of people playing in multiple store championships, particularly those who have already won one?
Is that considered OK or does it limit space for people who normally play at that local store?
If somebody already has a Bye to regionals and wins again - what happens?
Should local stores reserve spots for "regulars?"
Why not?
Stores often have physical space limits, so it's first-come-first-served regardless of who is coming first.
They get a coveted double-bye - which is exactly the same as a regular bye.
No.
I love it, it is always fun when there are some 'new challengers' from elsewhere!
Some pre-pre registering for locals is nice, though. It can be a bit frustrating when locals have to be turned down because people from out of town registered first, but the slots should not be locked.
If someone with a bye wins it is transfered to the runner up.
A player can only win one Bye. If he already won one, it goes to the second player.
As for participating in mutliple Store Championship, I see no problem with it. The more the merrier. I don't really get this 'local only' mentality concerning tournament.
If you are concerned about space, just ask the Store/TO to limit the number of seat and advertise the tournament to local players one or two week before making the general announcement. This way, local players have the privilege of reserving their place before players from out of town.
Silly question. Play in as many tournaments as you want.
Silly question. Play in as many tournaments as you want.
I think it's the return of the annual 'price sniping' threads.... ahhhh, Store Championship season, how I missed you....
I don't like the idea of restricting people out. Maybe folks just want to play some X-Wing, they shouldn't be essentially punished just because they happen to be good enough to have pulled out a W in a tournament.
As for "regulars", there's nothing stopping a store from letting them know early and often to register. But we've heard a couple horror stories of stores restricting registration to tournaments here before, and it can open up a nasty can of worms. But beyond giving those players fair warning ahead of time to go ahead and register, and then those players making sure they get their registration in as early as they can to reserve their spot, there's not much you can or should do.
Really, play a bunch.
I would actually encourage playing in multiple store championships. It's a great way to meet other players and grow the community.
Silly question. Play in as many tournaments as you want.
I think it's the return of the annual 'price sniping' threads.... ahhhh, Store Championship season, how I missed you....
I did some "price sniping". Won some store credit, store had an X-Wing sale on, and then they were awesome enough to apply the sale discount to pre-ordering me some Wave 8 goodies. A Ghost, Mist Hunter, and two TIE/Inqs for what will be almost 50% off. 
I play in as many as I can! I like the social aspect of meeting new people and playing against the best in that area. If I already have a card, 2nd place gets the card. I just love the game and want to play as much of it as I can!
The concerns are always prize sniping and whether or not a player can win multiple tournaments to prevent others from getting the beneficial Bye rounds at Regionals. I say the more the merrier! If the winner already has a Bye, it goes to the Runner up. Simple as that.
I honestly think the biggest problem is the name.
With a name like Store Championship it makes it sound like it's supposed to be an event to determine who is the best player at that store. But the truth is, it's simply tier 1 of the competitive season.
Regionals is tier 2
Nationals is tier 3
North America is tier 4
Worlds is tier 5
Did I miss one?
The simple fact is that no one really has an advantage by going to a different store to play, if anything they may be at a disadvantage because they don't know the local meta.
But this whole idea of 'seal clubbing' is pure nonsense. It's not like the people who play at the FFG event center are inherently better, or have some special advantage over the people who play at smaller stores. The best they may have going for them is access to more people to play against so that means exposure to more play styles.
But that doesn't mean they are inherently superior players or something. So at any given store the best player should win. Which I think is the real issue with the 'prize sniper' complaints. People get their ego bruised when they find out that they're not actually a big fish in a small pond...
They are actually a small fish who happens to be bigger than the other fish they swim with.
I don't have a problem with it. To quote Ric Flair, "To be the man, you've got to beat the man." When I'm playing in my regular FLGS, I consider it a point of pride to try to do my best to represent the home team.
As far as the Bye goes, I also know people who try to win multiple store championships because they plan on competing in multiple Regional events. So they try to collect as many byes as Regional events they plan to attend.
Oh and from the standpoint of most store owners... They'd much rather see the place packed than just the 4-10 regulars... Because that may mean more customers in the future.
At my LGS, it's in a small town and kinda out of the way so not many people know about it. But having 24 at the SC means people who didn't know about it now will and may find it's closer to them then other places they've been going to.
Maybe if they're all sell outs and some people who want in haven't been able to get in. Otherwise I would say go for it! More games = more fun for me! I'm pretty sure I'm not going to go and win so I play in them just to get some more games in with great people.
Silly question. Play in as many tournaments as you want.
I think it's the return of the annual 'price sniping' threads.... ahhhh, Store Championship season, how I missed you....
I did some "price sniping". Won some store credit, store had an X-Wing sale on, and then they were awesome enough to apply the sale discount to pre-ordering me some Wave 8 goodies. A Ghost, Mist Hunter, and two TIE/Inqs for what will be almost 50% off.
You devil.... tsk tsk....
I won a bye last year by taking third place in a Store Championship because 1 & 2 already had byes!
Maybe if they're all sell outs and some people who want in haven't been able to get in.
I do think that a store should give the regulars there first dibs at a spot. At my LGS which was limited to 24, we all got put on the list first thing and the next 18 or so spots were first come first serve.
Having just barely lost 1st to some great gamers from dallas, I think its fine to play in multiple store championships if you are super competitive and want to get to regionals with a head start. I do like the idea of advertising locally first though, since it keeps the focus on the local group, which is most important to the health of the hobby. It would have been really disappointing if I could not have competed in my local store championship because it was full of outsiders!
Silly question. Play in as many tournaments as you want.
I think it's the return of the annual 'price sniping' threads.... ahhhh, Store Championship season, how I missed you....
I did some "price sniping". Won some store credit, store had an X-Wing sale on, and then they were awesome enough to apply the sale discount to pre-ordering me some Wave 8 goodies. A Ghost, Mist Hunter, and two TIE/Inqs for what will be almost 50% off.
You devil.... tsk tsk....
Meh, it was the only way I was going to afford the Ghost any time soon. Paid off some loans, moving in with my girlfriend soon, and heading back to school in the summer... I still have some disposable income, but gonna try and not splurge too much.
More Challenge Coins = Better than Less Challenge Coins.
Also, going to as many tournaments as you can is really the best way to improve yoir gameplay. If the goal is to win Nationals, a System Open, Worlds, a Regional, then attending as many events as you can leading up to the main event is the best thing you can do. Doing well in multiple Store Champs also has its own level of prestige. I mean, 1 plaque on a wall looks pretty lonely, 2 plaques looks great! Also also, stores are sometimes good at handing out store credit, so it if a player is playing to earn some money towards Wave 8, then let them try!
Maybe i dont understand the issue though, since i dont have a store or regular play group, but instead, a group of stores that i travel to.
Also, not only from a Store point of view, but from players that want their favorite game community to grow, more players in a tournament means more visibility and more chance to bring attention to it from people that don,t know the game.
Walk into a store and see 6-8 players play a game, you might go take a look. Now walk into a store and see 20-30 players all playing the same game (and it's not magic!!!!), I'm pretty sure you'll take a better look and be more interested.
they find out that they're not actually a big fish in a small pond...They are actually a small fish who happens to be bigger than the other fish they swim with.
...uh. That's what the phrase means.
they find out that they're not actually a big fish in a small pond...They are actually a small fish who happens to be bigger than the other fish they swim with.
...uh. That's what the phrase means.
Essentially, a player thinks they are better than they actually are.