Balance to the Force - Tournament League Format

Balance to the Force is a tournament league of 4-12 mini tournaments with a built in Handicapping structure. The objective is to build up the biggest handicap over the league. The handicap is designed to balance up the game a little and has a few side effects that promote a more enjoyable game by addressing a few of the concerns of players. (More below)

League

Cost - $10

Format - 4-12 Weekly Tournaments

Prizes - 75% of pool divided between the top 25% players with best handicap and 25% of pool for sportsmanship/social awards. Prizes should be as Store credit if a single store hosts the league

Weekly Tournament

Cost - $10

Format - 3 Rounds Swiss

Prizes - $20 Store Credit paid to Top Half of Players

- Player Handicap -

A players handicap is 0 when they join the league. Everytime a player achieves a full win, increase that players handicap by 1 and reduces his opponents handicap by 1.

The BYE is considered a player and maintains his handicap for the entire league.

A players handicap is added to a players list total when determining Initiative.

The difference in players handicap is applied to the game score and effects the ships destroyed score when determining a modified win.

When determining player matchups, players with the same number of wins should be paired on handicap.

- Card Handicap -

At the start of the league all cards (Pilots and Upgrade Cards) have a handicap value of 0. When a player doesn't win a match he has played out, he chooses 1 card in the opponents list and increases its handicap value by 1, then chooses any card not in the opponents list and reduces its handicap value by 1. For future tournaments in the league each card has its cost modified using the chart below. (Formula for those using a spreadsheet "=INT(SQRT(MAX(ABS('Handicap')-1,0)))*SIGN('Handicap')") The list of the handicaps should be published at least a few days before the next weeks tournament.

Handicap       Cost Modifier
 >=  10        +3
 9 to  5       +2
 4 to  2       +1
 1 to -1        0
-2 to -4       -1
-5 to -9       -2
 <= -10        -3

The handicap answers some of the concerns players had for playing in the league. Most players aren't top tier and felt like they had no chance to win. Having a handicap applied to players and the top tier lists gives more causual players a chance, while the players with a more serious play ethic have a challenge building lists that aren't the same each week. The handicapping on Cards means that lists that are played for fun but aren't normally viable due to costs creep into play while the same old tier1 lists become costed out. The prize structure on the tournament gives more players an opportunty for a prize letting weaker players feel like they had a chance rather than just giving their money away, and still gives players who want to win for profit a prize worth the effort of play. Because games are played at a tournament it could be hosted at multiple stores and players can start any time and aren't really punished for missing some weeks.