https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/12/23/lock-on/

have a look see, it has a new structure too! (thats the same as the old structure....)

It's not the same as the old structure. Once you get 9+ people, you should play 4 rounds, not 3. 3 Rounds of games doesn't feel like enough of a day of gaming to me, IMO, but more than that, you can end up with a couple 3-0s and have to use MoV to determine a winner, which is always annoying in a small player count.

Gotcha, read it very quickly. A lot of places that have their monthly/weekly on a week night already use this structure in my area as well.

Good news: they're explicitly including an extra alt-art pilot card for the tournament organizer to keep if they want to. This is a great change to reward the hard-working organizers who often don't get to play in as many tournaments.

Bad news: Only two "sets" of tractor beam tokens and only 10 such tokens total. Combine that with the suggestion that placing first means only getting your first pick of alt-art OR tokens, and it means actually getting all the prizes from a given quarterly kit is going to be significantly harder, even for relatively skilled players. When I run tournaments, I am likely going to distribute the tractor tokens as five sets of two, instead of two sets of five, so that more players have a chance to pick them up at some point.

I am also inclined, if my store gets enough kits, to run at least one double-kit tournament. 10 sets of two tractor tokens and 6 alt-art Ketsu means I can give a prize to every single participant, even if our store's full cap of 16 players shows up. I did that with the last 2016 kit and a very casual free-for-all tournament format, and it was a big hit.

Not very happy they got rid of the challenge coin. Those were great prizes for a semi premiere event I would run in my store once a month.

Good news: they're explicitly including an extra alt-art pilot card for the tournament organizer to keep if they want to. This is a great change to reward the hard-working organizers who often don't get to play in as many tournaments.

That's always been there.

The cards are all made in house. Has this always been the case?

Shame there's no challenge coins, really pleased I managed to get one before they phased them out.

The cards are all made in house. Has this always been the case?

Shame there's no challenge coins, really pleased I managed to get one before they phased them out.

Yes, always been in house.

Good news: they're explicitly including an extra alt-art pilot card for the tournament organizer to keep if they want to. This is a great change to reward the hard-working organizers who often don't get to play in as many tournaments.

That's always been there.

Not the pilot card. Just the upgrade.

Good news: they're explicitly including an extra alt-art pilot card for the tournament organizer to keep if they want to. This is a great change to reward the hard-working organizers who often don't get to play in as many tournaments.

That's always been there.

What? No. Top 1 gets the medal/coin. Top 2 get alt art pilots. Top 8 get tokens. That's how it was for all of 2016. The only extra card for the TO was the alt art upgrade, but that is the least valuable item in any kit. The third alt art pilot for the TO is new.

FFG pushing the "3 ships are a swarm" motif they started with Swarm Leader

see also: two swarm leader squads

An alt-art of a card that hasn't been popular since wave 1-2 is such a weird choice. Why do a promo card no one will use?

Seems sad that they are cutting down the number of prizes from last year.

And while the art on Swarm Tactics is cool ... why not a card that gets used more? Autothrusters would be good choice ...

Prize support definitely dwindling. No challenge coin, less tokens...

It feels like they are skimping on the prize pool a little bit. I also really don't like not getting the alt art and tokens if you win. I mean not everyone can go to many stores to different tournaments.

Prize support definitely dwindling. No challenge coin, less tokens...

It feels like they are skimping on the prize pool a little bit. I also really don't like not getting the alt art and tokens if you win. I mean not everyone can go to many stores to different tournaments.

Probably a cost saving measure related to going from 3 kits a year to 4?

Prize support definitely dwindling. No challenge coin, less tokens...

It feels like they are skimping on the prize pool a little bit. I also really don't like not getting the alt art and tokens if you win. I mean not everyone can go to many stores to different tournaments.

Probably a cost saving measure related to going from 3 kits a year to 4?

I believe this is the correct answer.

I have also heard a rumor that they changed suppliers for acrylics after the Cluster Mine debacle, which may have affected their costs.

Probably a cost saving measure related to going from 3 kits a year to 4?

Don't the stores have to pay for the kits anyway? If not, then it's probably understandable. Still not exactly inspiring, though.

Probably a cost saving measure related to going from 3 kits a year to 4?

Don't the stores have to pay for the kits anyway? If not, then it's probably understandable. Still not exactly inspiring, though.

Stores do pay for the kits, but from what I've heard, the price of the kit has remained constant for a long time. I don't think the kits themselves are intended to be directly profitable for FFG anyway, given how low the price is for the store. Keeping the kit price low helps keep stores running tournaments and keeps tournament entry fees down, which leads to more tournament participation and more spending on game products.

Probably a cost saving measure related to going from 3 kits a year to 4?

Don't the stores have to pay for the kits anyway? If not, then it's probably understandable. Still not exactly inspiring, though.

Stores do pay for the kits, but from what I've heard, the price of the kit has remained constant for a long time. I don't think the kits themselves are intended to be directly profitable for FFG anyway, given how low the price is for the store. Keeping the kit price low helps keep stores running tournaments and keeps tournament entry fees down, which leads to more tournament participation and more spending on game products.

Actually I have a good friend who owns the local store here, the prices of the kits had gradually climbed the last couple of years and the new ones cost less than half of what the last kit did.

It's bittersweet for me. NIce to know the kits are cheaper and will be out a little more often but I live around no stores or other players. It's an 8 hour round trip to go to a tournament. Knowing that there will be less prize support is kind of a bummer. But man, I love this game so much so I'll still go from time to time!

You could always split the token bags so that top8 gets one token and top2 get another one. With tokens like tractor beam it shouldnt be an issue.

Sure card choices are a bit weak, but I didn't expect them to put high value upgrade cards to quarter kits anymore. Ketsu is nice just because it is scum alt. But at least it is something more useful than 20 c3po's..

...but at least it is something more useful than 20 c3po's..

Not sure about that. Many people liked the C3-PO alt art because it was an alternative to buying the Tantive IV, and a very useful upgrade in Rebel lists. It's still sought after now, as shown by the prices it goes for on ebay.

Swarm Tactics? Not so much.

It saves new players from buying the Howlrunner and/or Darth Vader expansions. Wait...

Swarm tactics. Meh. Crack shot promo/autothrusters promo is what we all need.