[Blog] FFG could learn from 40k tournaments

By Lobokai, in X-Wing

Hold on, hold on... lightsabers and blasters down, its probably not what you think... look before telling me FFG is way better than GW at support (cause it certainly is light years ahead and I'm not saying otherwise).

How you handle prize support matters

Edited by Lobokai

Sorry, but i failt to understand, what's the purpose of this?

Edited by DreadStar

Yeah, I think we need signatures to return because posts to blogs just don't cut it.

Now I do think FFG does have some thing to learn from GW's tournaments. After all those that don't study history are doomed to repeat it. But I don't think Prize Support is one of them. First GW tournaments are far different from a simple tournament. You had 2 things with GW's products. The game, and the hobby. now GW declared that they focused on the hobby and that was clearly the case with the Golden Demon and the Slayer Sword trophy which wasn't awarded to the best game players but instead to the best at converting, painting and green stuff sculpting.

Also with faction ratings, well Warhammer 40,000 had 11 factions and Warhammer Fantasy had 13. So with faction rating it made more since since not all of the factions were in relative equilibrium. But for X-wing there is only 3 factions and for the most part they are in equilibrium. So Rebel prizes for best Rebel player Scum player and so on might not be the best thing to do, there is also a joke that all 3 factions have won worlds, Imperial Paul Heaver and Scum.

So what FFG can learn from GW's history is what to do when market wains (canceling games day and Golden Deamon was like ringing the death knell), also how to deal with less scrupulous players. As I said before since it is easier for people to get into X-wing than it is for 40,000, it is easier for those trolls of 40k to find their way to X-wing.

1 hour ago, Marinealver said:

we need signatures to return because posts to blogs just don't cut it

I so want my sig bar back

Wait, Games Workshop supports tournaments?

Personally I hope FFG takes as few cues from Games Workshop as possible. Especially when it comes to organised and competitive play.

3 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

Wait, Games Workshop supports tournaments?

Personally I hope FFG takes as few cues from Games Workshop as possible. Especially when it comes to organised and competitive play.

That's nice. I agree. Article's not about GW at all

Read the blog post - agree 100%. I play casual and mostly just scum. No interest in comps, etc as they are now but would be willing to attend comps with those sorts of 'Sidequest' objectives and more chance at swag :)

Also I had no idea how much i need a star wars/40k crossover after seeing that pic....

19 hours ago, Lobokai said:

Hold on, hold on... lightsabers and blasters down, its probably not what you think... look before telling me FFG is way better than GW at support (cause it certainly is light years ahead and I'm not saying otherwise).

How you handle prize support matters

I like you articles, especially this one: http://xwing-armada.blogspot.ca/2017/04/a-warning-to-ffg.html

I totally agree with you when you say that FFG doesnt need power creeps to sell ships. People will buy them just to get new models or different flying feeling. They dont need to put out more powerful ship wave after wave.

23 minutes ago, Thormind said:

I totally agree with you when you say that FFG doesnt need power creeps to sell ships. People will buy them just to get new models or different flying feeling. They dont need to put out more powerful ship wave after wave.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying every wave has had power creep all over the place, just that things have shown up in the past or are coming down the pipe (jumpmaster, protectorates, scurrg, aggressor) that have gone or seen to go that way and I hope those are anomalies not the current direction

Edited by Lobokai

We've had a few local tournaments with secret prizes with the conditions to win either only being hinted at or announced at the beginning of each round. Things like closest victory in the round, fastest 0-100 loss, 1st person to kill Palp (bonus if it was with Boba), 1st quad crit, both players in the 1st final salvo of the tournament getting something, etc. They were all relatively minor, just an alt art card or a token but everyone enjoyed it immensely and it really adds something fun to the tournament that makes it less about the cutthroat quest for top 8

ALternate prize support is always nice. UKTC Last year had fastest-victory prizes, for instance - 2 ships from each faction, custom painted. Each round, the fastest winner from that faction got the ship.

I completely agree with the blog post. Rewarding things that aren't just 'winning the most' can be fun for everyone, and can really make a difference for players who aren't going to crack the top four.

One of the best tournaments I went to was at a small shop in Bellingham. They gave out a spot prize of a pack of dice to the first person to roll three blanks on an evade roll (Mine, as Juno Eclipse exploded in the opening round of fire). Somebody else won a prize for being the first to drop a bomb (this was before Sabine). And the last place player won a TIE Fighter expansion pack.

I have to agree with the idea that ffg takes as little as possible from gw. Around my area and i am sure it is a common thought else where but gw = gone wild in how they run their business. I mean who wants to pay $100 plus for models that 6 months from now you can use or $75 for a codex that might be out of date in a year (or even 10 plus in some cases).

1 hour ago, Flyingbrick said:

I have to agree with the idea that ffg takes as little as possible from gw. Around my area and i am sure it is a common thought else where but gw = gone wild in how they run their business. I mean who wants to pay $100 plus for models that 6 months from now you can use or $75 for a codex that might be out of date in a year (or even 10 plus in some cases).

I agree. This is about 40k ITC... not GW. GW doesn't even support competitive play at all.