I go to tournaments for friendly competition that actually has something at stake. The prizes are appreciable enough to want to win, but not so amazing that I feel bad if i don't rank well. It's not like you're playing for high-value prizes the way other games do.

Armada has a fantastically friendly, good-natured, and courteous tournament community in my, albeit limited, experience. From what I've heard from our veteran local players, that is common among most of the tournaments.

25 minutes ago, BiggsIRL said:

You misunderstand.

I am not saying what a nice person I am.

I am saying get used to getting nothing because not even cancer can stop me from showing up and taking all of the prize and then giving it away to some random guy who just played his first game that day. Such is my dedication and promise to this community.

So if you aren't showing up just to enjoy 3 games of Armada, too bad. Because all the prizes are going to my cancer riddled Konstantine using Blockade Run playing self.

I will drag you into enjoying the game for its own sake and not for plastic crap whether you like it or not.

16 minutes ago, ninclouse2000 said:

You can easily find these items like acrylic tokens and range rulers and alt art cards on eBay so I’m not sure why you are complaining. Go check out eBay and you can probably purchase these items.

Both of you have lost your way somewhere and think I'm talking about me. See that's how empathy works. I don't have to agree or even feel the same way as someone to sympathize and understand where they are coming from.

@BiggsIRL

Giving out your prizes may make you feel better and it's certainly a nice gesture, but it has nothing to do with my original post, or having empathy for the guy who wants something he can't obtain. Telling people how to enjoy the game isn't helping anyone. How you want to enjoy it doesn't matter more or less than how others do because you play a lot and do nice things sometimes.

Seeing as every time I try to clarify this you just make it more about you and less about my point I have nothing more to say, feel free to have the last word.

I wish you well with your illness

OP, I feel like either you're trolling or there's an issue with your reading comprehension. Because this:

2 hours ago, Boris_the_Dwarf said:

after reading the tournament rules for Armada events

does not jive with this:

2 hours ago, Boris_the_Dwarf said:

Once you pass the eight man mark, making a top 4 cut seems impossible if you did not win your round 1 game.

And this:

1 hour ago, Boris_the_Dwarf said:

to have your day decided in less than the first 90 minutes

looks a lot like you didn't read this

2 hours ago, Truthiness said:

I've won a Regional after losing a first round game.

or this

2 hours ago, BiggsIRL said:

Example Tournament - 18 players. Score spread: 26, 25, 23, 21 (See Ohio Regional for a similar spread)

Round 1: Loss - 5/6
Round 2: Win - 10/1
Round 3: Win - 10/1
Total: 25 points = 2nd place

Round 1: Loss - 1/10
Round 2: Win - 10/1
Round 3: Win - 10/1
Total: 21 points = 4th place

or this

2 hours ago, Viktor Tanek said:

@Roquax won Michigan going 3-1....

or this

2 hours ago, Vergilius said:

I went 1-2 once and won a tournament in which one other player went 3-0.

And just to throw out another one, I just came in third in a 26-player Regionals with a first-round 5-6 loss.

-

You understand that Armada tournaments are not scored on Win/Loss, right?

43 minutes ago, Scummy Rebel said:

Seeing as every time I try to clarify this you just make it more about you and less about my point I have nothing more to say, feel free to have the last word.

Here is your solution. Stop complaining and get good. Otherwise gtfo.

i just hate the bye's, it's bad enough having to wait 2 hours for your next game, you shouldn't be penalized with a score of 8

I usually just win all the Swiss rounds with a good margin. That way I'm pretty sure I'll win the tournament.

Tournaments are fun.. none of the loot is anything more than cosmetic..

Heck, half the time the "best" loot.. acrylic range rulers.. are inaccurate and useless as tools.

I kind of chuckle at all of this because frankly, one of the things I like about armada loot compared to other games (try x-wing) is the loot is relatively low hanging fruit. Top 64 usually means 2-3 cards per player auto, top 16 is often everyone, top 8 and even 4 have good odds.

Most of it is frankly cheaper to get off ebay than to drive 4-6 hours and possibly a cheap hotel for a tourney.

I play in tournaments because it's often the best way to get games in. I see people who say "I'm not interested in competitive play, only casual play." But to me tournaments can be as casual as you want them to be. Playing in tournaments also sometimes pits me against players at or above my skill level. If i'm only playing casually and teaching a friend or someone new how to play that can get old being the more seasoned player all the time.

If you're focused on the loot and you're not winning the prizes at the end, I can understand your frustration, but there are so many other reasons to play in tournaments imo.

Um, for the fun? To play other members of this wonderful community, apart from the regular sparring partners? To see other lists, other tactics then your usual? To practice and get better?

My only complaint about the tournament structure is that the number of rounds of Swiss is often insufficient to adequately sort the players. Even with the 11-point scoring system, many tournaments really need one more round. Also, I just would like another game of Armada.

6 minutes ago, stonestokes said:

My only complaint about the tournament structure is that the number of rounds of Swiss is often insufficient to adequately sort the players. Even with the 11-point scoring system, many tournaments really need one more round. Also, I just would like another game of Armada.

I don't disagree with you that another round would be better for getting a better sorting method and correcting for some particularly lucky/unlucky earlier matchups, but because Armada games take so long and are fairly draining, a lot of players are at their limit after 3 rounds. 4 rounds places a very large burden on the entity organizing the tournament (time-wise/scheduling, the store or meeting place likely has other things they want to do that day instead of only Armada) as well as the people themselves who are attending.

7 minutes ago, stonestokes said:

My only complaint about the tournament structure is that the number of rounds of Swiss is often insufficient to adequately sort the players. Even with the 11-point scoring system, many tournaments really need one more round. Also, I just would like another game of Armada.

I hear you on that, but individual games just take too long to make that practical.

Edit: what @Snipafist said.

1 hour ago, stonestokes said:

My only complaint about the tournament structure is that the number of rounds of Swiss is often insufficient to adequately sort the players. Even with the 11-point scoring system, many tournaments really need one more round. Also, I just would like another game of Armada.

Pretty much what Snip said: I'm always on board for moar Armada, but there are other considerations to be weighed beyond just what Ard wants . I think the three-round standard is the best you can do for a limited, relatively lightweight competitive event.

That said, I will definitely concede that some of the issues that I've seen come up during three-round events have completely convinced me that Regionals and up should always be a minimum of four rounds. FFG is ostensibly organizing these things with the expectation that people may be driving upwards of 500 miles to get to one (based on the coverage in some areas *cough*Pacific Northwest*cough* ). Given those circumstances, the possibility of getting knocked out due to a couple of bad matchups, someone running away with the tournament on a series of fluke good matchups, or getting stuck playing 2 of 3 games against the guys that came in your carpool definitely warrants a four-round minimum IMO.

I play tourneys to play different people. I enjoy the look of horror when I reveal my list. I cant get that on vassal or with the local players.

Do I enjoy playing Armada or am I just a jerk?

Debatable tbh.

9 hours ago, Scummy Rebel said:

Easily said when you're someone who consistently gets said loot.

I don't begrudge players getting frustrated over not being able to win. To be clear I don't mean I believe anyone is entited to win, that's obviously ridiculous. Rather I sympathize with them since the prizes are the only way to get things like official acrylic tools and tokens that FFG should be selling generic versions of to anyone who wants anyway.

Also the reason you play in a tournament is to get 3+ games of Armada played in a single day. If you're playing it for the "best" loot you're doing it wrong.

... **** easy to say when you've never gotten a piece of loot, either.

10 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Also the reason you play in a tournament is to get 3+ games of Armada played in a single day.

^^ This and it'll be against different opponents and different lists - best way to learn.

Also why I'll never take a bye, should I ever win an SC or better; why would I not want to play a game?

I go for the fame and fortune. When I tell people that I am a store champion, they treat me like the king I know I am.

1 minute ago, ricefrisbeetreats said:

I go for the fame and fortune. When I tell people that I am a store champion, they treat me like the king I know I am.

All hail the King!

7 minutes ago, Green Knight said:

All hail the King!

Hail to the king, baby.

I have to admit, I don't understand the point of this thread. It seems to essentially be saying "you have to win to take home 1st, so why bother?" which is a statement that isn't actually true and so what if it is? I'm not going to go all Dark Souls and just yell "GIT GUD SCRUB!", but I don't really have a problem with the concept that you win overall by winning rounds. Most games I've played in either have similar scoring (warhammer, malifaux, X-Wing) or are even more harsh (warmachine, guild ball), so this just seems like a really oddball complaint to me as a veteran gamer of a lot of systems.

Also, going to tournaments and losing is how you do the whole winning thing (eventually anyways). You go to them to see how the players that beat you played, to evaluate your own play and to get some thoughts from your opponents. It also helps teach clean play as you're not generally going to get mulligans (and in excess, these get annoying even in casual games). The biggest problems I see with most players in terms of learning from experiences are:

1) Failure to identify the crucial point of the game. "Oh man, my dice were so bad" is a common quote in games in general, but try to evaluate how you got to the point of needing those dice to win in the first place. Work backwards. Was there a way to get more dice, modify your dice or were there higher probability plays that would've done just as much? I've seen it a lot in Armada in particular (although it's common in gaming in general) for a player to blaze by making a decision and I'm thinking in my head after they make it "Oh, wow, well this game is over" or for a player to agonize over the fine details of something that is irrelevant. Whenever this happens, it's pretty easy to tell that your opponent is breaking down the wrong parts of the game.

2) Failure to adequately scrutinize wins. Nobody talks about this and most players just write off wins, but breaking down why you won, what factors were errors on your opponent's part or were due to the strengths of your list is really important. An example of this is my Rieeken list. I can only think of 1 loss out of however many games I've played with the list, but it's changed a lot throughout multiple iterations where I kept breaking down what was/wasn't working, what gave me the right spread of durability/hitting power, what upgrades go on what ships etc. Victory is never the end of the story, just another chapter.

...also GIT GUD SCRUB!

5 hours ago, stonestokes said:

My only complaint about the tournament structure is that the number of rounds of Swiss is often insufficient to adequately sort the players. Even with the 11-point scoring system, many tournaments really need one more round.

My point exactly.

I go to tourneys to meet interesting new players, analyze their fleets, and do my level best to destroy them. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.

6 minutes ago, Boris_the_Dwarf said:

My point exactly.

Man, you’d hate Hothgary.

Where the majority of the events are 2 round Fleet Patrols where players have specifically stated it allows them to set aside time for 2 games, get an early lunch, play them, and be home for dinner...

7 hours ago, Ardaedhel said:

OP, I feel like either you're trolling or there's an issue with your reading comprehension. Because this:

does not jive with this:

And this:

looks a lot like you didn't read this

or this

or this

or this

And just to throw out another one, I just came in third in a 26-player Regionals with a first-round 5-6 loss.

-

You understand that Armada tournaments are not scored on Win/Loss, right?

It’s partly reading comprehension and partly being accustomed to how Swiss works in other games. Typically, Swiss rounds continue until you reach a round with one undefeated player. Rankings are then determined based on performance throughout the event. In those tournaments using that system, losing your round 1 game puts you in an uphill battle for the rest of the day. But if you are playing 4-6 rounds in a field of 15-20 players, you have time to recover if you do well. 3 rounds where more than half the field of 16-28 players are 1-0 out of the gate would make that impossible in those events Are you saying that is different? And if you’re not scored on win/loss, then that makes even less sense to me.