I’m trying to gauge the level of interest for a large multi-day Armada event.

A couple of questions towards that end:

1. What is your primary motivation for attending tournaments? (Examples: a day of gaming, solid competition, prizing, etc.)

2. What types of prizes draw you to a tournament most? Are there any prizes that cause you to roll your eyes and groan?

3. How likely would you be to travel for a multi-day Armada-only tournament if it had exactly the types of prizes you like to see? Would side events (such as task force format, or team play) be enticing?

4. What, in your mind, is a reasonable entrance fee for a multi-day event that offered exactly the types of prizes and formats you would enjoy?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

1: I love being able to get 3 or 4 games in within a day. It's the reason that I used to run tournaments in the STL area

2: The kit that FFG provides is great, store credit beyond that is all I really expect.

3: First, I think a multi-day event is a horrible idea because people would have to take time off from work/family to attend it. I really view a non-worlds level event being capped at 5 rounds of play in 1 day. To actually answer the "how likely are you to travel" bit of it, depends the distance. If it's close(within 6 hours drive) very, if it's beyond that probably not. And I can't say that prize coverage would change that.

4: I think 10 to 15 is a "good" price point for an armada event. If you go higher, even with good prize support, I become concerned that good players will scare off newer/not great players.

Hope that helps.

1. Getting games in.

2. Prizes are nice, but gravy. The more Armada (or Star Wars) relevant the better, but again: gravy.

3. If the tournament had great prizes (uncommon alt arts, defense tokens, etc.) then I’d have a hard time not going, provided it’s a remotely realistic option. Multi-day can be awkward because life is busy though. Side events are great.

4. As mentioned above, 10 to 15 (or 20) makes the tournament approachable for everyone, but the attendance fee is never something I let keep me from participating.

You’re in the PNW, right? If things work out, maybe I’ll be there. ?

12 minutes ago, The Jabbawookie said:

You’re in the PNW, right? If things work out, maybe I’ll be there. ?

Yep. Spokane. We’d love to have you. Also there’s a good chance that some of us will head over to Schmitty’s event at the end of the summer. So maybe I’ll see you there.

8 minutes ago, stonestokes said:

Yep. Spokane. We’d love to have you. Also there’s a good chance that some of us will head over to Schmitty’s event at the end of the summer. So maybe I’ll see you there.

Sweet! Seattle. I was that kid with Sloane you fought round one last regionals (you were the one fielding a Leia Lib, right?) Shmitty’s event is already penciled in for me.

I'm so jealous of both of you. I've wanted to move up to Seattle my whole life.

2 minutes ago, dominosfleet said:

I'm so jealous of both of you. I've wanted to move up to Seattle my whole life.

You’d definitely be welcome. Seattle itself is a dead zone for this game, we could use more players.

18 minutes ago, The Jabbawookie said:

Sweet! Seattle. I was that kid with Sloane you fought round one last regionals (you were the one fielding a Leia Lib, right?) Shmitty’s event is already penciled in for me.

Yep, that was me! Watch out, I’ve improved since then. No longer a pushover. Lol

29 minutes ago, The Jabbawookie said:

You’d definitely be welcome. Seattle itself is a dead zone for this game, we could use more players.

Spokane is a veritable paradise for gaming in general, and Armada in particular.

We have 5 game stores in a metro area of only a half million people, all within about a 10-mile radius.

We have at least 15 or 16 Armada players that play in tournaments. I don’t know how many casual-only players we have on top of that.

I can pretty consistently get two games in a week with different people.

I've played wargames for like, 20 years.

Almost every tournament I've attended in that time has been a two-day event, with three games on the first day and two on the second. The rounds are all Swiss, with no knock-out rounds such as feature in FFG events. Winners are determined by overall scores such as how many battles they won and by what margins, with countbacks on things like total VP scores, total points preserved or destroyed over all battles, painting scores (where applicable) etc.

These have by and large been very successful.

Prizes I like are cool, unique stuff. Artwork commissioned especially for the event, store credit/new models, really cool trophies or plaques, collectables (signed merch, etc). Alt art cards and acrylic tokens have zero attraction for me.

I generally pay between $50 and $80 for a two-day event. I have travelled eight hours by car each way for an event once, but usually limit myself to three hours each way. When I was right into tournaments I would probably attend four a year, and almost invariably they would require overnight stays, food, travel costs, etc. Other people have weekend motorcycle trips or camping trips or golfing trips or whatever, we would have wargaming weekends.

In terms of attraction, my very favourite events are narrative events where the missions are specific to the event, and the results are collated to determine a narrative over the weekend. Failing that, I just like an event that has a reputation for running smoothly, with a good venue, and easy access for parking, nearby accommodation, easy to get lunch, get a beer, etc. One of the most important considerations is how likely I am to have time. Is the event on a popular public holiday? I might not be able to book time off work if it is. If it's an important family day (one event was booked on mothers day. As someone with a young child that's a no-no) then I might not be able to attend. School holidays, it can be hard to find time if you have kids. So make sure you check your calendar before you book a date!

7 hours ago, stonestokes said:

1. What is your primary motivation for attending tournaments? (Examples: a day of gaming, solid competition, prizing, etc.) Day of Gaming against serious competitive fleets.

2. What types of prizes draw you to a tournament most? Are there any prizes that cause you to roll your eyes and groan? The most successful prize in our area has always been product. Choice of ships/store credit, custom peripherals like 3rd party sized range rulers, etc.

3. How likely would you be to travel for a multi-day Armada-only tournament if it had exactly the types of prizes you like to see? Would side events (such as task force format, or team play) be enticing?

For most people I think you will be hard pressed just starting out to get many out of towners. Especially without some FFG muscle supporting it with official OP titling like nationals or worlds.

4. What, in your mind, is a reasonable entrance fee for a multi-day event that offered exactly the types of prizes and formats you would enjoy?

Regionals is around $25 And worlds is $80. Somewhere in between there based on the profile you want. Want this to be a "premier" event? Charge $65 and make **** sure the prizes are worth it.

(I think it's called)The Stele open that is a good format to follow for a non-OP premier event. They commission an artist do a custom alt-art as a participation prize, and they give out tiers of product pretty generously.

People come to the tourneys for a full day of great games. But they show up cause there are some rad prizes they want a shot at. The prizes get them through the door, and if the games are good when they are there, the event will be a smashing success and you can build on it.

To echo an above post, I’d love to do a narrative style event for Armada that also manages to keep a competitive edge. When I was starting to TO, I was brainstorming ideas and borrowing from the local 40K TO to make a very different, unofficial tournament format that would keep even competitive players on their toes and give new players chances to be recognized aside from the usual 1st, 2nd, 3rd. If you’d like, I can pm you some of those ideas.

Now to answer your questions, notwithstanding anything narrative based,

1. As a competitive player, I love a challenge. If I’m going to an official, high-level event, I expect competitive play. If I’m going to a non-official event, then fleet building restrictions, special rules, etc, are the benchmarks, but also competitive play if I know there are good players present.

2. Satisfaction is my greatest prize. The San Antonio based ACFC rocks out in that department through community building and making players feel a part of something. That said, team shirts. If this is going to be a premier event (with lots of forward planning and participants), then i wouldn’t mind shirts as a part of the registration fee.

3. Try me

4. Hmmm, this is complicated. If it was an event with lots of credibility behind it (ie, big names are confirmed as going, people I know are going, lots of player slots available (40+), lots of circulation on Facebook groups, it’s at least the second time), then I’d easily pay upwards of $50 for a multi day event with a guaranteed 6+ games (thinking 2 a day over 3 days, or 3 a day for 2) plus side events and a shirt. If you take away all of that but keep the prizes (including the shirt) and format, then I could be got for about $40. No shirt, no deal

I’m also considering working with Family Time Games in Indianapolis to do a two-day tournament again. They did one in the spring after Wave 2, and people came from all over the country. Attendance was in the 40s, and the store can easily get into the 50s at least. Maybe Novemberish? @CaribbeanNinja @Quadro28 @moodswing5537 and many many others.

17 hours ago, stonestokes said:

I’m trying to gauge the level of interest for a large multi-day Armada event.

A couple of questions towards that end:

1. What is your primary motivation for attending tournaments? (Examples: a day of gaming, solid competition, prizing, etc.)

2. What types of prizes draw you to a tournament most? Are there any prizes that cause you to roll your eyes and groan?

3. How likely would you be to travel for a multi-day Armada-only tournament if it had exactly the types of prizes you like to see? Would side events (such as task force format, or team play) be enticing?

4. What, in your mind, is a reasonable entrance fee for a multi-day event that offered exactly the types of prizes and formats you would enjoy?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

1. I go to have fun playing Armada, hanging out with cool cats discussing the game we love, and generally having a good time.

2. Nah, participation is the main goal for me. That said, physical prizes do tend to make people more enthusiastic - but it doesn't have to be just product for the winners. The local 40k charity tournaments here in Vancouver (which have been huge successes) tend to give away fun prizes for crazy achievements, raffle off the product prizes, and the winners are happy with trophies.

3. Very likely especially if in driving distance (which Spokane would be!). Would drive down Friday and hope to be done by mid-day Sunday to get back home before the kids go to bed. I'd vote for 5 rounds of Swiss as well, so not a lot of time for side events. Actually, the side events I'd want to see are dinner, drinks, and maybe some random board gaming or such in the late evening.

4. I'm easy. $50-$75, though with the higher end I'd like to see more swag. T-shirts are always a good souvenir to go home with, and everyone loves goody bags filled with stuff!

I'm away this summer until mid Sept. so if you could schedule this for after that'd be greeeeeaaaaat.

1 hour ago, Maturin said:

I'm away this summer until mid Sept. so if you could schedule this for after that'd be greeeeeaaaaat.

Awesome. We are thinking October 6th/7th.

7 hours ago, comatose said:

I’m also considering working with Family Time Games in Indianapolis to do a two-day tournament again. They did one in the spring after Wave 2, and people came from all over the country. Attendance was in the 40s, and the store can easily get into the 50s at least. Maybe Novemberish? @CaribbeanNinja @Quadro28 @moodswing5537 and many many others.

Definitely keep me posted on that.

Plus, we need to get Shane a regional.

5 minutes ago, moodswing5537 said:

Definitely keep me posted on that.

Plus, we need to get Shane a regional.

I'm always looking for an excuse to go to Family Time Games. Even if it's 120 miles away.

1 hour ago, moodswing5537 said:

Definitely keep me posted on that.

Plus, we need to get Shane a regional.

He’s had one for the last two cycles, I’m sure he’ll get another.

I thought they passed on his request? That's cool.

I've gone to a few larger events outside my area including GenCon, Nationals (NoVa), and regionals in southern California (hundreds of miles away).

1. Meeting lots of new players and getting at least 3 top-quality games in over the course of the day. Pr
2. The best prize support is rare and unique items that can't be easily acquired anywhere else. At best, they will be treasured mementos. At worst, a well-made alt-art or unique item from a prestigious event can be sold to pay for some of the travel costs.
3. I don't travel for prize support, but good prize support will make me more excited to do well and highly unique rewards may make me more aware of the event.
4. Distance is irrelevant next to location. If I travel hundreds of miles (or more) to a multi-day event i want to make sure that when I'm inevitably knocked out of contention I can go exploring and find other things to do with my remaining time. This is why so many major tournaments are linked to major conventions. Location can also make travel either much more or much less expensive to attend, such as flying into Las Vegas (dirt cheap from everywhere) as opposed to Hawaii (expensive flights and hotels from the mainland). That said, if I have to drive, I don't want to drive more than 2-3 hours to the location in whatever the normal local traffic is.

Spokane, eh? I'm up in Vancouver, I might travel for this.

To answer the questions:

1) Getting in games and getting prizes. I'm new to the game, so the shiny prizes are all new to me here. But most important is getting in some fun games of Armada.

2) Almost any prize is a good draw for me in my books. I really like alt art cards and acrylic templates (and shiny dice, obviously). Store credit is also solid.

3) I might be in the minority here, but I'd prefer a long single-day event to a multi-day one. Having to pay for a hotel would significantly reduce the chances of me getting down there.

4) Again, I'm cheap on this count. I'd prefer to see an entry fee around $20 or less, maybe up to $30 for a significant event. The travel costs would already be a factor.

On 5/11/2018 at 8:59 PM, dominosfleet said:

1: I love being able to get 3 or 4 games in within a day. It's the reason that I used to run tournaments in the STL area

2: The kit that FFG provides is great, store credit beyond that is all I really expect.

3: First, I think a multi-day event is a horrible idea because people would have to take time off from work/family to attend it. I really view a non-worlds level event being capped at 5 rounds of play in 1 day. To actually answer the "how likely are you to travel" bit of it, depends the distance. If it's close(within 6 hours drive) very, if it's beyond that probably not. And I can't say that prize coverage would change that.

4: I think 10 to 15 is a "good" price point for an armada event. If you go higher, even with good prize support, I become concerned that good players will scare off newer/not great players.

Hope that helps.

I echo everything said here. If it's within driving distance of St Louis and I can take the day, I'll make the trip.

19 hours ago, stonestokes said:

Awesome. We are thinking October 6th/7th.

If you’re planning the event from this far out and trying to pull in people from outside the locale, definitely look at how close (timewise) other major events are to it. I’m sure someone on here already has the entire year of known events planned out for themselves and would be willing to share if asked.

Back to the credibility point, if I’m choosing between going to Gencon one weekend and going to this event the next weekend (because even though I’d love to do both, I’d have to pay a lot for travel in both cases), it would be pretty hard to pass up Gencon.