Alternate Event Formats

By Ardaedhel, in Star Wars: Armada

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We're doing an alternate-format tourney here in Seattle in a couple weeks (thanks, @Armada Jim ). As I understand, these rules are ripped off from Privateer's Steamroller format (and possibly also X-wing's Hangar Bay?), but I'm not directly familiar with either of those.

Rules are as normal, except:

Each player brings two lists, same faction but with different commanders.

At the start of the game, each player reveals his two lists, then each secretly picks one of his own lists to use, then both simultaneously reveal which they chose.

I'm pretty excited about it. I've also really enjoyed some other alternate-format events I've played in, particularly Monster Trucks.

So, what are some alternate-rules events that you've seen and thought worked well?

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I think the @RikkiP and the Comms Noise gang were talking about much the same format on their most recent podcast, and I do like the sound of it! I might try and steal it for our next casual event locally.

Common Ground Games in Stirling has run a couple of Escalation events. it's a neat format as you've got to make decisions about whether you take sub-optimal lists early to win big at the end, or just try and build a lead in the early games and sit on that a bit. I think we normally do 250pts -> 350pts -> 450pts for those. In the last one he also made the final mission Blockade Run because it was funny to see every table playing it. Despite knowing that I still took VSDs for some reason (I am not smart!).

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I came up with this format last fall to try to redistribute some of the prizes from past tournaments that either hadn't been given away or that older plays had several copies. It worked pretty well, and the players really enjoyed it.

Map Setup

Using the CC map, choose one planet from each of the following pairs and add one "+3 Objectives" location until you have locations equal to the number of matches in the round. (You should have a minimum of one "+3 Objectives" location though). So if you have 8 players, you would have 3 of these planets plus 1 more standard game format planet on the CC map for them to play. In future rounds, add the second planet for any pairs where a planet was played and maintain the number of available standard game format planets. The reason for selecting these pairs is because they have interesting objectives without making them an annoyance.

  1. Talfaglio & Centerpoint
  2. Plympto & Forvand
  3. Saberhing & Sileria
Donated Prizes
For players that donate alternate art or acrylic prizes from past tournaments, they receive their choice of Skilled Spacers and Spynet, up to a maximum of three, that they could use over the course of the tournament.
Prize Assignment
I placed premium prizes on the planets listed. For prizes from the current tournament kit, I started adding those in the second and third rounds. On standard game format planets, I did not place premium prizes. I supplemented all of those with the back inventory of prizes from previous tournaments, typically three total prizes per location. The winner of the match got first pick of those prizes, the loser second pick, etc. If no game took place at a planet in the previous round, I added another prize to it.
Pairings
Decide first round initiative for the tournament based on fleet sizes. Future rounds are based on tournament standings. The person with initiative declares their target planet, and you go down the initiative order until someone declares that they will defend that location. Once a pairing is done, you go to the next available player in initiative and have them declare a target. The attacker is always player one. If someone received a bye, I let them choose a single prize from any location that was not being contested that round. As TO, I volunteered to take on anyone who did not get an opponent after going through the whole initiative order. All of this means that two players could play each more than once, but I think that's okay.

Store Credit
Since the store always gives us store credit as additional prizes, this was the only prize for the top players in the final standings.