Ummm why is there not a topic on this?!

Translucent dice, regional movement templates, Luke is the promo

I want to play in all the regional tournaments just for those dice

Link on pictures? i would love to see those dice!

Having only two Regionals in each region (in the United States) can pose a problem for some who would need to travel some distance to get to one. Time, distance and money might exclude some even thinking about trying.

Where are they even held?

Don't know yet. Stores are applying now.

The regions are big, but travel expense is always going to be an issue with anything like this. Our World Champions aren't really world champions - they're the best of the group who could afford the travel time and money to get there.

It'll be interesting to see how the events end up distributed in the regions, but I suspect that will have more to do with the stores than geographic fairness.

Having only two Regionals in each region (in the United States) can pose a problem for some who would need to travel some distance to get to one. Time, distance and money might exclude some even thinking about trying.

I live in Australia and used to travel 650 kilometres to reach 40K tournaments four times a year. And that's 650 kilometres one way, and I'd sleep on a couch for the weekend. Where there's a will there's a way.

Find some guys willing to do the trip, jump in a car and do a road trip.

Don't know yet. Stores are applying now.

The regions are big, but travel expense is always going to be an issue with anything like this. Our World Champions aren't really world champions - they're the best of the group who could afford the travel time and money to get there.

It'll be interesting to see how the events end up distributed in the regions, but I suspect that will have more to do with the stores than geographic fairness.

I disagree, sure cost is a factor but its also effort and determination. I watched top 16 play and they were all awesome. They're champion caliber players. They don't get the title becasue they could afford it, they get it because they do what they can to get it

I travel for work. I wonder how many I can make it to.

Really acrylic movement templates and evade tokens. FFG really needs to just offer acrylic tokens, templates, and rulers for sale. The card board rulers and templates are really showing play wear. My store didn't even get the store championship kit, and I doubt any store with in 5-6 hours of me will have a regional.

Having only two Regionals in each region (in the United States) can pose a problem for some who would need to travel some distance to get to one. Time, distance and money might exclude some even thinking about trying.

That's why they're called regionals, I guess.

State championships might have made some people happier. I think it's fair to have regionals that are within 5-hour drives, though.

Did they announce the regions?

I disagree, sure cost is a factor but its also effort and determination. I watched top 16 play and they were all awesome. They're champion caliber players. They don't get the title becasue they could afford it, they get it because they do what they can to get it

I'm not saying they're not good players, and I'm not trying to take anything away from them.

But they DO get the title because they can afford it. You really think there aren't any X-wing players, anywhere in the world, who are at least as good as those 16 but couldn't afford the money for the trip, or the time off from work and family? Sorry, but that's simply ludicrous. "Doing what they can to get it" includes being willing to spend a thousand bucks or more on air travel and hotel, or being lucky enough to live close by. Map the attendees and you'll undoubtedly see a very tight cluster in the north-central area, and a much greater spread as you get farther away from FFG's headquarters. How many European or Australian players were there? Are they poorer players, simply because they happen to live farther away from where FFG holds the event?

I'm honestly baffled that anyone could disagree with this. So long as attendance at the event is on personal time and expense, you're going to get a competition of those who can make it, not a true filtering of the best players.

Did they announce the regions?

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4607

Did they announce the regions?

Yes: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4607

I'd post the region map, but I got a message saying "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community." Sweet, FFG. It's only your own image.

The issue I have with people knocking the World Championship is that it is a pointless argument. This is a game. No matter where or when it is held, people will complain about it not being a "true" World Championship because X cannot attend due to Y and Z. Luckily, FFG and it's partners seem to support a wide variety of National tournaments around the world.

Hope i see one pop up near me!

Did they announce the regions?

Yes: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4607

I'd post the region map, but I got a message saying "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community." Sweet, FFG. It's only your own image.

Here you go:

Can anyone see whos on the alternitive art card?

It looks like Luke from EP4 getting into his X wing.

The issue I have with people knocking the World Championship is that it is a pointless argument. This is a game. No matter where or when it is held, people will complain about it not being a "true" World Championship because X cannot attend due to Y and Z. Luckily, FFG and it's partners seem to support a wide variety of National tournaments around the world.

Well, are the complaints wrong? Is there any rebuttal that says "Yes, these are absolutely the best players in the world"?

Any competition will filter the best of its attendees. You can make no other claims than that, no matter what you happen to call it. And that's perfectly fine, honestly.

The problem I have with statements like Silver leader made is that it conflates an excess of money and/or ability to travel with a requirement to be the best X-wing player out there. That's not only rather disgustingly biased to one's financial status, it's also downright insulting to those who live farther away from the event. Players in Spain, the UK, Australia - everywhere - have just as much "effort and determination" as anyone who made the event.

The reality is that FFG's not going to fund travel for regional winners (although some have in the past, such as Decipher in the early days of the SWCCG). I think people are fine with that. But at least be honest about what the event is, and what winning it means. The winner of an event called the World Championships gets to call himself the World Champion, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he's the best player in the world. That doesn't take anything away from his win or the accomplishment of winning in what is an astoundingly talented field. Pretending that anyone who couldn't make the trip couldn't have won it is just insulting.

Edit: Put another way, if FFG were to hold the event in Barcelona next year, and Sydney the year after that, and Tokyo the year after that, do you think the Top 8 would be consistent? That all of the "effort and dedication"-loaded top performers from this year would make each of those events? Somehow, I doubt it.

Note that it says "Sixty-four alternate art cards". That could all be 64 copies of the same card, or not...

Every competitive hobby game has the same problems you describe, Buhallin. The only way to mitigate it is for the company (in this case, FFG) to offer paid travel expenses to winners of regional or national tournaments. But FFG hasn't decided to make this a "money game," which some might say is for the best because it keeps the really cutthroat players away from X-Wing.

I disagree, sure cost is a factor but its also effort and determination. I watched top 16 play and they were all awesome. They're champion caliber players. They don't get the title becasue they could afford it, they get it because they do what they can to get it

I'm not saying they're not good players, and I'm not trying to take anything away from them.

But they DO get the title because they can afford it.

Only reason I didn't go was because of cost. I would have if it was in the Seattle area in a heart beat.

Every competitive hobby game has the same problems you describe, Buhallin. The only way to mitigate it is for the company (in this case, FFG) to offer paid travel expenses to winners of regional or national tournaments. But FFG hasn't decided to make this a "money game," which some might say is for the best because it keeps the really cutthroat players away from X-Wing.

Very true statement. And I agree that it IS for the best.

It's worth looking at what started the discussion at hand - I commented that distance was a problem, and Silver leader jumped in with what was, effectively, a "If you can't afford to get there you're not dedicated enough, so those who get there are obviously better" response. I took exception to that.

The reality is what it is, and it's not going to change, and I at least am perfectly fine with that. But let's at least be honest in our discussions of what the title really means. Which, again, shouldn't take anything away from the winners at all.