"Tournaments are mostly about..." Topic

* playing lots of games
* competition
* meeting other gamers
etc.

Making people miserable

Me losing.

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!

The lamentations being "See I told you that it was a waste of time and money" lol.

Playing lots of games with good people!

That's been far and away my experience across the years with BattleTech, DBA, Blood Bowl, and X-Wing.

More about ego than gaming or history.

Nonsense.

I have never been in a game tournament. Show of hands: who else has never participated in a game tournament?

Never participated in one, then again I only went to UK shows. Never was much competition, it was all about spreading the word that gaming was cool, come and join in

Never been in a tournament either.

I regularly participate in ASL tournaments: always have a lot of fun and have never had a bad experience.

Flames of war

Only taken part in competitions within the club, so knew all the players and the aim was more to have fun and get players into periods they normally didn't play. Never taken part in an external competition, I prefer to play scenario based games rather than artificial points based.

Back in the early 80s, I played in WRG Ancients tournaments about 3 times per year. I would say that I win maybe a third of my games. But that was never the point. I got to play with old friends and with new people. I got to play with and against a wide variety of armies.
I had games where I did quite well and could almost think I knew what I was doing.
I had games where "I coulda been a contenda!", but the Dice Gods cheated me!

But I had fun, and never had a bad experience.
So far I haven't seen it in this thread, but there is a lot of hostility out there for tournaments. I don't know why. Unless it's from those who think I'm playing with toy soldiers in a way they disagree with. That attitude was strong back then and it's strong now.
Guess what. I didn't care what you thought about it then and I care less now.

Never played a tournament. Never will.

Just not what I am interested in for historical miniatures wargaming.

Tom

Been in a few. Mostly not my thing. Met some great guys while playing, but the atmosphere is tense, and that's just not me.

Over the past 45 years of gaming tournaments, from WRG 4th to current SAGA II I've enjoyed every one. "* playing lots of games * competition * meeting other gamers"
For all those reasons and more.

Not for me

I would rather play 3-4 good games than win. Do i really need more boxes of plastic troops for a system i obviously already own?

I just want fun people and good games.

Now, I used to play magic for cash and I am so glad that I no longer do that. Cash changes everyone

It's about certified referees getting swag for conducting authorized tournaments. Not that I'm cynical.

When I did, it was about getting the kids to have some fun/excitement with wargaming. Until they got old enough to be as cynical as I am. (Gee, that didn't take long.)

It was also about watching a nine year old girl crush her enemies, see them driven before her, and to hear the lamentations of fat, old, guys with beards!

No tournament play for this rabbit to date. Nothing wrong with them at all but they don't draw my attention apart from the painted miniatures. They are a great group meeting point and the players enjoy the match ups. But they are not actual historical battles of history. they are all "pick up" games by their very nature of "even" points, or structured missions for the same "even points". Historical battles are not "even" point affairs hence the their different challenges of play and tabletop situation.

Historical battles are not "even" point affairs hence the their different challenges of play and tabletop situation.

I agree, but this is where I think good victory conditions come in. I've run a Thermopylae tournament. Nobody expected 3,000 Spartans to "defeat" 12,000 Persians. But they could delay and deplete them enough to break Xerxes' will to continue. So if you structure your points around that and structure your play brackets to give players even turns at each side.

It becomes even more interesting when you have two players on one side that must cooperate to win, but are competing for their share of their side's victory points!

I ran an ancients competition for 26 years. I'd often survey players about what they liked / disliked, and why they played.

The overwhelming reasons for play were to have fun, meet new players and experience new armies and tactics.

I've been playing comps for 36 years and enjoy the challenges and friendships made. (which I guess makes me in the minority of TMP people)

One side effect of comps is a spur to complete painting projects to a deadline.

I reckon I've met only 2 objectionable players in those 36 years of games.

If you want to learn a set of rules, throw yourself into a comp and consider it an intensive tutorial – you will have a number of helpful people guide you through games.

David F Brown

Playing lots of games with people who know the rules and usually have painted figures. I have liked all but one tournament i played in and I have done a lot of them (that one was Warhammer and I played a little kid, a power gamer who hadn't bothered to finish assembling his figs let alone paint them, and a guy having a really bad day, just not the most enjoyable day, altho I coached the kid to play better and got the bad day guy to enjoy his game after a turn). Only one dude who I just don't like at the tournaments, but since I usually play on table one or thereabouts and he's on the last table I don't ever meet him across the table. I usually get to see new armies, new tactics, and new styles of play, and nearly always play some good guys.