Before I begin, this is just my idea. I've spent some time thinking about what would be the best and most exciting way to hold a Championship now that we have control over it. I've never been good at creating customs or custom stats, but one thing I enjoy and reading about are tournaments. Below is a tentative format that I have worked up for a future Championship in 2011 or later, it's a rough draft if you will. I have based this on an estimate of 60-80 players attending a Championship. The number 32 could be conceived as being too high for a cutoff, 24 might be a better number. (top 8 would get byes and 16 would play) I love this game, and I love tournaments. Below is just an idea to get talk and discussion going. Feel free to PM me for a phone number. I would love to actually 'talk' about this and discuss it further.
New Championship Idea Summary:
1. Three day Event
2. 5 rounds of Swiss Play
3. Large Bracket with Gamers Logo on itFormat:FridayFive rounds of Swiss format games will be played, the top 32 people will advance to Saturday’s seeded bracket.
SaturdayThe top 32 will be “seeded” into a single elimination bracket depending on how they finished in Friday’s preliminaries. This bracket can either be broken into two 16 person brackets or kept in one large 32 person bracket. For the sake of keeping things simple I have shown how a seeded 32 person bracket would look.
There will be three games played on Saturday to determine the Final Four.
SundayThe Final Four will play to determine the eventual 2011 Star Wars Miniatures Champion.
Reasons for I have been thinking for some time now that the Championships need to be changed. Now that WOTC has dropped the SW Miniatures line, the game is in the hands of the players and loyal, contributing fans.
- The people at Gamers have taken it upon themselves to help run and organize events at GenCon. This is probably the biggest blessing in disguise, because now the fans and players can do what is best for the game in keeping it alive.
- Probably one of the best ways to make a Championship more exciting is to change the format. And probably one of the most exciting ways in doing so is for there to be a “seeded” bracket. In creating a “seeded” bracket, players are now trying to strive to make the top 32 on Friday. (I would love to imagine a large bracket with a giant Gamers logo on it as the names of those that made it is written on the bracket as they are announced. I could even see people sticking around to see it even if they know they didn’t make it)
-No more will seven games be played on one long Saturday, when the probability of having players drop out is high because they know they have lost too many games to have any shot of making the Top 8. In a group of perhaps 70-80 players, the odds are greatly increased to make the Top 32 and each game is essential but even 3 losses could possibly get a player into the 32; so the probability of players dropping out have been decreased.
-With the Championship broken into three days, Saturday will not be as strenuous on the players, judges, and event organizers. Because there will be only three games played on Saturday, players will have ample opportunity to attend other SW Miniature events. A “seeded” tournament will also give players time to strategize Friday night for their upcoming game, making it a more competitive and quite possibly an intense filled Saturday. With any “seeded” bracket, the threat of upsets are exciting and this could probably help in bringing those that didn’t make it into Saturday’s event time to stop by to check out the bracket and build quite a following.
- What better way to finish a Saturday then with the Final Four being announced and the true best players to rise to the surface. Plus, who knows, perhaps even a dark horse had somehow surfaced in the upset riddled bracket. Now, with the shortened Saturday the Final Four can now strategize and plan out their attack and best course of action for the push to become Star Wars Miniatures Champion 2011.
- With the shortened Sunday to be limited to just two games, players will not have to leave to rush off for planes/cars/trains home and can stick it out to see who wears the Green Jacket (can’t remember if that’s what Bill brings…but I believe I remember it in ’08).
I would love to see something like this happen in 2011, because obviously 2010 has been well organized by Gamers. But I would like to imagine five years from now talking about how a number 32 (16 if is was a two bracket deal) seed had never upset a number 1 or perhaps a number 1 and 2 seed have never made it to the Championship Game. Something along those lines…because those stats exist right now with the Top 8.
Example: The person who goes undefeated on Saturday has failed to win the Championship. (Please correct me if I’m wrong of course)
Reasons Against- A new format will be unfamiliar.
- Problems with slow play on Saturday. (But I honestly think that it will be easier on judges to deal with this when only 16 games will be playing that first round on Saturday.)
- Three days is too many for a Championship
- Five games is too little for preliminaries on Friday.
I’m sure there are others, but strongly believe the reasons for changing it up will outweigh the reasons against. The best will always rise to the surface in this format, and the potential for a growth and excitement will be greatly encouraged when all a person has to do is make Top 32 to be seeded into a bracket. And who else doesn’t like to look at a bracket and see your name playing one of the top players in this game. Just the excitement and nerves alone with get players talking about the bracket and even paying stronger attention to what is going on and how it is playing out.
Of course this is just my idea. I would love to hear questions/comments about this.