Cybit wrote:
Two things
1) Not all places can pull off playoffs. I think a good chunk of our players would not have gone two days. We went six rounds as is, dropping in another 2 or 3 (also, I believe we would have had 5 5-1s, so someone would have been hosed out of top 4) rounds the next day would have been brutal, and lowered attendance. Also, for events that pull 12-16, playoffs can be done in the same day. 30+, not quite as much. Let the TOs do their thing for planning the tournament; they know the area and the players and the nuances of each the best, and can cater to their area to maximize participation.
2) One of the nice things about late June for us was that you had a lot of people who were off of college by then (UW runs into Mid-June), so we were able to schedule our regional to accommodate them. Give a range, maybe any weekend following the release of Masters of the Force until the end of June. This way, you give people the option of going to multiple regionals (since they are spread out time-wise), and letting local TOs nail down what will be the best specific weekend within that timeframe. If a TO decides to do a regional later, they run the risk of the GenCon badge issue. Let them make that determination for themselves?
Well, to some degree, I see where you're coming from here. However, none of the Regionals should have to go more than 6 rounds (32-64 players) for the Swiss portion, and most would only go for 5 rounds (if we are able to add a couple more Regionals next year, perhaps the WA one wouldn't have to be so big). If you do a play-off, you would only do the Top 4, which would be another 2 rounds. That's 8 rounds total, roughly 9 hours total. Anyone who intends to play in the Championships at GenCon needs to be prepared to play 7 rounds of Swiss, for about 9-10 hours total. So, on the one hand, it would be really good practice.
For anyone who is local to the event, doing a 9 hour tournament, including the 2 rounds of play-offs, wouldn't be a big deal. Start the tourney at 10am, be done around 7, perfect time to go have dinner, or get home at a nice time. For anyone who isn't local, they are probably staying overnight at least one, maybe two nights already anyways, even for just the regular 5 or 6 round Swiss tournament. So long as people know ahead of time what the event is going to be, they can plan accordingly. And honestly, there isn't a single person who would have to pay for hotel costs, as I'm sure plenty of players at every event would be able to house an out-of-towner or two for a couple nights. Heck, that was one of the best parts about going to the Chicago Regional for me: getting to hang out the night before with everybody.
In addition, most of the Regionals started at 10 or 11am. Could bump the start time up to 9am if necessary. There's plenty of ways to do it, and honestly, it ends up being a lot fairer for everyone in the long run. Plus, only the #1 and #2 people have to play all the rounds. If you're working for a GenCon badge, it makes it 100% worthwhile to spend that extra time.
I know for both the Cincy and Owensboro Regionals, play-offs would've been cool. In Cincy, it might have given me another shot to beat James, and not make so many stupid mistakes. Or it would have given Lackey another chance to beat James, and not get hosed because of a lucky Disintegration. In Owensboro, it would've given Carl another chance and not make a pad placement error, allowing his GOWK to get pushed into a pit. Things of that nature. Play-offs are a REALLY great way to fully test a person's skill level, and help to remove the 'luck' factor from the equation. Plus, it gives people some hope when they lose a game, that they may not be entirely out of the running.
However, like Cybit pointed out, they had 5 people at 5-1 after 6 rounds. If you do a Top 4, need to have a cut and dry methodology for determining that tie-breaker. Could be another good reason to reevaluate the Tie-Breaker system in the DCI Floor Rules and tweak as necessary.