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Thirded or fourthed. Number of games doesn't matter. Time does.

I also think that long breaks/lunches can actually make the burnout worse, but that may be me. I like to get in and get my tournament done.

Hulksmash wrote:

Sidenote but who do you see this format favoring?

I would say elite armies that pack a big punch in small numbers. DW, GK, Loganwing...

OverwatchCNC wrote:

Hulksmash wrote:

Sidenote but who do you see this format favoring?

I would say elite armies that pack a big punch in small numbers. DW, GK, Loganwing...

Which means the real winner will be SoB. SoB love playing against elite small model count armies. I fully approve of this format.

@overwatchcnc

hmm....I wouldn't have pegged those for any tougher at 1,500 than 2k. You know which armies I've noticed are hella nastier at 1,500? Sisters, Deathwing, Tyranids, Daemons, DE, and Orks. Seems to me that IG, SW, GK's, and BA's have the same lethality at this point value as at 2k. Might just be me though.

Hulksmash wrote:@overwatchcnc

hmm....I wouldn't have pegged those for any tougher at 1,500 than 2k. You know which armies I've noticed are hella nastier at 1,500? Sisters, Deathwing, Tyranids, Daemons, DE, and Orks. Seems to me that IG, SW, GK's, and BA's have the same lethality at this point value as at 2k. Might just be me though.

Fair enough. I think you're spot on about Orks and Sisters, I completely forgot about those 2!

Nids are amazing at 1,500. You can fit so many T6 wounds in it's ridiculous. Also their limited anti-tank is adequate at this point level

Well, the points level the games was designed to be played at would probably 1500 (if it was designed to be played at any level) as that is what they play in the UK, the home of the game and it's designers.

I think we are going to pull the trigger on this and give it a whirl.

Hopefully we'll be seeing you guys there!

yakface wrote:
I have two words (or six words, depending on your point of view) for you:

1,250 points.


Yeah baby, micro 40K...let's rock it!!!!!

1250pts is an excellent game to play 40K Micro. 1250 points also works well with partner type games.

Hey, we love 1000pt tournaments. But most people dislike them because they aren't used to it. I think 1000pts on a 4'X4' table is a blast! Games take 30-45 minutes, and are most centered on troops. Good fun.

I'll be honest, this seems kinda odd to me. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to attend; in contrast if I can swing it I'd love to make the 1000 mile trek to BAO in March. But if it was local, I still don't know if I'd attend.

Its about value. I don't mind paying 5-20 for a local 1 day event. Win or lose, its worth getting in that many games in a condensed period of time. I feel the same with 10-20 dollar buy ins for texas holdem house games and the like.

But above that and it becomes harder to sell it to my wife, and means more funds then the usual 'slush'. And for nothing more then the chance of bigger prizes. Still the same guys I'd play at any other local tourny (most likely), still have to rush home and defuse wife aggro, etc.

Now, I do pay that for larger 2 day events. And I am willing to travel and pay extra in food/lodge and other expenes to make it happen. But its more to do with the vacation with buddies aspect and getting to play folks from elsewhere that justifies the cost.

Just my two cents.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok thinking about this a bit more and to be a bit more constructive.

I actually ran something sort of like this due to space/time constraints at a local sci-fi convention. What I did was basically do what NoVa did year 1-- run the main event as a 1 day 4 game thing, then have a smaller second day for those qualifiers. But for me there were other convention activities and ard boyz for those that wanted something to do on that second day but didnt qualify.

So perhaps for your format here, have a main event, with full awards (including an award for anyone undefeated that day) then an optional, smaller second day at your shop to determine the undisputed champ.

I think all of your points are totally valid. We don't know how if this event will be as well received, but ultimately theory only takes you so far. Eventually, you have to give it a shot and see how it plays out in reality. Hopefully it will be a hit! We'll soon see.

We hope to see you at the BAO this year! That would be great.

As much as I like the idea, I wouldn't actually sign up for it.

Why? three words: poor college student.

Now i know that might seem like a cop out, but it is pricy for one day of gaming, For about 10-20 bucks a person for a day tourney I see that being much more reasonable.

Just quick points:

A lot of armies (deathwing) can't play at lower points because you need an expensive character to unlock them.

1750 is a ridiculous number that the GW guys picked out of nowhere "just to mess with people". Just make the game 1850.

I'd like to see some of the big names in the indy GT field...the Adepticon Guys, the Nova Guys, the Colonial, et. al. hammer out a rough tournament standard guide...make 1850 THE standard, maybe a unified paint scoring guide etc.

1750 is a ridiculous number picked out of nowhere... so play 1850? I like both point sizes, but 1750 is an obvious midpoint between 1500pt "classic" and 2000pt "bigger classic".

I like the sounds of this event. 1500 is good. 1250 would be a fun size too; if it were used, maybe throw in a little restriction, like making HS, EL, FA 0-2.

Lol well they picked 1850 first and it was around for a couple of years. I dunno why but I can make an army list for almost all the ones I play and be happy at 1850, but never at 1750.

1700 was the first point level I encountered after 1500, an then 1750. The 2000 Baltimore GT was 1500. The 2001 Baltimore GT was a 1200pt core list and two 500pt blocks, making up a total of two different 1700pt lists and a big 2200pt army. In four of the games you played one of your 1700pt lists. In the other two you used your full 2200pt list, but the "extra" 500pts were in Reserve. The whole thing had to fit in a legal force org and was judged on painting and comp.

I have played the one day 4 round format a couple times in the Baltimore events that Inner Circle Gaming Club runs, albeit for Fantasy. Here are the pros and cons from my experience, and some speculation:

Pros-
One day makes it easier to make the time commitment.
No day two drops that screw with pairings and logistics.
Renting a location for one day is much less expensive.
Better options for post tournament partying.

Cons-
Strict time requirements limit social interaction during the event.
Its a really long day for the staff as they have to set up in the morning and tear down the same day.
Burnout factor does creep in, especially if there is any drinking during the event.
Long distance travelers often have to get a room anyhow and may feel they are getting less for their money with only 1 day/4 games since they are committing two days, anyhow.

Nuetrals you may not care about either way-
Lower points and hard time limits favors MEQ armies.
GW Throne of Skulls events have to have at least five rounds, I think.
Less rounds magnifies the effect of a single bad matchup or round of dice, making the round one draw more significantly important.
Us fat guys are mighty ripe after four games in a row, especially if we drove in the same day.

yakface wrote:
I have two words (or six words, depending on your point of view) for you:

1,250 points.


Yeah baby, micro 40K...let's rock it!!!!!

I would love this. Our local area used to have 1,000 pt tournaments that were a ton of fun and really quite tactically challenging.

RE: OP: A one day tournament would really appeal to me. I work weekends and taking off a whole weekend for a tournament can be a huge challenge. However, taking off a single day is much easier and would result in me being able to attend more tournaments. Plus, a lot of people have SO's and kids that can make a 2-day tournament harder to attend. So two from me!

I cant object to a 1000 1250 or 1500 point format. I seem to be at my best in smaller games, so if its anything under 1500 I'll be going DOA spam, but then again my new necrons are very tempting to try out( and ready to assault my enemies lmao). I am looking forward to this event no matter how big or small the armies are. Just means I have more time to focus on each squad Im painting individually.

I've done a few 1250pt or 1000-to-1500 escalation tournaments as one-day events. I like them. They're a fun thing to build and prepare an army for, since the outlay is easier. There's less models, so it's quicker to paint your 'tournament army'. You meet and play more people in the same amount of time.

I'd even try going down to 1250. I enjoy playing at all points values, but the lower the points value for something like this, the easier it is to get into.

In fact, I find it pretty ludicrous that anyone would avoid an event because they don't like the points value chosen...!

First thing I would like to say is how much room do you have? Space available seems to be a bigger issue than number of rounds.

Second, why is there a desire to run swiss format? Do you consider swiss format to be an essential feature of your tourney? From my experience, if you lose a game of swiss format you are only playing further games for bragging rights... leading to drop outs or lackluster games. Its sometimes hard to get into a game if the outcome of the game is meaningless.

Third, while the 1 day event does cater to some people, a time budget I think is more useful of a starting place than number of games. I would think a 1 day event that starts at 7am (registration) and runs to 10pm at night or later(awards) is simply too much if you want to draw people in with a 2 hour commute (as that sounds like a reasonable travel time based on other commenters). 5am wakeup if you crawl from the bed to car without passing go, midnight get home at the earliest, you sunday is likely shot. May as well be a less intense 2 day event.

My question for the orginizer is 'how many great tables can you run at once?'

My question for the community is 'what time is a good registration time, game 1 start time, and closing time for a 1 day event?'

I know my answer to the second question is 9am registration, 945am game start, closing ceremony done 9pm. This means even with a 2 hour commute I would not have an insane early a wakeup call on my day off, and I would be home with enough time to work sunday (as I work most weekends) or just not be completely burned out.

Thoughts?

Have you considered a mixed point day.

2 small 1000 pts games which could be over very quick, leaving time for 2 larger games.

If you have to play the same codex at each point size then things might get interesting, can you come up with armies that are good at 2 very different points levels using the same codex.