Bill D Watkins - Aug 8, 2010 9:07 pm (34237.) Home Again, Home Again Deep, deep thanks to Mr G, Miz Kaarin, the WBC Board, all the tournament folk and everybody who made the week work. This was definitely the best WBC ever. As usual, not enough time to schmooze with everybody but ended each day smiling. Although I understand I'm getting a plaque for Worst Die Rolling In The History Of Gaming. At the risk of a bit of maudlinism (maudlinity?), I will say what makes this and other cons is that gamers are an extremely nice bunch of people. They never hesitate to reach out. Good trip home. Toured the cruiser Olympia in Philly and a side trip to McGuire AFB to rape the commissary. Now I can sit down and moan softly over each new game. BTW, I assume I won the raffle. Where's my baseball? Herr Dr. - Aug 8, 2010 10:33 pm (34238.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War Fantastic con as always. I would echo the thanks to Mr Greenwood, Miz Kaarin, the WBC Board, the GMs and all the tournament tribe. And thank you very much for the Hobby Service award; I was deeply touched and honored. Will post an AAR in a few days. Snapped the photo below. 4 AM Sunday morning, heading back to my room and in the middle of the hallway was a table full of young A&A players having a great time. Now, that's WBC gaming! And, great late nite bar gaming with the usual suspects; thanks Mr.Levy for introducing us to Longshot. David desJardins - Aug 9, 2010 2:01 am (34239.) Burlingame CA The only complaint I heard several times at WBC was the "dead zone" on Monday and Tuesday. Some people would have liked to participate in precons but it wasn't worth the trip when they have to show up on Saturday and then there are 2-3 days with nothing much scheduled. Meanwhile it would be nice to ease the compression of existing events into Wed-Sat. It seems like we could do a lot more with Sat-Tue for those who are interested. Robert Flowers - Aug 9, 2010 7:44 am (34240.) I heard similar complaints from some people. I personally had no problem - I got to try out a couple of new games in open gaming, but I can understand the complaint. I seem to remember part of the problem, at least on Tuesday, is that the people that run the Auction are not interested in missing out on gaming, and thus nothing is scheduled then. Again, I understand, but there are a lot of people not interested in the auction. Seems there could be some compromise somewhere. Maybe some unofficial tournaments, or some extra preliminary rounds for later tournaments. I'd gladly run one except I'm hoping I get into the later rounds of Through the Ages, which can knock out most of Monday and Tuesday. Of course, continuing that thought, maybe I should get together with some of the other Through the Ages people. Not all of us get to advance, so someone should be available to run something. For myself, this was a well-scheduled year for me, gaming wise. I had very little downtime the entire week and had to even decline several games to avoid wearing myself out. Kudos to Don, Eric Freeman, and anyone else I forgot who is in charge of that. Keith A. Hunsinger - Aug 9, 2010 10:47 am (34241.) President of Shigeki Maruyama fan club. I have been asked to post my remarks on the occasion of presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. They were in keeping with the generally Roman Empire theme of the WBC. With my apologies to the Bard here they are: Friends, Gamers, Countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to roast Yoshikawa not to praise him. The silly men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Yoshikawa. The noble Nickleson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly and Nickleson and Stein are honorable men. Come I to speak at Yoshikawa’s roast. He is my friend, faithful and just to me but Nickleson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly and Nickleson and Stein are honorable men. Yoshikawa hath entertained many children here in Lancaster whose parent got rare quiet hours. Did this in Yoshikawa seem silly? When that the G.M.’s have wept for support Yoshikawa hath cried with them and added computer skill and referees whistles. Silly should be made of sterner stuff! Yet Nickleson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly and Nickleson and Stein are honorable men. You all did see upon the B-17 tournament that thrice I offered him a chance at wood and thrice he did refuse. Was this silly? Yet Nickleson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly and Nickleson and Stein are honorable men. You all hath shown here your love for Yoshikawa, presenting him with this Sportsmanship Award for which he in patronage did let the malt taps flow. O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts and all have lost their reason. My heart is there in the plaque with Yoshikawa; I must pause until it return to me! Arthur Field - Aug 9, 2010 11:09 am (34242.) 11 hour ride, just woke up, when do I go back? Got home after 11 last night after finishing the St Pete final. One of the best games of St Pete I ever played in. As Eric Brosius said, anyone who thinks that game is broken or repetitive should have played in that final. What amazing moves by all players. What incredible thinking by Randy Buehler. What ridiculously random cards in the deal that changed the entire tenor of the whole game. What a brilliant move by Vien Bounma to take the observatory in the last turn and NOT buy it down to use it and to save his money for the noble round. Finally woke up today. Daughter still asleep. Of course, she Werewolfed and danced all night, and I, like the stick in the mud I am, went to bed at 1 AM each night--something for which I know everyone is grateful given my tendency towards crabbiness and whining when I get no sleep. (As it is, I barely sleep--hence my usual.) Kate swore she wouldn't come back. On the way home, she discussed which room floor we should request. So, let me be the first to point out there are approximately 357 days left to go. Thanks to everyone (Don, Ken, Bruce, Keith H., Debbie, etc., etc.) for making this a wonderful week. Thanks to all the GMs who give unbelievable time, effort and patience to putting on the event and putting up with all the challenges. Thanks to all of you for putting up with me annually. Thanks to Tom Browne for running a wonderfully organized Dominion. And, amazingly, Kate left the laptop in its case in the room. Fortunately, she had tipped the maid during the week. The laptop, with all of the St Pete and Facts in Five results was returned by the maid to the front desk and they are shipping it today. So thanks to that honest maid and front desk at the Host. Lesson: ALWAYS TIP THE MAID! Love to all. Peter Stein - Aug 9, 2010 1:00 pm (34247.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. Did I mention I won the Kremlin tournament? Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 9, 2010 1:14 pm (34248.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club How many 14-year-old kids did you have to destroy on your way to that plaque this year, Pete? Mark "Plaque Check" Mitchell - Aug 9, 2010 1:29 pm (34249.) If Nicholson and Stein are noble men, then I'm a king! >Did I mention I won the Kremlin tournament? Me and my big mouth... Justin Rice - Aug 9, 2010 1:37 pm (34250.) sk me about "Impeach the President" Had a splendid 24 hours in Lancaster, and made it home in plenty of time to take my wife to the hospital for the birth of our second child Thursday morning. I was well on my way to being 3-0 in Great Campaigns when I had to leave, but I figured that wasn't going to be a valid excuse for missing out on labor! Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 9, 2010 2:14 pm (34251.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club Grats, Justin! You took home something much better than a chunk of wood. Good luck. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 9, 2010 2:14 pm (34252.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Hi, To me the Auction issue is an artifact of the convention getting longer and longer. While I guess you could move the auction to a different day like Monday, that would also present issues. Plus, the BPA Annual Meeting is during the auction (helps us get a quorum which maintains our tax status). On the topic of the Annual Meeting, I understand fully why it got so brief - people complained that it was too long. However, I think we may have gone too far in the other direction now. A little more information would be useful - for example we have a LOT of new people now so thing like the purpose of the warchest should be restated for their benefit. Perhaps even a couple of words on why the BPA is structured in the manner that it is also. Remember, WE know these things but with the growth we've had a lot of others do not. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 9, 2010 2:16 pm (34253.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Keith (Hunsinger), it was a distinct pleasure to meet and speak to you this year. Not only as gamers, but as seminary student getting to talk (however briefly) to someone who has gone through it already. Keith A. Hunsinger - Aug 9, 2010 2:39 pm (34254.) resident of Shigeki Maruyama fan club. Joel, you are most welcome on both counts. Maybe we can talk more in the future. Harry Flawd - Aug 9, 2010 3:31 pm (34255.) Games left at Host Rich Moyer found 3 games someone left at the Host. He called me since I live here, and I went over to the Host and picked them up. I have them here and am more than willing to ship them to whomever may have left them. If you are missing 3 games, shoot me an e-mail at hef333@yahoo.com Harry David desJardins - Aug 9, 2010 4:26 pm (34256.) Burlingame CA While I guess you could move the auction to a different day like Monday, that would also present issues. The solution is easy, we should just let people schedule events on Monday and Tuesday and then everyone can vote with their feet. As an outsider, it really seems that it's only the selfishness of a few people that stands in the way. Barcafer - Aug 9, 2010 4:33 pm (34257.) Ludeo Ergo Sum I am not sure that I would characterize the volunteers who run the auction as being selfish for not wanted to miss any events while doing so. The auction is a service to the BPA and its members. I do not think it is an issue of the volunteers saying no events. It is them saying no volunteers if they have to miss events. Put together a group, take over running the auction and then events can be run at the same time. Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 9, 2010 4:34 pm (34258.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club Mr Barcafer: Glad to see you got home safe. Now, how do we get "I'm the Boss" into the Century?!?!? Dan Dolan - Aug 9, 2010 4:43 pm (34259.) I used to farm for a livin. But now I'm in the growin trade >Now, how do we get "I'm the Boss" into the Century?!?!? I want 3 million and then this deal can get done. I have to agree with Dave. I think there should be events during the auction. For me after a trip through the auction store the auction has no interest. I don't want to watch dealers bid up to what they think they can get for a game all day. I'd like to see about getting SPACE ALERT in next year as a B17 kind of event. Everyone grouped into crews and doing the mission at the same time. Tuesday would be a good day for it. Barcafer - Aug 9, 2010 4:46 pm (34260.) Ludeo Ergo Sum Bump Slapshot to make room? I hope that comment will be forgotten in a year, or I will have seen my last WBC. Or I will not be seen after the next WBC. Martin Sample - Aug 9, 2010 4:50 pm (34261.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >As an outsider, it really seems that it's only the selfishness of a few people that stands in the way. Seeing as how the volunteers devote an entire day plus to running the event, on top of some of them also GMing events as well, I think calling them selfish is a bit out of line David. Barcafer - Aug 9, 2010 4:51 pm (34262.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >I have to agree with Dave. I think there should be events during the auction. I do not disagree with events during the auction, but it will take a different group of volunteers to run the auction. Those who now run it have made it clear they will not do so if it means missing an event in which they would like to participate. I think Dave's use of the term selfish is unfortunate. >For me after a trip through the auction store the auction has no interest. I agree, but it draws a crowd and seems quite popular with others. Keith A. Hunsinger - Aug 9, 2010 5:15 pm (34263.) President of Shigeki Maruyama fan club. I am a volunteer auctioner. I come a day early, at my own expense. I join roughly thirty other folks who together allow 200 plus folks to sell games in a safe, controlled enviorment to another 200 plus who use the auction store and/or bid. We make money for the orgainization and the sellers. We provide a service for the buyers. There are over 300 volunteer hours donated. Our only compensation is a free MacDonalds lunch. I am sorry you see us as selfish in that we are not willing to do all this if we also have to miss tournaments. I think that was a very poor choice of phrases. Mark "Plaque Check" Mitchell - Aug 9, 2010 5:33 pm (34264.) If Nicholson and Stein are noble men, then I'm a king! >I don't want to watch dealers bid up to what they think they can get for a game all day. I can understand your position Dan, but I was able to pick up a copy of Battle Cry at the auction for less than I sold my copy for six months ago. As for anyone who feels that we (the volunteers) are selfish, well...I'm just glad my esteemed (and more level-headed) co-volunteer spoke first before I did. Randy Pippus - Aug 9, 2010 5:47 pm (34265.) >Frogger >I made the round trip yesterday afternoon/evening, and big gaps in the highway traffic opened up at the right times. I made the round trip about 10+ times. Only the noon-time with the east-bound clogged was extra scary. The closure of the Lapp's saved me a few trips because the newspaper box was also gone and that was my usual first trip of the day to return to the Continental Omelet Chefdom. I made one foot expedition to the WaWa for resupplies and the Tuesday USA Today that has the weekly Baseball stats I crave. On site I had a decent brisket on Saturday and General Tso's earlier in the week but the $2 dollar hotdog with sauerkraut was only a deal if you considered the sauerkraut worth $1. I was told after that the dijon chicken was the best thing at the concession. The coffee was an essential for me on the days of multiple back-to-back rounds. Hot and Black was enough, though after 3 I notice I tended to babble. thanks, Randy Dan Dolan - Aug 9, 2010 5:48 pm (34266.) I used to farm for a livin. But now I'm in the growin trade Oh I don't think for a moment the volunteers are selfish. Quite the contrary. They put a tremendous amount of free work into the auction. I would just like to see some events running on Tuesday during the day for those not interested in the auction. Tom Willcockson - Aug 9, 2010 6:16 pm (34267.) Just lurking here to get some cheap vicarious thrills out of an event that I STILL have not managed to make it to after several years of thinking that I might... sigh. I'm sure David will probably regret his choice of words when he sees the reaction so I would let him respond, but I definitely think the auctioneers deserve thanks along with all the other volunteers for the event. Agree with Dan though and I hope there are some events running on Tuesday when I finally make it there next year. Bryan Collars - Aug 9, 2010 6:25 pm (34268.) Panic and fear is in the air. Might I suggest that next year if you are not interested in attending the auction then by all means think on attending the Inaugural 18th Annual Greenville Mafia Invitational Mini-Golf Tournament at Dutch Wonderland. Your invitation may already be in the mail. I for one wish to thank those individuals that offer their time and effort to run the auction. Their service allows me to get plenty of time to play open games, hang by the pool, reconnect with old friends, plan mini-golf tournaments, maybe even GM an event if the opportunity arises. Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 9, 2010 7:26 pm (34269.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club Geez, Bryan, you are SOOOO selfish! Next year: You, me and Ralph E. Boy in a 3-player HIS death match. Loser has to convert to the winner's religion. Dan Dolan - Aug 9, 2010 9:37 pm (34270.) I used to farm for a livin. But now I'm in the growin trade Let the campaigning for next years events begin! >Next year: You, me and Ralph E. Boy in a 3-player HIS death match. Loser has to convert to the winner's religion. Oh so you don't want command of a Sitting Duck Class Exploration Ship? Looking for a Sugar Daddy to get SPACE ALERT in, Patrick Duffy - Aug 9, 2010 9:44 pm (34271.) One suggestion for next year........ ........require all magazines be placed in the auction store instead of the auction. Rob Schoenen - Aug 9, 2010 10:03 pm (34272.) Calling out to our world........Believers in freedom? "I'm a believer!" Another GREAT Year! Good friends, well-run tournaments, plenty of space for open gaming...what more could anyone want? Many thanks to Don, Kaarin and all the other BPA board members for leading the charge. And thanks to all the Tournament Directors for their dedication to their respective games and the hobby. It was a great time! Barcafer - Aug 9, 2010 10:11 pm (34273.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Our only compensation is a free MacDonalds lunch. Wow, that is adding insult to injury. They could at least give you some of that good, wholesome Amish food. >I hope there are some events running on Tuesday when I finally make it there next year. There is always open gaming going on someplace. In 20 years, I do not recall ever sitting around for lack of a game or opponent. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 9, 2010 10:26 pm (34274.) I attended all 9 days of the convention. I had no issues with finding tournament games all days. But I do play in the pre-con events. If you show up on Saturday for the pre-cons and don't play in the pre-con events, then why did you show up early? With the additions of AoR, 18xx and Axis and Allies to the pre-con I'd lean more toward saying there were too many games scheduled for Sat-Monday than too few! So I don't agree with any of David's comments. I read them more in the light that not enough of the games David plays were scheduled to run in those early days... maybe he has to expand his gaming horizons. As for no scheduled gaming during the auction, it makes sense to me. The GM policy allows a GM to pick 1 game their event can't be scheduled against. I can see that same logic in use with the auction. However, the auction is a much more complex "event" so it is not something that 1 person can "GM". Being such, multiple individuals graciously volunteer their time to pull off the auction each year. Since multiple people are involved with varying games they are interested in playing at the convention, not having any tournament games running during the auction blanket covers the issue and keeps the volunteers volunteering. Along with the volunteers running the auction, you have GM's with auction interest. So what games could run during the auction is once again reduced. Lastly you have buyers with gaming interests. If less buyers show up due to tournaments they want to play in over the auction, then everything suffers. Since less buyers could equate to lower $ purchases, to less people wanting to risk putting items in the auction, etc... Trying to figure out which games the auction volunteers would not want to run vs the auction is straight forward, then finding out from each GM if they would want to run a heat vs the auction or not is a lot more complex ( as 400 page write-ups, early registrations, etc.. prove complex for some ), then one would need to query each auction attendee to see which events they would join instead of the auction is beyond knowing. It is much more simple to just keep tournament event heats from running during the auction. The KISS method typically is the best method. It won't please everyone all the time, but will please most of the people, most of the time. Bill D Watkins - Aug 9, 2010 10:41 pm (34275.) Tuesday Heats? Could you run events on Tuesday that are strictly extra heats for tournaments to be run on later days? Joel A Tamburo - Aug 9, 2010 10:43 pm (34276.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Let's also clarify here. Tuesday evening has lots of events - it's Tuesday morning and afternoon that do not. Andrew Maly - Aug 9, 2010 11:17 pm (34277.) San Antonio, TX As I was blaming Kaarin for everything, I guess I should publicly blame her for the wonderful time I had. Ewan - Aug 10, 2010 12:42 am (34278.) Andy - yeah, clearly the fault of Kaarin, Don, Keith L (whom I heard trying very hard, more than once, to get more water for the carboys in their perpetually empty state this year), the rest of the organisation crew, and all the GMs. Pah. [I won nothing this year, and (almost) didn't care - highlights of the week included Alex Henning running through the hotel, fueled by glee, after winning RoboRally at 1 a.m.; a heat game of Ivanhoe where we demonstrated just how long serious gamers can drag out a 30-min light card game; my Merchant of Venus game where all four players could win if they rolled decent dice on their final turn, and ending up with more cash than the winner (Chuck Foster) who also showed me that I had somehow made it to the top of the MoV AREA ratings prior to losing to him (the then-#2); watching Vince Meconi sit in awed triumph after winning War at Sea, as part of which he crushed me in about 10 min flat - and also watching Mike Kaye shake his head for maybe 30 min after my Italian cruisers won my quarter-final for me; and finding time somehow for two steak dinners with intense stimulation and old friends. That not caring about losing so much, though - I must be getting old...] Dick Shay - Aug 10, 2010 7:50 am (34279.) I think I'll just stick with irony and sarcasm as historical analytical tools. It's way easier to do and harder to refute. I'd comment... but I was told that after winning Liar's Dice no one will ever believe me again. There was plenty of fun to be had all day Monday and Tuesday, which is why I drive down on Sunday, ignoring the preCon events. 8 days away is the max toleration level at this point for the family (it could be longer if I was making money away, of course). Some folks, probably, only like to play in competitive events. I don't get that really, but people like what they like. Maybe they could organize "The League of Extraodinarily Competitive Gamers" and organize unofficial competitive play under the guise of open gaming. Peter Stein - Aug 10, 2010 8:54 am (34280.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. The League of Extraodinarily Competitive Gamers Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 9:48 am (34281.) Ludeo Ergo Sum I think we should change to that name. Anyway, great con. Played all multiplayer games. All well run as always. Brad Johnson continued his excellence in running Dune and John Emrey stepped up in Mark's absence and did a great job with Nappy 5 player. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 9:52 am (34282.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. Hotel Reservations for next year According to a post in another folder, the Host ran out of forms Sunday and is not taking reservations for next year over the phone?? They snail mail you a form apparently. I thought not getting email confirmation was bad enough. This is out of the fricking 50s. Don, you may want to look into this. Peter Stein - Aug 10, 2010 10:20 am (34283.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. Late Saturday night I tried to fill out a form and there were none. The girl behind the desk couldn't find any copies. OK it's late night they'll certainly have more when the day crew comes on. I did fill one out around 10:30 Sunday AM Grant LaDue - Aug 10, 2010 11:51 am (34284.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! Auction and tourney's As a dedicated Auction attendee, I would be entirely ok if there were scheduled Mulligans, demo's, and teaching sessions during the day on Tuesday. I think that you'd have problems with having actual tournaments during that time, and not just from the auction attendee's. Quite a lot of people that aren't interested in the auction use that day to travel into the con. Moving meaningful gameplay into that time would cause a lot of consternation amongst people who would prefer not to use another vacation day to get in on Monday. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 12:17 pm (34285.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? Might I suggest that next year if you are not interested in attending the auction then by all means think on attending the Inaugural 18th Annual Greenville Mafia Invitational Mini-Golf Tournament at Dutch Wonderland. Your invitation may already be in the mail. At least they don't schedule on the same day as the "official/unoffical" golf tournament/Ohio beach party!!! It seems to solve the problem is simple. If someone WANTS to run a game during the auction they should ask DON if they can..... Don't see what the problem is. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 12:18 pm (34286.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? BTW to all.... Thank you for Voting me Sportsman of the Year. It's nice knowing how your peers think of you. Herr Dr. - Aug 10, 2010 12:23 pm (34287.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War Well deserved, Mr.Yoshikawa. Vince Meconi - Aug 10, 2010 12:33 pm (34288.) Host Reservations For Next Year I too couldn't get a form for next year at the desk Sunday, but was able to reserve via phone yesterday (Monday) morning about 9 AM. My experience with the Host generally is that different personnel give different answers to the same question. Not a complaint necessarily, just a comment. Justin Rice - Aug 10, 2010 12:38 pm (34289.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" Yeah, my wife made our 2011 reservation over the phone yesterday, too. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 1:22 pm (34291.) Burlingame CA (Martin Sample) Seeing as how the volunteers devote an entire day plus to running the event, on top of some of them also GMing events as well, I think calling them selfish is a bit out of line David. OK, let me say "myopic" instead. They have a particular point of view but their priorities aren't benefiting most people. The auction has little value. They enjoy it and they like to run it, fine. I'm not against them having it if they want. But to create an auction and to use their desire to run an auction as an obstacle to improving the convention itself, I find that objectionable. (Kevin Wojtaszczyk) If you show up on Saturday for the pre-cons and don't play in the pre-con events, then why did you show up early? Again, the issue people stated to me is the dead zone. They are interested in participating in one or another pre-con, but then they have two or three empty days, especially if they are knocked out early. (Bill D Watkins) Could you run events on Tuesday that are strictly extra heats for tournaments to be run on later days? This is exactly what's being blocked by the auction group. David Bohnenberger - Aug 10, 2010 1:25 pm (34292.) Worst GM in WBC history I have no real problems with the running of the con. My only suggestion would be to increase open gaming space on Saturday when all those eliminated from tourneys have little else to do. Maybe The Tent could be rented for a day, or maybe the Demo area could be opened on that day. Further pressure on open gaming space was due to the lack of interest or support in the "Cafe" area. I saw Jay on Monday, I think, and no rep from Rio Grande or Queen for the rest of the week. I saw very little gaming in that area except for illicit open gaming. Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 1:30 pm (34293.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. Jay left for Gencon on Tuesday. The Café Jay area did seem less busy this year . >The auction has little value. To you perhaps. I think the 100+ or so people in attendance would disagree. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 1:31 pm (34294.) Burlingame CA To you perhaps. I think the 100+ or so people in attendance would disagree. I bet even half of them would prefer an expanded convention schedule. So that makes it something like 1200 to 50. Grant LaDue - Aug 10, 2010 1:36 pm (34295.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! Pretty sure I'd take that bet. There are over 100 people lined up for each "running" of the Auction Store and I'm quite sure that most (if not all) of them would be mighty annoyed to have to choose between the store/auction and an actual event. John Weber - Aug 10, 2010 1:39 pm (34296.) Cafe Jay Dave B wrote: I saw Jay on Monday, I think, and no rep from Rio Grande or Queen for the rest of the week. Actually, Skip Maloney was there on behalf of Rio Grande for most of the week. Not sure about Queen. Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 1:46 pm (34297.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Could you run events on Tuesday that are strictly extra heats for tournaments to be run on later days? >This is exactly what's being blocked by the auction group. The Con officially begins at 6PM on Tuesday. Anything before then is precon. If we start moving up the mulligans or teaching sessions, not to mention the extra heats, then the con begins before its official time. That is a whole new issue than holding an auction prior to the con, which is what is really being debated here. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 1:49 pm (34298.) If I am not mistaken it was by the vote of the attendees that the auction was added to the schedule. It is not some pet desire by a few. 8 hours of no tournament events out of 9 days of scheduled tournaments is less than 7% of available gaming time, not counting all the late night unscheduled activities. Open gaming is available during the auction too. So people who do not want to attend have other avenues. Also, as Grant mentioned, many people travel in on Tuesday mornings. The auction also provides some revenue to the BPA which keeps our convention costs down, which helps everyone who attendees. But alas, when David speaks, the best anyone can agree to is to agree to disagree. Though it still amazes me how he "knows" how everyone feels about everything. lol Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 1:51 pm (34299.) Actually the convention begins on Monday morning at 9am the past 2 years. The pre-cons start Saturday and can spill into Monday. But actual heats and even whole non-pre con tournaments run on Mondays now. Specifically this year on Monday you had San Juan, Manoeuvre, Warriors of God, and Union Pacific tournaments. With heats run in Wellington and Gangsters. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 1:52 pm (34300.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? So I repeat Dave.... If you want something run on Tuesday during the auction then ask Don..... If you just want to complain about it....then be quiet about it. Like I said before....Don alway's said...if you want something run..then why not volunteer for it? A person that thinks that he's an expert will say anything without being asked....while an expert will say nothing unless they are asked. Joshua Githens - Aug 10, 2010 2:04 pm (34301.) Sportsmanship Mark is 1/2 an honorable man. Truly though, congratulations on winning the Sportsmanship Award Mark. I know that you were honored to recieve it and humbled by the respect of your peers. The 2010 WBC was a great event and I am looking forward to the 2011 WBC already. Josh John Pack - Aug 10, 2010 2:05 pm (34302.) Democrats’ Motto: “If we’re not bankrupt, the government isn’t big enough.” Republicans are upset--not that Democrats borrowed trillions--but that they borrowed the motto. Perhaps an ideal solution would be to increase the auction store items and reduce the formal auction to just 1-2 hours for only the most premium of the items -- with that auction following the BPA meeting. That would free up Tuesday morning for tournaments and block off just 2-3 hours (say 3-6 pm)? Even the auction store could run during from 2-6 pm with price decreases at 4 and 5 pm. That way the auction staff could make it to all the events, but more time could be allocated to tournaments. As for precons, I'd like to see more options on Saturday at 9 am. Sunday had lots of choices. From my point of view, only precon Saturday and Tuesday were dead zones. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 2:05 pm (34303.) However, Mark, if you do ask Don about running an event during the Auction, you will be told it is the policy of the BPA board than no tournaments are allowed to be scheduled during the auction. So it is a current policy that has been relayed to me. Personally I am not 100% in agreement, but it makes a lot of sense on a grand scale. Life is full of compromises. David's assumption that the majority of attendees are not interested in the auction is a false initial premise in my view, which then leads to false assumptions of needing tournaments during the auction. At the end of the day though, no one can know if the majority of attendees present on Tuesday morning wants tournament events scheduled in lieu of the auction or vis versa. The most one can look at is the numbers of attendees. Are we shrinking our attendance or growing it by the way the convention is being run? Bill D Watkins - Aug 10, 2010 2:06 pm (34304.) 2011 Calendar Eek! Didn't make reservations for next year across the street. What are our dates? Are we ending on Sun Aug 7 or the 14th? Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 2:06 pm (34305.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. I think the hotel is not prepared for us on Saturday AM of the precon. There are either other events going on or they are changing the rooms over from the prior day. The earliest I can recall it starting is around noon. Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 2:07 pm (34306.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >Didn't make reservations for next year across the street. What are our dates? Are we ending on Sun Aug 7 or the 14th? The 7th. Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 2:08 pm (34307.) Ludeo Ergo Sum I see the Grognard events and the Wellington mulligan on Monday. The Grognard events begin on Saturday and run all week. They are sort of a con unto themsleves. If you wish to consider them as part of the regular con, then we can agree to disagree, but they begin on Saturday, not Monday. The schedule lists Monday as day one and the registration has Mon-Sum and Wed-Sun, so while technically, yes, Monday is the start day, there are only pre-con, grognard and two events, San Juan and Manoeuver. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 2:11 pm (34308.) Yes, typically a noon-ish start for Saturday pre-cons is suggested, since a lot of people drive up on Saturday morning. However this year was a first with a 9am 18xx start and all the rest of the pre-cons starting at 2pm. I'd be curious to know how many people showed up for that 9am 18xx pre-con heat on Saturday morning. Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 2:15 pm (34309.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. I looked in the 18XX room when I arrived and it looked to be about a dozen people. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 2:23 pm (34310.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? However, Mark, if you do ask Don about running an event during the Auction, you will be told it is the policy of the BPA board than no tournaments are allowed to be scheduled during the auction. If that is the case... Then why are we having this thread here??? Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 2:24 pm (34311.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? Eek! Didn't make reservations for next year across the street. What are our dates? Are we ending on Sun Aug 7 or the 14th? Want to play frogger again eh... Grant LaDue - Aug 10, 2010 2:27 pm (34312.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! T hen why are we having this thread here??? 'cause we do it every year? It's a tradition, like 1776. Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 2:29 pm (34313.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Then why are we having this thread here??? I guess after getting 1500-2000 people together for a week of gaming, and having the biggest complaint be that of those 216 possible gaming hours, six of them were blocked for an auction, you must say it was a pretty great week. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 2:30 pm (34314.) Burlingame CA >Then why are we having this thread here??? I thought this forum was for discussing the convention. What other venue would you suggest? barcaboy4@aol.com - Aug 10, 2010 2:41 pm (34315.) aka. Mike Gentile Seeking Jim Doughan [begin encryption] I scored one unit. You know which one. [end encryption] Somebody got his contact info? Tell him to drop me a note at barcaboy4@aol.com Thanks, Mike G Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 2:41 pm (34316.) >Then why are we having this thread here??? Yep. My thoughts exactly. A pros/cons of having tournaments during the auction or not is the best one can reach over here. The board knows and discusses it and has it's current policy. With concrete facts, that policy could change if it makes sense on the grand scale of the convention. However without concrete facts, the most we will accomplish is launching a Montgolfier. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 2:42 pm (34317.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? ' cause we do it every year? It's a tradition, like 1776. Oh...so like some traditions...we can ignore it then eh. Grant LaDue - Aug 10, 2010 2:43 pm (34318.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! Missing Notebook Did anyone find a smallish notebook with notes for Wilderness War and assorted Thursday Euro's? I misplaced mine somewhere. Might be buried in the games though. Curt Collins - Aug 10, 2010 3:04 pm (34322.) I don't speak up often, but on the issue of the auction time block I can't keep silent. I have found the Monday events to be a great addition to the con, they increase the amount of time that I get to spend in the tournaments. The thing about showing up on Monday though, is that there is this big gap on Tuesday where there is nothing to do. I'm not big on open gaming when I could be in a tournament, and I could care less about attending an auction (though I do so since there's nothing else to do). My question is this: Why does the auction have to be on Tuesday? If it were to be moved back to Monday morning, and the convention proper started Monday evening instead of Tuesday evening, then I believe that would be the best of both worlds. Better really since I wouldn't need to get a room and pay for Sunday night, but could drive in on Monday morning instead. The situation would be the same as it was before Monday became part of the con, with the difference being the main week is now exactly 1 day longer. -Curt Don Greenwood - Aug 10, 2010 3:11 pm (34323.) Too much of a good thing? Right you are. This is the place to discuss the convention and from such posts, ideas sometimes take root. However, making statements like "everyone dislikes this" or "no one wants that" are gross exaggerations and inherently incorrect. I can guarantee you that there is no subject about WBC on which everyone agrees. I have heard the "pro" and "con" versions of virtually every issue ever since we started this. Rest assured that whatever it is you want done, someone else wants the opposite. For example, one fellow recently berated me for lengthening the convention and then having the audacity to schedule his three favorite events to conflict with one another rather than using the extra days to ensure they did not conflict. I had to remind him that: 1. I do not schedule events; the respective GMs do, and 2. One of his three events went without a GM for months and was almost eliminated for lack of a GM; yet, he had not offered to run the event himself and schedule it as he saw fit. Conflicts are inevitable - even with a nine-day convention - but his solution - to schedule more events early in the week comes at the expense of those who will attend later only to find that those events have already concluded. Fortunately, there is a mechanism in place to resolve such issues and every single attendee has an opportunity to use that mechanism by exercising their vote for a Board candidate that will represent their views. If, like the vast majority of the membership, you choose not to use that vote then you really have no right to complain about the decisions made by said Board. It so happens that the current Board believes that having an auction is a good thing and to ensure that it - like everything else we do - is the best that it can be, we have decided that our auction will not compete with tournaments for the affections of either our staff or its attendees. During the Auction window you can either Open Game, explore the Samplers, play golf, finish a pre-con or take a nap - but there will be no new tournament starts during that time. WBC is hardly perfect but I like to think we make strides towards that elusive goal each year. If this is a policy that you cannot abide, elect a Board that thinks differently. This one, fortunately, happens to think that a little diversity is a good thing and breaking up nine days of tournaments with an Auction Cease Fire that attracts new faces to experience WBC while servicing a genuine need of the membership is in the best interests of the majority. Ain't nobody who has championed tournament play more than yours truly ... but even I can use a break. Besides ... I like seeing Reiff smile without a plaque in his hand. Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 3:26 pm (34324.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Besides ... I like seeing Reiff smile without a plaque in his hand. I do not think I have ever seen him without a plaque. He is the only guy I know who needs to bring an enpty suitcase to carry home the loot. Eric Brosius - Aug 10, 2010 3:29 pm (34325.) 18XX I am a beginning 18XX player who had never considered playing at WBC, but I played 1846 in the Saturday morning heat because it was the only thing in the time slot. I had fun, too, and though I did't win, I was respectable and learned some useful lessons. The tournament had to move some tables to overflow space; I think there were about 32 players in that heat. barcaboy4@aol.com - Aug 10, 2010 3:37 pm (34326.) aka. Mike Gentile Can we post a list of all the folks who don't care about the auction and want to play games on Tuesday? They could easily contact each other and play. Brought you by the Minister of Occam's Razor Joshua Githens - Aug 10, 2010 3:45 pm (34327.) Minister of Occam, There is an info board in open gaming that you can post games that you are looking to play and when. Although I'd also recommend planning ahead of the WBC just so you know that you can get in the game on Tuesday you'd like. My group uses the Tuesday morning to go to Walmart / Target for supplies, food, etc. and to particiate in our Inaugural 18th Annual Greenville Mafia Miniature Golf Invitational at Dutch Wonderland. We will be having it again next year as well. It's a good slot to make room for a new traditional we found that can bring the new storie to the group by sharing experiences outside of gaming and the WBC. Herr Dr. - Aug 10, 2010 3:47 pm (34328.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War "I do not think I have ever seen him [Reiff] without a plaque. He is the only guy I know who needs to bring an enpty suitcase to carry home the loot" Well, that suitcase don't hold sand for some reason. Justin Rice - Aug 10, 2010 3:56 pm (34329.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" >WBC is hardly perfect I disagree, Mr. Greenwood. Nels Thompson - Aug 10, 2010 4:05 pm (34330.) 28 outs. I am so stoked for next year. Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 4:06 pm (34331.) Ludeo Ergo Sum Yeah, well, we could go into the beer taps being down, but we were there to play games, not drink beer, so it is not that big an issue. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 10, 2010 4:11 pm (34332.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? Here...here Mr. Greenwood! That is why your in charge! Justin Rice - Aug 10, 2010 4:14 pm (34333.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" Let's talk about something that really matters: During my short stay this year, the service at the bar was terrible. The red-headed guy that was there in years past, I thought, was awesome. But on Tuesday night, it took me like an hour to get a sandwich and two beers from the bar, and they weren't even that busy. I had to make it really, really obvious that my beer was empty, and I wanted another, before they came over to ask if I wanted another. I hope you folks let the Host know the bar service sucked! Martin Sample - Aug 10, 2010 4:30 pm (34334.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. The one thing that bar needs ( amongst many things ) is a server for those sitting at tables. It sucks even more to leave your friends at the table and wait up there for a long time to get stuff. If they got an even mildly competent waitress for the tables she'd clean up in tips I bet. They seemed to use someone different for every shift during the precon and mid week, til the old grumpy useless dude took over for the last part of the con, which was unfortunate. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 4:37 pm (34335.) I agree with Nels... 51 more weeks to go for WBC 2011! On another side note... I plan on going back to a team mercenary... So come next April, I'll be looking for 3 top notch gamers to form a winning team in 2011. Heck, maybe I'll just ring leader my own team. Something like 'Vowels Not Required'... lol Gotta check through the top winners lists to see who else has 8+ letters in their last name with 2 or less vowels... Ewan - Aug 10, 2010 4:54 pm (34337.) Ha! Your consonant:vowel ratio is only 1.25; Kevin's is 5.5, although really that y is dubious . I'm not bad, at 4.0 - Kevin, sign me up! Gary Phillips - Aug 10, 2010 4:57 pm (34338.) A Bomb in Wardour Street I can't quite put a finger on it, but this just felt like it was my most enjoyable WBC ever. So again, a huge thank you to the Board, the volunteers, and the GM's for everything you do. See you next year. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 10, 2010 5:01 pm (34339.) Yeah, y's don't count! David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 6:32 pm (34340.) Burlingame CA >Conflicts are inevitable - even with a nine-day convention - but his solution - to schedule more events early in the week comes at the expense of those who will attend later only to find that those events have already concluded. I don't think many people would like to see events conclude on Monday or Tuesday, because lots of people can't arrive that early and it would be a shame for people to miss their desired event. However, it's hard for me to see how allowing some events to schedule heats earlier in the week would hurt anyone. E.g., Titan is an open play format, allowing qualifying games to be played on Tuesday wouldn't take anything away from anyone but would allow players to free up some time on other days for other events. The only obstacle is the auction policy. I'm not too interested in trying to vote the board out because they are fixed on this auction concept. That seems a bit much. I'll just present my point of view, and everyone else can present theirs. And meanwhile at least I can enjoy the convention from Wednesday through Saturday. I would probably volunteer to GM a trial event if I could do it on Tuesday, or if some of the existing events could be extended into Tuesday to free up a bit more time later in the week. It sounds like that's not going to happen anytime soon. That's ok. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 10, 2010 6:48 pm (34341.) Learning each day how much I don't know. David, you already can GM on Tuesday. It is just the period between 10am and 4pm that there are no scheduled tournaments. Anytime afterwards and you are good to go. Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 10, 2010 7:37 pm (34342.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club >but we were there to play games, not drink beer Huh? Whu? You say that like it's two completely different things! Barcafer - Aug 10, 2010 7:43 pm (34343.) udeo Ergo Sum I live in the Poconos. I can always find someone to join me in a beer. Getting someone to play a game, now that is a challange. Dan Dolan - Aug 10, 2010 9:04 pm (34344.) used to farm for a livin. But now I'm in the growin trade Ya know SPACE ALERT might work as a Saturday event. John Weber - Aug 10, 2010 9:17 pm (34345.) Tuesday I was OK with the concept of open gaming on Tuesday (got in two games starting at 1 with plenty of time to park, check in and unload items from the car) but I can see the point raised by those who arrived earlier about the issue of possible dead time. The only suggestion I might make is to allow GMs of Class B events to schedule demos earlier than 5 PM on Tuesday. There aren't that many slots for tables in the Paradise Terrace area and many events run back to back starting at 6 PM, so giving GMs the option of a 4 PM or even a 3 PM demo time on Tuesday seems reasonable. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 10, 2010 9:21 pm (34346.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Perhaps. But I would still absolutely prohibit scheduling opposite the BPA Annual Meeting. Peter Stein - Aug 10, 2010 9:33 pm (34347.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein a re honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. Dumb question How much is the nightly rate for a room at the Host in 2011? Is it still $99? David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 9:37 pm (34348.) Burlingame CA >David's assumption that the majority of attendees are not interested in the auction is a false initial premise in my view, which then leads to false assumptions of needing tournaments during the auction. I think most WBC attendees aren't interested in the auction. No matter how generously you count people who participate in any way, you don't get anywhere near half of 1200. I've never been at the site when the auction was running, but someone suggested a figure of 100 participants, which doesn't surprise me. The question I would ask is, would a lot more people attend on Saturday through Tuesday if not for the auction and if it were allowed to expand events into those dates. From the sample I talked to (several people who mentioned this) I think the answer to that is yes. I think the number of people attending on Tuesday would be a lot higher with a different policy, that many more people would appreciate the expanded time for events and reduced competition between them than appreciate the auction. I imagine that the auction is fun for people who participate in it (either running it or bidding in it). But economically it doesn't make a lot of sense. There are plenty of ways to sell games online for comparable prices. For everyone who's getting a better price at the auction as a seller than they could get online, there's someone who's paying more to buy the same game. And for everyone who's getting a better deal at the auction as a buyer than they could get online, there's someone who's getting less than if they sold online. But, as a recreational activity, it doesn't deserve to be on a higher status than anything else at the convention. Other events don't get to block out their time so people in them don't miss anything else. I will throw one more thing out. If tournaments begin on Monday morning, and block out most of Tuesday for the auction, the tournament schedule would be a lot better and have higher participation if you moved the auction to Monday and let the events begin on Tuesday. And it seems like the value to the auctioneers would be about the same. The precon attendees would still have the dead zone, but it would be effectively reduced because more events would take advantage of some of that extra time. Dick Shay - Aug 10, 2010 9:40 pm (34349.) I think I'll just stick with irony and sarcasm as historical analytical tools. It's way easier to do and harder to refute. I'd pay an extra buck... If the ice machines worked. The engineering staff at the Host is the weakest link. I appreciate the wireless Internet access (my roomates included a vendor and it saved his butt). I don't understand how they could place the ice machines in the hottest spaces in the buildings (next to washer and driers) and expect them to work without cooling those areas. In fact, they don't. In August, I need some ice in the room. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 9:42 pm (34350.) Burlingame CA >But alas, when David speaks, the best anyone can agree to is to agree to disagree. Though it still amazes me how he "knows" how everyone feels about everything. Where does this come from? I never said everyone agrees with me. In fact I expressly said the opposite. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 9:45 pm (34352.) Burlingame CA >Perhaps. But I would still absolutely prohibit scheduling opposite the BPA Annual Meeting. Why was the meeting moved from Sunday morning? We used to have great attendance then. I don't know how many people show up now, but obviously you're losing a lot of people who aren't on site by Tuesday afternoon. Daniel Broh-Kahn - Aug 10, 2010 9:47 pm (34353.) The tape-gun slinger! (KZ) Auction Possibility? As one who helped a little in the auction, I have been following this debate breathlessly. I personally love the auction, and don't think the 7% of the total time committed to it is that onerous. If you disagree, find someone who agrees with you, and get them on the board. I would argue however, that I think the auction actually could be made smaller, to only take up 4% or 5% of our time. How? Simple. A committee of experts (you know who you are!) could simply reject every item that isn't expected to exceed $30, and encourage the seller to register it instead in the auction store. Thus, the auction store would get much bigger, and could also get longer. The auction itself would get smaller, but much more interesting. And get rid of the magazines in the auction, too. (P.S. Sellers, Use a zip lock bags for magazines ... they display much better, and the painter's tape is NOT flawless. My $.02! Daniel David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 9:51 pm (34354.) Burlingame CA >Sometimes I wonder if the producers of "The Big Bang Theory" modeled the Sheldon Cooper character after David desJardins. But I expect that's just me. Obviously he's more like me than anyone else on TV. But of course it's a TV show and a caricature, they are willing to be inconsistent in portraying the character type in order to be funny. I could point out a bunch of things that he says or does on the show that aren't really logical. Probably the things that are out of character stand out more to me than to you because I am more like him. Daniel Broh-Kahn - Aug 10, 2010 9:58 pm (34355.) The tape-gun slinger! (KZ) In Defense of David I absolutely respect David's opinion, and think criticism of him is not really that fair. He does have a valid point... If the auction only entertains 200 or 250 of us out of 1600 (or whatever the number is) then he is absolutely correct to try to offer a better alternative for the other 80% or more who don't care for the auction. John Weber - Aug 10, 2010 10:00 pm (34356.) Puerto Rico Quick AAR Summary I posted some of this recently as part of a "Geek List" on BGG, but here's a quick summary of pertinent facts and results from this year's tourney. We had a total of 150 participants. That's actually down -- by one -- from last year. But, with 23 games in the first heat, 22 in the second, 21 in the third plus the usual eight/four/one in the quarters/semis/final rounds, it looks like our player hours were up, which is encouraging. It is the 8th year in nine appearances that PRO has drawn 150 or more. This year's winner is Luke Koleszar. From the Charlottesville gaming group that puts on PrezCon, he's participated in most of the PRO tournaments at WBC going back to 2002, actually losing to Arthur Field by just one VP in the semis before Arthur went on to win by a much larger margin in that first final. Luke has been a bit of a hard luck story as far as PRO at WBC is concerned; one year he was shut out of advancing due to schedule conflicts that prevented him from appearing at a QF round to claim a bye; another year he placed sixth when we only had five plaques. This year he went through the tournament undefeated, downing an impressive final table that was a collective 14-1 in 2010 tournament play just to reach the final. (The one loss came by Greg Thatcher, on a tiebreak, to Lexi Shea, another undefeated player who came through to reach the final.) All four finalists (Luke, Greg, Aran Warszawski and Lexi, who finished in that order) were making their first appearance in the final having reached the semis in prior years. Lexi and Aran went 3-0 by winning in all three preliminary heats, the first time that has happened since Dave Platnick and Phil Rennert turned the trick in 2004 when we moved to the current three-heat format. Lexi's appearance in the final snapped a two-year run of all boys' finals, and, as a high school senior, she also reached the final of at least two other WBC tourneys this year (Power Grid and Vegas Showdown) and, by having the foresight to select PRO as her team event, she is rewarded with some team points. Everyone should watch out for Lexi in years to come! Aran, who was sixth last year, is the only returning laurelist to place in the top six. He also adds Israel to the list of countries represented in the nine WBC PRO finals to date; the others being US, Canada, and -- this one needs correcting on the WBC laurels page -- Brazil, represented by Luci Martins who was residing in MD in 2003. Score counts in the final game (factoring in bids for seat position) were Luke 47.5 Greg 44 Aran 43 Lexi 39 Rounding out the plaque winners were Rob Barnes, fifth for the second time who actually pushed Luke in the semi, losing by just a half VP (the difference being the bid for seat position) and the coveted sand plaque went to 2006 Champ, Chris Moffa, who lost by a point to Aran. Chris was the only former Champ to reach the semis this year. As for myself, I had a five-year string of reaching at least the semis snapped when I came in a distant second in the quarters to 2009 HLS Siegelman winner Sceadeau D'Tela. My reaction? Similar to the Swiss ace Roger Federer when his consecutive SF streak was snapped in grand slam play earlier this year -- to note I still have an even longer QF streak (7 WBCs going back to 2004) still intact. With regard to Sceadeau, did also want to recognize his involvement in one of the closest games ever in elimination round play, which was the semifinal game won by Greg Thatcher. Final scores (factoring in the bids) were 55.5-54-53-52.5. Congrats to Greg, Marc Berenbach, Sceadeau and Dave Platnick who finished in that order in what must have been a really well-played game; too bad we don't have the moves to do a replay. A three-point margin top-to-bottom ties a record from a prior semifinal but if you do it as a percentage of winners' score, then this game was by far the closest PRO elimination round game ever. Speaking of a replay, I did keep a record of the final game and will be posting it to BGG after reviewing it for accuracy and soliciting comments from the players. For you PR stats freaks out there, you will just have to wait awhile for the final GM report. For Dave Dockter if you are reading this, don't forget to add Chris Moffa to your sand plaque list. Also wanted to point out that the pdf file you posted here missed Chris Lefevre, who won sand in PRO in 2006. The only years we had just five plaques were 2007 and 2008. Once again, many thanks to everyone who participated and to my three assistant GMs, Barb, Dave and Malinda, plus Chris M. and Bob S. and others who stepped in to help the harried GM in time of need. Joshua Githens - Aug 10, 2010 10:04 pm (34357.) Auction Time Something to keep in mind is that there is not a full compliment of convention attendees at WBC on Tuesday. Using the number of 1400~1600 to compare against in inaccurate. Analysis of the actual participants there during the Tuesday auction will yield a more accurate percentage to compare to. I do not know the exact amount of people that are at the hotel on Tuesday, but judging from the copious parking outside my room it is not near capacity. Thus I would say that the ~150-~250 at the auction and auction store is a larger percentage of WBC attendees at the convention for that particular time on that day. Herr Dr. - Aug 10, 2010 10:05 pm (34358.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War "For Dave Dockter if you are reading this, don't forget to add Chris Moffa to your sand plaque list" Will do. Welcome to the way of the sand, Mr.Moffa. Really wanted to attend your PRO tourney this year Mr.Weber, but, just too many games to play and friends to reconnect with each year. Rob Schoenen - Aug 10, 2010 10:11 pm (34359.) Calling out to our world........Believers in freedom? "I'm a believer!" >I can't quite put a finger on it, but this just felt like it was my most enjoyable WBC ever. I rather had the same feeling. Don't know why. Eric Brosius - Aug 10, 2010 10:20 pm (34360.) Auction I sometimes attend the auction, but I'd prefer to have some tournament available as an alternative. Of course, that's just one person's opinion. Bruce Monnin - Aug 10, 2010 10:20 pm (34361.) Editor of MMP's Operations Magazine >Why was the meeting moved from Sunday morning? We used to have great attendance then. I don't know how many people show up now, but obviously you're losing a lot of people who aren't on site by Tuesday afternoon. Going back to at least WBC 2001 (I no longer have the schedule for 1999 or 2000), the annual meeting was on Wednesday at 9 am before the gaming began. In 2006, we were close to not having enough members attend, so the Board decided to switch the meeting to its current time during the auction. Sunday morning has always been (and still is) the After Action Meeting. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 10, 2010 10:24 pm (34362.) Learning each day how much I don't know. >Why was the meeting moved from Sunday morning? We used to have great attendance then. I don't know how many people show up now, but obviously you're losing a lot of people who aren't on site by Tuesday afternoon. It never was on Sunday. Sunday morning is the Armistice after action meeting. The Tuesday meeting is the BPA Annual Meeting required by our bylaws (and required for tax purposes). Also, we're drawing quite a bit more than 1200 these days. Assuming we beat last year (and it sure seemed like we did) we are up in the 1600-1700 range likely. I also enjoyed this year a lot. not just gaming (which was excellent) but I got to sit and chat with folks I've not had the chance to do so with before. Among those who come to mind are Keith Hunsinger, Andy Nunez, John Poinske and Bill Alderman (quality people all). Just for example, the Ethics in Gaming seminar (read round table discussion) was great this year. Kaarin was unable to make it (and her contribution was missed) so I solo'ed it. As is the norm for this seminar folks drift in and out. We peaked at 18. Also as is the norm we never end on time because people want to keep on discussing. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 10:33 pm (34363.) Burlingame CA >Thus I would say that the ~150-~250 at the auction and auction store is a larger percentage of WBC attendees at the convention for that particular time on that day. Obviously you're going to get a larger percentage of people in the auction if you ban anything else from happening at the same time. How many people would be in the Puerto Rico tournament if you banned everything that conflicts with it? The issue with the auction, as I see it, is that a LOT of people would be attending the convention on Monday and Tuesday, but they choose not to come at all, until Tuesday evening, because of the auction. I could be wrong, but that's my impression. Herr Dr. - Aug 10, 2010 10:33 pm (34364.) orking on a CDW of Spanish Civil War So who won the team tourney? My Nest scored 18 I believe. And, in a Nest tradition, one nester (The Master) knocked another nester (Chris Byrd) into second place (Hannibal). Nestacide. Probably cost us the championship again (scoring 18 pts instead of 23). On the Nest, there is no we in team David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 10:34 pm (34365.) Burlingame CA >Sunday morning is the Armistice after action meeting. The Tuesday meeting is the BPA Annual Meeting required by our bylaws (and required for tax purposes). Oops. I get it now. But it seems like we could combine the two and hold the required annual meeting on Sunday along with the after action meeting. There used to be plenty of people for that. What is the required attendance? Roger Taylor - Aug 10, 2010 10:41 pm (34366.) "...they don't even know that each other likes pina coladas?! What, would they always panic and order Manhattans or something?" - Tom Servo, on the Pina Colada song >On the Nest, there is no we in team You've got to stop playing as a tim, and play as a tweam! Actually, I'd knock out my teammate in a heartbeat. I figure if he can't beat me, then he -- and we -- don't deserve to win. Dennis Nicholson - Aug 10, 2010 10:48 pm (34367.) As someone who comes down Tuesday afternoon, I like the fact the con doesn't start until 6 PM. Leave the Auction time tournament free. This way I don't have to pay for another day at the hotel. Joshua Githens - Aug 10, 2010 10:49 pm (34368.) After Action Meeting The Sunday Morning Meeting is very poorly attended. This year's meeting I'd be stretching it to estimate 40 people in attendance at the Sunday morning AAR meeting. David what I was trying to get across is that all of the attendees are not at WBC on Tuesday, therefore the 200 people represent a much larger portion of people that are there on Tuesday. Ed Witkowski - Aug 10, 2010 10:56 pm (34369.) WBC 2010 Thank You to all of the WBC staff for a great event. One comment: the AC in the vendors room was horrid. Couldn't buy anything because it was too hot. Thank You Ed Witkowski J. R. Tracy - Aug 10, 2010 11:19 pm (34370.) "I no drive just for drive. I drive for to finish in front." - Milka Duno, Le Mans I'm pissed that I missed the auction - I was too busy gaming. JR Joel A Tamburo - Aug 10, 2010 11:26 pm (34371.) Learning each day how much I don't know. But at least you made the finals in Combat Commander. David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 11:31 pm (34372.) urlingame CA >David what I was trying to get across is that all of the attendees are not at WBC on Tuesday, therefore the 200 people represent a much larger portion of people that are there on Tuesday. Yes, I understand that, but the reason there aren't more people there is because there aren't events scheduled. If all you offer is the auction, then you'll mostly have auction participants, and a lot of other people will stay home until the events start. That seems like pretty much what's happening now. Justin Rice - Aug 10, 2010 11:32 pm (34373.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" everyone else will stay home until the events start. I got there Tuesday after the auction started. I saw a packed open gaming room. You sure you're looking in the right spots? David desJardins - Aug 10, 2010 11:37 pm (34374.) Burlingame CA >I got there Tuesday after the auction started. I saw a packed open gaming room. I'm sure that's true. I bet it's still a pretty small fraction of the people at the convention on Wednesday, though. Justin Rice - Aug 10, 2010 11:42 pm (34375.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" So then what, David, are you saying people were doing Tuesday? You don't think they were at the auction. You don't think they were in open gaming. It seems to me that folks who were there on Tuesday managed to find SOMETHING to do. Joshua Gottesman - Aug 11, 2010 12:03 am (34376.) R.I.P., Jerome Gottesman 06/20/1929 - 10/18/2009 >Yes, I understand that, but the reason there aren't more people there is because there aren't events scheduled. If all you offer is the auction, then you'll mostly have auction participants, and a lot of other people will stay home until the events start. That seems like pretty much what's happening now.. Not everyone has the luxury to take a full week off for WBC, or more if you count travel time. Most cons tend to be 4 day cons (Thursday - Sunday or Friday - Monday), so WBC is already longer than that. I suspect you'd get some increase in attendance if there were earlier events, and I also suspect it wouldn't be major. Conventions are expensive, even in Lancaster. Kaarin Engelmann - Aug 11, 2010 12:40 am (34377.) Is the missing notebook small, black, and spiral bound? It starts with info about golf at 1:30, continues with a discussion of Wilderness War and being seeded #7, and more. E-mail me about where to send it at acd@boardgamers.org, and I'll get it back to you ASAP. Uli Blennemann - Aug 11, 2010 3:45 am (34382.) Spielworxx >I saw Jay on Monday, I think, and no rep from Rio Grande or Queen for the rest of the week. Rajive, the owner of Queen Games, was at the WBC on Saturday. He came over from GenCon. Uli David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 4:51 am (34383.) Burlingame CA >So then what, David, are you saying people were doing Tuesday? Wow, I thought I was crystal clear. I think people are staying home and not arriving in Lancaster until Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. But they would come earlier if not for the dead zone on Tuesday. At least, that's what they told me. Eric Freeman - Aug 11, 2010 7:54 am (34384.) Auction dead zone I can only speak to my experience and what I have discussed with others, but my experience is exactly what David has outlined. In 2008 and 2009 I showed up on Sunday night and Monday morning respectively. Those years, there was (barely) enough tournament action to keep me interested in attending early. The "dead zone" was still a disappointment for me in both years. Though I was able to open game at this time and attend the auction store, that is not the reason I go to the WBC, as I can open game pretty much anytime and buy things other places. This year, the Monday tournament schedule was even sparser, so I (and others I know) simply decided not to come to the convention before Tuesday afternoon. If there were something offered during that time frame along with Monday, I would find a way to come on Monday again. The people I spoke with who most expressed displeasure with status quo were those who fly in from the west coast or from overseas and whose expense to attend the con are a lot higher than mine. As to the idea of voting Board members in or out on this issue, as Don suggests. Well I don't see that as a practical idea since we do not know how board members vote on this (or any other) issue. I might be able to "guess" how a board member feels on a particular issue, but that is different than knowing. I'm comfortable enough to go up and ask Board members I run into, but I doubt most of the membership is. Peter Stein - Aug 11, 2010 8:33 am (34385.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. >So who won the team tourney? My Nest scored 18 I believe. Boy you guys are tanking. The Defectors by our count got 17. Lisa and I got the job done, but we seem to have gotten the dead wood that used to plague Manly Men. Did I read that Kevin W. wants to DEFECT???? Grant LaDue - Aug 11, 2010 9:10 am (34388.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! Is the missing notebook small, black, and spiral bound? It starts with info about golf at 1:30, continues with a discussion of Wilderness War and being seeded #7, and more. E-mail me about where to send it at acd@boardgamers.org, and I'll get it back to you ASAP. That is so most definitely it! Oh, you guys were so close from being spared the details of the Wilderness War tourney.... Where was it? Kevin McPartland - Aug 11, 2010 9:43 am (34392.) Conquest of Paradise now on sale- $25 cheap!- at GMT games. >..there is not a full compliment of convention attendees at WBC on Tuesday. I would love to get to Lancaster in time for the auction! I extended my WBC long weekend this year by taking Thursday off from work, as well as Friday. My goal is to extend my week to Tuesday so I can be at the auction. Some year... My suggestion is to move the auction to Saturday, with the same blackout of tournaments while it's going on. Kevin Arthur Field - Aug 11, 2010 9:50 am (34393.) BookmarkEmail to FriendReply Team points I got a first in St Pete and Eric got a first in Merch of Venus Don't know how many points (16, 17, or 18) that is but the team "I Beat Bill Crenshaw" did in fact BEAT Bill Crenshaw. Kate and I both did better than he in Manifest Destiny. Arthur Field - Aug 11, 2010 9:52 am (34394.) Tournaments during Auction I definitely think there should be tournaments during the Auction. It would be the best way to keep Reiff from winning one. Don Greenwood - Aug 11, 2010 11:41 am (34397.) Assorted Answers The rate at the Host for the next two years is $104. As Josh points out, claims that 80% of the attendees care not for the auction are highly suspect. Attendance at WBC starts slowly and does not reach its peak until the second Saturday. I would estimate attendance at the auction closer to 200 than 100 at any given time, and attendance at the con when the auction starts on Tuesday morning is closer to 500 than 1200. So, all in all, a lot of questionable numbers are being thrown around without much justification. Nevertheless, when one polls the question among the densest gathering of competitive players on the planet, it is not surprising that the answers one most commonly encounters are going to be for more tournaments and less auction. But there is something to be said for too much of a good thing. WBC is unique in its focus on tournaments. It is our raison d'etre. However, it is also our biggest curse. One doesn't have to sample many internet discussions to hear the disdain with which WBC is held by many, sight unseen, for whom competition is viewed as something ugly and unappealing. Open Gaming is where it's at for those people and we've made great strides in recent years to reach out and expose them to WBC in an appealing way that gives competitive gaming a chance to win some converts through osmosis without scaring them away. Most tournament gamers could care less about Open Gaming. Count me among them. But without it, WBC would be much smaller and less of an attraction and unable to grow. Running non-stop tournaments for nine days is Not conducive to winning them over ... having a more diverse set of offerings - while remaining true to our boardgame focus - is. When we first started offering Pre-Cons to extend the convention for those who travelled great distances and/or wanted to play in longer games with less schedule conflicts there was a similar hue and cry from those for whom attendance at such was not an acceptable option. They resented the loss of opportunity to play their favorite games just because they could not attend a Pre-Con. As with most compromises, not everyone is going to be happy, but we need to keep the desires of those who cannot attend a full week in mind also. What about the dealer room? I'd wager most of the competitive types could care less about it ... most do their game buying on the net. But for others, a convention is not a convention without a well-stocked dealer room. The fact of the matter is that the auction, auction store and the dealer room attracts people who would not otherwise attend WBC. They also pay the freight that enables us to hold the con at all. So, keep that in mind the next time it annoys you. Would you really rather we resorted to event tickets like other cons to pay for everything? When I started this, HMGS was the model success story that I tried to emulate. IMO, it owed much of its draw to being a "shopping" venue with many dealers and flea markets as the major draw. Having a respected auction and vendors room remain major components of that overall plan to provide a complete convention experience. Going non-stop tournament gaming for nine days does not. I've been at this for 20 years now and while expanding to a full week was always the ultimate goal, each expansion was done with more than a little trepidation and testing of the waters to prevent burnout and trying for too much of a good thing. For the lion's share of our members, moderation is a good thing - and going all in to satisfy the most voracious appetite of our most competitive minority is something that should be approached with extreme caution lest it have the opposite effect. For that reason alone - the truce interlude provided by the auction - presents a safeguard against non-stop competitive gaming burnout that protects you from yourselves. I would not attempt to run nine days without it. So, take a timeout, go for a swim, learn a new game in the Sampler, or play a round of golf ... but give up the tournaments for a while and take a break. As for the Armistice Meeting on Sunday - attendance in recent years has been very disappointing - to where I've considered abandoning it altogether. It seems that the appetite for such meetings is not sufficient to wake up on Sunday morning after a full week of burning the candle at both ends to game till you drop. In any case, attendance is insufficient to satisfy our Annual Meeting requirements which is why we've resorted to holding it - quickly - before the Collectibles auction. And that alone is sufficient reason for me to preserve the Auction - because without it we don't get a quorum and you don't get a WBC. Period. And the fact of the matter is this. If we hold events during the auction, the auction crew will bail - because Bruce and his crew likes their wood too. Mark Yoshikawa - Aug 11, 2010 11:44 am (34398.) Stein and Nicholson are Honorable men? I definitely think there should be tournaments during the Auction. It would be the best way to keep Reiff from winning one. I think you guy's better really think this through.... If you allow tournaments during the auction then that will mean that I will have a "better" chance of winning wood. By allowing that you are making sure that the FOUTH SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE will come. Then all gaming as we know it will cease..... ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT THAT? Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 11:47 am (34399.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >So, take a timeout, go for a swim, learn a new game in the Sampler, or play a round of golf ... but give up the tournaments for a while and take a break. Playing a round of golf is not an official BPA suggestion, but instead the opinion of one individual whose only association with the WBC and BPA is founding and running the event while herding us kittens around. Joshua Gottesman - Aug 11, 2010 11:53 am (34400.) R.I.P., Jerome Gottesman 06/20/1929 - 10/18/2009 >As for the Armistice Meeting on Sunday - attendance in recent years has been very disappointing - to where I've considered abandoning it altogether. First, try bringing in strippers. Martin Sample - Aug 11, 2010 11:59 am (34401.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >As for the Armistice Meeting on Sunday - attendance in recent years has been very disappointing - to where I've considered abandoning it altogether. It seems that the appetite for such meetings is not sufficient to wake up on Sunday morning after a full week of burning the candle at both ends to game till you drop. I think part of the reason attendance has dropped is that many of the gripes that were aired in the past ( like the beer lady bitch sessions in the Frankie and Vinnys meat locker ) have either been addressed , like more open gaming space - or the gripers have moved on. Not a bad thing IMO. The con being longer could be a reason as well - with more and more people being there for longer periods of time, by Sunday they are unable to get up that early. Peter Card - Aug 11, 2010 12:48 pm (34403.) I apologize ... for nothing! The major problem at the Host was indeed the bar. It's ludicrous that they spent a week not fixing the beer-lines. Service was at times glacial, and random. If "Midge" is reading this, I'm sorry dude, but I was starting to feel the pangs of hunger after a twenty minute wait, and you failed to respond to the servers vague attempts to find you. That burger ~was~ pretty much what I had ordered. Having said that, the one professional barkeep the hotel employed did sterling work, and the rest did the best they could under the circumstances, without training or backup. The fault lies with the hotel management, not their under-resourced staff. I hope that suitable remonstrations were made. Or will be. Elsewhere - I would like to thank the GMs, who did their usual outstanding job. Even Rob. You might want to rethink that "Eleventh Hour" card though. Martin Sample - Aug 11, 2010 1:01 pm (34404.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. One thing overlooked regarding the Auction is that selling games there allows some people to attend who otherwise couldn't afford to. It is a *lot* less hassle than selling online, and for a lot of low to medium value stuff, not much different price wise. It also helps vendors because I know a lot of people take their auction take and spend it in the dealer room. Such sales keep vendors coming back and help pay the bills. Peter Stein - Aug 11, 2010 1:42 pm (34405.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. >Having said that, the one professional barkeep the hotel employed did sterling work, and the rest did the best they could under the circumstances, without training or backup. The fault lies with the hotel management, not their under-resourced staff. I'm thinking the same thing. And that's true of the staff in other areas, not just the bar. It's nice seeing several of the same people working the hotel, instead of getting the "B" team (like we did at Hunt Valley) or the next wave of trainees that will get moved somehwere else if they're any good (lots of places fall into that category). R. Winslow - Aug 11, 2010 1:44 pm (34406.) Sarcasm -- it's easier than shooting the idiots... Having the beer lines not working definitely cost the hotel a good chunk of change. I'm quickly reaching the conclusion that it's not that they're inefficient at the Host, they're just really, really dumb. And dumb people do dumb things... Joel A Tamburo - Aug 11, 2010 1:46 pm (34407.) Learning each day how much I don't know. I would think Don and the Board can, in the post convention communications to the Host, mention things like the lack of staff in the bar (and most people prefer the bar food to the fare in Legends simply because of time and cost). The other thing I might mention to them is that parts of the Host got pretty humid. Part of that is people in the demo area and in Lampeter going in/out the glass doors (usually to smoke) and part is the Host has an older HVAC system that has problems keeping up. The people issue we probably have to self-police on. The HVAC is something that over time the Host needs to upgrade. Keith A. Hunsinger - Aug 11, 2010 2:02 pm (34408.) President of Shigeki Maruyama fan club. densest gathering of competitive players on the planet I wonder in what sense Don meant "densest"? Hmmmmmmmmmm? BTW, the bartender at the pool, Julian, was outstanding! He commandered the only blender at the Host (Not only how did they not fix their beer taps, but how do you have only one blender in a place with three different bars?) and did a great job with drinks, burgers, and dogs. Think about giving him a shot next year! He was a pro! David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 2:34 pm (34409.) Burlingame CA Attendance at WBC starts slowly and does not reach its peak until the second Saturday. I would estimate attendance at the auction closer to 200 than 100 at any given time, and attendance at the con when the auction starts on Tuesday morning is closer to 500 than 1200. I will only repeat, the reason that attendance is low on Tuesday is because of the auction. Allow events on Tuesday, and I think you would see Tuesday attendance be much more like Wednesday (and Sat-Mon would also increase). I think it's possible that some people come to the convention because of the auction. And it's probably true that no one skips the convention entirely because of the auction, they just come for less time. I still think it's a shame that there are activities we are putting on and there are people who would like to participate in them and a lot of them aren't doing so solely because of the way we have set up the schedule. I can't understand why anyone who likes running the auction now would bail out of it if there were some extra heats and events during that time. Adding extra heats on Tuesday lets people who aren't interested in the auction (or not for the whole time) play in some tournaments they would otherwise have conflicts with, but it doesn't take anything away from people who just do the same thing they would have otherwise. I have no problem with requiring any tournament with heats on Tuesday to be structured so that people who don't participate on Tuesday (whether because of the auction, or they can't arrive that early, or any other reason) are not excluded from the event. But that's a lot different from banning anything at all during that time. Mark "Plaque Check" Mitchell - Aug 11, 2010 2:38 pm (34410.) If Nicholson and Stein are noble men, then I'm a king! Don't you mean "Justin" Keith? And I can second Brother Hunsingers opinions about the bartender. He actually knew more about what was going on than the "management" did for the Monday night Ohio beach party.....and he makes a meeeeean Pina Colada! R. Winslow - Aug 11, 2010 2:44 pm (34411.) Sarcasm -- it's easier than shooting the idiots... >I will only repeat, the reason that attendance is low on Tuesday is because of the auction. Allow events on Tuesday, and I think you would see Tuesday attendance be much more like Wednesday (and Sat-Mon would also increase). You presume to know folks' vacation schedules and their ability/want to game competitively for an extra day. I know several guys from my local group who were only able to take 3 days, so the Wed-Sun fit their schedules perfectly. I don't really care about the auction myself, but I had no trouble finding games to play on Tuesday afternoon. This thread is pretty much sounding like it's all about you, not all about the betterment of WBC. Frankly, with all the problems at the Host, there are many more pressing issues at WBC than no tourneys vs. the auction... Paul Bean - Aug 11, 2010 2:55 pm (34412.) Game convention addict Disclaimer: I work as one of the auction staff. Maybe an operational pause on Tuesday morning and afternoon with no tournament events scheduled before the big push is a generally good idea with or without the auction. Such a lacuna in the schedule allows for the precons and sampler to wrap up without distraction. Those who are arriving (and I suspect Tuesday is still the busiest day for people showing up) can check in and run errands to get supplies for the week without feeling unduly rushed. Those attending with non-gaming families have one last chance to socialize with spouses and offspring before the full con immersion begins. Also, that down time gives Don and the other administrative staff time to work on any late developing problems that weren't apparent before arriving in Lancaster. If I'm even close to the mark on my suppositions then it seems to me that an auction is a viable option during that slot. Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 3:10 pm (34413.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >I have no problem with requiring any tournament with heats on Tuesday to be structured so that people who don't participate on Tuesday (whether because of the auction, or they can't arrive that early, or any other reason) are not excluded from the event. Perhaps, but some of the auction volunteers may have a problem with it. If you add that as an additional heat, then you mess with the century calculation. If you tweak one thing, you mess up another. >I will only repeat, the reason that attendance is low on Tuesday is because of the auction. It never entered my thoughts on time at the Con. If I can take the time and be there Monday, I am. If it is Tuesday, so be it. This year, it was Wednesday, but the reason had nothing to do with the auction. The years I was there during the auction, I walked through the store, then found a pickup game. I will ask one of the database/stat guys to see if pre-con attendence was better or worse since the auction was added. Herr Dr? Get your abacus out, please. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 11, 2010 3:14 pm (34414.) Learning each day how much I don't know. I don't know about "all the problems" at the Host Rob. It all boils down to the simple reality that a lot of folks like the bar menu, but it is really hard to order off it because the bar is understaffed. Two solutions come to mind: 1) Add bar staff. 2) Have Legends also offer the bar menu. We had a similar issue at the HVI where folks wanted the Paddock Bar food as opposed to the French "fru fru" the Cinnamon Tree was offering. And again the Paddock was understaffed. As to the pool BBQ, the problem with it is you have to go out in the heat and humidity to get it. Grant LaDue - Aug 11, 2010 3:14 pm (34415.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! I will only repeat, the reason that attendance is low on Tuesday is because of the auction. Allow events on Tuesday, and I think you would see Tuesday attendance be much more like Wednesday (and Sat-Mon would also increase). This does seem to be an assertion without discernible evidence to support it. Indeed the lack of great public outcry along these lines would seem to speak strongly *against* such an assertion. Now you could claim that those that oppose the Auction policy are suppressed, but I've yet to notice that these convention goers lack in the ability to express themselves loudly. Grant LaDue - Aug 11, 2010 3:18 pm (34416.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! The bar (like the buffet) was much quicker on the first weekend. Seems like they don't staff well during the week. At least one worker told me that the manager hadn't noticed another group coming in after/during the dancers and so hadn't put more people on for Monday and the days afterward. Dunno if that's really true though. Just an observation, not a push to dump the Host. Martin Sample - Aug 11, 2010 3:27 pm (34417.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >At least one worker told me that the manager hadn't noticed another group coming in after/during the dancers and so hadn't put more people on for Monday and the days afterward. They don't notice that the entire place is booked solid 6 months in advance? Even dumber than I thought. Peter Stein - Aug 11, 2010 3:34 pm (34418.) But Nicholson and Stein say Yoshikawa is silly, and Nicholson and Stein are honorable men.- Keith Hunsinger presenting the Sportsmanship Award to Mark Yoshikawa. >I will ask one of the database/stat guys to see if pre-con attendence was better or worse since the auction was added. Well there are other variables in play. Your admission used to let you in Tuesday night, now it's Monday all day. The PreCons used to be mainly wargames, now they've put in things like Union Pacific and San Juan (run by CABS members by the way, we don't just do auctions). Open gaming was virtually non-existant early on in PreCons now it's picked up some. So it might be tough to say one variable is increasing or holding back attendance. Of course some are apparently able to this with no data at all. . . Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 3:34 pm (34419.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Even dumber than I thought. It is central PA. Be glad we have running water and reliable electricity. I like the Host. I think it is a decent and decently priced venue. I do wonder how their beer system can be down for so long. When I got there on Wednesday, the bartender told me it had be down for about a week already. In the middle of a recession, it should not take more than a phone call to get 10 HVAC guys to fix it. Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 3:38 pm (34420.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Of course some are apparently able to this with no data at all. . . Magic. >Well there are other variables in play. That is why you need a statistician. And if there are too many variables, then you get an actuary. Martin Sample - Aug 11, 2010 3:39 pm (34421.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. Assuming you have the cash to do so. Or local expertise in fixing a system that is probably obsolete. David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 3:43 pm (34422.) Burlingame CA >You presume to know folks' vacation schedules and their ability/want to game competitively for an extra day. I'm not presuming, I'm just recounting what people told me. Like I said when I started this, I only brought it up because it came up in conversation with several people that they would have come earlier if not for the dead zone. Then also, several infrequent posters have chimed in here to say the same thing. So it does seem a pretty widespread feeling. Justin Rice - Aug 11, 2010 3:56 pm (34423.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" So it does seem a pretty widespread feeling I don't think the word "widespread" means what you think it means. Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 4:13 pm (34424.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >I don't think the word "widespread" means what you think it means. Widespread = any subset of which I am a part within a group. Roger Taylor - Aug 11, 2010 4:16 pm (34425.) "...they don't even know that each other likes pina coladas?! What, would they always panic and order Manhattans or something?" - Tom Servo, on the Pina Colada song >Assuming you have the cash to do so. Or local expertise in fixing a system that is probably obsolete. Good point. Man, the Host looks old, despite a fairly recent renovation. R. Winslow - Aug 11, 2010 4:21 pm (34427.) Sarcasm -- it's easier than shooting the idiots... If I were "upset" that there was no official gaming vs. the auction, I'd take a page from the Monday golfers and start my own "event," advertising here. 1. Play a mini "pre-"tourney of a WBC tourney game you love -- first 7 (or 15, if you want it larger) respondents (and you) play in a good warm-up to the real thing. All unofficial, of course. 2. Demo a game you love. Invite newbies to play, hoping they'll like it enough to enter the official tourney. 3. Playtest a game/scenario you're designing. 4. Organize a tourney/game that is NOT held at WBC, officially -- Poker, Backgammon, Scrabble, etc., or the myriad of euros and wargames that aren't events. 5. Moderate (or play in) a double-blind game. Etc. Andrew Maly - Aug 11, 2010 4:32 pm (34428.) San Antonio, TX Quit being practical, Rob R. Winslow - Aug 11, 2010 4:34 pm (34429.) Sarcasm -- it's easier than shooting the idiots... As for the Host not having a lot of problems, well, let me just say that post had me ROTFLMAO. Where should I start? 1. A/C. Conestoga and B-17 -- it was at least 90F in there. Guys flying B-17s should be freezing, not sweating... Automobile in Kinderhook -- I peeked in and each board had guys sweating on it. A lot of sweat. The horror stories can go on -- the Terrace where the demos were was about 2F cooler than the outside, and several of my friends had rooms that never got below 80F (yes, one was measured with a thermometer). The A/C (or lack of it in some places when it was hot and humid outside) was a big problem. #1 alone was enough of a problem to keep anyway away if they had come to the Host on their own for a vacation. 2. The bar. I understand that they won't sell bar food when they have a food line set up outside the bar -- that's business. What is inexcusable is that the taps didn't work for the whole convention and that they were often chronically understaffed. When one goes to any convention, kicking back is part of it, and the problems in the bar often made this tougher than it should have been. Not to mention that the tables outside the bar were generally filthy, as they didn't have the manpower to clean up. 3. Water. On at least half a dozen occasions I went to get a glass of water and the cooler was empty. A huge deal? No, but when we're paying for it, we should get it. 4. Leaky facets. The tub in my room dripped all night. I asked several times to get it fixed, but it never was. Yes, it kept me up for a bit each night. I could go on with many other problems the Host has (as could others), but fixing #1 has got to be a huge priority. The others are annoying, but when one is paying many tens of thousands of dollars for a facility, these kinds of annoyances shouldn't happen. R. Winslow - Aug 11, 2010 4:35 pm (34430.) Sarcasm -- it's easier than shooting the idiots... >Quit being practical, Rob I know, Andy, it's against my nature... Rob McCracken - Aug 11, 2010 4:36 pm (34431.) It Can Happen Lies, damned lies and statistics! Although it seems like a widespread feeling that folks would come earlier and play longer without the auction, I think all that is being heard are the folks who are to caring to speak on the issue. I am willing to bet that there are MANY more folks who are only able to make it part of the week (auction or not) or who otherwise get there early to see friends and gamers who they only see annually (or less!). Rekindling old friendships is a less-talked about aspect of the con... There were many folks I knew who were more than happy to open game on Tuesday with friend(s) who they have not seen in a year or more. Its a nice way to ease into the more tense matches to come - practice time doesn't hurt either... I personally enjoyed a game of Pensacola with a longtime friend (and the game's designer) that was just as fulfilling as playing a tournament game that day. And as Rob W mentioned as an option, it ended up being a demo anyway as people came up to ask questions and kibbitz! Rob Mc Joel A Tamburo - Aug 11, 2010 4:53 pm (34432.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Hey Rob, I mentioned the HVAC as the prime Host issue, All the Bar stuff, while also a problem, is not on the same level. The HVAC issues are THE thing we need to bring up to the Host, as they need to keep the gaming rooms and hotel rooms cool no matter the outside weather. Grant LaDue - Aug 11, 2010 5:21 pm (34433.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! Hmm, not sure that I like this undervaluing of the bar problems! David Bohnenberger - Aug 11, 2010 5:25 pm (34434.) Worst GM in WBC history I saw guys working on the HVAC all week. They didn't seem to succeed, though. The other thing I'd whine about is the lack of trash cans. It seemed tough to find one sometimes. Eric Brosius - Aug 11, 2010 5:40 pm (34435.) Yoshikawa plaque But you *did* win a plaque this year, Mark. Shield-shaped and all. I saw you holding it on Sunday morning at the meeting. Congratulations; it couldn't have been awarded to a more deserving person! Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 5:49 pm (34436.) There are other games than Circus Maximus that happen in the Conestoga rooms? All along I thought their lack of A/C and hot and humid temperatures were for a Disney-like 4-D Colosseum effect! I agree though that the A/C overall was worse this year than last year. Albeit, it felt hotter outside this year than last year too. The beer taps would be secondary, since that issue wouldn't stop one from ordering up a White Russian... ( I think my competitive gaming has taken a hit after finding out about that drink... atleast I have a year to work up my tolerance... it's also another knock against my returning to the cabbie team... lol ) Barcafer - Aug 11, 2010 6:06 pm (34437.) Ludeo Ergo Sum My first two games, a Dune and then a Nappy5 were played at the same table in the Lampeter room. It was the table all the way by the back door. The AC barely reaches there and with the door ajar, I had the heat and humidity on me the whole time. And I have to say, they were great games. A hot day of gaming beats a cool day in the office AC anytime. Ed Menzel - Aug 11, 2010 6:07 pm (34438.) carpe diem Auction Expressing personal opinions on this subject is great. And mentioning some other people feel the same way is also fine. But extrapolating "several" people in person and "several infrequent posters" into "a pretty widespread feeling" seems to be quite a leap. Just state what you know rather than manufacturing something that may or may not be true and everyone should be fine. I'm an infrequent poster here and have no problem with some "down" time during the auction for all the reasons Don so eloquently expressed in his comments. In addtion there are the open format games (such as the grognard classics) that are available to play - which I do. Herr Dr. - Aug 11, 2010 6:10 pm (34439.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War So how long is bitchin and moanin about the Host supposed to occur on the WBC schedule this year? Usually ends by start of school, if I remember correctly. I don't think the 1776 issue starts until around Turkey Day if I remember correctly, so, we'll have to come up with another issue for maybe a month or two as we always do I also can't understand the auction issue. There is just too much to do at WBC for those few hours. Get in a tourney before the auction, and you've got no issue. If you arrive EXACTLY at the time the auction starts, well, that's your choice. Bummer. Assume you failed your interception roll. Try playing some open gaming (there are many open spaces scattered around the Host). David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 6:26 pm (34440.) Burlingame CA >I also can't understand the auction issue. There is just too much to do at WBC for those few hours. Get in a tourney before the auction, and you've got no issue. Part of the problem is there are so few tournaments before the auction, either. There are few tournaments then because people don't want to run tournaments when many people aren't there. And GMs don't want to show up on Monday just to run one heat and then sit around. Then people don't come because of the lack of tournaments. I don't see how this can change with the auction as it is. If it weren't in the way then you'd see a lot more happening then. At least that's what I think. I've got plenty to do at home. So I can just continue showing up on Tuesday night, like other people I talked to. It's not a catastrophe to not use the earlier days better. Just a missed opportunity. People voted for an auction before the convention. I would have, too. But now that it's in the middle of the convention, I doubt the result would be the same, if people were given an alternative of more time to deconflict event schedules. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 11, 2010 6:41 pm (34441.) Learning each day how much I don't know. I figure we have about 10 days of Host complaining left. Seriously they really need to fix the HVAC or we need to invest in some portable units for the "hotter" rooms.The units on wheels run about $300 each, and we'd have to store them between WBCs. Robert Flowers - Aug 11, 2010 6:43 pm (34442.) There was one portable one in Marietta. I can't remember that room being too much of a problem, though. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 11, 2010 6:48 pm (34443.) Learning each day how much I don't know. We probably would need 5 or 6 all told, to cover the Contestoga rooms and the rooms where events like Air Baron are held (can't remember the names). Darren Kilfara - Aug 11, 2010 7:11 pm (34444.) "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." --Wittgenstein For what it's worth, I'm in David's camp. In the years in which I've been to the convention (sadly, this year couldn't be among them), I've played in the VITP pre-con. If I do well and reach the final, as I did last year, that's my schedule sorted all the way through to Tuesday evening - no problem at all. On the other hand, were I to get knocked out before the quarterfinals, that'd leave me with a big hole starting on Monday evening through to Tuesday evening. Because my schedule is uncertain, I can't really schedule an open gaming session ahead of time with someone - I might have to bail out on them if I'm doing well at VITP. So most of Tuesday then likely becomes a dead day to me, particularly insofar as the auction holds no interest to me...and when I'm traveling to the convention from the UK, having a dead day is not a good thing. If there were tournaments of any sort - including mulligan rounds or even unofficial events in non-Century games if such activities were permitted onsite - that I could just drop in on at a regularly scheduled time on Tuesday depending upon how I was doing, then that would be ideal for me. Anyway, that's just one data point, but as long as this is being discussed, I might as well throw it out there... Curt Collins - Aug 11, 2010 7:24 pm (34445.) I guess I should point out that I talked with several people who felt it wasn't even worth coming on Monday since there were only 2 or 3 tournaments. I'm personally considering if I should not come next year until Tuesday evening and save the vacation day. I didn't talk to hundreds of people, but there seemed to be some sentiment that tournaments on Tuesday morning and afternoon would be a good thing. Scott R. Beall - Aug 11, 2010 8:00 pm (34446.) Lack of Beer OK, I will fess up. Since I could not make it this year, I arranged for the taps to be sabatoged. Now, if someone will arrange to pay my airfare and hotel for next year, I will not repeat the sabatoge. Justin Rice - Aug 11, 2010 8:08 pm (34447.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" So Don - can you confirm that something will be said about the bar service in any kind of post-mortum with the Host? Oh yeah, and the AC, too .... Herr Dr. - Aug 11, 2010 8:12 pm (34448.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War The beer thing would seem simple for the Host to solve: a BIG tub of it and one server. Sell it cheap and they would sell alot of it. See that at many events. Takes all the load off the bar except for high priced drinks. I don't know what their liquor laws are - so that might preclude such notions. AC? Froze in the wargame room...again. Answer, long pants and a thick sweatshirt - which I always bring, so, no issue for me unless I am directly under a vent (then my bald head freezes). Although the Host is a HUGE improvement over Hunt Valley in that respect (meat lockers were warmer). Both the Host and HVI remind me of the Soviet Union (in the winter). Heat stuck on full...windows wide open when it is 20 below. Rather inefficient, but, management not incented for efficiency. Food? Works out great with the buffet lines open early in the morning now and the nightly chow line. Chairs, tables and lights for playing games? Top notch (ok - top notch in terms of game convention). Space? Never feel crapped at the Host. My only beef is that the Host is an hour (or two) from a major airport. But, that's the price of a very cheap place to host a game con. All this stuff is noise vs. the pleasure of playing games with my friends. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 8:29 pm (34449.) An earlier start time allowed for demo's suggested by John was an interesting idea, if there were GMs interested. I wonder if a Wits and Wagers seminar during the auction or if some other seminars would make any sense. Ace of Aces games could probably be played during that time frame, as it's one of those continuous running tournaments where you just find an opponent and play. At the end of the day though, individuals whose sole purpose of attending the convention is to play in only tournament games, showing up for the Tuesday night majority of tournament gaming is a great option for them. Just as Don mentioned with the expansion of open gaming, adding of the auction, and having a vendor room might entice some non-tournament attendees into some tournaments, having that auction dead zone for tournament play may similarly entice some hard core tournament only players in the other direction to take a stab at some open gaming or other social activities. David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 8:36 pm (34450.) Burlingame CA >having that auction dead zone for tournament play may similarly entice some hard core tournament only players in the other direction to take a stab at some open gaming or other social activities. Brilliant. Maybe we should add some other dead zones. We could block out Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning for "Hug your neighbor" time. Since when is playing games with other human beings in a tournament not a social activity? Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 8:51 pm (34451.) >other social activities as meant by non-game playing ones. as was mentioned before, the primary focus of the convention and our niche in the convention world are the tournaments, so having just 1 dead zone spot during the auction keeps with that focus. so no need for other manufactured ones, though we do have them in the schedule every night from 12am-9am. which most use for sleep at some point, but there are a number who use them for other activities like werewolf or socializing at the bar, etc... Richard Irving - Aug 11, 2010 8:57 pm (34452.) Tuesday Pre-6pm I am in David's camp--There were sufficient number and variety of events on Saturday through Monday, but Tuesday was really dead in comparison. (Yes, did play some open games that day, but it just wasn't the same.) Tuesday does need some events for the many people, like me, who don't participate in the auction. (Luggage space is far more valuable than cash!) I think Don's answer of, "Well the GM's are not asking to run events on Tuesday morning afternoon" has a big problem: Don has made clear in the past that scheduling events on Tuesday before 6PM will be automatically denied. (I believe the GM form also specifically states the hours available each day and hours on Tuesdays are from 18-23) I would have no problem with a heat or mulligan round (so the auctioneers and aides AND people who can't attend before Tuesday evening would not suffer any penalty if they missed this first heat) Spreading out the solid of block demos of tournament games from 6-8pm would also be a good idea. I always miss a game that conflicts with my Tuesday 6PM demo. Why only have 7 slots at 5pm? Another idea is to have non-plaque events: Maybe a poker tournament, maybe 25 player Wings of War. The Civilization expansion that was in Laurel Grove all week. An unlimited game of Take It Easy--any number of people participating. Or any other ideas for games that don't fit a tournament format. Effectively they'd be listed in the schedule, but essentially treated the same as open gaming. It would be shown in the schedule that World Record Wings of War game would played at 1 pm in whatever room. To bowdlerize "Field of Dreams", "If you announce the event, they will come!" David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 9:02 pm (34453.) Burlingame CA I think we are all adults and perfectly capable of deciding for ourselves how we want to spend our time. The suggestion that somehow the convention is doing people a favor by taking away their options seems to me rather condescending. The biggest issue for me is not the total amount of gaming time but the constriction of the schedule and the inherent conflicts that creates. E.g., it's not ideal that the Titan semifinal and final can run pretty much continuously from 9am to 3am on Saturday. But we're sort of stuck with that because if we push the semifinals back to Friday then people who also want to play in other events don't really have enough time to play in Titan heats. Some extra heats on Tuesday would help with that problem and it still seems to me they wouldn't hurt anyone at all. There are several events I'd like to try but they always conflict in the schedule. Spreading things out more (again, just by adding heats, not taking away options from anyone) could make a big difference. Maybe it's not going to happen, but I think it's unfair to caricature it as some sort of tournament-mania. Martin Sample - Aug 11, 2010 9:24 pm (34454.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >Seriously they really need to fix the HVAC or we need to invest in some portable units for the "hotter" rooms.The units on wheels run about $300 each, and we'd have to store them between WBCs. It is one thing to buy tables, since our needs are somewhat unique. I draw the line however at buying something to compensate for a shortfall that the hotel should fix. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 9:38 pm (34455.) Not sure how you get condescension out of it, as I was just flipping the logic of having non-tournament game activities to draw in more people to the convention who might then decide to play in a tournament. In no way do I figure the auction tournament block out was put in place to just force people to do something different than tournament play. It's more a side effect which I correlated. There are always too many games and too little time. Tis the nature of such a convention. We could have a 14 day, 24x7 scheduled tournament play and there would still be conflicts for the amount of games that are offered. David desJardins - Aug 11, 2010 9:41 pm (34456.) Burlingame CA >There are always too many games and too little time. No, not really. There are only a few games I'd actually like to play. It's just that they take up a lot of time and tend to conflict, partly because they all have similar scheduling constraints. Are you really arguing that having fewer conflicts and more options is no better than having more conflicts and fewer options, just because there will always be some conflicts? Peter Card - Aug 11, 2010 9:56 pm (34457.) I apologize ... for nothing! Bringing together the auction and air/con threads - the a/c in the ballroom, as you would expect (it is the Host,'s primary public venue) worked very well, keeping the open gaming area (and the auction) at an even pleasant temperature. Maybe a bit chilly, late at night. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 9:58 pm (34458.) I'm not really arguing anything. The main post I summarized was what other options there might be than tournament games that could occur during the auction. The logic presented by Don behind having no tournament games scheduled during the auction makes sense in the big picture of things. So working in that framework, giving suggestions for non-tournament game alternatives seemed the best use of creative energies. However I'd never admit to being an eloquent writer, so some of my observations were read in ways I did not anticipate. Overall, I'm just trying to brainstorm what else besides tournament games might work during the auction. Some will probably be dumb ideas, but maybe I or someone else will hit upon a few keepers for the board to consider. Herr Dr. - Aug 11, 2010 10:04 pm (34459.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War "Not sure how you get condescension out of it..." Don't try to follow that logic...or lack of it. I'm alway amazed that after the best con the business, people will focus on the spot in the carpet in the corner. Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 10:14 pm (34460.) The convention was great this year in my view. Super job by all the GM's, Don, the board, everyone who runs it! I wouldn't change a thing other than coming in 6th in Settlers (instead of 7th ack) and 1st in a few other events. I'm just trying to help out with ideas for those who raised concerns about the auction tournament game dead zone. Albeit, my lack of writing skills keeps causing random tangents... Kevin Wojtaszczyk - Aug 11, 2010 10:40 pm (34462.) Was in the semi-finals. The 4 winners advance and the top two 2nd's get 5th and 6th. Had a great setup, but 5's just never came up which would have given me much needed rock. Needless to say, I got stalled with an 8 pt 2nd place, with 2 other games having 9 pt 2nd places... so close to a 2nd sand... (my 9pt 2nd would have been 6th) Grant LaDue - Aug 11, 2010 10:49 pm (34464.) The hypnotoad commands: All Hail The John!! I think we are all adults and perfectly capable of deciding for ourselves how we want to spend our time. The suggestion that somehow the convention is doing people a favor by taking away their options seems to me rather condescending. Well it does seem that you understand the concept of being condescending. As it's only the second year that Monday was included in the "main" con, I would think that you could expect the number of Monday tournaments to increase. I know of one wargame that is seriously thinking of moving there (to resounding support from the participants). John Vasilakos - Aug 11, 2010 11:10 pm (34465.) Another great WBC, my family and I had a great time and we wish to thank the BPA staff, Don Greenwood and all for putting on a great con. Also this was the first year we came up on a Monday so I could get to the Auction and Auction Store on Tuesday with out rushing. Many thanks to Bruce and CABS for putting on a great Auction. I may not buy much but I love see some of the old games come out and the exitment they create. Can't wait to next year! Bruno Passa - Aug 11, 2010 11:19 pm (34466.) "Not sure how you get condescension out of it..." Don't try to follow that logic...or lack of it. I'm always amazed that after the best con in the business, people will focus on the spot in the carpet in the corner. Speaking of spots on the carpet, I got a kick out of walking by the table where Herr Dr. and Mr. Pei were locked in mortal combat and seeing the strips of paper on the floor outlining the "Pei Destruction Zone" or something to that effect. You sure know how to have fun with everything, Dave. More people should have your attitude. Now that I'm the former Treasurer and Board Member (Retired), I can say that this is a great convention that has only gotten better over time. The Board spends countless hours over several months discussing all these issues and coming up with solutions that are best for the membership as a whole. We tried to accommodate as many factions as possible, but there's always someone who will be upset because the Con doesn't line up perfectly with their own schedule. But even so, I suspect that every attendee gets at least 30 hours of gaming in during the week, maybe as much as 60 or 70. In closing, just ask yourself this: where would you be WITHOUT the WBC? Bruno Arthur Field - Aug 11, 2010 11:22 pm (34467.) Tuesday outing For those who don't want to auction on Tuesday before they Auction on Tuesday... How about a Field Trip (sorry about that) to Gettysburg? It's about 70 minutes away and provides a wonderful day of relaxation and fresh air. I hear there was even some sort of conflagration there. Or a family day at Hershey Park... We could have an organized trip. Tour the battlefield, ride the rollercoaster, etc. Lots of other convention groups I belong to do this. They call it rest and relaxation.... Seems like a waste to me, but why not? Herr Dr. - Aug 12, 2010 12:04 am (34468.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War Great idea, Mr.Field. Still looking forward to playing PRO with you again at WBC. 2011!. I also noticed that there was a squirt off by the Gangster tribe sometime during the Con. It would be cool to get all those, and the Gettysburg event (talk to Mr.Herman - I think he is/was on the board there), on the program - so that it was more than just the tourneys (like the blurp for the Sandbash Mr.Greenwood included on the schedule this year). "Pei Destruction Zone" Pei's usually do the destructing of me. I'm 2-1 vs Nic since I started doing it, and 0-2 vs the Master (didn't get a chance to face him since Padewan Pei knocked me out this year). I really like playing both of them - we always have a hoot of a time - lots of good trash talk and ying (no drinking, smoking and yelling) and yang (drinking, smoking and yelling) style of gaming. Next year I'll finally get my revenge and take out the Pei tribe; I plan to go to Tibet this year to get the answer to the Pei riddle. jeff mullet - Aug 12, 2010 2:26 am (34469.) preventing wargaming from going in new and vibrant directions >it's not ideal that the Titan semifinal and final can run pretty much continuously from 9am to 3am on Saturday. But we're sort of stuck with that because if we push the semifinals back to Friday then people who also want to play in other events don't really have enough time to play in Titan heats. Some extra heats on Tuesday would help with that problem and it still seems to me they wouldn't hurt anyone at all. From what I hear, there are a couple of reeeaaallllyyy slow Titan players. If you got the slowpokes to play faster, you wouldn't need extra heats. Andy Barrington - Aug 12, 2010 3:54 am (34470.) >I am sorry you see us as selfish in that we are not willing to do all this if we also have to miss tournaments. I think that was a very poor choice of phrases. Maybe. OTOH it can also be viewed that you demand others not have tournaments so you can do something you feel is important that they could care less about. It isn't what you are doing that matters to others but what you are trying to prevent them from doing. What word do you feel describes such behavior? Andy Barrington - Aug 12, 2010 3:55 am (34471.) >Pretty sure I'd take that bet. There are over 100 people lined up for each "running" of the Auction Store and I'm quite sure that most (if not all) of them would be mighty annoyed to have to choose between the store/auction and an actual event. And they aren't annoyed when other events they wish run against each other? Shall we run only one game at a time so there is never any choice? That is what the auction folks do; we run our game and there are no choices. Andy Barrington - Aug 12, 2010 3:56 am (34472.) >If I am not mistaken it was by the vote of the attendees that the auction was added to the schedule. It is not some pet desire by a few. Curious; was the vote on whether or not an auction was to be allowed or whether or not an auction was to be allowed that prohibited tournaments opposite it? No one is complaining about the auction, the complaint is that tournaments aren't allowed as an alternative. I think the mere fact that those involved with the auction say they wouldn't do it if it meant missing tournaments says which is more desired. Bob Hamel - Aug 12, 2010 6:15 am (34473.) Currently playing: VITP,BKN,MGMG, Hannibal- Consim Blog - Hamel,Bob Off Auction/AC topic for a second.... There was a fair amount of press (or at least people with cameras doing interviews). Any chance at some point copies could be gotten and this could be posted on BPA website for us "non-locals" to see? Okay, back to the "discussion".... Arthur, a field trip to battlefields might be a pretty good draw - we could charter a bus and make it to at least two of them on Tuesday. Peter Card - Aug 12, 2010 7:07 am (34474.) I apologize ... for nothing! I would definitely be interested in a side-trip to Gettysburg next year. David Bohnenberger - Aug 12, 2010 7:13 am (34475.) Worst GM in WBC history >I'm alway amazed that after the best con the business, people will focus on the spot in the carpet in the corner. Yep. In another folder, people are wondering out loud why ANYONE would attend such a horrible con... Don Greenwood - Aug 12, 2010 8:08 am (34476.) I have met the enemy and he is us. Sad but true, Dave. Justin Thompson - Aug 12, 2010 8:44 am (34477.) PrezCon CD & Game Designer of Julius Caesar Host A & B Rooms This was the first year I was down the hall in the host B room. A very nice sized room with excellent AC. Right across from Kevin Sudy's Room who just had to step out and cross the hall to play Kingmaker. Congrats to Nick Benedict in his 2nd championship in Kingmaker! I personally arrive each year on Monday to enjoy all that the con offers. It doesn’t matter if the schedule is light until later in the week. This is my vacation and I want it to be enjoyable. I like the option of attending the Great Auction, playing Julius Caesar in open gaming or taking a nap in the middle of the day. (Don't get to do that much in the real world) Don runs one of the best cons in the entire world and yes we all know this! How about a little understanding about the Beer tap...you know I don't think we want to see Don on his back fixing a refrigeration motor. I don't think Don secretly sits up in the rafters turning the AC on and off just to see Herr Doctors Head turn into a snowball...or maybe he does. The point is that not all of your issues are fixable by Don! Every year I am positive Don does all he can do to get the Host before, during and yes after the con to improve your stay at the con. That is why we come back year after year. Thanks Don!!! For all you do to make my convention experience the best it can be year in and year out! Justin Thompson Barcafer - Aug 12, 2010 9:56 am (34478.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >Yep. In another folder, people are wondering out loud why ANYONE would attend such a horrible con... I think this years griping is much more mild than some past years. In what folder are they saying this and is it in response to the auction/void or the lack of tap beer? Darren Kilfara - Aug 12, 2010 10:12 am (34479.) "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." --Wittgenstein Several points: 1) I don't think anyone who has posted in this forum in the past week would say that he had a bad time, or even a mediocre time, at the WBCs this year. (Or for those of us posting who couldn't make it this year, we've all had a great time at previous editions of the convention.) I'd have hoped that goes without saying. 1a) If anyone chooses not to come to the convention because of what they read in this forum, that is their loss far more than it is ours (IMHO). 2) On that basis, why not bring up the few minor issues that people have with the convention while they're fresh in your memory? Now's the right time to mention them. This isn't at all a case of focusing upon the spot in the corner - rather, it's simply more natural to provide constructive feedback upon things that might possibly make a great con even better, rather than simply being the 50th person in a row to say that everything was wonderful. There's no need for Don - or anyone else - to be defensive. 3) As one or two others have posted already, I don't think a suggestion to vote out the current Board if we have issues with the auction-related timeline on Tuesday - or any other minor complaints about a very good convention - is very helpful. I personally have no idea where any of the Board members stand with regard to the few issues that might be important to me, nor do I know of any easy way to find out, which is why I tend not to bother casting a vote for anyone. Now, conceivably some enterprising soul who is familiar with all of the hot-button issues that the convention throws up every year might come up with a checklist that each aspiring Board member who is up for election would be formally encouraged to fill out; then, when the time comes to cast our votes, we could easily find out where they stand on those key issues (and how strongly they feel about them), and we could then cast intelligent votes accordingly and thereby really vote with our feet... Jack Beckman - Aug 12, 2010 10:13 am (34480.) Dare to be Stupid Anybody else have significant problems with the Wifi in the hotel? It wasn't bad in the game areas, but just awful in my room (it kept dropping, or else couldn't pull an IP address). Yes, I'm there to game, but unfortunately I am also tethered to work and have to have a decent connection (amazing how I am irreplaceable except at raise time). Other than that, I really didn't have any problems at the hotel, and had a great time. Spent Monday and Tuesday in open gaming, and split the rest of my time in open gaming and tournaments. A big THANK YOU to all who work to put on WBC. I get to see people that I correspond with all year, both vendors and players, that otherwise I might not get to talk to, and get in a lot of gaming as well. I'm happy with the current format (even though I don't attend the auction). Martin Sample - Aug 12, 2010 10:32 am (34482.) For every action, there is a reaction. And a Pikey reaction... is quite a f*cking thing. >Anybody else have significant problems with the Wifi in the hotel? It wasn't bad in the game areas, but just awful in my room (it kept dropping, or else couldn't pull an IP address). Yeah, the WiFi truly sucks at the Host. In my room I got on maybe a third of the time. In the common areas it was a bit better. There are multiple networks, depending on where you are one may be better than the others. Either way it was still pretty slow. Bob Sohn - Aug 12, 2010 10:47 am (34483.) Exit 8A NJ; Korea at night, divided (avatar); Abraham Lincoln was a CDGer: "...it may as well be understood, once for all, that I shall not surrender this game leaving any available card unplayed." >Anybody else have significant problems with the Wifi in the hotel? It wasn't bad in the game areas, but just awful in my room (it kept dropping, or else couldn't pull an IP address). WiFi really, really sucked everywhere in the Host. I had to do 3 hours of mandatory on-line work-related training that was due Friday (I was too stupid to get it done at work the week before; and I was thinking oh there's enough downtime during WBC, esp. during the auction, that I could do this during WBC ). With the heavy audio/video files, 3 hours turned into 8+ hours over 3 days, until I finally gave up on Friday and remembered that the Asian Bistro had free WiFi for customers. It was like 1000x faster than the Host's. As to downtime, I got in 2 rounds of golf on Monday and Tuesday. You can't beat the $25 twilight rate with cart after 2pm. Thanks to Don, Board and others who made another great week of gaming vacation. CU in a year. Andy Lewis - Aug 12, 2010 10:51 am (34484.) Sports Game Junkie, Enjoy the Games! Yes, WiFi was really bad. It was a real pain because Carrie had to coordinate some stuff back at home for the weekend - she almost drove home to handle it which would have really sucked. Dick Shay - Aug 12, 2010 10:54 am (34485.) I think I'll just stick with irony and sarcasm as historical analytical tools. It's way easier to do and harder to refute. Only minor grumbling... I had a great time. The Host is very reasonably priced and my A/C worked and WiFi mostly (which is great for free). Plenty of more expensive places still want $10/day for Internet access that isn't much better. I do worry that the Host seems unable to keep up with breakdowns of equipment, for whatever reason. With my management hat on, and based on what happened to me last year with my room not locking, I would first investigate if the engineering/maintenance staff is basically lying to management on their progress and ability in handling problems. Obviously, I can't be sure about that without access to everyone, it just has that smell. Of course, its management's fault since they don't seem to be on top of these kinds of situations and should be personally investigating any situation that gets a repeat complaint. Of course, that's just how I would be running the place and I don't. Andy Lewis - Aug 12, 2010 10:58 am (34486.) Sports Game Junkie, Enjoy the Games! Manoeuvre at WBC 2011 For those that are going to start practicing early when the reprint comes out next month thought I'd post a couple of changes in the format for next year. The final will be one game instead of a two game match; however to keep up the challenge of knowing all the countries, the re-do of one country will be dropped. That's right, you can only play each country once through the entire tournament. This year's champion did that anyway but I just wanted to make it official. The reduction of the final to one game will reduce possible headaches of tie-breakers. Also, I only just realized when I went to a fourth swiss round people were still going to be forced to play something besides Britain or France anyway. David desJardins - Aug 12, 2010 11:41 am (34487.) Burlingame CA >Anybody else have significant problems with the Wifi in the hotel? This is one of several reasons I stay elsewhere. The network at the Country Inn and Suites (short jog down the same side of US 30) was fine. Rooms are large and clean also. Joshua Gottesman - Aug 12, 2010 12:42 pm (34488.) R.I.P., Jerome Gottesman 06/20/1929 - 10/18/2009 All this talk about problems at the Host leads to one inevitable conclusion. Move the con to Las Vegas. Justin Rice - Aug 12, 2010 1:04 pm (34489.) Ask me about "Impeach the President" >Move the con to Las Vegas. You meant, "Fredericksburg." Joel A Tamburo - Aug 12, 2010 1:30 pm (34494.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Realistically we risk losing lots of GMs if we were to move out of the Mid-Atlantic region (not to mention putting the con far away from the BPA staff). The Host issues basically fall into two categories: 1) Things only they can fix, so we have to apply pressure. Things like staffing in the bar and/or possibly offering the bar sandwich menu in Legends fall under this.So does the overall HVAC issue and the weak WiFi (which is a silly issue considering how cheap wireless base stations are). 2) Things we can help fix. For example, we can sink some $$$ into portable A/C units for the gaming rooms that get too muggy. Herr Dr. - Aug 12, 2010 6:14 pm (34520.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War What was the best new game that folks stumbled across? Strum Europe looked interesting. 3 player - strat - Europe - WWII. Even has a tank on the cover. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34597/sturm-europa Barcafer - Aug 12, 2010 6:35 pm (34521.) Ludeo Ergo Sum >What was the best new game that folks stumbled across? Strum Europe looked interesting. Please, MeepleFeast. Joshua Githens - Aug 12, 2010 8:10 pm (34522.) New Games Josh Tempkin with Tall Tower Games has been working on several new games. My two favorites are: WarTime! & Throne Dice He has several more in the works. Jack Beckman - Aug 12, 2010 8:27 pm (34523.) Dare to be Stupid >I used to have that problem, well actually phone calls, not computer work. After one year when my boss called me 4-5 times a day, I informed her that those were not considered vacation days if she called me. Now, I get about one call per con. I'd love to do that, but the job market in Michigan doesn't lend itself to that. I didn't get a chance to play much that was new - "Blaze" and "Zombie Dice" were my only new games. I did get in some games of "Chrononauts" and one each of "Illuminati" and "Red November" before the tournaments started, along with many games of "APBA Baseball." Herr Dr. - Aug 12, 2010 8:41 pm (34524.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War I also watched a demo of that WarTime! game; funky design with units having sandglasses. Rob 'One Stroke Above Par' Seulowitz - Aug 12, 2010 9:29 pm (34529.) The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club New games: Dominion: Intrigue (very good) Dominion: Seaworld (less good) Battleline (never played it before. Cute, not great. I bought Pocket Battles instead) Space Alert (a mixture of "Roborally", "Space Trucker" and "Battlestar Galactica" but more violent) Dixit (Pure awesomeness in awesome sauce; moreso at 3 AM) Also, taught a friend Roma and taught my daughter how to play Carcassonne. Oh, and both Joe and Naomi had holes-in-one in Minigolf. (I shot 102, my best ever for 9 holes.) Dan Dolan - Aug 12, 2010 9:33 pm (34530.) I used to farm for a livin. But now I'm in the growin trade I want to try to get SPACE ALERTin as an event. Run in one room at the same time. Each table would have a sound system and the game SPACE ALERT. I think it would be a blast to watch. When can we put in for a game to get in ... Monday? I don't think you would see major movement away from the auction attendees if events were allowed during time. The WBC Auction is the best in the world I think. The folks do a great job. Lotta work there but it is an impressive show. I would think that magazines should just go to the store though. It would save time and more people would pass it by for a point of sale. Nels Thompson - Aug 12, 2010 9:36 pm (34531.) 28 outs. >Dixit (Pure awesomeness in awesome sauce; moreso at 3 AM) Bingo. Chicks dig it, too. (But I guess that's included in "awesome sauce.") Joel A Tamburo - Aug 12, 2010 9:51 pm (34532.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Learned Imperial - not impressed. On the other hand, Normandy 44 was way cool. So was King Phillips War. Also got to play a VERY immerisve game called Android. I think I like it, but it is not for the faint of heart. David desJardins - Aug 12, 2010 9:52 pm (34533.) Burlingame CA >I want to try to get SPACE ALERTin as an event. Run in one room at the same time. Each table would have a sound system and the game SPACE ALERT. How would you determine a winner? Each year I think about Galaxy Trucker as a trial event. At least it does have a winner. J. R. Tracy - Aug 12, 2010 10:10 pm (34534.) "I no drive just for drive. I drive for to finish in front." - Milka Duno, Le Mans >...along with many games of "APBA Baseball." It was great seeing the APBA guy there; anyone have any idea how he did? JR Herr Dr. - Aug 12, 2010 10:18 pm (34535.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War What's Android? Been looking for a decent, playable operatic 4x space empire game for decades. There was the computer game MoO, but, that's about it. Joshua Gottesman - Aug 12, 2010 10:19 pm (34536.) R.I.P., Jerome Gottesman 06/20/1929 - 10/18/2009 >Dominion: Seaworld (less good) Assuming you meant "Seaside", this surprises me. I like this expansion MUCH more than Intrigue. The duration cards add a whole new angle to things. And I agree on Dixit...although IMO its not a game to play with serious competitors who forget that games are about fun. Joel A Tamburo - Aug 12, 2010 10:20 pm (34537.) Learning each day how much I don't know. Android is a game that puts you in a situation akin to Harrison Ford in the movie Blade Runner. Here is the BGG page: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39339/android Herr Dr. - Aug 12, 2010 10:25 pm (34538.) Working on a CDW of Spanish Civil War Thanks, will check out. I saw BSG being played; looked like alot of fun with the right crew. Bruce Reiff - Aug 12, 2010 10:31 pm (34539.) When does football season start????? My Week at WBC Here's a link to my geeklist of my week. The highlight? My 13 year old daughter Nicole winning the Battle Cry tournament!!!!!! Master Pei, I'm think of teaching her For the People http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/57623/the-best-wbc-ever Gerry Germond - Aug 12, 2010 10:48 pm (34541.) Last three: Shifting Sands, Sword of Rome, Amateurs to Arms "New Games" at WBC Well, not new yet; I like the previews of coming attractions, so saw two good-looking games on the War of 1812 (bicentennial coming up): Mr. Madison's War and Amateurs to Arms!, both of which have pages in the Napoleonic page. J. R. Tracy - Aug 12, 2010 11:45 pm (34545.) "I no drive just for drive. I drive for to finish in front." - Milka Duno, Le Mans Congratulations to Nicole on her plaque, Bruce! I just posted my own recap, with a lot of photos: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/57617/wbc-2010-five-days-of-glory-at-doncon JR David desJardins - Aug 13, 2010 12:26 am (34546.) Burlingame CA One plaque for the crew. Tichu was disallowed as a partnership event, so I'm pretty sure that no event where players win as a team would get past the board. It's also pretty hard to run, you would need some non-playing monitors to enforce the rules, it's a bit optimistic to expect players who are playing cooperatively to enforce all of the rules against themselves. Bob Basa - Aug 13, 2010 12:57 am (34547.) First CSW Post, Ever. Just so I don't feel left out of the party, here's a link to a list I did on my experiences at WBC: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/57552/2010-wbc-my-first-geeklist Only my second time at the WBC, but traditions have to be started somewhere! Kaarin Engelmann - Aug 13, 2010 6:43 am (34551.) You can find some of the coverage of WBC here: http://www.boardgamers.org/wbc/publicity.htm#press If you hear of other coverage, please send me a link, and I'll post it. Mark Kalina - Aug 13, 2010 6:51 am (34552.) Blue Iguana Games - Game Publisher - www.BlueIguanaGames.com "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." - Tacitus If I had to note an area where there was a problem, it is the lack of open gaming space from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. It was difficult to find space that wasn't used or in a handful of cases, reserved by those who left a game up, while they took a long break. Eric Brosius - Aug 13, 2010 7:12 am (34553.) Press coverage Is there any link to the TV coverage we were getting on Channel 21? Doug Porterfield - Aug 13, 2010 7:33 am (34554.) "Ender, you never played me. You never played a game since I became your enemy." Mazer Rackham in Ender's Game Basa - Thanks for the list. Good stuff. Now, for next year add in Ace of Aces and you all set. David Bohnenberger - Aug 13, 2010 7:35 am (34555.) Worst GM in WBC history >Throne Dice The best playtest game I've tried in a long time. Andy Lewis - Aug 13, 2010 9:05 am (34556.) Sports Game Junkie, Enjoy the Games! JR, APBA must have done well enough. The guy said he was pretty sure they would be back next year - he wasn't a big cheese that could make the decision - and lesson learned - don't just bring the base games, bring some seasons as well. Kaarin Engelmann - Aug 13, 2010 10:31 am (34564.) Here's a link to the CBS 21 News article: http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/World-Board-Game-Championships- happening-now-in/W_hllfzgf0WauL-Hv_r1Cg.cspx I didn't find video, but I'll keep hunting. d Witkowski - Aug 13, 2010 2:41 pm (34569.) WBC Press covearge WTOP radio in DC did a bit on the WBC: http://wtop.com/?sid=2021511&nid=114 Cool. ed witkowski Justin Thompson - Aug 13, 2010 5:17 pm (34570.) PrezCon CD & Game Designer of Julius Caesar 2010 WBC Julius Caesar Tournament Report After having 30+ excited gamers show up for the first demo of this new game we expected a good crowd at the tournament. We weren’t disappointed as 30 players showed up to test their skills in this new trial event. Because Julius Caesar is so new we had to open 7 new games just to have enough games to let all the players play. The first round began with 30 players. The first round saw (10) Pompey wins vs. (5) Caesar wins. New players, unfamiliar with the urgency Caesar faces in the first year, accounted for the Pompey edge. The second round saw (5) Caesar wins to (4) Pompey wins. The 3rd round saw (4) Caesar wins vs. (4) Pompey wins. I had to play Grant Dalgliesh my co-designer of Julius Caesar. It was a hard fought game but in the end Caesar ruled the day and sent me to the semi-finals. The final score was 9-5. Grant thought he had the game won but it dramatically came unglued for him in the final few card plays. The Semi finals began the single elimination portion of the tournament, where 4 excellent players competed for the championship. Tom Drueding was playing Micah Henglick and I was playing Fred Bauer. In the 2 round Tom Drueding tried a new strategy of playing first with a 4 card (only one in the deck) and massing his troops in Rome and attempting to hold it for a 1st turn win. Micah was unable to knock him out of there in time to avoid defeat. In the second game, Fred was playing Pompey and I cautioned him before we dealt the cards that if tried a forward defense he would be smashed. I played a 3 card and he played the 4 card! He tried to hold me off but was crushed in the second play of the cards in year one. He was forced to retreat and in the end fell to the might of Caesar! The final score was 8-5. We took a day to rest before we got together to play the final. We randomly picked sides and he pulled Caesar and I had Pompey. Tom is a very aggressive player and he attempted to attack in Hispania while sending Caesar and 2 other units east to face Scipio. His Hispania campaign hit a brick wall and was forced to retreat and reinforce his army. I decide a few card plays later to attack myself and lost all but 2 blocks in Hispania. I was able to get the two units out across the strait into Africa. After a few more card plays Scipio was able to attack 3 of his units but not Caesar. Caesar was forced to redeploy is units and almost was killed in Asia Minor. Tom used the map and his knowledge of block games to get Caesar away and rebuilt him so he could take Athens. In the last year I was dealt a Jupiter card that allowed me to take away one of his blocks that was with Caesar. Tom had to delay his planned attack on Athens for a turn but was still able to take it. The delay allowed time for Pompey and Scipio to assemble an army near Bzyantium which was able to take back Athens. This trapped Caesar in Pylos. Pompey was able to get 5 navis together in the Mare Internum and was putting pressure on Caesar so Tom had no choice but to attack Pompey in Athens. He had a unit in Thessalonika as a reserve hoping to open a retreat lane for Caesar. I was ready for this and move one of my 5 ships into Thessalonika after him. I also moved a ship into Pylos and Ambracia to make sure he could not get away. Caesar was forced to fight to the death. He lost and I scored the 1 VP to turn the tide to Pompey's side. Tom still had 1 block left in the east and got into Ephesus but he was faced with the burden of attack in the final turn. His attack failed and Caesar was defeated by a score of 8-6. If I hadn’t killed Caesar the final score would have been 7-6. Thanks to all of you who played in the first annual World Boardgaming Championship of Julius Caesar! Justin Thompson Andrew Maly - Aug 13, 2010 6:36 pm (34571.) San Antonio, TX Or another geeklist http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/57585/wbc-it-must-be-the-free-candy Bill D Watkins - Aug 14, 2010 12:51 am (34574.) One More Time! I did say thanks a week ago to all the people who make WBC so much fun, but.... A week later, we're out here in Albuquerque. Went to super gamer Omar DeWitt's incredible hilltop house this afternoon to deliver a WBC tee - and I hereby declare his house the most gorgeous in gamedom. Took a couple of priests to dinner tonight, so we're all in a state of sanctifying grace! In short, I'm feeling very mellow and find myself still smiling a week after WBC. Don and Kaarin and Debbie and all the GMs and such deserve all the thanks we can give them, but I think it needs repeating to say that what makes it all possible is gamers are the nicest bunch of people I've ever known. You constantly reach out to people. You actually care whether the companies succeed and, for all the arguments on our forums, you never seem to let it interfere with your respect for each other. I've had 52 years in this hobby. Granted, I've run across beaucoup good people in my other fields - politics, corporate life and military - but gamers stand out. You are the reason this hobby didn't die a couple of decades ago. Stand up and take a bow. You deserve it. Now, lemme go plot how I'm going to kick your sorry asses next WBC. Justin Thompson - Aug 14, 2010 1:28 pm (34584.) PrezCon CD & Game Designer of Julius Caesar Kingmaker After Action Report! The WBC Kingmaker Tournament Report The 2010 Kingmaker Tournament at the WBC was one of the best. It started with the Demo on Thursday 9am. I always run a Demo of Kingmaker one hour before the event starts. We had 10-15 folks attend the Demo. The players who attended the demo really had great questions and it looked like we would have a great crowd for the first round. The first round had 3 games played. Two (6 player games) and one (5 player game). We had 17 players in the first round! I had hoped we would get 24 players so we could get this classic game back into the Century. The winner’s from the first round who would move on to the final where Nick Benedict and Michael Rogozinck. The second round was less attended but we still had two (5 player games). I and Chris Jones both won our last chance to make the final. The final table was complete. The game was excellent as we had all very experienced players. It was also one of those games of the haves and have not’s. I was dealt Percy and was able to get to Richard of York. I had an Archbishop so I could crown Richard at anytime. Nick Benedict was also the other have player as he was dealt the Duchy of Lancaster which gave him complete control of Wales. Once he got Edward he attacked small bands of nobles and towns in the middle of the board. I was attacking the towns in the north but with less success. No less then 5 weather delays attack cards during my clearing of the north. We had 2 major parliaments that where run by me. I offered up good deals for all so we could all stay close in power and troop strength. In the last Parliament I felt Nick was pulling ahead but he had so much power I just didn’t feel good about moving south. I had a great army but if I left the north I was for sure going to be called away and killed piece meal. In the end I stayed north and Nick Stayed in Wales. We both crowned our Kings on the last turn and we went to the points. Nick once again had one of the highest 2 king totals ever. I was 35 points behind mainly due to the fact he got 20 extra commons votes for having the Chancellor of England. Chris and Michael both had there moments in this game but in the end Nick was the Kingmaker! Point totals: Nick Benedict…….177 Justin Thompson…142 Chris Jones…….....68 Michael Rogozinck..4 Once again I will try and retire from the kingmaker GM duties. I also ran Julius Caesar at the WBC. If you are interested in GMing this grand event please e-mail me at kingmaker@prezcon.com or call me at 434-531-9191