Thoughts on organized tournaments

Today I decided to do a post on what I think the ideal tournament atmosphere would be like so that is what I am going to try to do. I don't know a lot about the gaming business or the tournament business so all of this is going to be shooting from the cuff but it comes from a customer willing to shell out 50+ dollars to play in a tournament environment that he enjoys.

As some of you know I have been to a TSHFT tournament, the 40K brand to be exact, and I had a great time. I met many new players and had some fun and exciting 40k games in the process even though I did not win any of them. While I was there I noticed one thing that I think a tournament needs to have, great players with great attitudes about the game they are playing regardless of what that game is. TSHFT certainly had a lot of cool players and the vast majority of the players that attended the show recieved perfect sportsmanship scores. A great group of players can do nothing but spread good news about the tournament and how much fun they had playing in it. Word of mouth is crucial in this type of environment and the only way you get that is to give the players what they want from the tourney.

There are things that go beyond having a great group of players however. You need to have a core group of players that are very loyal to the store in order to start the word of mouth process along. These players need to be welcoming to any prospective players within that stores community. This kind of warm reception and good cheer makes the store a tournament is based out of a better attraction for players that might not be a major part of the store's community. This is something I look for when I go to a store or attend any event of this type. I like to find out more about the people that really support the events that my dollars go to. The friendlier the core unit of players surrounding the tournament is the better chance the tournament has to grow and expand in the future.

Another thing that I think would make an ideal tournament for me would be atmosphere. When I go to a tournament I want it to be more than a gaming tournament eventually. Eventually I want the tournament to grow into something bigger. A real showcase of the hobby in it's own right. The tables that the players play on should be really special, there should be painting competitions, seminars on gaming and the hobby, showcases of upcoming product that makes the gamer excited to be around the hobby and even shows or skits depicting major events in the hobby mythos. Things like this can turn an event that someone might go to into something that becomes a must be there type of show.

These are just a couple of the things that I really think a tournament that plans on sticking around and growing should aspire to. There is a lot of competition out there for this kind of event and in the end the events that stick around are going to get bigger and more elaborate with emphasis on giving the gamer the most bang for his buck that he can possibly get. Thanks for reading. I'll post goblin pics tomorrow if I can. Thanks again.