IMPACT! MINIATURES

Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

I gotta wonder why we only played 1 test/ 1 hour games.
Don't you play for 2 hours in that other game?
Seems like we were very rushed when we didn't need to be.

The face off...boy. Uh it's actually a really nice rule for standard play IMO, but in a tournament where you gain a point for possession it really becomes overly important to win the face off. It almost makes the game a dice game.

And I don't think it speeds anything up that much. Not enough to hinge the outcome on the face-off.

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GalakStarscraper · The Big Man Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 6176

I think the standard face off could be used.

As for time ... I think we assume a different number of folks next year and structure it that way.

However Jessica really didn't like demoing Elfball ... so I have to make sure I get one good Elfball player to demo for Sunday.

Galak

The Warden · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:19 pm Post subject:

Galak-

Ummm.....I do think I maybe scheduled for other things next year

It seems a bit early to decide but my concern would be that elfball is suppose to be a faster game. One test or one hour sounds about right.

A few more experienced players and a little later starting time perhaps

, may make things feel less rushed.
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Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

Lychanthrope · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 367 Location: Bristol, IN USA

The Streetball tourney was Friday, the FF tourney was Saturday and Sunday, that left Sunday for the Elfball tourney. Scheduling it up agionst the other two tourneys is not, unfortunately, a winning idea at this time. I know Eric might disagree, but I won't make people make a choice at this time.

The winner of the Elfball tourney also won the Streetball tourney and placed very high in FF tourney.
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Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

Well I wouldn't suggest going up against those at any time. But there was lots of time on those days when the tournies weren't going on. The FF tourney ended at what 3pm? Street Brawl as well iirc. What's wrong with starting Elfball (which is gonna be <10 people) at 6pm and running to midnight on thursday? (that's 6 1-hour rounds...or 3 2-hour rounds!) Then playing the final(s) at 6 on Saturday or something if needed? And if you're running 3 2-hour rounds for less than 10 people I can't see needing much more time than that. Especially if you do a single elimination schedule.

I don't think Elfball needs to run up and punch Bl00d B0wl in the face, but I don't think it needs to shove itself in the corner either. And after talking to lots of ex-Bl00d B0wlers while demoing I think the market for Elfball is bigger than people on this board and others assume.
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solarflare · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 16 Location: indy

Here’s my 2 cents for elfball tournaments at Gencon:
- The cards are a good idea, but it places too much emphasis on winning the face off. Therefore, I think the cards should only be awarded after the fifth turn of the game. That gives each player some time to actually play the game before the cards start being awarded.
- I like playing elfball for just one test against each opponent. It allows more games to be played against more opponents, and it keeps the games moving.
- If you keep the games to one test, you allow the possibility of scheduling elfball in a 4 hour time slot (3 games in 4 hours). This could allow you to run a very different schedule for elfball, which I will now “propose.” (Keep in mind I’m just brainstorming here.)

Run an elfball “mini-tournament” each day of the con. You could go from, say, 6-10pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and then from 10-2 on Sunday. Possible advantages to doing it this way:
- The booth is closed during the “tournaments” for all days but Sunday.
- The time slots do not interfere with “The Other Games.”
- The game is being brought out and displayed every day of the con.
- You could have a running “total” displayed at the booth, and there could be a “grand winner” at the end of the con. If you did this, I would also suggest having smaller prizes focused on participation for each mini-tournament. You could also have a prize for “most games played” by the end of the con. Maybe you could track it on this site and have an annual most points and most games played champions (thereby encouraging people to go out and play at other cons?).
- Having multiple mini tournaments could also allow you to throw a little variety in. Maybe no skills on Thursday, one on Friday, etc.

Okay, no more brainstorming for now - my brain is full. (That didn’t take long.)

Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

I like a lot of those ideas! Very sharp!

I like the idea of progressively more skills, although I think more like increments of 5 is more like Elfball. But I understand you are just brainstorming.

I don't know about tracking after the fifth turn. Then there needs to be something to track turns.

It gets a bit out of hand. Plus I don't like the fact that with the 2 Success on Stars rule a team can just chuck the ball to its monster and ride out the clock. It's sleazy BS like that made me stop playing Bl00d B0wl. Elfball doesn't have that and I'd hate to see it creep in.

But other than that I think you have some winning ideas! I hope Tom agrees.
I think there's also something to having somebody else (Me, Mad Jackal, Lycanthrope...) run the tourney as well as doing it after hours.
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Lychanthrope · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 367 Location: Bristol, IN USA

Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

bouncergriim · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 298 Location: Fort Worth, TEXAS

Trying to think of a way to redue the reliance on cards/how long you hold the ball. Perhaps it could be you only get a card for two turns that a single player is holding the ball. Therefore if you toss it back to a big guy and he catches it, you will get one card for him ending the turn holding the ball. Another card the next turn, but no card the following turns unless he passes it to another player. I say two turns because a player can only be activated once every two turns, so that makes the ball more of a hot potato. This might give an advantage to better ball handlers, but it eliminates the stall tactics that we all hate in that other game.

Pros:
1 Eliminates stalling
2 forces more passing
3 more opporunities for SiMs

Cons:
1 may give advantage to high "skill" teams
2 makes keeping track of cards more complicated

Mad Jackal · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 240

Actually.

I think I am an idiot.

DL was your record 0 win -1 loss -2 tie or 1-1-1 ?

I don't think the cards mattered that much come to think of it.

My only concern about them would be "rewarding" a team for failing to score quickly by giving them more cards than if they had not failed the 4 dice looking for a 1 roll. (Assuming they end later turns holding the ball again.)

Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

I beat solarflare's son by a large margin, and I beat you by holding the ball lonnger despite the fact that you controlled the tempo of the game through most of it. I won 2 and lost 1.

Not sure what you mean by 1-1-1 or 0-1-2
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The Warden · Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject:

I think we are getting into "too much of a good thing" here. Mini-tournaments would take a lot of extra time and energy. It would also interfere with other things at the con, not just other FF games. Besides by that time of the day no one from the booth was in the mood to go run a tournament.

I also have to believe that there will be more than 10 people in the tournament next year. So leaving it only on sunday, away from the other games, still probably works the best with a one test/one hour format that allows for several more players to enter.

Adding abilities and too much card playing is most likely going to add time to the tournament. If players are not use to playing with either of those advanced/optional rules sets you are going to make it harder for them to play. This would give additional advantages to more experienced players and not help to get those with little experience interested in playing in the tournament.
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Dark Lord · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2682

I would be hesitant to play in another tournament with the same rules as this one. If I did, I would just play Deadlings with 2 Deadwoods, 2 Monsters, 1 Vampling, & 1 Zombie and just pitch the ball to a Deadwood and sit on it.

If I don't some other munchkin is sure to.

I hear what you're saying about "too much of a good thing" however, I think too many have a kneejerk reaction against Abilities being an unbalancer. IMO they are not all. And as far as slowing down the game, I have seen just the opposite. Cheapshot moves things along rather quickly!

I think the time of possession rule doesn't work for tourney play.

What about 90 minute tests? I haven't played a test longer than 90 minutes in a very long time.

How about this? Use timers. Each Coach receives 30 minutes (or 45) the coach who runs out of time first is the loser. His opponent receives points equal to the number of whole minutes left on his clock.
The timers we bought can be had for <$3.

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