Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Outside the US - part 2

Status
Not open for further replies.
I've been avoiding the Pokégym boards for several weeks now. I don't know if any of you have noticed my absence, but I used to post at least 3 posts a day, so you should. Why have I been avoiding it? Because of the Outside the US topic. It went nowhere, and there was no civilized discussion anymore.

And it got locked in a sad way. It just had to end like this.

I'll be around at the trade forums and RTC and so on, but I'm "afraid" of posting anywhere in the News Discussion because I feel that "the company man" doesn't belong here.

The company man, signing off.
 
Last edited:
Ok, no rant, but just plain facts:

The tournament in Aalsmeer went great, we had a bit of a delay at first, when half of the 15+ category got stuck in the traffic jam, which gave us another 1to 1.5 hours extra, in which the 10- deckbuilding was handled (you know how it is, you have to keep their cards with them all times, make sure they don't start trading them, open their boosters if they're not able to)

Nice turnout in all, about 50 people participating, and I'm very happy with my prerelease Gyarados ( :smirk: )

I'll leave the parts that did not went so well (if there should be any) to our lovely TO, and end by saying that I wish these boards had a sarcasm smiley.
 
Hi Tahna, my dear helpfull allround judge, thank you for helping us again giving all that time for only 1 Gyarados prerelease card.

Total number of players 54, but according to POP and PSgames that's a small tournament and doesn't need to be supported more than this. Meaby otherwise we could have award you with 2 Gyarados cards.
 
Rainbowgym said:
Total number of players 54, but according to POP and PSgames that's a small tournament and doesn't need to be supported more than this. Meaby otherwise we could have award you with 2 Gyarados cards.
Click to expand...

Sure am sorry to hear that the prize support only allowed awarding the second place finishers with much less booster packs than the 18 which are awarded here!! :(
 
Last edited:
54 players a small tournament ? :lol:
There are not many people who can run larger tournaments than this in Europe, and probaly in the USA, especially with the support you've had these last weeks in Holland.
Congrats to you girls !!! Your southern neighbours are proud of you :thumb:

If 'small support' only is given to tournaments with 54 players, I don't worry about the distributor's expenses for POP ;) They'll have money left for main events with a lot of trips to win :p

Tego, feel free to post here or not, and feel free to belong to the community or not, that's your own personal decision. ;)
Even if some posts have been too 'hard' IMO in the other topic you mention, I think that if you read all the posts, very interesting info has been given and important subjects discussed.
I do agree on the fact that the way it has been discussed has not always been the best, but without that kind of topic, we would probably not have info and explanations given by Dave.
You, as a 'company man' as you call yourself, probably know the things said to us by Dave, but we, as simple players/TO's/LC's wouldn't know it without the boards.
With 292 posts, and more than 4000 views, that topic has been the most successful one for a long time on the Pokegym. People are interested in the subject.
You say that it went nowhere, maybe, but if that kind of topic didn't exist, if people involved in OP outside the USA don't have the opportunity to talk about the situation, if these people just sit and wait, it's POP outside the USA that could go nowhere.

Let's imagine a situation without Profs in Holland, UK or Italy fighting to run pre-releases, with people all around the World just waiting for something happening without emailing PUI, without coming to the boards, talking on AIM, ...

Even with all the work and efforts of PUI, POP would now be nothing else than a souvenir without any view on an eventual future.

Like I said earlier on this topic, I'm sure that a peaceful discussion is more positive than anything else, and that personal things can be discussed by mail, but the fact that we may talk about our countries on the boards is essential if we want to see the game coming back in the future.
 
I just want to give a little note here: whoever said that 54 players is a small tournament is out of his or her mind, or doesn't know anything about the game. If I'd meet that person, I'd laugh into his/her face.
 
Tego than you have to laugh at PSgames and POP USA, this are their words, not mine.
I didn't need the same support as the USA because we were running a small tournament.
PSgames thought we should get around 16 players, I mailed both partys that I expected 40-60 people.
Still they didn't believe me and POP approved a price support proposal from PSgame based on 16 players.


I tried and tried to get same prizesupport as the USA and all a could get was an email with to shut up, take it or leave it.
that's the real face of both those partys.


O and something else that same PUI is encouraging national distrubutors to work together with the Profs in their country. That same PUI is ingnoring the knowlegde of a prof in the field, ME.

Tego I know you work for Nintendo, but I don't think you have anything to do with POP USA.
I'm sick of POP USA and PSgames. And you were always defending PUI/POP saying it needs time.
But if you know all the "mistakes" they make according international OP you could understand why we did sometimes "denied" your opinion.


(I told to myself not to get angry anymore about the discrimination of our players but i'm not listening to myself)
 
Last edited:
Hello Team Europe:

For the past 2 years, I have TRIED to help promote the game in your respective regions. I have TRIED to act as an "ambassador" for the European community, I have sent countless numbers of e-mails, made countless numbers of phone calls, and have spent quite a lot of time helping to promote this game on a GLOBAL level.

I love Pokemon, as many of you may or may not know. I feel that this is a quality franchise that can bring people together regardless of their race, colour, creed or religion. It has had a PROFOUND affect on my life personally, and to a much lesser extent, professionally.

Many of you are asking yourselves, "Why"?

Because I love the game, and I really think the calibre of people who play this game, for the most part, are on the higher end of the "proverbial" bell curve.

Many of you, have given, and given and given, and given. I wanted to TRY to see that your hard work and dedication to this game, did not go in vein.

I TRIED folks! Honestly I did.

I have also had many other things come between me and Pokemon, the "Real World" being the foremost frontrunner here. During the past two months, I have almost lost everything, including my job, and I came very close to taking my life. I didn't want to go on. But, I am still here. I still enjoy Pokemon, and I am going to support this great game through good times and bad.

I don't post as much anymore, because I feel that my involvement has had a adverse effect on this game overseas. Truthfully, I honestly feel that I have made things worse. Still, I persist. Because, I BELIEVE that strongly in Pokemon. Not "Yu-Gi-Oh", NOT M:TG, NOT DBZ, but Pokemon.

To the US players who think who are upset about how the game is doing here, please read what THESE folks are enduring right now, and hopefully you'll "rethink" any negative position with regards to the "shape" this game is in in the US right now.

It saddends me a great deal to see people like Michel and Lia, who have now, or are on the verge of quitting the game all together, have to fight a consistent "uphill" battle. People in the UK, who have fought a similar battle. However, for my own sake, I HAVE to remain "optimistic" about this game's future, because like for many now, it has BECOME a part of me. Truthfully, we can work together as a community to help our fellow players out in time of need. BUT, we ALL need to do OUR part as a single unit, to bring about positive change for this game for EVERYONE. It cannot be done, by a single person, who lives 10,000 miles away, the community has to step up to the plate, and really ask, "Do they REALLY want the game to survive"? Not everyone plays Yu-Gi-Oh or M:TG or DBZ.

I had gotten a "renewed" spark in attending the "Pokemon Rocks San Diego" event this past weekkend, where I was thinking maybe only 5,000 to 8,000 would come through the gate. Initial estimates, put the attendance at better that twice and almost three times that number.

Point here being, Pokemon is NOT the "fad" it used to be, (Yes, "Yu-Gi-Oh" will go through the same cycle eventually as well.) however, it is nowhere NEAR "dead" either. Pokemon is a very "resilient" brand, with some very loyal fans (the author of this long discertation being one of them).

Also, it has got a solid community that has come to the aid of fellow players in the past. Well, this has to happen again. I do believe, that things are moving forward for EUROPE, at a much slower than anticipated pace. However, things are also moving much "slower than anticipated" here in the US as well.

Ironically, the curprit COULD be the very company that was the Pokemon TCG's predessor! While, this is merely speculation, it certainly happens to fit the facts.

I am not blaming anyone or any entity for what they could have or should have done. I, personally just want to move forward and TRY to help anyone that I can, make this the GAME that I really think it COULD and SHOULD be.

If some of you feel that you need to move on, that is your choice and one I respect. However, let me try to ask for some more help from our COMMUNITY here, and maybe then, we can start making things happen for the global contingent.

Keep up the GREAT work everyone!! :)

Kind Regards,

Marsh Schneidau
(aka Skywolf1)
 
If you look at the figures in the 'Dragon Prerelease Attendance' topic, you'll see that, according to the venues recorded today :
1. Plano TX 122 players
2. Portland OR 68 players
3. Costa Mesa CA 57 players
4. Delaware OH 57 players
5. AALSMEER NL 54 players

PS Games would be proud to have the 5th attendance Worldwide in his country :D

If they realize it's a big event, and if they support it like in the USA, you'll have to rent the Rotterdam Ahoy next time and ask the Rolling Stones or U2 to postpone their concert because of the prerelease ;)

Once again, nice job girls. And the 43 UK players in Rainham is great too !
 
Marsh - You have offered more help than anyone can possibly think of.
Because of you POP listened to us.
That they didn't do anything with our information and suggestions if not your fault.

Me and the other TO overhere were deeply touched by your emails, especially because you live overseas and still are trying to help us again and again.

Don't underestimate what you can do, you did more than we could ever hope for.

Things will be moving forward for overseas, sure.
But by humiliating, demanding, lying and not trusting or supporting their remaining TO's they didn't move forward but backward.
Still PSG is not understanding that there are only 3 skilled TO's overhere left.

Even worse the topman said on our tournament, this is a smaller event than I thought it should be.
He is nuts.

I will keep on playing the game because i like it, but for bigger actions like large tournaments I have to think twice.

First there is rest needed for me, than I will look forward.
 
Marsh,

I don't have anything to add to Lena (Rainbowgym)'s post about all the positive things you've brought to the game and the community.

You, who always write 'Keep up the great work !' at the end of your posts, is certainly the one of us who has been of the greatest help for our community ;)

Rainbowgym, it seems that distributors have things to learn from Profs and TO's. They're in their learning period :)

I will probably come back actively in the POP world very soon. Like you Marsh, I've lost my job and that has given me the opportunity to put all the pieces of a project together.
It will not be Pokemon only as it will involve players of different cards and board games like Pokemon, Magic, LotR, YGO, Avalon Hill, Marvel, ... but I really hope it will be possible to put Pokemon on top of the list.
More info soon, and I hope it will start before the end of the year.
 
Marsh, Michel & Rainbowgym said everything about your decision. I hope you'll have luck back with you and want to fight again with us.

This post is for an update from Italy.
Today I talked for the first time with the actual OP manager for Nexus, Simone Peruzzi.
This guy said to me that maybe the Tournament in Milan will not be possible, it has to ask to PUI about prize support and so on. Surely we'll have demos. He'll try yo have the tournament ready, he really wants to see how a Pokémon tournament works, and how these things are run.

He said that he wants absolutely talk with me during that convention, because he knows nothing about Pokémon OP.
He even don't know that pokemon-tcg.com is actually NOT an international site, and distributors must have a personal Pokémon page in their language... And he event don't know that in the site there are all the Floor Rules and Tournament rules...

Maybe it's because he's just arrived in that involvment, and he had not the time to check everything out.

Though this guy seems to consider Pokémon a "kid's game"... Until I said to him that a lot of older people (from 15 up to 50 years old) actually plays Pokémon.
They prefer to start OP in January with the localized product for the "kid's money" purpose. A good thing to have new players involved in the game, a bad thing for old players that have not OP during this time.

What do you think about that?
 
Marcello,

I think it's a very good thing that there is a dialogue between you and the OP manager.
Another good thing is that he wants to learn and admits that he doesn't know POP. Some others don't know more but want to teach you POP ;)

When is the convention on Milan ? Instead of waiting for PUI's support, wouldn't it be possible to ask support to the local distributor ? I don't know if this could be possible, just an idea.

POP in January ? Maybe not a bad idea, with or without cards in local language. If everything is ready to really start early January (announcements made, league pack distributed, support ready, ...), it's probably better than starting a couple of weeks earlier and in a hurry. January is only 6 weeks from now.

But there is another question ... the latest we start in Europe, the more league seasons the USA will have run. That means that they'll have a lot of promo cards that we'll not have.

If we remember that they've got prerelease promos that we don't have, we'll be in the same bad situation as we were with Wizards.I've always dreamed of a worldwide league program run everywhere at the same time, and not Europe running leagues a long time after the USA.

Could be possible if we start at season X, the same as the USA will be running in January.
The promos of the previous US seasons could then be given as 'extra prizes' for example at European tournaments or special league activities ... or given at european prereleases.
If we're behind the USA, some people will buy a lot of promos on the web and sell these cards to the kids. As a lot of them will already have the cards, they'll not be interested in official league promos anymore.
That's what happened in Belgium with Wizards. When we received the promos in our league kits, the kids were laughing at us saying they had the cards for a very long time.

This said, it's nice to see that things are moving in the right direction in Italy ;)
 
Michel,
the Milan convention will be during the first weekend of December (7/8th december if I'm not wrong). If there will not be that tournament, we'll be doing some demo play for rectruiting more new players, new and old.

Yes it's a good thing that the OP manager want to learn everything about Pokémon, at least he wants to hear what some experienced Professors have to say and teach for the puropse of a good management of the game... He understood that Profs are not some guys who whant to be paid for doing something, but only some people who loves the game and want to help the good management of the game, asking nothing in return.

Yes, starting after may be a good thing too, but the issue of the missing seasons is still there.
UK who already has the kits, starting with the December one, will miss only 3 seasons (but Ben and the others maybe know if they'll have only the new kits, or their distributor ordered old kits too).
We'll miss 4 seasons. It's not a big trouble, though. And also if we'll start in January with the September kit (the Torchic/Combusken one)we may catch up using some kits as a support for local OP such as tournaments besides the League. So everyone will have anyway the promos, kits are used and we can catch up in a couple of months the US league.

As always now, I think PUI's doing a good work, though I notice a lack of information that is still not good. But I think I cannot ask them why, I don't work for Nexus, these are private company issues, and the OP manager will surely ask to Jarrod if he needs to know anything.
I'l explain the League and Challenge Series system, asking maybe for some Nationals before US Worlds.
 
Last edited:
We will start dec 1st too, but i don't have a clue which kit we are getting.
Meaby PSG knows, we only got the message that we can start thats it.
 
Well the Uk's kits are with our third party OP provider.... We will find out what the schedule is for their delivery this Saturday.
 
And A very big thanks to Steve Gillette for EON tickets, Kyogre EX and Groudon EX promos plus other nice stuff too.

THANKS!
 
Lets make your concern in Malaysia. Here, organised play can only be found in urbanised areas, and some shops closed because they don't know where to get the stock after Nintendo rules.

Some areas are worse: No organised play. This is especially true for Johor, Sabah and Sarawak state.
 
pokemon-tcg.com website has been updated and we now have access to a lot of new pages :clap:

I've just found a little problem ... when I make my player card, it's ok, but when I print it, my family name is not printed.

Other news ... the belgian distributor, according to their website, have added a new person to their staff; Dave who will be OP coordinator.
That could be very interesting for POP, the more people work on OP, the best things should be ;)
 
As I posted in the Tournament section, Nexus will support an official Tournament during the Italian Mind Games convention, on December 8th.

I will be coordinating that tournament, becuase they don't know how to run it. They will support us with prizes, and me and the other Profs are using our materials (such as playing card mats, coins, and so on) for support.

We will not have Dragon for that tournament due to a lack of time, but Ex: R/S and Sstorm will be on the prizes.
European players are welcome, obiouvsly :)

I think Nexus has made a great effort on helping us for that tournament. They are really interested in the game, personally I will explain the game to the OP manager (eheheh he don't know even how a Pokémon card is made probably :) ), and they will start from January with a full OP support too.

Hope that PUI will help them to manage correctly the affair, cause professors are great and useful, but we are distant from the Nexus headquarters and it's impossibile for us to help them everytime.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top