Riq
New Member
I totally agreee!!!!
US Nationals Moved...
- Thread starter Chromecatz
- Start date
I totally agreee!!!!
This is the best possible move for Pokemon to make. No longer will the US National Championship be simply an event at a conventioin. Now US Nats IS THE EVENT. This move will allow PUI to do so much more for us as at Orgins they didn't have free reign to do whatever they wanted as PUI needed to answer to Ogrins. For those of you complaining about the location change without being open minded to the gains that this move brings - SHAME ON YOU! If you love this game as much as you say you do you will be supportive of any move that PUI makes that helps our game grow.
Now Pokemon will be better able to bring in vendors, bring in other activitites for players and help control hotel, food and location issues. Did you enjoy the long walks for fast food at high prices and bad attitude of people selling it? Dave, Pete and Mike all do a great job. For those of you who are being overly critical of this move and are catagorizing it as being rash - Shame on you again. Don't you realize that Dave, Pete and Mike do long term planning. How do you know that this wasn't something that they have been contemplating for a few years?
Lastly for many newer players and parents Orgins was not a plus. Weird people walking around playing roleplaying games all hours of the day and nights. Needeing to wait in line for long periods of time to get a badge, and worse for some paying for a 65.00 badge for the weekend. So while Orgins was a plus for many it was a MAJOR minus for many. Anything you want at Orgins you can buy online anyway. I am looking forward to US Nats this year more than ever.
Tom Shea
Now Pokemon will be better able to bring in vendors, bring in other activitites for players and help control hotel, food and location issues. Did you enjoy the long walks for fast food at high prices and bad attitude of people selling it? Dave, Pete and Mike all do a great job. For those of you who are being overly critical of this move and are catagorizing it as being rash - Shame on you again. Don't you realize that Dave, Pete and Mike do long term planning. How do you know that this wasn't something that they have been contemplating for a few years?
Lastly for many newer players and parents Orgins was not a plus. Weird people walking around playing roleplaying games all hours of the day and nights. Needeing to wait in line for long periods of time to get a badge, and worse for some paying for a 65.00 badge for the weekend. So while Orgins was a plus for many it was a MAJOR minus for many. Anything you want at Orgins you can buy online anyway. I am looking forward to US Nats this year more than ever.
Tom Shea
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^^This poster is from New England, please note. I think this speaks to the fact that this issue needs to rise above the measurement of whether the new venue is closer to some or farther from others. Tom makes some good points!
@dogma - We will be changing the term warning here on the Gym to slating, so that we may have a bespoke enforcement system. Perhaps you can help us come up with a similarly elegant term for 'infraction'. I salute you for raising the vocabulary bar.
@Hiro - I will truly miss the 'big dog' impression the game was making at Origins.
To all:
"What's going to happen?"
"Something wonderful!"
Hope to see you there.
@dogma - We will be changing the term warning here on the Gym to slating, so that we may have a bespoke enforcement system. Perhaps you can help us come up with a similarly elegant term for 'infraction'. I salute you for raising the vocabulary bar.
@Hiro - I will truly miss the 'big dog' impression the game was making at Origins.
To all:
"What's going to happen?"
"Something wonderful!"
Hope to see you there.
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Out of interest, how many people who went to Origins for US Nationals also went round to all the other (non-Pokémon) events and stuff?
Surely most people, even those who go to US Nationals, just aren't into all the other games? Or have I got that wrong?
@bulbasnore: Can't tell whether that's sarcasm or not - its like 8 in the morning now... but 'slating' has a particular connotation (at least in London), which I doubt is what you're going for...
Surely most people, even those who go to US Nationals, just aren't into all the other games? Or have I got that wrong?
@bulbasnore: Can't tell whether that's sarcasm or not - its like 8 in the morning now... but 'slating' has a particular connotation (at least in London), which I doubt is what you're going for...
Mystery Thing
Administrator
Prior to 2008 (working on the stage full time sorta makes it hard to get around to other stuff), I did go for other events as well. In 2007, I did a D&D Minis for Newbies tournament just for kicks (I had never played before that and I've never played since that) and played some random board games that I had never heard of through the Rogue Judges, a group that basically brings stacks of games and teaches you to play them for a generic token. And then there's always the vendor hall. Previous to that, I did some other random board games and I think I did a Risk tournament there one year.
Now, that said, my primary purpose for being there was still Pokémon, and Pokémon is the only reason I ever started going to Origins in the first place. Any other events I did had to fit around the schedule of Pokémon events I wanted to do.
And I did avoid LARPers like the plague. :x
Bummer. Some of us go to Origins to play at Nats, but do tons more gaming in addition to Pokemon, plus shop the game vendors. So, did Origins say they couldn't accomodate us anymore? Or, is the animosity between GAMA and PUI too great because of the problems at 2008?
Are there any boardgamers who want to get in a few games of Catan, Agricola, PowerGrid, Caylus, Puerto Rico, RoboRally, or whatever during down time in StLouis?
Are there any boardgamers who want to get in a few games of Catan, Agricola, PowerGrid, Caylus, Puerto Rico, RoboRally, or whatever during down time in StLouis?
My very first year (2006) that I was there, I did a ton of things. I demo'd multiple games like naruto, history channel game, etc. I played rubber swords with my friends (coolest thing the entire time). I did some role playing in a room (I got to throw bags of bird seed that was really magical bombs). I played some Monopoly, and attended a 'how to make a board game' lecture too. Last year, I didn't do as much, and this year I was on staff so Pokemon was my full time job (best job ever).
mumsascrappa
Active Member
Just think.......you won't have to deal with the "Origins website" and trying to purchase badges online etc.
Our family is also from New England, very close to the Atlantic Ocean in New Hampshire, and I have read Tom Shea's (our PTO) post. I have to tell you, at the leagues we attended this weekend, St. Louis was the talk of the day. Many families and players are very excited. Driving further, or flying longer, is not the issue! We are excited to be attending THE US event of the year!!! :thumb:
In my mind, it doesn't matter what the reason is that they moved. Dave, Mike and Pete are trusted professionals in my book and I trust that they have gone through and done their homework. I strongly do not believe that they would do anything to intentionally harm the Pokemon community. Really?? why would they do that? It is their livelihood!!??
Yeh.....some people might not attend, for whatever reason they choose, just as some people didn't attend Nats at Origins, but that does not make it a bad choice on their part. We went to Nats for 2 years and our only dealings with Origins were negative....the website was poorly designed and not user friendly, the badges cost money, and for what??? it got US nothing that we cared anything about, the gobs of people waiting in line for food, the smells in the hallways, and the people hanging out sleeping everywhere, and dressed very differently from what we were used to. I do have to say, we with friends enjoyed a very nice restaurant, and enjoyed getting food at North Market, but I'm sure we'll find some cool places in St. Louis too.
So, open your minds, think positively....heck, maybe you'll even have a great time in St. Louis!! :smile: You'll be doing what it is your supposed to LOVE doing.....playing Pokemon, and living Pokemon with people from all over the country for 3 full days!! or more if you arrive the day before....and don't think there won't be "Pokemon" things going on......just hang out in the hall, or in the lobby.....at Worlds, there were people playing Pokemon everywhere.....there doesn't have to be a formal event for you to play. Grab your deck and ask a friend to play! Go to St. Louis and have fun!!
Oh, and just for the heck of it, I looked online to get a rough idea of ticket prices flying out of New England, and it is NOT going to cost us anymore than it would if we were flying to Ohio!
Our family is also from New England, very close to the Atlantic Ocean in New Hampshire, and I have read Tom Shea's (our PTO) post. I have to tell you, at the leagues we attended this weekend, St. Louis was the talk of the day. Many families and players are very excited. Driving further, or flying longer, is not the issue! We are excited to be attending THE US event of the year!!! :thumb:
In my mind, it doesn't matter what the reason is that they moved. Dave, Mike and Pete are trusted professionals in my book and I trust that they have gone through and done their homework. I strongly do not believe that they would do anything to intentionally harm the Pokemon community. Really?? why would they do that? It is their livelihood!!??
Yeh.....some people might not attend, for whatever reason they choose, just as some people didn't attend Nats at Origins, but that does not make it a bad choice on their part. We went to Nats for 2 years and our only dealings with Origins were negative....the website was poorly designed and not user friendly, the badges cost money, and for what??? it got US nothing that we cared anything about, the gobs of people waiting in line for food, the smells in the hallways, and the people hanging out sleeping everywhere, and dressed very differently from what we were used to. I do have to say, we with friends enjoyed a very nice restaurant, and enjoyed getting food at North Market, but I'm sure we'll find some cool places in St. Louis too.
So, open your minds, think positively....heck, maybe you'll even have a great time in St. Louis!! :smile: You'll be doing what it is your supposed to LOVE doing.....playing Pokemon, and living Pokemon with people from all over the country for 3 full days!! or more if you arrive the day before....and don't think there won't be "Pokemon" things going on......just hang out in the hall, or in the lobby.....at Worlds, there were people playing Pokemon everywhere.....there doesn't have to be a formal event for you to play. Grab your deck and ask a friend to play! Go to St. Louis and have fun!!
Oh, and just for the heck of it, I looked online to get a rough idea of ticket prices flying out of New England, and it is NOT going to cost us anymore than it would if we were flying to Ohio!
In 2003 we attended GENCON for the WOTC sendoff of Pokemon. We did nothing except Pokemon. And it seemed like we were missing out on the bigger gaming experience.
Our first year at Origins (2004) we played Pokemon exclusively. Again, it seemed like we were missing out on something.
Starting in 2005, we limited Pokemon to Saturday only. We arrive on Wednesday and leave on Monday, doing many other games on Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sun. Pokemon is only 1 day out of the long weekend. We have found so many other great games to play and met many other gaming people outside of Pokemon who we continue to see every year.
I honestly think that people who did not participate in the other games that Origins had to offer missed a real opportunity. Those "scary" people you saw running around weren't scary at all. (Although those LARP people really ARE annoying.)
I like being part of the larger gaming community.
We've been to 3 Super Trainer Showdowns, 4 Worlds (including the first one in Seattle), and every US Nationals.
Until now.
We've discussed this and have decided attend Origins instead of going to St. Louis.
I would like to say it was a tough decision. But it wasn't. A stand-alone Pokemon event just doesn't interest me at this point.
We'll miss seeing out Pokemon friends at Origins, but we'll be seeing some of you at States and Regionals.
ApachePrime
New Member
The Gorn just had a great, well-thought out post.
Your reasons for not going to nationals are exactly what I'm sure PUI was hoping not to hear, but it's obviously the honest truth for many families. I know a lot of people that trekked from Florida up to Ohio to play every game they could at Origins.
I wish I could go play dozens of different games, but after my amazing experience at Worlds, I'm really looking forward to another big huge Pokemon-only event. I don't know if I would feel the same way if I had gone to Nats last year, as Origins sounds like a blast.
Your reasons for not going to nationals are exactly what I'm sure PUI was hoping not to hear, but it's obviously the honest truth for many families. I know a lot of people that trekked from Florida up to Ohio to play every game they could at Origins.
I wish I could go play dozens of different games, but after my amazing experience at Worlds, I'm really looking forward to another big huge Pokemon-only event. I don't know if I would feel the same way if I had gone to Nats last year, as Origins sounds like a blast.
ryanvergel
New Member
Origins is fun, no one is denying that. But is it fun ENOUGH? No wayyyyyy.
Origins is dying. Why would you choose it over Nationals? You're opting to spend a lot of money on badges for a dying convention full of weird people and overpriced food, with almost NO attractions in the area? Where is a theme park, a zoo, a water park, a museum, SOMETHING for people to go to.
It costs so much money for badges. They just aren't worth it. I went for two years, and I barely had enough time to do anything besides Pokemon. Nationals is all day Saturday, and before that we're preparing for it.
I think this move is great. Origins is nice, but definitely not worth your entire group forking out 50+ dollars for a badge EACH.
I'd rather go to St. Louis, NOT spend the money on a badge, and have a LOT more to do in the city. It's such a negligible loss to not be at Origins.
St. Louis provides a cheaper, more family friendly atmosphere, without a players cap, and with much more to do in the city for a family on vacation. And yet all I see is complaining because people want to go to a dying convention.
You guys seem to forget that if GAMA didn't royally screw up, there would have been a lot of people turned away for nationals. At least that scenario won't happen again.
Origins is dying. Why would you choose it over Nationals? You're opting to spend a lot of money on badges for a dying convention full of weird people and overpriced food, with almost NO attractions in the area? Where is a theme park, a zoo, a water park, a museum, SOMETHING for people to go to.
It costs so much money for badges. They just aren't worth it. I went for two years, and I barely had enough time to do anything besides Pokemon. Nationals is all day Saturday, and before that we're preparing for it.
I think this move is great. Origins is nice, but definitely not worth your entire group forking out 50+ dollars for a badge EACH.
I'd rather go to St. Louis, NOT spend the money on a badge, and have a LOT more to do in the city. It's such a negligible loss to not be at Origins.
St. Louis provides a cheaper, more family friendly atmosphere, without a players cap, and with much more to do in the city for a family on vacation. And yet all I see is complaining because people want to go to a dying convention.
You guys seem to forget that if GAMA didn't royally screw up, there would have been a lot of people turned away for nationals. At least that scenario won't happen again.
meganium45
Active Member
The Cardinals are in St. Louis that weekend.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME...
One more opportunity for fun in the summer in the STL.
Vince
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME...
One more opportunity for fun in the summer in the STL.
Vince
oh, just as a FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_United_States_population
'mom
'mom
mumsascrappa
Active Member
'Mom That is Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that tidbit! :biggrin:
I agree totally with your analysis of Columbus. I not trying to bash the people that live there, but I would never go on vacation there for the exact reasons you mentioned.
But I think the above is kind of interesting. It was POP/PUI that set the player limit. There would had been people turned away for Nationals to begin with, because Masters was filled up. ONLY because GAMA screwed up was everyone who wanted to play in Nationals able to play in Nationals.
Now think about Nationals next year. There won't be a GAMA to screw up. So if PUI/POP decide to cap Masters to 512, like they did at Nationals this year, there will be people turned away for the first time in Nationals history. Again, IF PUI/POP decide to cap it.
I think we need to see Pikachu or BETTER yet DAVE!!! Throw out a first pitch!!!!! PS on Sundays at the Cardinals games they give free Icecream and have a kids only event 1hr before the game starts. With games music and PRIZES!! The All-Star game will be here as well! As far as things to do with your family goes. Your gonna need a whole week to even scim the surface. Servel restruants in the city have made it on the food network. Alot of pepole seem to forget St. Louis is a great city and we boast one of the Best PTO's in Pokemon and have serveral Elite PTO's within driving distance. This event is going to blow the memories of Origins clean out of your brains.
more food for thought: yes, the origins events were free to participants, once the badge was purchased. but what about all those event tickets required for participation for free events? why were they so important?
...because, POP had to pay a per-head fee to origins/GAMA for every one of those tickets, representing a tourney participant. think about it: why else would they have to have kept such records, if not for accounting purposes?
so it wasn't 'just' the 900+ players in nationals POP had to pay for, but every single unique participant in the professor cup, league and side event tourneys.
'free' to us, but even at something nominal like $1 per head per unique event...and i'd guess it was significantly more than that...that's a big chunk of change
jmho.
'mom
...because, POP had to pay a per-head fee to origins/GAMA for every one of those tickets, representing a tourney participant. think about it: why else would they have to have kept such records, if not for accounting purposes?
so it wasn't 'just' the 900+ players in nationals POP had to pay for, but every single unique participant in the professor cup, league and side event tourneys.
'free' to us, but even at something nominal like $1 per head per unique event...and i'd guess it was significantly more than that...that's a big chunk of change
jmho.
'mom
Mystery Thing
Administrator
Or will there be? Everybody seems very insistent that this is OMG THE WORST THING EVER and that attendance is going to plummet.
So which is it, will attendance drop or will there maybe perhaps be a cap that may or may not get hit? You (general you; this isn't directed at Prime alone) can't argue it both ways.
The only thing I will even remotely miss about Origins is the vendor hall. Period.
Kiss_n_Fire
New Member
You all need to quit whining about this!!! Nobody will EVER be completely happy about where Nat's is unless it's an hour drive from them. Face it, you cannot please everyone...it is simply impossible. I am glad it moved. Now I don't have to spend almost $1,000 on badges and gas money to go to Nationals. And ya know, even if it didn't move, we would have gone to Ohio again for Nat's because IT'S WHAT WE DO! If you love the game, you will go regardless so stop freaking complaining and whining and suck it up! You think people in FL like to drive to OH? You think people in CA want to drive to OH? Face it...Missouri is practically the CENTER of the United States, so in my opinion...it makes sense to move it more centrally located. Yes, some of us won't have to drive far and some will...but if you love the game so much (as I said earlier) you will go regardless. Why don't you thank POP for NOT placing it somewhere like Hawaii...then you would REALLY be complaining. There are always upsides and downsides. Shut up and play!
I am just happy that my son won't have to say "Why is that man wearing ladies underwear?" to me again because someone decided to have a *** rights parade right in front of an area with hundreds of children!
And someone else brought up a valid point! Everyone complained for how long about having to purchase badges for a FREE event and having to SHARE with all the other gamers...now, WE WON'T!!!!
KUDOS TO POP ON THEIR DECISION TO MOVE!!
And by the way...in case some of you people complaining don't realize....St. Louis had the 3rd largest turnout for Regionals.....and Vince is amazing with all he does for the St. Louis area. So if a few of you decide not to come to Nationals this year, I am SURE it won't hurt our attendance!!!!
I am just happy that my son won't have to say "Why is that man wearing ladies underwear?" to me again because someone decided to have a *** rights parade right in front of an area with hundreds of children!
And someone else brought up a valid point! Everyone complained for how long about having to purchase badges for a FREE event and having to SHARE with all the other gamers...now, WE WON'T!!!!
KUDOS TO POP ON THEIR DECISION TO MOVE!!
And by the way...in case some of you people complaining don't realize....St. Louis had the 3rd largest turnout for Regionals.....and Vince is amazing with all he does for the St. Louis area. So if a few of you decide not to come to Nationals this year, I am SURE it won't hurt our attendance!!!!