Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

US Nationals Moved...

I really honestly think that if you do this, you really need to give the midwest some worlds loving here.

It is really bad enough we have to fly to every worlds event as is. Hawaii? Out of our range. California? Well out of our range? Florida? Doable, but still a pain. Nationals is all we really had, and now thats gone? I mean, worlds is central to Texas, so they really can't possibly have it THAT bad.

And the chance of a Worlds event in the midwest? Slim to none, where's the vacation spots oh wait.

You can get most of the stuff from Origins on the internet.
Click to expand...

I'd honestly care less about that. There are plenty of people here who don't just play Pokemon and go to Origins for much other reasons than vendor rooming. People can be interested in clix, miniatures, pen and papering. Yeah, there are a lot of wierdoes here, but there are just as many cool people around than there are wierdos. You have to consider that it was good for the gaming community as a whole, promoting a game that people could play and at the least experiment, now that is being deprived, and you're losing potentially more players. Origins is one of the biggest gaming conventions in the US sans Gencon (And we already know how that would pan out), so yes, people from all over the US that aren't just pokenerds will come to this convention. Who sponsors(ed) it? Why, Pokemon of USA, of course. What better way to bring people INTO the game?

Really, no offense, but I don't see how you can possibly bring new players into the game by centralizing this. You want a game to grow, you let it advertise at a location like this, and EVERY year, it got bigger. Really, I think the reason for this move was because Origins messed up and they don't want to admit it. The best you'll do is increase Missouri's player base, and thats about it.

I can totally understand Worlds being exclusive, but Nationals is the big US venue. Bring players from EVERYWHERE. You can't be selfish and think that Nationals is solely for the Common Pokemon Player. You want a game to grow, you promote it. Friendly league play with prizes and great judging staff and SotG really make this game flourish, and that will bring people in. Worlds has a reason to be exclusive. Nationals does not.
 
Last edited:
On point Prime made about having an extra day or 2 to hang with friends on the Origins schedule. I will miss that.

Still, nothing stops you from coming in a day or so early.

Keith

Back to back posts merged. The following information has been added:

What if GAMA and Origins asked POP for a bigger share of costs?? Everyone has a budget and in today's economy, if they can save a decent amount of coin moving Nats to a stand alone event.....dont you think they ought to consider a move then??? GAMA may have priced themselves out of their "star" event.

Keith
 
Last edited:
What if GAMA and Origins asked POP for a bigger share of costs?? Everyone has a budget and in today's economy, if they can save a decent amount of coin moving Nats to a stand alone event.....dont you think they ought to consider a move then??? GAMA may have priced themselves out of their "star" event.
Click to expand...

Thats a different story altogether. If thats the case for the move, then its completely understandable, but we don't know the reason as to why. I was under the impression that POP was on a contract until 2010 or 2011 (I don't know if that was true or not), and they would continue to sponsor the show.

If that wasn't the reason, I don't see the point, you get more players from Origins just coming into the game than you would elsewhere. Heck, if it was Gencon, you'd get even more.
 
Anyways, if anyone want to visualise...

Green: Closer to St Louis
Yellow: in between both places, with not much difference of <100 or so miles.
Red: Closer to Columbus

So, people?
 
Jason said:
Anyways, if anyone want to visualise...

Green: Closer to St Louis
Yellow: in between both places, with not much difference of <100 or so miles.
Red: Closer to Columbus

So, people?
Click to expand...

Jason: Really not your argument since you are in Aussieland. But, if you look at population #s, the red probably equals or is MORE than all the rest of the USA. Kinda like someone in Ohio telling Australia OP where to hold Nats there. Just sayin

Keith
 
I was actually about to address that next, but I really didn't want to word in the ways that it would offend any players in the gigantic states. A lot of our smaller states can equal the population of the massive states. We count just as much as the big guys here. Do some research and you'll see Ohio has quite a large player base, and the surrounding states aren't too shabby, either.
 
we're not likely to find out the reason 'why', especially if it's something to do with negotiations with GAMA. imo there's no way PUI would make an announcement of that sort.

league and demos at events like origins and comic-con is great outreach, i agree. but is going 0-X at us nationals the way a new player who just picked up the game should experience their first tourney?

not to sound 'elitist', but...is a national championship tournament REALLY the place to introduce new players to the game? remember the huge thread post-nats about how difficult the long day was for younger/newer players running into the buzzsaw of GG decks?

'mom
 
not to sound 'elitist', but...is a national championship tournament REALLY the place to introduce new players to the game? remember the huge thread post-nats about how difficult the long day was for younger/newer players running into the buzzsaw of GG decks?
Click to expand...

Hopefully we won't be seeing a repeat of that mess called GG. I do agree there as well, but you have to admit that it does bring in a really large number of people, who even while going 0-x at nats, still had fun just meeting new people and learning a game that, while they lost, was still extremely fun? I hated Gardylade with a passion, that doesn't change my opinion on this game. Heck, shouldn't that influence people to try harder to do better?
 
SD PokéMom said:
we're not likely to find out the reason 'why', especially if it's something to do with negotiations with GAMA. imo there's no way PUI would make an announcement of that sort.

league and demos at events like origins and comic-con is great outreach, i agree. but is going 0-X at us nationals the way a new player who just picked up the game should experience their first tourney?

not to sound 'elitist', but...is a national championship tournament REALLY the place to introduce new players to the game? remember the huge thread post-nats about how difficult the long day was for younger/newer players running into the buzzsaw of GG decks?

'mom
Click to expand...

But that's where all the smaller tournaments helped out. Kids were given the chance to play in modified tournaments throughout the weekend, and league play was a great addition to get new players to come in. I guess I got so used to it being at Origins, that it caught me off guard quite a bit.
 
I have to agree with 'mom. IMO, nothing would convince new players faster than Nats that Pokemon is a nasty, cutthroat game full of cheaters, jerks, and elitists. Last season was my first time going to Nats, and I was simply appalled by how competitive it was. I had fun playing Vince on Sunday for league, and that was it. I spent all of Saturday hating the game and thinking I should just quit. That's not the sort of tournament a new player should start in, guys.
 
secretsof2113 said:
But that's where all the smaller tournaments helped out. Kids were given the chance to play in modified tournaments throughout the weekend, and league play was a great addition to get new players to come in. I guess I got so used to it being at Origins, that it caught me off guard quite a bit.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree. Pokemon League was going on everyday, so was pickup tournaments, theme deck tournaments, and regular modified tournaments. New players could easily play in the theme deck tournaments, or play in league against other young kids (or their parents) and still have a lot of fun learning the game.

This year, the event is 1-2 days shorter, which means if your not there for Nationals, there might not be much for you to do. But there won't be any new players there anyways, well...not as many.

Either way, Nationals is still going to be hard for the young kids. Moving the venue doesn't change that.
 
I had to make two cross country trips last year, and have to make at least one every single season living in California. Heck, I'm pretty sure I went further for States than a lot of you who are complaining went for Nationals. You guys on the east coast are spoiled rotten with events, all the time. Much closer proximity, get to see the same players at every event, have several options for events, etc. Now when POP actually moves Nationals to the real middle of the U.S., you whine and complain like a bunch of two-year olds. They didn't even move it to the West Coast. All they did was try to make it fair by putting it in the middle of the U.S.

East -
Nats 04 - Ohio
Nats 05 - Ohio
Nats 06 - Ohio
Nats 07 - Ohio
Nats 08 - Ohio
Worlds 04 - Florida
Worlds 08 - Florida

West -
Worlds 05 - California
Worlds 06 - California
Worlds 07 - Hawaii (almost doesn't count, no player base, more expensive to fly to than East Coast for West anyways)
Worlds 09 - California

I'm pretty bad at math, but that looks like a count of 7-4 to me for the East Coast. I'm not going to even include the argument of State Championships over the years, either.

Bottom line: You all have absolutely no legitimate reasons to be complaining.
 
You know you have a bunch of Americans complaining when...

Canadian Nationals was in Toronto, ON until 2007, Vancouver, BC in 2008, and will be back in Toronto in 2009. Pretty much the entire Canadian player base is in one of three cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto. There's a few in Calgary and a few in spots here and there in Quebec, along with a smattering in the Maritimes.

Direct distance from Vancouver to Toronto: 2048.58 miles, 3354.71 kilometres.
Direct distance from Edmonton to Toronto: 1678.45 miles, 2701.14 kilometres.
Direct distance from Edmonton to Vancouver: 509.54 miles, 820.01 kilometres.

If you're in Vancouver, you've had to fly almost three quarters of the way across the country to get to Nationals every year except one. Ever. If you're in Edmonton, you've either had to fly for 4+ hours east, fly for ~2 hours west, drive three days east, or drive 12 hours (without stops, longer if you do) west EVERY YEAR EVER. And yet you don't hear any of us complaining about where Nationals is.

So POP moved US Nationals for the first time since who knows when. Get over it, and get over yourselves. If you really want to be there, you'll figure something out. Myself and 39 people from Edmonton rented a bus and drove to Vancouver for Nationals in 2008. We ran the first through fourth recorded Pokémon tournament on wheels on the way there and back (two constructed, two sealed). Ever try running sealed tournaments in a bus, where people are playing on their trays across aisles and building their decks on the laps and in little cardboard boxes?

Instead of sitting here and whining about how this is OMG LIKE, THE WORST THING EVAH, maybe think up some ways to a) get there, and b) have a blast doing it. The per person cost for the trip to Nationals this year was a little over $200 CDN. It was a phenomenal experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Load a dozen people onto a Greyhound bus and run your own insane tournaments in the back on the way there if you have to. Sure, other people might think you're nuts, but it's a sacrifice you'll be willing to make if you really want to be there.

I would be willing to bet that there are enough people that just showed up for Nationals at Origins that couldn't care less where it is, all they'll see if (potentially) cheaper hotels, and no cost to get into the event, that this will be a success anyways. The hall will be MUCH more impressive, I'm sure. And Joe Schmo in Columbus probably doesn't know that Pokémon was even there, all they knew was that Origins was there. If you're near the convention center this year, I'm sure you will know that Pokémon is there.

Until this fails miserably, nobody has any right to complain about it. And that is a moment that I anticipate will never happen.
 
secretsof2113 said:
But that's where all the smaller tournaments helped out. Kids were given the chance to play in modified tournaments throughout the weekend, and league play was a great addition to get new players to come in. I guess I got so used to it being at Origins, that it caught me off guard quite a bit.
Click to expand...


And who says that the smaller, modified events will not be happening next year?

No one knows for sure, unless I missed that announcement.

Give it a chance guys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top