Fall Regional Prizes Anounced
- Thread starter Prodigiosus
- Start date
ShadowCard
Active Member
There are other factors at play too. Worlds changed to needing to reach a certain number of CPs to get in. There will be players who will show up because they want/need for those CPs.
Can players obtain the necessary CPs to get in to Worlds by skipping Regionals and instead focusing on BRs, CCs, SCs? Is it a stretch to do or is it a realistic plan? At Regionals, even if the lack of the stipend is a turn off, 4th place is 90 points out of 400 points.
I loved going to worlds last year, it was the greatest experience of my life! I would love to qualify again and i will try my best to get to the regionals, states, ect. but if Pokemon keeps taking away prizes or is not giving us prizes that they are giving other divisions it kind of makes you feel like crap :/ I just wish they would treat us equally. I understand what Dave said about making life long customers or what not but what about the masters that have already been life long customers? We have invested so much into the game but we are getting the least? Wouldnt they want to keep us happy? I just feel let down that if I was 4 years younger I could have a chance at $500 at regionals but since im older i dont.
losjackal
Technical Administrator
Guys, I understand your sentiments. I really do. My son just entered Seniors, so it's possible he will face the young Master chasm where he doesn't qualify for the stipend plus he is still traveling with a parent. Or it may be worse by then. Or it may be better. Impossible to know. Just know these are the rules of the game this year.
(For those of you that are thinking "Yeah, but he's still a Senior! He's still getting great prizes!" That is negated by the fact that many of you have been playing way before we started in late 2009, which means you also benefitted from greater prizes than we ever did.)
rayc591, you're feeling let down because IF you go to a Regionals and IF you place 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, that you will miss out on a $500 reimbursement. That's a pretty small exception in the grand scheme of the whole year of tournaments and rewards. How many Regionals are there total? Multiplied by 3, certainly there will be dozens of Masters who will finish in these places and feel that effect, if it's not you. I suppose TPC looked at all the Masters last year who voluntarily traveled to the City Marathons and figured the toughest competitors in the age bracket had the means to travel when deemed necessary.
In that light, this argument becomes not about needing the money, but about the principle of not being treated equally. Whereas, by their actions, I believe TPC is just trying to put the travel stipends into the hands of the families that might need the money for the extra travel expense.
(For those of you that are thinking "Yeah, but he's still a Senior! He's still getting great prizes!" That is negated by the fact that many of you have been playing way before we started in late 2009, which means you also benefitted from greater prizes than we ever did.)
rayc591, you're feeling let down because IF you go to a Regionals and IF you place 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, that you will miss out on a $500 reimbursement. That's a pretty small exception in the grand scheme of the whole year of tournaments and rewards. How many Regionals are there total? Multiplied by 3, certainly there will be dozens of Masters who will finish in these places and feel that effect, if it's not you. I suppose TPC looked at all the Masters last year who voluntarily traveled to the City Marathons and figured the toughest competitors in the age bracket had the means to travel when deemed necessary.
In that light, this argument becomes not about needing the money, but about the principle of not being treated equally. Whereas, by their actions, I believe TPC is just trying to put the travel stipends into the hands of the families that might need the money for the extra travel expense.
Prof Clay
New Member
I have posted this before and I think I will do it again...and no...I am not in favor of the split...When I first heard about it I knew there would be outrage.
As best I know...and I do not know much....
Organized Play...the guys who run all our events...most likely fall under the corporate arm of MARKETING for the main company...
SO...OP is really just a way the top guys advertise to the general public..
Sales keep going up or stay healthy in general....what does that say to the MONEY people?....It says, "Hey...thats great bang for our buck!!!"
OP asks for an increase in their budget to run events in an EVER INCREASING PLAYER BASE (in the US and internationally)....
MARKETING bosses say...WHY should we do that?...We keep making money and keep increasing sales based on our investment...we think you can make it on what you have...(from our perspective this makes no sense I know)
So...the guys in OP keep having to do a juggling act with the budget to make it work...
And don't think we PTO's are not affected...we are.
So...to be perfectly honest...I am actually amazed they put more money into the JRs and SRs....fair...not in the slightest....but surprising...
This money had to come from somewhere....so something else will be less in the long run
As best I know...and I do not know much....
Organized Play...the guys who run all our events...most likely fall under the corporate arm of MARKETING for the main company...
SO...OP is really just a way the top guys advertise to the general public..
Sales keep going up or stay healthy in general....what does that say to the MONEY people?....It says, "Hey...thats great bang for our buck!!!"
OP asks for an increase in their budget to run events in an EVER INCREASING PLAYER BASE (in the US and internationally)....
MARKETING bosses say...WHY should we do that?...We keep making money and keep increasing sales based on our investment...we think you can make it on what you have...(from our perspective this makes no sense I know)
So...the guys in OP keep having to do a juggling act with the budget to make it work...
And don't think we PTO's are not affected...we are.
So...to be perfectly honest...I am actually amazed they put more money into the JRs and SRs....fair...not in the slightest....but surprising...
This money had to come from somewhere....so something else will be less in the long run
K2theAblaM
New Member
I'm a master, started playing in 2011. I never got these "benefits" of before 2009. Am I allowed to feel slighted and disrespected by this decision?
The same case you make for families "needing" the money for travel expense are no more relevant than the same case I can make for college students playing this game while working through school. You can't objectively quantify one without mentioning the other.
The argument was NEVER about "needing" the money, it's always been about equal treatment. Bottom line. Equal payouts for players of all ages. Why is this so hard to understand?
The solution isn't increasing the budget, the solution is reallocating the existing budget so all players are treated fairly. this has been said since the beginning.
Prof Clay
New Member
Would not an increased budget allow for increased money allocation across the board....thus solving the overall issue...not just this one.
Learn to look at the big picture instead of simply focusing on one issue.
Would you be happier if the travel vouchers were removed from the JR and Sr's?...That would be fair as well...but nonproductive to the game overall.
I think JWittz has the right idea on how to equally spread the wealth but it OP is trying something new and now that we know the reasons, its time to move on.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the budget is going to change anytime soon :frown:
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JohnnyBlaze
New Member
Im going to sum this up all real good. Actions speak louder than words. So for those Masters that are really upset by this announcement dont show up to the Fall Regionals. Its like the saying if you dont cast a vote you shouldnt be complaining. So whomever is complaining about this shouldnt attend Regionals to send your message loud and clear when the attendance numbers drop from last year.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this point. P!P isn't our parent. We shouldn't just accept anything they do or say just because. They're a company that needs to be held accountable to their customers.
I certainly appreciate Dave coming on here and giving insight to why decisions are made, but if the customers feel that the decisions still isn't justified, then we have a duty to continue to let the company know this.
While it's not a democracy, it is a business. And if a business stops paying attention to its customers then that business will fail. They should WANT to know what we think and how we feel. So we shouldn't be silent if we have an issue.
That doesn't mean they'll change anything, but that's up to them to deal with the consequences.
psychup2034
New Member
I go to Regionals not because of the prizes, but because of my friends and my love for the game. I'm not going to let some vacuous decisions by TPCi ruin my Pokemon experience.
In the same way that a parent can get angry at their kid for some bonehead decisions the kid makes, at the end of the day, the parent still loves the kid. That's often the relationship between the players and Pokemon.
ShadowCard
Active Member
As said earlier, because Regionals tends to require advanced planning, quite a few of us are locked into Regionals because of hotel arrangements.
I have to agree with this. The "don't like it, don't shop here" is the epitomy of BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. What happens when a manager tells you that? You probably complain to the district manager or call the corporate feedback number. You probably stop shopping at that location. Why is this any different? There are several PTOs on here who have sided with the opinion that Masters, despite being the largest age group, deserve less than the smallest age group.
However, instead of boycotting their events, why not buycott other's events? There are still BRs and Prereleases and CCs coming up. Is your local PTO on here speaking as if Masters are a dime-a-dozen and do not need attention? Instead of playing in that PTO's events, drive over to the next area and play in a PTO's event who is more appreciative of the attendance. When that PTO's attendance numbers increase because you chose to patronage them because they are more welcoming, that PTO looks like they are doing something right and may see a better comp and may be able to bring on more staff as well (increased attendance has a way of opening up more staff positions). Don't just up and quit. Instead support TOs who appreciate Masters as well as Juniors and Seniors.
Prof Clay
New Member
...and what are the consequences really?....a vocal few decide to quit playing? We both know the majority of players pay no real attention to things like this and frankly would play as long as there was still something to play for.
If numbers continue to grow even after this decision, where does that put the dissenters?
Dave has to look at the overall picture...and his decisions may result in loss of a significant number of players....but more always come and play...and they never knew how it used to be...
In the short term if the competitive players decide to quit tomorrow, there would be a new group of players who would fill that void...
In the long term I do not know how it would affect player turnout...I thought after Gym Challenges went away the player base would decline....guess I was wrong on that...
It is not wrong to disagree with OP...it is actually good to let them know you opinion of decisions made..but you can only do so much meaningful dissent
JohnnyBlaze
New Member
Shadow Card - Hotel arrangements are easily canceled without penalty 24 hrs in advance. There is plenty of time.
There's what you're really saying.
Right now, the only way to play pokemon competitively is to play in P!P events. They have a monopoly on tournaments. I guarantee that everyone in this thread still wants to play pokemon. So the only way they can do this is to have to deal with P!P's decisions.
That means that looking at attendance is NOT a way to gauge how healthy the game is. Attendance will increase no matter what, because they have us locked in.
But P!P should still listen to its customers, otherwise there will be a point where enough is enough. At that point, even though players want to play, they won't. Or they'll organize their own tournament circuit.
JohnnyBlaze
New Member
This is so true especially the 10 PP for NATS. Thats why I have devised a strategy to skip out on all Regionals this year and get my family's PP through League, Cities and States. In doing this I also save money on driving to Regionals which are all over 4 hrs away from us and saves me from paying Hotel Costs. This goal will help us save money to attend NATS and also earn the 10 PP that is required to play in NATS.
SC: Please! PTOs appreciate all the players. Maybe we just see the bigger picture better than the players? Maybe bc we have a closer link with OP brass?
If you take that advise and run off to a neighboring PTO's event that is on the same date as the local PTO, you know what happens? You may end up with NO local events. I'm not saying that each PTO is doing everything 100% to make the playerbase happy, but bc those that are vocal here in support of TCPi P!P brass should get the players' cold shoulders? How does that really help? Who does it help/hurt?
IMO, if you have a problem/issue with your local/nearest PTO, I'd suggest talking to said PTO and letting them know 1st. If that doesnt help/fix the problem, you contact customer service. IF the PTO is doing something wrong, they will hear about it!
Keith
psychup2034
New Member
While it's technically possible to qualify for Worlds without playing any Regionals, it's pretty damn near impossible.
Here is a thought... why not charge entry fees for masters at larger events to increase prizes? After all we apparently can all afford to go anyways and don't need stipends right? Why not just throw $20 to prize support? According to most people here the masters are going to go anyways and can afford it so why not! lol