News from outside the USA ... and Happy New Year

[Rainbowgym]

If your store is not a customer of PSgames, why would PSgames want to send you League kits? What they basically would be doing is to help their rival distributor sell more cards. Providing you with League kits would really be throwing money into the lap of the opponent.

EXcuse me, leaguekits are meant to support PLAYERS in the leagues.
OP means organized PLAY and not organized SALES.
IF a store has indeed a league running and organized by themselves then their sales will increase if they do a good job, but that is not were the prize kits are for. They are for the players who are playing the game and not to give away for marketing purpose.
Your players and their mouth to mouth advertising is your marketing.

PUI/POP is disturbed by the fact that promocards are for sale on ebay. They state that they are not for sales purpose. Explain me why in my country they are used exactly for that.
Kits are used overhere to bind a store to the salesmachine of the distributor and for me that's the same, it has nothing to do with the players.

I like the ebaysales, because it's the only way I can get those promocards.

I have a note written bij Dave Schwimmer which was send to League Owners and Leaders in the USA.
(sometimes it's handy to have friends overseas who concerned about you and your situation)

ONe part of it is very interesting.
- Pokemon USA provides these prize kits, free of charge, to support players in the leagues, and we expect that these kits will be used in the spirit in which they are intended._

Last part - says that the prize kits that they are providing are being used as intended, to help support and grow Leagues across North America. _

How can a league grow??? Only by getting more players, not by getting more sales but that will follow incase the league is really running inside a store. As long as stores don't even have space to walk in with a babystroller overhere there is not a change there is space to play.

Now what is a league???
Is it a store only selling Pokemoncards bought at a particular distributor.
Is it a store being host for players.
Or is it a place, were a League Organizer gives players the opportunity to play the play without being involved with a store.
What is a league Owner, someone who owns a store but have someone else doing the hard job to teach children this game.

In the USA you can have a league without having a host store, why should we have one.

We will wait and see how many real leagues there are after one year PUI/POP overhere.
Than I will compare their amount of players with the amount of players at our Pokemonclubs.

If our distibutor wants new sellingpoints for their product, they should find and teach those store(league) owners this game by theirselves. Giving them correct information.
They should get out of their lazy chair and promote and show this game by themselves.

Now they want me to find a store who is going to sell (or is selling) their product.
That's their job not mine.

 

[Michel]

PUI/POP is disturbed by the fact that promocards are for sale on ebay. They state that they are not for sales purpose.

Why ? If I have a promocard that I've got at my league (pure fiction in Europe now, but let's imagine that !), what would prevent me of selling it on ebay ?
And like you say, it's the only way for Europe to have the new promos, except if you have friends who send them to you, but promos are not done to give to friends

- Pokemon USA provides these prize kits, free of charge, to support players in the leagues, and we expect that these kits will be used in the spirit in which they are intended.

Do I read 'free of charge' ? Why would European leagues have to pay for kits ?
Another difference in what some keep on calling 'Worldwide OP' ?
For your information, I've heard that, in some Euroepan countries (at least one), the kits were free for the people (shops) who are buying for a minimum amout. If the shop doesn't buy for that amount to the distributor, the kits have to be paid.
If it is officially confirmed, I find it's one more step on the way of blackmail done by the distributors/PUI

Now what is a league???[
Is it a store only selling Pokemoncards bought at a particular distributor.
Is it a store being host for players.
Or is it a place, were a League Organizer gives players the opportunity to play the play without being involved with a store.
What is a league Owner, someone who owns a store but have someone else doing the hard job to teach children this game.

Actually the question is : what is a league in some European countries ... and the answer is clearly your first one. You may add that the people involved in the league have to be friends of the distributor.

We will wait and see how many real leagues there are after one year PUI/POP overhere.Than I will compare their amount of players with the amount of players at our Pokemonclubs.

Good idea, and I already know the answer. But if nothing quickly and drastically changes, who will still be talking about Pokemon next year ?

If our distibutor wants new sellingpoints for their product, they should find and teach those store(league) owners this game by theirselves. Giving them correct information. They should get out of their lazy chair and promote and show this game by themselves.

Remember what Wizards has done ... it was called the Delegate Program. Did they use the distributors and why ?

 

[PokePop]

Michel: What they don't like is a store getting them for free and turning around and selling them rather than using them to promote the game via league and keeping them all for sale so that no player gets one as intended.

They have no problem with an individual that earned a promo (or received it as intended) selling their copy.

There is a big difference between those two scenarios.

 

[Rainbowgym]

As individual you are allowed to sell an earned promo, I did not typed the whole letter.
My point was to clear out for who those cards are meant to be.
But I have the letter and the part about the kits being free of charge is in there, no kidding.


Something else passed by.

Next prerelease in the Netherlands.
PSgames asked two profs if they want to be (head)judge. (remember we are not done in their eyes)

Guess what the HEADjudge gets as compensation.
Travelmoney 20 Euro (which will hardly be enough to get on the place)
and 7 boosters of the new serie

O and I almost forgot, as bonus the added 1 whole pre-release promocard

Wow, that's a nice deal don't you think?

Also we have a new age division.
There is 11-14 and 14 and older.. So which one are you going to play when you are 14?

 

[Michel]

You're right 'Pop, but it's not always easy to know where the cards come from

Rainbowgym, the good news is that there will be an official prerelease in Holland :lol:

They asked to two Profs besides you and Henna ? There are still 4 profs in Holland ???

Judge at a main Wizards event was 1 or 1.5 box, and I've had my hotel free in Amsterdam !
But I had to pay for the travel.

Another good news from Holland. 14 year old players have now the choice of the division in which they want to play. That's what we call 'innovative POP' :thumb:

I've seen too that players had to bring their own energy cards (great for new players) ... or could buy energy cards (0.10 cent / 0.15 USD each). That's what we call 'how to make money with cards given away by Wizards' !

But we must be honest, Holland has Pokemon pages and infos on the distributor's website. Not the case everywhere in Europe

 

[Rainbowgym]

Michel - We have 5 professors left overhere and they are all still playing and working together.
We meet once a month at a tournament somewere in our country.

I like to invite you to go to that prerelease, I will not be there.
Entreefee is 20 Euro = $ 24 and yes you can buy energycards, you know why because they want people to come and don't care if they know how to play.

But will there be people?
20 Euro is a lot of money to spend and parking your car for a day will costs you another 20 Euro.
None of the professors or TO's is asked to organize a prerelease, nobody is asked (free market??)
What really made me laugh. Last prerelease we asked them to concentrate these kind of events at 2 meaby 3 places in our country. We were told to shut up, we didn't know were we were talking about, there should be 30 places to play a prerelease (that was the all mighty vision of the distributor).
It ended up in 1 place having a large event (mine) and 2 other places which at one of them 10 players showed up. Those 10 were us professors +kids to support the guy organizing it.
And what is happening now, only 1 place for a prerelease (so who were right again).

But the most interesting is, without our players who will be there.
I'm not going to arrange transportation of 50 players and Henna not for another 40.
Why should those players go to an event organized by the same people who are not willing to give those same players leaguematerials.

My guess is they will to a kind of advertising to get people overthere, most people don't know what building a deck means. (do you remember SC Amsterdam?). Most of the people who will react on an advertising and have never heard of attaching an energycard.
What a fun should it be to judge overthere, lucky me i'm not the one.
I'm going to try to play the UK prerelease, because there I will meet real players and it will be not the mess I expect in Utrecht.

 

[ukpokemonpro]

I'm going to try to play the UK prerelease, because there I will meet real players and it will be not the mess I expect in Utrecht.

And we'll be really happy to have you there

 

[Tahna]

Well, to totally make clear what was said:

Wat verwachten jullie precies van mij. (standaard judging, neem ik aan, maar daarnaast ook iets?)

Gewoon judgen, en de headjudge (yours truly) bijstaan als hij een regelvraag niet weet

Seems to me that I've been demoted to common judge.
Now I've read the rules and there is no clause in there on qualifications for judging, which should allow the organized play coordinator to act as a head judge. (after all, he is a lv 3 DCI judge )

Actually the travel expenses are for a maximum of €20, so you'd get less if you had to travel less.
(for me it'd be like €12 euros to get to Utrecht)

You were right about the payment, though, 7 boosters @ 3.5 srp + 1 prerelease card.
And guess how many people they're expecting?
I'll give you a hint, it's in the triple digits.

€20 euros seems about right if they're charging srp (which they will undoubtedly do)
Could anybody give the lowdown on how much it cost in the US to enter?

Fortunately they've got the prize support right this time (but only time will tell if said promises will be kept)

You know, Rainbowgym, I think my grandfather has his birthday that weekend, I think I should him a long visit. (handy if your entire family is born in March)

 

[Michel]

Tahna, 002 is also a 3 digits figure
And who will be the head judge ? A Pokemon specialist you'll have to help if he doesn't know the rules

No I'll not go to Utrecht, thanks !
I'd like to play a prerelease either with Rainbowgym or in the UK, but I hope my shop will be open by the end of February.
It will be more difficult to travel as I want to run tournaments during the week-end.

BTW, I'll keep you informed and you're all welcome to my tournaments

 

[NoPoke]

Michel: What they don't like is a store getting them for free and turning around and selling them rather than using them to promote the game via league and keeping them all for sale so that no player gets one as intended.

AMEN! and this particular problem has its root cause 100% in the USA. Somehow sufficiently large quantitiies of league materials are making there way onto the lists of the bulk ebayers. Who sell these promos where they can get the highest price ($5+). Which is Europe due to lack of local availability.

The best way to fix this is to get the promos equally available in all marketplaces.

The only reason the situation exists is because the normal rules of supply and demand have placed a premium in Europe on cards that are freely available in the USA.

 

[Prof Donphan]

Sorry, perhaps OT... but I copy and paste the text of Q. & A. about POP in Italy.

To: [email protected]
Subject: Sanctioning tournaments

Hi, I'm an Italian Pokemon Professor, Gym Leader and... hope TO. On 1 February in Italy start League. Can we start for sanctioning tournaments? And the prizes support? Or we must contact our distributor?
Thanks

Reply:

Thanks for the email.

Pokémon Organized Play for Italy is being coordinated by Nexus Games.
For more information in regards to POP, please contact them.
Their contact information can be found at: http://www.nexusgames.com/

Thanks again.

International Organized Play
Pokémon USA, Inc.


We will start slowly with League.....
... Well, the problem is that Nexus don't know how start POP (sanctioning tournaments, superbattles and so on) because waiting for more informations from PUI....... In Italy there's a phrase such "the dog who bite his tail"... so turn, turn turn around.....

Any comments?

 

[NoPoke]

Plans for Crawley event in the UK.... if the prerelease happens it will be...

main event
12GBP (18 euros) for 6 packs and a deck box
prize pile is 1.5 boosters per entrant. (Three wins and you will be guaranteed a booster)
Prize pile shared amongst top half of entrants.
all entrants get a pre-release card.


8 player single elimination side events
12GBP (18 euros) for 6 packs sorry no deck box
prize pile is 12 boosters 5 packs for 1st, 3 for 2nd, with third and fourth each getting a single pack
all entrants get a pre-release card.


energy will be available for deck building but if you don't return borrowed energy then you don't get the pre-release card or any prizes.

 

[Marcello-Milord]

Donphan: why I know that PUI would have done an answer like that?
It's always the same thing: mis-communications.
No prerelease 'cause PUI and distributor are not able to communicate about shiiping times.
No league kits' cost announced 'cause PUI and the distributor are not able to communicate about costs of the translation prints.

And then, again, the distributor is too busy with starting league (???) and promoting the italian release of EX: R/S for answering to our questions. If I hadn't called him to the telephone, I wouldn't know that localized cards will not have e-reader barcodes (and I'm SURE that they'll double the little trick by Wizards: 9-card packs, without e-reader code, at the same price as the e-compatible ones); I wouldn't know that most probably we will get League kits 1,2 and 3 together (how, I still don't know).

I'm a little bit tired of that.
I'm supporting tournaments with MTM's BZ kits and MP support. But soon the support will end. And for having more support, we'll have to pay.
League is intended by the distributor as a promotion for the italian-language product.
It's not wrong though, League has always been a marketing promotional program. But for WHO? For the local distributor? For PUI?

 

[Prof Donphan]

Update from Italy.
News from our distributor: League will be delayed on 1 March 2004 because kit will be in local language.........

... But UK will run torunaments to qualify UK National Championship? And Worlds 2004?
So..... we will send our players in UK and we will become all English guys.....

 

[Michel]

At least TWO former TO's have received OP info and material in Belgium. As I still haven't any answer to my mail dd 19/1 about POP in Belgium, I've sent a new one to the distributor.
Quite strange that Ekeren and Gent do have info, Brussels (me), Vise (Jean Marc) and Charleroi (me again) don't.

Italy in March ? But why do you need material in Italian language ? I've always found that translated cards were stupid, but it's another question. It gives a good excuse to make you pay for the kits and to delay OP anyway.

Be careful Marcello, if PUI want to annoy you, they may say that Wizards hasn't the license anymore and that Wizards products may not be given as support. Thanks to MTM, some of us may still give something to their players, but I'm not sure it's legal.

Send Italian players in the UK ? I'm sure the UK distributor will accept players only if they're born in the country, they'll not accept the 'immigrants', even if they have the English nationality.
But are Welsh and Scottish assimilated to UK players or is it like in soccer ? :lol:

I've decided to run an invitational only qualifier in Belgium. I only invite my daughter and myself and we'll win a trip to Worlds. :clap:
The only thing I need is a sponsor for the plane tickets
I'll ask to Peter, Wizards will maybe help me :thumb:

Talking about Wizards, ... do you remember the time when we met every Thursday on the chat, when we received Profs emails, when we had 'officials' on the boards, when we had official tournaments, prize support and DCI rankings, when Kristin sent us the league kits, ... do you remember MTM, DMTM, MTPat, Peter, and all the people from Renton or Brussels ?
It was less than one year ago

No, it's not only leagues that we've lost :nonono:

 

[Marcello-Milord]

Italy in March ? But why do you need material in Italian language ? I've always found that translated cards were stupid, but it's another question. It gives a good excuse to make you pay for the kits and to delay OP anyway.

As I explained multiple times to the distributor, translated League kits are not needed. But they think that League its useful to pomote the italian language product, so they translate the kits. And, as I understood from Prof.Donphan's words, kits are not yet ready, though they were announced to be ready and shipped. Mystery...

Be careful Marcello, if PUI want to annoy you, they may say that Wizards hasn't the license anymore and that Wizards products may not be given as support. Thanks to MTM, some of us may still give something to their players, but I'm not sure it's legal.

Michel, I'm using BZ kits to supprt unsanctioned events. Why? Cause the distributor still has not sent the "OK" for TO candidates. Italy actually has NO Tournament Organizers for POP. We don't have POP cards, we don't have support, we don't have prerelease, we don't have ANYTHING.

So, I'll keep using the kits until we'll see that PUI and Nexus will help us supprting our events, making us TOs, and sanctioning events.

Talking about Wizards, ... do you remember the time when we met every Thursday on the chat, when we received Profs emails, when we had 'officials' on the boards, when we had official tournaments, prize support and DCI rankings, when Kristin sent us the league kits, ... do you remember MTM, DMTM, MTPat, Peter, and all the people from Renton or Brussels ?
It was less than one year ago

No, it's not only leagues that we've lost :nonono:

I'm with you... I hope only that one day all these things we had with WoTC will be back with PUI... But, as things goes today, I can't see anything good. :\

 

[Rainbowgym]

Tahna - All my best wishes to your grandfather, I know you will have a great day.
I don't hope your mom is having her birthday too that weekend.
In case you are missing all the fun in Utrecht I will compensate the 7 boosters you couldn't earn.

When I heared about the generous compensation PSG offered, I almost wetted my paints laughing.
Man, you are our walking compendium, we alle rely on your famous memory. :clap:


Michel - I'm not suprised you didn't hear anything. The only people getting information are those who never complain and do exactly what a distributor says. It doesn't matter that they don't know the correct playing rules. As long as they shut up they can have leagues, tournaments .........

IF you can get a qualifer, let me know how. I'm planning to go to the USA so an invitation to "worlds" earned by my son would be nice.
But first try to get a City C.
Here you must be the choosen one to organize a City C. so it will turn out that Holland has no City's, (LOL we only have Towns).

Anyway good luck with the shop, beat that allmighty you know who.

Marcello - We also provide our players the items from the Prof package. We also use the badgebooks and left over badges. As long as you are not official a PUI league they can't do a thing about that (and even after it also not).

This afternoon I found back the International POP league program ( author Jarrod Nack)
I will put it here and meaby one of you can explain were I can read that a storeowner (who has also to sell Pokemon TCG product) should be the person to start and run a league.

Just a question for all European supporters of the game Pokemon.
I'm working on an extreme plan, to get pokemon alive overhere. It will be unofficial (what means is that it's not supported or involved or whatever by PUI, NOA of distributors).
But I think our goal is to get nice tournaments, meaby European Championships.
We have the cards, we can play so why should we wait and say the officials distoying this game.
They can have the official tourny's.
I prefer to have tourny's and I don't need the maker of the game for that.
Cards can be bought everywere, you can play with them so why not create our own "worlds".
And don't tell me this is not allowed, because there are Monopoly, Risk any championships going on around the globe and most time the producer of those games is not involved.
As long as you call it Unofficial Pokiegame, your free to do whatever you like.


International P.O.P. League Program

Leagues:

· Provides a fun, casual play environment
· Features Pokémon-themed activities as well as TCG play
· Could feature fun Game Boy play as well
· Creates a gathering place for Pokémon fans
· Less competitive, more relaxed than sanctioned tournament play.
· Broken out into Monthly Seasons
o Will run from the 1st of the month to end of the month
· Format: Participatory League
· Includes TCG, NOA Pokémon products, other Pokémon activities all suggested, but no ‘official’ format
· Prizes: Promo cards
· Open to Retailers & Professors & other league leaders
· League Organizers
o Distributors will need to approve organizers & assign ID/Password
· At the end of each season, League Trend data must be submitted within two weeks via the online League Feedback form.

 

[Michel]

Official news from Belgium.

The local distributor, Intrafin, answered to my email this afternoon.

League kits and tournament kits are available in Belgium. Some places have already started league activities.
Even if this has not been publically announced and even if only a few people are aware of that, it's good news.
Why don't we find anything on the distributors site ? Why didn't people like Jean Marc Schosse and myself know anything about it ? No official answers, just my opinion, but I don't want to talk about it now.

The only thing I would say is that, if it's nice to have OP in Belgium, doing POP with a couple of leagues, without any advertisement and letting other TO's without info will not make the game grow in the country.
But let's say it's only the beginning and things will be better soon.

Now that I have the info, everybody will know it in Belgium

I still have to know if we have to pay for kits, how all that stuff works, ... I have non-official info, but I'm going to ask for 'official' infos.
I'll let you know

 

[Michel]

Info about another game ...
While Pokemon is still waiting for OP, I've played a YuGiOh Regional (equivalent to State championship) in Lille - France yesterday.

One head judge/organisor and 4 judges for 96 players and everything was absolutely perfect.
We've had a lot of fun, nice games, excellent players, ... It was for me like the Gyms in Amsterdam or other great STS qualifiers.

BTW, 96 players is more than most of the STS qualifiers or Gym Challenges qualifying for Worlds.
The Regional of Lille was qualifying for ... the French championship in Paris (no trips paid !).

Who said YuGiOh was not successful in some European countries ?

Pikachu may thank his new boss, a White Dragon has taken his place now !

 

[Tego]

Info about another game ...
BTW, 96 players is more than most of the STS qualifiers or Gym Challenges qualifying for Worlds.

*cough* STS Qualifier Sweden 2001 with 612 players *cough*