Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Please stop giving me packs!

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1. We've tried this. The problem in Pokémon is there's a lot of variation in play time. You can have entire decks organized around different paces of play. 'Aggro' decks that swing hard and fast, or 'stall' decks that milk the clock. So a round may finish 15 minutes early, or go till time and then some. In the past organizers have tried giving out guideline schedules, but players tend to get mad if their guidelines are even slightly off, never mind the fact that there's nothing organizers can do short of cutting games off that will guarantee the rounds complete at time. Hopefully with the introduction of draws we won't see an entire tournament delayed for one game at +5 because no one can take a prize.

2. Not sure about where you've been playing, but organizers try hard to make sure their event space is at least neat and orderly, if not pretty. I've seen tablecloths used before, but one thing to keep in mind is that most organizers are going to be focused on speed. There's a lot of stuff involved in setting up a tournament - flyers, deck lists, the computer, the printer, table numbers, etc. Our goal is to set up fast, run the event smoothly, and then pack up fast. A lot of players bring their own mats, and even if they don't as long as the tables are clean there's no need to have anything underneath. All that's necessary is the deck, which the player is in charge of.

3. This refers back again to #1, but schedules are very fluid in Pokemon. Most often what you'll get is an announcement that lunch will be "after round X". But as we have no way of knowing exactly when that will be, we have no way of announcing it in advance.

4. Time schedules can get very tight. What's a better option, having no lunch break so the players have to go when they finish a game early, or having a lunch break and then getting kicked out of the venue because you went too long? Particularly with all-day events, tournaments often run from as soon as we can get in the shop until they're about to close. Problem is that once a venue closes, the TO may have to scramble for an alternate venue. I was at a tournament once where we had to reroute to a fast food place for Top Cuts. Not fun. Rest assured that any decision made regarding breaks has likely been thought out by the TO, and that they're under just as much crunch as the players if not moreso.

5. Hey, I had this happen! It actually happened at our Regionals this year. Yes, it was ugly. Players were thirsty and we had to tell them to go across the street. Yes, we contacted the venue. What did they do? Nothing. What could we do? Nothing. Things break, and it's generally bad timing when they do. Again, it's out of our control. We try our hardest to make sure that everything is working and available for players, but sometimes things happen.

6. Concerning schedules with Juniors and Seniors, there's a lot to think about. Depending on the attendance gaps between divisions, Juniors and Seniors generally run (in my area) about 2/3 the time of the Masters. This can get awkward. First off, we want everyone to be on the same schedule, so we want Juniors and Seniors to take any lunches they have at the same time as the Masters. Second, there are a lot of families that have ONLY Juniors and Seniors (again, I'm speaking of my area). At the time we'd LIKE to give everyone a lunch break, sometimes the Juniors/Seniors only have one more round left to go. I'm supposed to tell a family of tired, cranky, possibly crying children that they have to wait 45 minutes for one more round that may take 10 minutes? It's better just to push through.

In conclusion, there's a lot that goes on on the organizer end that most players don't have to deal with. It's our job to make sure they don't have to deal with it. If it means that a few people get unhappy or think that our events are "a lower quality experience" and our people are "irresponsible and unacceptable", well, that's the price we pay for trying. But we will always, always work to make sure we can run the best events we can.

Pokemon lasts 30 minutes + 3 turns. The 3 turns should take no more than 15 minutes and rounds can be spaced a hour apart. There is no exception for pace of play rules for +3 and if +3 takes more than 15 minutes, this is likely evidence of poor judging. A round schedule of 10, 11, 1, 2, 3, 4 will finish out swiss in almost every event. If you can't do this, you're doing it wrong.

Yes, you are expected to tell parents that if they have cranky children, they are free to drop and go home. If its no longer fun, leave. But do not tell parents their children cannot eat the whole day. Yes, you are being irresponsible and your behavior is unacceptable. I once had a TO at a states not have a lunch break and had a judge tell me some parents were going out for food and leaving their 5-6 year old children in a hotel ballroom with a bunch of strangers. I hope to never meet such parents, and if I witnessed it, I'd consider calling the police.

Most importantly, OP needs to improve their customer service attitude in the decisions that TPCi and their TOs make. Responding to a paying customer's complaint with a wall of text defending their bad choices with its the best we can do and if some people are unhappy, thats too bad is also unacceptable.

Oh, and Shadowcard, I did not mean to delay the round, just to provide some amenities. I agree efficiency is paramount and rounds should start on a schedule. This is not impossible, it is just that we have created and tolerated a culture of not doing so.
 
Pokemon lasts 30 minutes + 3 turns. The 3 turns should take no more than 15 minutes and rounds can be spaced a hour apart. There is no exception for pace of play rules for +3 and if +3 takes more than 15 minutes, this is likely evidence of poor judging. A round schedule of 10, 11, 1, 2, 3, 4 will finish out swiss in almost every event. If you can't do this, you're doing it wrong.

So you want us to wait a half hour if no matches go to time?
 
I would be down for paying a additional fee to fund food over the day for everyone. Food normally cost me at least 10-15 at events while Im there. Adding 5 bucks from each person could cover everyone getting drinks, at least 2 slices of pizza or paying the staff of a cafeteria (if at a school or location that has one) and snacks. I think this can go a long way if the community supports it. It will be cheaper for everyone.
I am alittle confused. What events do you go to that food costs you $10-$15? I know of one in the last year or more. I have had pizza at several events over the years and it was FREE.
 
I am alittle confused. What events do you go to that food costs you $10-$15? I know of one in the last year or more. I have had pizza at several events over the years and it was FREE.

I mean personal food I go out and buy while at events.
 
In events where the time of the last round makes a difference, you will have 80+ players. How often do you have no match that goes to time in a 40 table tournament? The way events are run now, if you finish early, you still have no way to go out and come back and know you won't be late to a round. Realistically, it is possible to do rounds on a 50 min/round schedule with the current rules.
 
I'd like to assume that the "1hr a round" timetable is simply for events featuring Bo1 Swiss, as at Bo3 Swiss events, that's a very unlikely scenario.

Regardless, Pokemon is still a game where anything can happen to delay a round past whatever arbitrary timeline is set. A complex/serious judge situation (See: Junior Worlds '12 among others) can easily take most of the round to resolve in extreme cases. It's simply not a predictable enough game for giving out what are, essentially, arbitrary guesses. Forgot Top Cut scheduling too, although the lesser number of players helps that portion move along faster—still, oddities do occur (31 minute sudden death Game 3 for example) that can delay the tournament.

It's simply better to not guess at end times. When these guesses aren't adhered to, typically people get fairly irritated (See: PTCGO update debacle in its early days). One would have to assume a TO is doing the best they can to move a tournament along as efficiently as possible. The TO has no control over freak irregularities in the game that can delay their tournament, therefore, for what reason is it beneficial to publish a schedule that may well be voided by reasons out of anyone's hands?
 
Another reason? It's impossible to know ahead of time exactly how many rounds there will be in the tournament. It's further impossible to know ahead of time which players will and will not make the top cut. I've seen a doubled theme deck piloted by a turnip truck kid make top cut in the Juniors before. All we can do is give players and parents a rough guesstimate about what the day will look like, and hope to hell that we finish at least that quickly or (in the best case scenario) more quickly.
 
Even if we had food at the events, how would they know how much to get?

Events are always a gamble, you could get 30 people, you could get 15. If you ordered 5 pizzas (because generally to get food, you need to call in advance, because generally businesses need more than an hour to prepare food for a lot of people.

Packs are nice and they don't need 20 minutes to cook in an oven! Generally if you are into pokemon, you want pokemon related goods. I wouldn't want to be ordered to pay for more food, or anything else on top of the tournament fees. What if I don't like pizza? Do I still need to pay? Or if I can't have milk what then? Just throwing these thoughts I had out there...
 
^ It does not take that long to get a head count. By round one, you know how many people are in the tournament. After round one has started, you make the call for pizza. It does not take long to make a pizza and have it sent out. By round 5 or 6 for masters, the pizza would be there. Thats 5 or 6 hours for the food. I dont mind opting out of packs if I know the money is going to a collective for food. I like getting packs like most others but most masters dont really need or want them and will just sell them off. Food is a better option. Even if it were an extra cost for all players of 2 dollars extra, it will cover the cost of the food.

It would be something work trying if most players and parent could agree. If not then they still have the option to get other food but collectively pizza is a staple for large gatherings. For me, not spending 10-15 bucks on food would be useful.
 
^ It does not take that long to get a head count. By round one, you know how many people are in the tournament. After round one has started, you make the call for pizza. It does not take long to make a pizza and have it sent out. By round 5 or 6 for masters, the pizza would be there. Thats 5 or 6 hours for the food. I dont mind opting out of packs if I know the money is going to a collective for food. I like getting packs like most others but most masters dont really need or want them and will just sell them off. Food is a better option. Even if it were an extra cost for all players of 2 dollars extra, it will cover the cost of the food.

It would be something work trying if most players and parent could agree. If not then they still have the option to get other food but collectively pizza is a staple for large gatherings. For me, not spending 10-15 bucks on food would be useful.

if you're typically spending $10-15 on food just for yourself, how is everyone paying $2 going to buy enough pizza/food to feed everyone participating in the event?
 
if you're typically spending $10-15 on food just for yourself, how is everyone paying $2 going to buy enough pizza/food to feed everyone participating in the event?

It depends on the number. When I go out and buy food, I dont buy cheap because I tend to eat with my eyes. However if there were like 150 players at a city championship and everyone agreed on 2 dollars on top of the entry fee for food, that 300 bucks for pizza or whatever else is cheap, fast and in large amounts. Should be enough for everyone to get 2 slices and have some left over.

This really only works for large events but it is worth trying.
 
30, $10 costco pizzas (cut in 8 pieces each) is only 240 slices...not nearly enough to feed 150 players 2 pieces each with leftovers. and what master player (or even senior) only eats two pieces of pizza at a meal? and what about sales tax (and tip, if delivered) on three hundred dollars worth of pizza?
 
30, $10 costco pizzas (cut in 8 pieces each) is only 240 slices...not nearly enough to feed 150 players 2 pieces each with leftovers. and what master player (or even senior) only eats two pieces of pizza at a meal? and what about sales tax (and tip, if delivered) on three hundred dollars worth of pizza?

The goal is to not fill up players, rather then having something to eat. 2 slices of pizza is enough to hold most people till the end of the event. If they want more, then they have that hour to explore other option but most will be satisfied with the 2 slices of pizza. If more pizza is needed, then more can be bought.
 
The goal is to not fill up players, rather then having something to eat. 2 slices of pizza is enough to hold most people till the end of the event. If they want more, then they have that hour to explore other option but most will be satisfied with the 2 slices of pizza. If more pizza is needed, then more can be bought.
Of course then we organizers see the "OMG, they didn't have NEARLY enough food for us… and we PAID!" comments...
 
I strongly agree with not trying to collect money from everyone for pizza. Some people bring their own food, some people don't like/eat pizza.

The alternative is for the organizer to get a rough estimate at the beginning of the day, order slightly more than enough, and sell for a small profit. Worst case scenario, they break even, but there was a benefit to the players. The organizer would chalk this up to providing a quality event experience for the people who came.
 
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