Cactus Game Design Message Boards

It was great to see everyone at Nationals!!! I chose to judge and help run things because I thoroughly enjoy the extra time I get to talk with so many players, catch up with old friends and see what people are playing. With Nationals behind us I'd love to hear feedback about the tournament logistics from people who attended and participated. Your input will help us keep doing the good things and improve the overall experience in the future.

1) What went well?

2) What went poorly?

3) What are things that we might consider doing differently in the future? (could pertain to either of the above)

I'm most interested in things related to how we ran the tournament, the schedule, the judging, the new deck list requirement, etc. As for hosting things I feel like Chris and his team did an AMAZING job but I'm sure he will welcome feedback if there are things he could do better in the future (it seems like he'll probably host Nats again some day).

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EXAMPLE: We required deck lists for all constructed formats so...

1) Deck lists helped expedite deck check in process and ensure the integrity of player's decks.

2) The deck list process was new to players and maybe wasn't explained as well as it could have been. The forms weren't as clear as they could be (no place for name, category or reserve).

3) Update the deck list forms to contain places for all of the relevant and required information. An online version would be very beneficial for some players to prepare in advance.

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Speaking of deck lists, expect the top decks from each constructed category as well as some interesting stats about card usage to be available to the community in the coming weeks!

While I didn't actually check any decks, it seemed to me like the decklists actually helped the deck-checkers check more quickly. Obviously it adds more frontend time for the players, but if the deck is ordered as written, then the list makes it a little easier to visualize the number of cards.

Also, I'm sure you didn't intend to be snide, but quoting the definition of a word the average person is familiar with may come across that way.

Positives:
1 - Judging staff was on top of things (it felt like to me). They were quick to respond and move to resolutions.
2- LOVED! the decklist. This is a major improvement (albeit some work to make it more smooth) from when I played "back-in-the-day", awesome step in a positive direction.
3 - Hosting Church's people and facilities were great (now, I didnt stay there - so cant comment on the sleeping arrangements)
4 - Chris kept games moving at a quick pace.
5 - the overall atmosphere was fun yet competitive.
6 - I liked the added gap between table assignments. It was nice to have space for equipment.

Suggested Improvements:
1 - Overall traffic flow. I felt that the locations of the deck-storage, scorekeeper's table, and Vendor area caused a lot of congestion.
2 - Table Numbers: It would have been nice if they were on a stand so you could look down the table for your number.
3 - It would be nice if there was a more obvious visual cue as to who a judge is (Im thinking a rainbow clown wig, but I used to work at a camp /shrug - and I kind of want to see Marcus in a clown wig... <3)
4 - Better time communication. There were visual display of clocks, but sometime it was difficult to either see or know which clock-box was your category. It would have also been nice to have a 5 or 10 min warning announced

To all those who made this Nationals happen, THANK YOU! It was really great putting faces to names and meeting everyone.

Good - The efficiency of judging seemed like it was at a high in my experience.  Calls were met quickly, discussions were kept to a minimum and rulings were made quickly.  I think I only had one game where I asked for additional time due to a ruling and we didn't need the time in that game.

church - great space for food and playing - the hangout space was more than enough space

food - some homemade and some healthier options were available for meals and snacks were constantly available

decklists - I actually hated doing these but I see the value in them - it keeps the integrity of the tournament above reproach, making them available to players now that the tournament is over would be great!


Bad - this was already mentioned but the congestion of judging table, vendors, score reporting and deck location

Noise - the people not playing in categories were just too loud the majority of the weekend.  I mentioned it to judges multiple times about the noise level during play. Granted some conversation is happening but when the room is so loud due to conversations and carrying on that players needed to ask opponents to repeat what they just said because we couldn't hear we have a serious problem. 

Announcements - I know we need them, that said we shouldn't be making them during rounds, it adds to the noise and distraction plus no one playing is listening anyways. Announcements are not open mic night.  We shouldn't be passing it around to anyone who wants to say something.  Announcements are not the place to organize the schedule.  That should be ironed out and known ahead of time by everyone (perhaps even a handout that has times, rounds and categories all laid out?)



and the change me -  Decklist sheets should be available online so players can fill themout ahead of time.

A viewing room would be awesome for watching games while not playing (I know we've had this in the past)

Moving players who finish rounds would be more feasible if we knew the next round pairings would be up at a given time.  For instance, rd 1 pairings go up at 9:00 and play begins at 9:05.  The round ends at 9:50 Round 2 pairings go up at 10:00 am.  Round 2 begins play at 10:05 am etc then if a player finishes a game at say 9:32 they can leave the playing area right after reporting and doesn't need to stand around at the door or in the playing area because they know the pairings go up at 10 and they won't be late.