Honestly, it's not even just about new users; it's just resources in general. We barely get regional reports, there isn't much discussion about events or pieces, spoilers barely get one or two posts. A whole new set was just released and the PDF is out there, but there are just a couple posts about it. If you weren't at GenCon you still barely know what happened unless you specifically ask somebody who was there.

You're spot on that the toxicity of Bloomilk was and is a big part of it. Many of the content creators and contributors seemed to have left the game, because if every time you make a post or write an article it just devolves into an argument, why bother?

That's why I think discussions about things being balanced or not miss the forest for the trees. It doesn't matter how good a game is if nobody is talking about it.

While I agree with many of these points, I want to point a couple things out. First, a LOT of the reports and analyses that used to be here have moved to SHNN. That doesn't mean they aren't still valuable here, but people don't necessarily want to rehash what was already said. By the same token, it really can be difficult to get the mental resources together to post a tournament report within the next couple of days, and past that, sometimes it doesn't seem like anyone really cares. I would also say that it seems to always fall to one or two of us to do the "color commentary" during these events, sometimes with incomplete or sketchy information. I can remember TOs posting round by round results, and some still do, but not enough to fill the information void. And when it seems like it's always your job to be the scribe, it does get tiring after awhile.

BTW, even though this is a little off from my intent with the thread, I do think that strategies for generating buzz about the competitive game totally warrant discussion, so thanks for bringing this up.

Interesting enough, Hutts brings up an interesting point; I've noticed when I have spare time lately (a Lot less this last week or two) I started getting involved in the testing process and suddenly I seem to be spending more time saying "What squad can I build to play with X piece "and less time planning my own squads. I think the people involved in V-Sets in Any capacity may be burning out and not enough new people (not necessarily new to the game) are stepping up to help. When the same people are doing the work and making the comments, it gets tiring.

I don't even have time to do my favorite thing anymore which is making my custom cards; too busy trying to organize testing time/squads.

there hasn't been any toxicity on the site since the last time some responded to darth reignar's trolling.

I think this is a fair point. The shows have been very long lately, and trying to commit to a shorter, more focused program could certainly help BOTH with getting people to listen and with the contributors having the energy to move some of the commentary back to Bloomilk.

And I wasn't criticizing the "off topic" movement--I completely agree that our problems at Gen Con are symptomatic of the larger loss of interest in the community. It's just that I think THAT is also symptomatic of the fact that it feels like we have such a small group of people getting called on all the time, and I don't know what the solution is for that. It does seem like there are people willing to step up, at least in some areas, so maybe those of us who are feeling burned out need to get more comfortable with standing aside at times.

Anyway, to narrow back in on Gen Con itself, it sounds like most people agree that cutting back on standard events even more is in order. I wonder if running two sessions of "Intro and Casual Play" would be feasible? It didn't sell all that well in advance, but it was well received and definitely drove interest. As far as the day of the Champs--I've enjoyed having it on Thursday, and I worry that if we move it into Friday or Saturday more people are going to choose to do something else with their time (since SWM really isn't the top choice for many people, and that's fine). On a selfish note, I usually do the Orc Stomp 5K on Friday morning, so I wouldn't be able to participate unless it started later in the day (or I'd have to drop the race, which I would do, but I wouldn't be happy about it).

The other thing people need to realize is that I didn't start this discussion now just because Gen Con was last week and it's fresh in everyone's minds. We need to have this discussion now so that the team has the information they need to begin planning. Early event submission is the first or second week of January, usually, so scheduling will be starting very soon. Someone mentioned the idea of having a "sign-up thread" where people could weigh in on their interests and scheduling preferences...in a very real sense, this IS that thread.

Would be helpful for all of us if we posted what the numbers were for each event.

Event
Time/day
Max number
Number that played

all of this is TL;DR but I like to hear myself talk so I'm going to jump on my soap box for a little bit.

1. Because I don't go to tournaments and play the chess clock/gambit style game, doesn't mean my opinion as a long time member of the community shouldn't be heard, I took a little offense to that whoever wrote it in page 1.

2. I don't play hard core tourney because it's not fun to me. Knowing I'm likely to play vs something that is pure NPE against something that I make that is also NPE just to win is just frustrating.

3. About getting new people involved.
a. Price, the game is pretty pricey. At least $100 to get enough pieces/maps/dice to be able to make more than 2 fun squads
b. Rules: The game has evolved and there are so many rules. You can't expect new players to go diving into the archives of a WotC forum to figure out if and when reinforcements can be used (introduced by WotC, Not a v-set dig..). There are many other rules that fall under the same cloud.
c. With games like HeroClix and some of the self-contained minis battle games, the out of print collectible SWM game has no chance

4. The game is just old. Hard to keep old things new again. Sad but true. Nobody plays Super Mario Bros, when new games are way more entertaining.

Anyway, these are some quick thoughts I have about the game. I think it would be fun to play in a tournament but I don't want to be filler for the bracket just to have somebody, who is more dedicated to training than I am, just kill me with some obscure combo. I surrender, I'm just intimidated.

The big thing for me is, don't scold me for not going to GenCon. If the powers that be feel bad or think that their Vset efforts and tourney coordination are for not since turnout to GenCon is down, then stop contributing and wait for an outcry of players looking for new content and tourneys. If no outcries come, then you know the game is dead.

Personally, I enjoy the community on Bloomilk and building squads and customs more than I enjoy the game anymore.

I suppose, but doesn't really gel with the purpose of this thread. Also, Gen Con is still THE venue for most gaming championships, so it makes sense to do ours there, although maybe less so than in the past. I for one would not want to see it relocated.

A relocation would kill it. It was tried once back in the hayday of minis (2008). The GenCon tournament still had more players than the "official" championship at PAX.

Most players will still go to GenCon. An outside event would be additional burden (time off/expense)

correct , nobody was riding you Donny(LOL)
also, most of the GC SWM are not competetive.
those are the ones I play