I know we are in the dead period of the game right now. Butt I thought it was time to bring up a discussion (that will most likely be ignored).

We are seeing scheduled get togethers with disclaimers and even rules/restrictions against being ultra competitive.

It begs the question, what can be done to make ultra competitive fun?

Is it the atmosphere of ultra competitive itself? Like people making sure there is speed of play, no take backs if someone declares something, etc.

Or is it that the game itself at the most competitive level is not fun. 25 activations, can't Target, auto damage, can't use force, etc?

Are people content playing casual all year and then being competitive for one day?
As in, they would get burned out of they played ultra competitively all year.
Since I don't get to travel and haven't met people I don't know where they stand.

It stands to reason to want ultra competitive to be the most fun way to play

Yes, the game is fun!

For me ultra competitive is the most fun, but I recognize that it is not the most fun for everyone.

I also like to shake things up and do something different once in a while.

Regionals all have the same format, and far and away the most miniatures that gets played in tournaments these days are the regionals.

Some people play casual squads at regionals, but anyone at anytime could play their best possible squad.

I made an alternate format tournament simply have something different to do. A new, fun squad building challenge. Not because ultra competitive isn't fun.

It allows us to look at new combos and see new pieces on the board.



If ultra competitive wasn't fun, I wouldn't play the game.

I can fully see that.

The group that is coming are the people that hit multiple regionals, so I thought it would be a fun challenge. I hope it is!

What's a FlyingArrow themed squad?

Sorry, Farce Awokened

When introducing the kids at school to the game I had to stick to purely WOTC pieces. I hope they develop into players that can use all the V-Sets though.

Did this the other week with a group of 4 other people. Two of them, one a former roommate and the other my girlfriend, had the advantage of already having played a couple times before with me. 100pt vanilla pieces seem the way to go in terms of teaching folks how to play. The teams are varied in complexity and definitely nothing folks here would be considered "good" my any means, but offer newbies a glimpse in how pieces work. One of the players caught on quickly, so we may do some 1v1 games with V-Set pieces later on.

Anyway, just thought it was interesting that I have had a recent similar experience as adamb0nd. Cheers.

For the very first teaching skirmish I go even smaller.

Han Solo (RS)
Elite Rebel Trooper
Rebel Trooper x3

Stormtrooper Officer
Elite Stormtrooper
Stormtrooper x5

50pt squads.

Played on a map turned sideways for quicker engagement.

apologies for some benign necro;
this is great stuff to read though on the futures of this awesome game.

"We are seeing scheduled get togethers with disclaimers and even rules/restrictions against being ultra competitive."
Indeed, there is a clearer demarcation between "Pro-League" and "fun".
There is a time-and-a-place for "Play Hard" and win as the game outcome.
codes of conduct, sportspersonship guidelines etc, are all being consolidated,
which weren't actually strictly addressed in the WotC Rulebooks or VSET add-ons. (but rather in the WotC Referee's and Games Masters Guides).

there is also - refreshing to see - "Continuity-specific" tournaments and leagues even.
The participation for Clone Wars only themed stuff is great.
The miniatures folks use as proxies and customs, that is also being kicked up a notch or several.
There is a real irony - it may be that,
the "bendy-plastic originals" will be entirely replaced by other kinds of model kit.
We then have a "Ship of Theseus" scenario on many levels to the game creepin' in.

"is it that the game itself -- at the most competitive level -- is not fun."
there is a partial "hobson's choice auto-include' factor to squad composition reminiscent of Chess compositions;
there are only a few squads, and a few maps, in competitive SWMinis.
it then becomes "Scissors Paper Rock" within the round-robin structure, which is as fun as watching
the SWMinis VASSAL 'cellular automata"/ "SWMinisAGI-mode".
If you like Chess, and have an eidetic memory of which moves to make when, that's still fun.
but, it's a far cry from what SWMinis was in earlier eras. when, there was more random mismatching potentials during the round robin,
which made the game less "Scissors Paper Rock".
sure, there were a few auto-loss random mismatches, but,
stuff like a "Glass-Cannon" squad could, if played well, defeat a general all-rounder squad.

"Are people content playing casual all year and then being competitive for one day?
As in, they would get burned out of they played ultra competitively all year.
Since I don't get to travel and haven't met people I don't know where they stand."

---

There are many ways to SWMinis it up.
Every day can be a SWMinis day (to some extent),
though, the competitive league is 12 weekends outta the 52.
the round robin structure requires people to success at Locals / Regionals or "Division"
Their success at regionals then determines their structure for the nationals.
there's then Internationals and Correspondence,
and 'beyond that', People v AGI etc.

So, from that way of thinking,
it's not possible to only be 'competitive' for one day.
it isn't possible to win the International, Correspondence or "People V AGI digi-VASSAL or Tabletop BoardGame Emulator etc" tournaments,
it's not possible to decide to get up one day on day-of tournament,
get a wildcard entry, and go on to win.
(though, that would be 'fun' to model asymmetrically...).

I do however take the point;
the "retention"/ "spirit of SWMinis" and good gamespersonship, are fundamentals
which will ensure SWMinis becomes a great game played for a very long time.
Playing competitively, doesn't mean being a bad sport / bad gamespersonship about it,
which was a partial source of prior 'fatigue" in interest in the game ---
why bother taking those 12 weekends out of your 52 weeks, to play a game,
when other folks, just want to mug you for your prize support and don't wish to even say "hello" for that.?
there were a few terse periods like that in the 2008-10 seasons, and again in 2016-17.
(in local and at many internationals or online events).

speaking of tournaments, arrow i messaged you and got a reply from obi1kenobi he doesnt live that far from me either we could get a tournament together.