After a very well deserved exhale, I can now sit back and focus upon what was, what is and what hopefully shall be.
The first Stomping Ground for the BattleGroundSanDiego Tournament Circuit took place this past Sunday, May 24th. If you have read this blog before, you know my thoughts and efforts regarding this first event. I won't bore you with a rehash of what can be found below. However, I can state that my resolve is as strong as ever to ensure that a quality tournament circuit is available for Southern California's TCG players.
On to the event...
We had four players take part in the inaugural event. I will admit that this number was disappointing only when I take into effect that I had 11 players pre-registered. Other than this small caviot, I thought the event was great. I was able to introduce myself, my goals and my vision for BattleGroundSanDiego and the tournament circuit.
In the end, we opted to change the format from a constructed format to a draft format with rares being chosen based upon final place. John Patchell, was declared the tournament victor.
Patch, as he is known by the others on the circuit, travelled down from Los Angeles to participate.
I had hoped for a little larger of a turnout, but no worries though as this only solidifies what it is I am trying to do. Create a tournament circuit that is of both high quality and consistency. One of the great positives that I took from the event was being able to meet 4 great individuals who I found were as dedicated on the combatant side of the event as I was on the organizer side. I had great conversations ranging from some great successes each of these individuals has had in putting on their own events to what it was they liked and disliked at others.
After a great draft event, each combatant was able to take home three prized cards for their collections and free booster packs as a thank you for making it to the event. Now looking forward, I am as excited as ever to plan my next event. I am reassured that I have made contact with four great individuals who can pass on the word of what the Tournament Circuit is and what we hope to make it.
I am planning on moving the next event to Orange County to capitalize on the great player base there and make it a bit easier for the folk from Los Angeles to make the trip. I have some great ideas for prize support and giveaways. My next goal after the finalizing of the location of our next event will be to update the Player Bios page of the website. It has drawn a bit of a buzz and it will offer a great bit of personality and individuality to the circuit.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Day Has Arrived...
As I write, I currently sit in the Valley Room at the Mission Valley Resort in San Diego. Today is a very special day for BattleGroundSanDiego.co as we are hosting our inaugural event. I breath a light sigh of relief as the event begins in 90 minutes and I think back to what it took to get to this point.
The website launch was a great success in my view. We didn't try to be everything to everyone. We focused on the inaugural event itself and the schedule for the future events. Our goal was to create an online forum and community where Southern Californians with a passion for the World of Warcraft TCG could find a detailed description of what exactly the BattleGroundSanDiego Tournament Circuit was. Again, we focused upon simplicity. The sole goal was a tournament circuit that was both consistent and enjoyable. Let's face it, after all we are playing a card game not shaping the events of a political revolution. I hope that we were successful in doing this.
I spoke with members of the TCG community on what it was they were looking for. Why they would be interested. What would get them out. I spoke with all the major card shops in the region. Artifex and Game Empire in San Diego, Sky High Comics in San Marcos, just to name a few. I read intently and participated in the forums of WOWTCG.com and a few others. It was a labor of love to try to get the information that really mattered. Primarily, what are you looking for, and what will it take to get you to come out?
Early on I decided that if I wanted this to be a successful circuit that I would need to find a Head Judge who could allow me to focus intently upon the management of the circuit. Not only did this allow me to remove myself from tournament rulings, a must for an above the board league of any kind, but it also provided me with a sounding board to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. I chose Jeff Nelson. Jeff is a constant in the TCG gaming community in Orange County California. If there is an event going on, you will probably find him at it. He has been a great help.
I attempted to make contact with UDE regarding their suggestions. I became a vendor for their products and look forward to meeting with them, hopefully soon, to discuss my venture and my attempt to grow this great community.
I contacted several locations in San Diego to acquire meeting room space for the event. I had decided that if the event was to be able to grow, I would need to select a location not located within a card shop. The only reason for this was the shear space that would be required once the events began to roll. I am very intent upon partnering with as many of the shops as possible and hope to prove myself more of a partner than competition. If this community is to grow, then it will take more than just myself to see it through.
In the end I chose the Mission Valley Resort for the location. The Valley room is ideal. The lighting is excellent, parking abundant and with the venue being over 1200 square feet in size, is more than enough space for additional growth.
So here we are. approximately 1 hour prior to start and the first combatants are beginning to arrive.
Hopefully the next post will be describing a very successful event with the tournament champion being named.
The website launch was a great success in my view. We didn't try to be everything to everyone. We focused on the inaugural event itself and the schedule for the future events. Our goal was to create an online forum and community where Southern Californians with a passion for the World of Warcraft TCG could find a detailed description of what exactly the BattleGroundSanDiego Tournament Circuit was. Again, we focused upon simplicity. The sole goal was a tournament circuit that was both consistent and enjoyable. Let's face it, after all we are playing a card game not shaping the events of a political revolution. I hope that we were successful in doing this.
I spoke with members of the TCG community on what it was they were looking for. Why they would be interested. What would get them out. I spoke with all the major card shops in the region. Artifex and Game Empire in San Diego, Sky High Comics in San Marcos, just to name a few. I read intently and participated in the forums of WOWTCG.com and a few others. It was a labor of love to try to get the information that really mattered. Primarily, what are you looking for, and what will it take to get you to come out?
Early on I decided that if I wanted this to be a successful circuit that I would need to find a Head Judge who could allow me to focus intently upon the management of the circuit. Not only did this allow me to remove myself from tournament rulings, a must for an above the board league of any kind, but it also provided me with a sounding board to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. I chose Jeff Nelson. Jeff is a constant in the TCG gaming community in Orange County California. If there is an event going on, you will probably find him at it. He has been a great help.
I attempted to make contact with UDE regarding their suggestions. I became a vendor for their products and look forward to meeting with them, hopefully soon, to discuss my venture and my attempt to grow this great community.
I contacted several locations in San Diego to acquire meeting room space for the event. I had decided that if the event was to be able to grow, I would need to select a location not located within a card shop. The only reason for this was the shear space that would be required once the events began to roll. I am very intent upon partnering with as many of the shops as possible and hope to prove myself more of a partner than competition. If this community is to grow, then it will take more than just myself to see it through.
In the end I chose the Mission Valley Resort for the location. The Valley room is ideal. The lighting is excellent, parking abundant and with the venue being over 1200 square feet in size, is more than enough space for additional growth.
So here we are. approximately 1 hour prior to start and the first combatants are beginning to arrive.
Hopefully the next post will be describing a very successful event with the tournament champion being named.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Lighter Side of Loot Cards...
I definitely understand the idea of the loot card. Truth be told, I love it. Being a relatively addicted player, somewhat well known within my guild and proud holder of a sandbox tiger, I find it a bit cheeky to be able to take my love of the TCG to my 80 orc warrior. After all, if we take ourselves too seriously within an MMORPG, perhaps we need to find a new hobby.
Then it happens. I see the newest love of my life and must therefore possess it at all costs. (Well maybe not all costs as I saw the price for the foam sword rack just after it dropped and decided to pay my car payment instead.) One of the newest loot cards that will be dawning the latest expansion of the TCG, Fields of Honor, definitely has the look of the next card to eclipse the value of you average Armani suit.
El Pollo Grande
Yes ladies and gentlemen it is finally upon us. I must admit that I truly look forward to seeing the myriad of races engaged in full sprint aboard the likes of a Happy Meal ingredient. If you haven't seen the potential screen shot, check it out here.
http://www.wowtcg.com/
Instant home run as far as I'm concerned.
In fact, now that I think about it, the only thing that may have been able to top this one would be that immortal Texas icon...the Jackelope.
Then it happens. I see the newest love of my life and must therefore possess it at all costs. (Well maybe not all costs as I saw the price for the foam sword rack just after it dropped and decided to pay my car payment instead.) One of the newest loot cards that will be dawning the latest expansion of the TCG, Fields of Honor, definitely has the look of the next card to eclipse the value of you average Armani suit.
El Pollo Grande
Yes ladies and gentlemen it is finally upon us. I must admit that I truly look forward to seeing the myriad of races engaged in full sprint aboard the likes of a Happy Meal ingredient. If you haven't seen the potential screen shot, check it out here.
http://www.wowtcg.com/
Instant home run as far as I'm concerned.
In fact, now that I think about it, the only thing that may have been able to top this one would be that immortal Texas icon...the Jackelope.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Arena Grand Melee......Drip...Drip...Drip
Blood of the Gladiators isn't even cold yet and we get our first taste of Arena Grand Melee.
On May 12th, courtesy of the minds at UDE, we received our first taste of two of the newest heroes to grace the cards of World of Warcraft TCG. Emmi Sprinklestrike and Kauno Stonehoof join the line of heros but with a slightly new twist.
Pay 5 and flip.
Rather genius if you ask me.
UDE has incorporated yet another interesting wrinkle. Where before you could simply free flip your hero for a quick heal boost or double damage to an attack or even the ability to become a protector. Now, imagine the ability to be able to flip into an additional point of damage per hero's attack or flip into an additional 12 HP on a moment's notice. I guess this proves that UDE is willing to bend traditional thought and use both side of the card now, and much to their credit.
But the question is still out there, how will this affect the game and what will the remainder of the heros to be incorporated, let alone the Death Knight, be graced with in the area of flip powers. I am typically a calm person, but I have to admit that I find myself strangely anticipative and slightly giddy at the thought of this new twist and how it has the potential to turn the game on its head. If anything it has reassured my belief that the minds at UDE are as creative as ever. On top of that they are willing to think outside the box to ensure the next generation of game play is as enticing as its predecessors.
Undoubtedly, over the next week, we will be slowly spoon fed a compilation of cards of Arena Grand Melee.
Check out the official post for the sneak preview at http://www.wowtcg.com/.
On May 12th, courtesy of the minds at UDE, we received our first taste of two of the newest heroes to grace the cards of World of Warcraft TCG. Emmi Sprinklestrike and Kauno Stonehoof join the line of heros but with a slightly new twist.
Pay 5 and flip.
Rather genius if you ask me.
UDE has incorporated yet another interesting wrinkle. Where before you could simply free flip your hero for a quick heal boost or double damage to an attack or even the ability to become a protector. Now, imagine the ability to be able to flip into an additional point of damage per hero's attack or flip into an additional 12 HP on a moment's notice. I guess this proves that UDE is willing to bend traditional thought and use both side of the card now, and much to their credit.
But the question is still out there, how will this affect the game and what will the remainder of the heros to be incorporated, let alone the Death Knight, be graced with in the area of flip powers. I am typically a calm person, but I have to admit that I find myself strangely anticipative and slightly giddy at the thought of this new twist and how it has the potential to turn the game on its head. If anything it has reassured my belief that the minds at UDE are as creative as ever. On top of that they are willing to think outside the box to ensure the next generation of game play is as enticing as its predecessors.
Undoubtedly, over the next week, we will be slowly spoon fed a compilation of cards of Arena Grand Melee.
Check out the official post for the sneak preview at http://www.wowtcg.com/.
Friday, May 8, 2009
From 16s to 32s or Of Tournaments and Card Shops
It has been a few weeks since the Shonen Jump hosted by Konami for its blockbuster Trading Card Game Yu-Gi-Oh!. With, what Konami reports, 900 plus attendees at the event, one finds himself very easily stating the obvious.....Yu-Gi-Oh! is alive and well.
In this humble writer's opinion, I don't even think that Konami expected such a huge turn out. This means great things for the TCG community at large. Obviously, duelists are still out there and looking for competition. Definitely, duelists are willing to make their ways to venues to seek competition and to test their deck building skills. Possibly, there is room for other games to make a beachhead into what must be considered the strongest of the TCGs.
If you visit the local card stores you will find the usual suspects. You will find Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and World of Warcraft among others. On any given afternoon or weekend, there is always competition to be found be it a local tournament ranging from 4 to 16 combatants, or just friendly people looking for a new face to introduce to the game that they enjoy so much. Local card shops are hosting events weekly. Social media outlets such as Meetup.com and Facebook.com have listings for every game possible. On-line auction sites have single cards for sale ranging from cents to hundreds of dollars. The TCG games are enjoying exposure unlike anything they have ever seen.
When one compares each TCG to the others, the collector finds a miriad of play options. Diversity is definitely a strength of the industry. A collector can not only complete his or her set for competition, but they can find themselves collecting card of all sorts for the beauty of the artwork, the rarity of the card itself or to complete an entire collection of the latest booster drop. In fact, a well rounded collector of TCGs can find competition in just about every city in North America from San Diego , California to Edmonton, Alberta. Log on to any of the sites, or the plethora of pop-up sites that ride the wave of following created by the hosts sites themselves, and a person can easily find themselves a game in minutes. Then, low and behold, the professional leagues have emerged. Competition that can have rewards in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes to the playing field. One can only wonder the amounts to which the payouts will climb and the luck of the draw that will create tomorrow's champions.
The only real worry that the TCG community has is, when will the player base plateau? When does the game reach saturation? Have we already come to this point or is there so much more room out there that the TCG community has but to sit back and wait for the next challenge at the next regional or national championship. Is there enough of a true effort out there by the makers of these great games to continue the upward climb for the industry?
Konami has reclaimed its distribution rights for Yu-Gi-Oh! in Europe from Upper Deck Entertainment and with the recent success of Shonen Jump! Anaheim, it appears to be in great shape.
Magic the Gathering, with its natural following from all things Wizards of the Coast continues its strong play with the latest release of the Planes Walker expansion.
World of Warcraft continues to push the Dark Moon Faires with success. The natural following from the MMORPG doesn't hurt either. The newest expansion, Blood of the Gladiators, partnered with the regional qualifiers in sealed deck format ensure solid sales and participation from the local card shops that supported the UDE product.
It seems that at this point, the intellectual and creative aspects of the TCGs are covered. The artwork has never been better. The diversity, as I have already mentioned, is expanding at a solid pace with each quarterly release. The collectibility can send your head spinning as you scramble to find cards with ferocity not seen since your father's attempts at locating the famed Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris. Inventories remain readily available.
The only wild card left seems to be the middleman.
The card shop.
I have always been very curious to learn what the card shop honestly views as their place in this wondrous soup of an industry. Do they see themselves as leaders, do they feel themselves as stewards of the TCG community or do they simply view themselves as the provider of the addiction of choice for us and our friends?
If I may be so bold, the card shops seem to be in a precarious position. As the TCG distributors jockey for market share and the collector searches for his or her next match, the card shop makes attempts to appease both. But what happens when they come into conflict? What happens when the community of duelists from one TCG begins to push out the purveyors of another? With the limited space in card shops, and the card shop owners attempts, rightfully so, to maximize his or her revenues with a majority of the square footage dedicated to product, what happens?
Eventually, the TCG of choice or conversation needs to push beyond the card store. Eventually players will begin asking for events larger than 10 to 20 duelists. Eventually, as these great games grow, the space will become a premium. Preferred Friday nights and Saturday afternoons will become as hot a commodity and sometimes as hard to find as the Foam Sword Rack in a booster pack of Blood of the Gladiators. Especially, when you take into account the fact that the games that we enjoy so much take so damn long to play in tournament format. Rarely shorter that 8 hours for a regional swiss format of 16 or more participants.
The natural growth of the games will need to take it from the shops and into the community in another format or another location. If the TCG community ever expects to expand beyond the group of 10 or 12 on Saturday afternoon to 32 to 64 Sunday morning at 9am, then the locales have to change.
What does this then mean for the shops? Unfortunately, the store is then somewhat left in the lurch, or is it? Is there a way for the store to take advantage of this situation? I guess the real question is, is the store ready or willing to make the jump? What about the independent tournament organizer? Is there an opportunity for partnership or will it be outright competition for the fledgling organizers and the communities they attempt to create?
No doubt these are the questions that have to be asked and answered over the next year if the TCG community is going to make the leap from past time to prime time.
My only hope is that these questioned are asked and answered in response to growth and not in response to death.
In this humble writer's opinion, I don't even think that Konami expected such a huge turn out. This means great things for the TCG community at large. Obviously, duelists are still out there and looking for competition. Definitely, duelists are willing to make their ways to venues to seek competition and to test their deck building skills. Possibly, there is room for other games to make a beachhead into what must be considered the strongest of the TCGs.
If you visit the local card stores you will find the usual suspects. You will find Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and World of Warcraft among others. On any given afternoon or weekend, there is always competition to be found be it a local tournament ranging from 4 to 16 combatants, or just friendly people looking for a new face to introduce to the game that they enjoy so much. Local card shops are hosting events weekly. Social media outlets such as Meetup.com and Facebook.com have listings for every game possible. On-line auction sites have single cards for sale ranging from cents to hundreds of dollars. The TCG games are enjoying exposure unlike anything they have ever seen.
When one compares each TCG to the others, the collector finds a miriad of play options. Diversity is definitely a strength of the industry. A collector can not only complete his or her set for competition, but they can find themselves collecting card of all sorts for the beauty of the artwork, the rarity of the card itself or to complete an entire collection of the latest booster drop. In fact, a well rounded collector of TCGs can find competition in just about every city in North America from San Diego , California to Edmonton, Alberta. Log on to any of the sites, or the plethora of pop-up sites that ride the wave of following created by the hosts sites themselves, and a person can easily find themselves a game in minutes. Then, low and behold, the professional leagues have emerged. Competition that can have rewards in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes to the playing field. One can only wonder the amounts to which the payouts will climb and the luck of the draw that will create tomorrow's champions.
The only real worry that the TCG community has is, when will the player base plateau? When does the game reach saturation? Have we already come to this point or is there so much more room out there that the TCG community has but to sit back and wait for the next challenge at the next regional or national championship. Is there enough of a true effort out there by the makers of these great games to continue the upward climb for the industry?
Konami has reclaimed its distribution rights for Yu-Gi-Oh! in Europe from Upper Deck Entertainment and with the recent success of Shonen Jump! Anaheim, it appears to be in great shape.
Magic the Gathering, with its natural following from all things Wizards of the Coast continues its strong play with the latest release of the Planes Walker expansion.
World of Warcraft continues to push the Dark Moon Faires with success. The natural following from the MMORPG doesn't hurt either. The newest expansion, Blood of the Gladiators, partnered with the regional qualifiers in sealed deck format ensure solid sales and participation from the local card shops that supported the UDE product.
It seems that at this point, the intellectual and creative aspects of the TCGs are covered. The artwork has never been better. The diversity, as I have already mentioned, is expanding at a solid pace with each quarterly release. The collectibility can send your head spinning as you scramble to find cards with ferocity not seen since your father's attempts at locating the famed Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris. Inventories remain readily available.
The only wild card left seems to be the middleman.
The card shop.
I have always been very curious to learn what the card shop honestly views as their place in this wondrous soup of an industry. Do they see themselves as leaders, do they feel themselves as stewards of the TCG community or do they simply view themselves as the provider of the addiction of choice for us and our friends?
If I may be so bold, the card shops seem to be in a precarious position. As the TCG distributors jockey for market share and the collector searches for his or her next match, the card shop makes attempts to appease both. But what happens when they come into conflict? What happens when the community of duelists from one TCG begins to push out the purveyors of another? With the limited space in card shops, and the card shop owners attempts, rightfully so, to maximize his or her revenues with a majority of the square footage dedicated to product, what happens?
Eventually, the TCG of choice or conversation needs to push beyond the card store. Eventually players will begin asking for events larger than 10 to 20 duelists. Eventually, as these great games grow, the space will become a premium. Preferred Friday nights and Saturday afternoons will become as hot a commodity and sometimes as hard to find as the Foam Sword Rack in a booster pack of Blood of the Gladiators. Especially, when you take into account the fact that the games that we enjoy so much take so damn long to play in tournament format. Rarely shorter that 8 hours for a regional swiss format of 16 or more participants.
The natural growth of the games will need to take it from the shops and into the community in another format or another location. If the TCG community ever expects to expand beyond the group of 10 or 12 on Saturday afternoon to 32 to 64 Sunday morning at 9am, then the locales have to change.
What does this then mean for the shops? Unfortunately, the store is then somewhat left in the lurch, or is it? Is there a way for the store to take advantage of this situation? I guess the real question is, is the store ready or willing to make the jump? What about the independent tournament organizer? Is there an opportunity for partnership or will it be outright competition for the fledgling organizers and the communities they attempt to create?
No doubt these are the questions that have to be asked and answered over the next year if the TCG community is going to make the leap from past time to prime time.
My only hope is that these questioned are asked and answered in response to growth and not in response to death.
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