|
|
Post by chris on Jan 30, 2018 10:49:27 GMT
Concord Gaming Convention runs annually in February. This year the 24th/25th. It's a bit late to organise anything for it now (though they are looking for more events on the Sunday) but I was asked about the possibility of adding a DBA event to the convention for next year. So I guess I'm just looking to gauge interest, and see what kind of event people would like to play.
Possible options could be an Open tournament, a Matched Pairs tournament or perhaps a Campaign Day; unless anyone else has any suggestions?
|
|
|
|
Post by menacussecundus on Jan 30, 2018 13:59:05 GMT
Chris
Interesting - and I might well be interested. Some thoughts.
First, the DBA calendar is already fairly crowded between the end of Jan and Easter: Welsh Open, Mercian, Northern Cup, the Spring PAWS and, usually, Alton - although this year Easter is early and Alton is the following Saturday. I assume the Mercian will be lost when the organiser relocates to the north-east of England and Concord might fill the gap, but the calendar would still be crowded, there is a limit to the number of Saturday passes one can reasonably expect each quarter and, if an event is tied to a show, there is less room for manoeuvre to avoid fixture congestion.
Second, a February competition would be hard on the heels of the Welsh, which is an open comp, and not long before Alton, which is currently the only matched pairs competition in the UK DBA calendar. To my mind, this points to a themed competition, maybe from books II or III to avoid overlapping with the Spring PAWS, which is drawn from book I. This is just my take; others may - indeed almost certainly will - disagree.
Third, believe it or not, there was some discussion in one of the Facebook groups recently about the economics of wargaming events. If a show runs for two days, the organisers prefer to have an event which covers both days which means they can charge accordingly. However, DBA players in the UK seem to prefer one-day events - if possible without the additional cost of an overnight stay, but certainly with any overnight costs kept to a minimum. The (one-day) DBA competition at Britcon in August is the only one in the UK that is part of a larger two-day event and it is partly because of this that it is the most expensive event in the UK DBA calendar. Concord may be different, but pricing is something you may need to bear in mind.
Menacus Secundus
|
|
|
|
Post by chris on Jan 30, 2018 14:18:02 GMT
I like the *idea* of themed events. But they are harder to get armies together for. Unless enough people are willing to bring extras it may be difficult to arrange.
Two matched pairs comps so close together might not be so good, but at least people might already have paired armies sorted they can take to both.
Another possibility, depending on numbers and if it doesn't prove too difficult to source the figures required, is to do a large historical battle with each player taking on a small command.
The discussion I've been having in regards to Concord is them wanting a single day event. They have different things happening on the Saturday and the Sunday, so it's easier for them to mix in a single day event.
Not sure about costing, just sent a text to find out.
|
|
|
|
Post by menacussecundus on Jan 30, 2018 15:09:07 GMT
The Sussex Shield and Sussex Cup competitions used to have some rather fun quirky themes which could perhaps be re-cycled. Ones I can remember are: armies with a Chariot General; armies with a Wb general; armies with a LH general; armies with at least 1 Hd; armies whose home terrain is Littoral; armies with at least 4 LH; all mounted armies. There are almost certainly more. (I think there was one where the theme was a minimum of 4 Bd?Ax? and no Kn.)
|
|
|
|
Post by chris on Jan 30, 2018 15:14:14 GMT
I guess those kinds of themes are easier to work with and could be fun. Specific conflicts/periods are more difficult.
Confirmation from my contact with Concord - no charge at all for space, people would just need to pay their entry fee to the convention. £5 for one day, £10 for the weekend. So, some form of small charge to cover prizes is all that would be needed really.
|
|
|
|
Post by Simon on Jan 30, 2018 17:56:14 GMT
Hi Chris. I am getting into the drumbeat of running 3 tournaments a year - 2 in Bakewell and one at Britcon, Manchester The Britcon ones tend to have a theme and as for the Bakewell ones, one is an open (The Midlands Open) and the other is matched pairs. I did run a themed one where armies had to have at least 4 elements of LH and/or Artillery, which was fun. Of all of the formats, I think matched pairs are my favourite for the following reasons: - Many players will have historically matched pairs and so the approach does not risk being exclusive through requiring new armies as a themed one might.
- It is possible to have great games with matched armies that are not the usual killer ones that are often preferred in opens. You get to see and play with armies that you might not usually.
- The fact that the owning player (in my tournament rules) does not get first choice of his/her own armies encourages players to bring match-ups that are as even as possible.
- Any scale/base width can be used as the two armies will only fight each other so you could have 40/60 or evn 80mm widths if the owning player wanted - as long as plans were in place to ensure the right size boards and terrain pieces!
Regards,
Simon
|
|
|
|
Post by martin on Jan 30, 2018 17:56:20 GMT
I guess those kinds of themes are easier to work with and could be fun. Specific conflicts/periods are more difficult. Confirmation from my contact with Concord - no charge at all for space, people would just need to pay their entry fee to the convention. £5 for one day, £10 for the weekend. So, some form of small charge to cover prizes is all that would be needed really. Sounds promising, Chris. VERY pleased to see another new tournament being mooted. Early announcement of a date can help avoid clashes (not that I can talk....Alton this year has now clashed with both the Society of Ancients Battleday, announced after Alton was set, and another tournament , DBMM etc, in the Midlands). re Themes- whatever would pull in a sizeable crowd of gamers. Beware of any theme which would deter players with limited army resources (unless you have loaners to offer), as max turnout is a goal to aim for. eg Alton’s Matched Pairs can be tough for some gamers to find a pair for, so I offer to try to find a pair for the gamer’s army, or a complete pair if needed (with a bit of notice). Simple themes help to ‘not deter’ potential players. Keep us posted !!! Martin |
|
|
|
Post by martin on Jan 30, 2018 18:05:39 GMT
PS...Chris, is the regular venue the Pineapple Inn? The website is a bit thin on detail....
|
|
|
|
Post by chris on Jan 31, 2018 0:27:58 GMT
Whilst Matched Pairs would be my preferred format for all those reasons, as Martin says it could be difficult. If I was in a position to be able to lend out armies it might be different, but to be honest with all the army list changes over the years me and my dad find it difficult to field most of our armies these days, let alone matched pairs of them. Half of them are probably not even tournament legal in version 2 let alone 3...
Simple themes might be best.
Not sure about the venue Martin. I do know it has changed at the last minute. One of my mates is involved in organising it but I don't know a lot about it yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by martin on Jan 31, 2018 11:24:48 GMT
Chris, just sent a PM re SoA stuff.
If your mate does plan to run the event there should be plenty of support. Bristol's Lincombe Barn club might be worth contacting, and there are players like myself who can reach Bristol within a couple of hours drive who'd likely want to play. Advertising IS the key, and bombarding Fanaticus, relevant Yahoo groups, local clubs, facebook sites etc with info should make a difference......
Hoping it takes off, and with plenty of notice (so shift working types like meself get a chance to 'book' a day off for it).
Martin
|
|
|
|
Post by martini on Jan 31, 2018 11:49:11 GMT
I would definitely make the effort to attend as Bristol is within easy travelling distance for me. Regarding dates, I would try not to clash with PAWS events nor with the Welsh Open (held every year towards the end of January at the Crusade show in Penarth) as they attract many of the players who are likely to be able to make it to Bristol, but who are not able to make it to the shows in the midlands and the north because of the requirement for overnight stays. I'd prefer a themed tournament but would not be put off if it was an open or matched pairs. I second Martin's advice to contact the Lincombe Barn club as they'd have a good idea of how many 'local' gamers do DBA. Good luck with this. By the way, I'd only be interested if the rules used are version 3 of DBA.
|
|
|
|
Post by chris on Jan 31, 2018 12:04:59 GMT
Unfortunately as it is part of an existing convention I have no control over the dates. Assuming it's the same time next year though then it looks like it's not clashing.
Rules used would of course be version 3.
Though I personally would be interested in getting some people together for some version 1 at some point that would be an entirely different sort of event.
|
|
