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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 26, 2010 8:05:09 GMT -5
Windsor Gaming Resource (WGR) and Hugin & Munin will be hosting a Windsor qualifier of the Great Canadian Board Game Blitz on Saturday August 14th, 2010 starting at 10am. Come join us for some nice, air-conditioned(!!) weekend board-gaming! The Great Canadian Board Game Blitz (GCBGB) is a circuit of board game tournaments held at Canadian game conventions and retailers. Each participant plays five different games of varying lengths and complexities over the span of the day, collecting points based on finishing rank in each game. The points are used to determine priority for choosing games in following rounds and to determine the winner at the end of the tournament. There is no cost to participate in this event. There will be $50-100 in prizes from for the top-ranked players, depending on participation. The first place player will also receive a free pass to FanExpo for the GCBGB finals in August. What types of games will be played? Although the Game List for this event isn't finalized, the games in the tournament will be strategy/euro games, like San Juan, Ticket to Ride and Puerto Rico. Check out the Game List from the GCBGB at CanGames in June; it will be similar. The list will be up on the web site at the end of July. Do I need to know all the games to play in the tournament? Although this is a tournament, a casual and friendly atmosphere are encouraged. You do not need to know any of the games to play in the GCBGB but knowing them would give you a strategic advantage. The rules for each game will be explained before starting, if needed, and any rules questions during the game will be answered. Where is Hugin & Munin? Hugin & Munin is located at 1664 Tecumseh Rd. E. Windsor. I'd like to thank Hugin & Munin for their generosity in letting us use their store for this event. Please take the time to visit their web site, linked above. Normally we hold these at game conventions, which means it costs at least the entrance to the con. This one is entirely free! How do I sign up to participate in the tournament? Sign-ups are strongly encouraged to guarantee your spot. To reserve a spot, RSVP using the Facebook Event or by sending an email to info@gcbgb.ca. Did I mention it's free.. and the venue is air-conditioned? Hope to see you in Windsor!
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Post by sharky6000 on Jul 26, 2010 12:06:17 GMT -5
Hello everyone, It's getting very close to August, which means two things... dead summer heat/humidity... and.. the first Windsor Board Game Blitz!! I just wanted to send you a quick update. We're preparing the game list for the event. It isn't finalized yet, but will look very similar to the one we used in Ottawa at CanGames. Also, we've put up a video that depicts the experience of the tournament. If you haven't seen it please click on the web site link above. I like to think of the blitz as a structured open gaming event. So it will be fun and mostly casual, although there will of course be some competitive spirit!
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Post by lichemaster on Jul 26, 2010 12:16:15 GMT -5
I do not know how to play any of these games but will stop by to watch the fun and see what the turn out is like.
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Post by sharky6000 on Jul 27, 2010 13:06:13 GMT -5
Oh.. that reminds me. I should have made one thing more clear. You're not expected to know how to play any of these games (of course knowing them gives you an advantage). We'll teach everything to you if need be. So, you can use the GCBGB as a way to learn new games. That's what I did the first time I played at KingCon 2009. Since it's free, you have nothing to lose
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Post by sharky6000 on Aug 1, 2010 11:30:58 GMT -5
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Aug 2, 2010 8:59:13 GMT -5
Some questions I have been hearing from local gamers:
How do you know what game will be played? I know some people that love some of the games on the list and hate others. Is there anything in place to make sure people end up playing games they at least like to play or want to play, vs. being forced to play a game they hate?
Are the tables set. If I sit down to play the first round with 4 other gamers, will I be playing with those same 4 gamers all day or will there be some seat swapping?
I have noticed on some of the other event listings that some players only played in some rounds and missed others. Is this an option? If someone can't dedicate an entire day to this are they welcome to play for part of the day?'
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Post by sharky6000 on Aug 2, 2010 10:11:37 GMT -5
Ok, I'll answer all these here. I will echo these answers and post other discussion points on the discussion page of the GCBGB Facebook group. Also: I encourage anybody who has questions to either post here, on the event's Facebook follow-ups, or email info@gcbgb.ca. That way we can answer you directly, rather than having to go through Moe (to reduce any chance of miscommunication). A1: there's nothing in place to make sure you don't end up in a game you hate, unfortunately, but it is unlikely to happen. There is an order that players choose the games. In the first round, this is completely random. Subsequent rounds it goes by cumulative points earned with random tie-breaking. From top to bottom in the order, players choose a game to play. We assume 3-5 players per game.. so the number of games to be played in a round depends on how many are in the tournament. The first few people choose games from the list. We stop adding new games when the number of players fits into that number of games. So, the top players determine which games are being played.. but if there are a lot of players then this is not a problem because they will likely all be played. Then, one-by-one players choose a game. When the game is full, we disallow it from being chosen. In practice, it's been rare (only one round) out of 8 tournaments that someone had to play something they really didn't like. A2: No. Based on the answer to Q1, you can tell that you'll probably end up playing with different players each round. Specifically, you'll be playing with other players that enjoy the same games as you do. It all depends on the way players select the game they want, and the order based on cumulative points. A3: Yes, this is fine. But, it's quite detrimental. If you come in late, you'll start at 0 points. That means you'll automatically have the worst selection power among everyone else who's been playing, and it seriously lowers your chances of winning. We're also OK if you'd like to leave early, but again by doing so, you're essentially disqualifying yourself from the prizes. (If you miss a round, but still stay until the end, then you can still win the prizes.)
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Post by sharky6000 on Aug 3, 2010 1:53:08 GMT -5
Hello everyone.
There was an error on the game list. It has been updated. Some slight changes to rounds have been made due to expected durations based on past data (no games have been removed. One game was added to account for the error: Stone Age). My apologies. Please reload the link above.
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Aug 9, 2010 8:31:23 GMT -5
Just a quick bump! The Great Canadian Boardgame Blitz Windsor Championship is less then a week away! A full day of boardgaming at no cost! We've got over 10 players pre-registered already and would love to see more! Reply here, on the facebook event or in email to info@gcbgb.ca to reserve your spot. Prizes for top players including tickets to FanExpo in Toronto ($60 value), where you can play in the Canandian Championships! See you all Saturday!
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Aug 15, 2010 0:13:49 GMT -5
Well I think we can call that one a success. We didn't really get the turn out I had hoped for but we still did better then we could have. The important part is that I think most people had a really great time!
Games played: Bohnanza Ingenious San Juan Modern Art Citadels Dominion Ticket To Ride Ticket to Ride: Europe Amun-Re Puerto Rico Settlers of Catan Small World Alhambra Blue Moon City Ra Medici Agricoloa El Grande Steam Tigris & Euphrates
2 Spots awarded to WGR memebers! Congratulations to the Winners:
Grand Prize: Alex Beldan Second Place: Jamie Shepherd. Third Place: Sara VanderWal
Yours Truly came in 4th.
Any comments or suggestions from those who attended? Anyone who didn't go could you tell us why?
I'm hoping to turn this into a yearly event and would welcome any feedback.
EDIT: sorry with the Tie for second I messed up the results of the tie breaker. Jamie was 2nd and Sara 3rd.
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Post by PandoraGreen on Aug 15, 2010 7:19:59 GMT -5
Sort of wrong, Alex placed first and Jamie Shepherd and Sara Vanderwal tied for second. The official scoring has been posted here: www.gcbgb.ca/windsor2010/windsor2010-results.txtWhile 14 people isn't a bad showing, I was really surprised more people didn't make it out. Free event, all day gaming, chance to WIN PRIZES... seems like a must attend sort of thing to me. I'm curious if the length of the event (10am to 8pm) turned people off from attending? If it had been one round shorter would YOU have been there? Also, people seemed to have missed the fact that there were prizes to be one. Gift certificates for H&M were given out in $45, $25 and $15 denominations as well as a pass to the Fan Expo in Toronto ($60 value).
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Post by PandoraGreen on Aug 15, 2010 7:59:55 GMT -5
Also, I think this event would be better if it were a qualifier. I think next year Marc should plan it so that the regional events are qualifiers for the national event, to take place at the Fan Expo. I think the national event would have to have a larger prize as additional enticement. Of course there is always the prestige of being able to say you are the best board game player in Canada! ;D I believe it was mentioned that they were intending to move to a pay format next year, in which case setting something aside for a grand prize shouldn't be a problem.
Additionally I think there should be some rules in effect that if you have won a prize in a previous event you are barred from winning further gift certificates. And of course each person could only qualify for one free pass and one seat at the National level. Though technically if you placed second or third at a regional event you could still play at another hoping to place first and gain a spot in the finals, you'd have to pass on the gift certificate/prize portion. And if you have already placed first at a regional event, you would be barred from taking part in any further regionals.
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Post by wiltchamberlain on Aug 16, 2010 12:33:48 GMT -5
I think the issue with it being a qualifier is that there would need to be 20+ tournaments (I don't think there is that many now). Then you would have to count on all those winners actually attending the final or it would be very small. I think the prize would have to be significant enough to entice people to travel for the finals.
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Post by PandoraGreen on Aug 18, 2010 9:35:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I see your point. I'm thinking First place gets a seat at the nationals and a free pass, Second place gets a seat at the national but no free pass. And yes, the overall grand prize would have to be something substantial in order to entice people to travel to the finals.
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Aug 29, 2010 21:52:16 GMT -5
Here's the list of winners from the Finals up in Toronto. I still think Alex would have taken the gold if only he didn't have to go on his honeymoon. What kind of gamer skips a chance to win.....
Final results:
1st place - Nick Page (ranked 1st place in all five games played!) 2nd place - Chris Bird 3rd place - Gord Spence
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Post by eldritch on Aug 31, 2010 16:34:29 GMT -5
My priorities are clearly out of whack. I would point out, however, that we *did* go to Carcassonne, so gaming was still had.
Someone got 1st in all his games, though... that's really impressive. Kind of scary.
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