Should I do it?
It's been a hot topic for a while, but I can't seem to stop thinking about it right now: Should I switch to Collins? I've been pretty opposed to the idea for a while, but I can think of several reasons to.
Pros:
I'll be able to relate to games played in the rest of the world. For right now, I feel like I just shouldn't look at games played elsewhere, I see OO on a board and I'm just like "oh, Collins, don't look or you might remember some of the # words". I think it'd be cool to be able to look at this cool picture of Nigel without having to ched if UREDOSORI# is ours or theirs.
I'll be less angry about "words" not being valid. I'm sure stuff like FEEDINGS and NITROXYL are good in Collins.
I think Texas has the potential to be a very strong place in the Collins movement. Look at our experts: Geoff (Collins player), Cree (sometimes plays Collins, almost certainly familiar enough to play Collins tourneys), Orry (I don't know about his Collins practice, but he's young enough to make the switch pretty unfazed), Ben Withers (Collins player)... I don't know how Darrell or Pat Barrett will react to the change, although if Darrell finds himself as the only expert who finds himself at a tourney to play TWL, he'd probably start thinking pretty hard too. I don't think he'd enjoy beating up on 1500s and finishing 11-1 +1300. Well, maybe he would, but its novelty would wear off quickly.
...Anyway, Texas has such a small concentration of "experts" that it's certainly possible that ALL of them switch. And then what? Hold Collins/TWL tournaments per usual, and have the top-rated playing D1 as a 1600, when all the 1700+ players play Collins? Which division would be the "top" division then? Would other states or regions follow suit? Would it MATTER if other states or regions followed suit? We'd all be playing Collins here, aside from big tourneys like nationals, we really wouldn't even notice the change.
But the most important pro: It could be fun!
Cons:
I'd have to learn a lot more words.
It'd take some getting used to, and I'd probably get trounced by Geoff and Becky for a while as I pick up the words.
This could all blow up in my face, the Collins movement never takes off, and maybe I start confusing the words.
I'd alienate my friends who still play TWL. Note that I have no intentions to play BOTH dictionaries. I want to play one or the other. So my friends on ISC who want to play me TWL wouldn't be able to.
I'd be stuck playing tiny divisions at the 1-days, and probably at most tourneys for a while.
___
This may be a little conceited, maybe I think my decision has too much importance. But really, if I switch, it's possible that a lot more people switch... or it's possible that nothing changes and I just become a disgruntled Collins STEE and turn into a pretentious douchebag who tells everyone "my dictionary is better".
Hmmmm....
Pros:
I'll be able to relate to games played in the rest of the world. For right now, I feel like I just shouldn't look at games played elsewhere, I see OO on a board and I'm just like "oh, Collins, don't look or you might remember some of the # words". I think it'd be cool to be able to look at this cool picture of Nigel without having to ched if UREDOSORI# is ours or theirs.
I'll be less angry about "words" not being valid. I'm sure stuff like FEEDINGS and NITROXYL are good in Collins.
I think Texas has the potential to be a very strong place in the Collins movement. Look at our experts: Geoff (Collins player), Cree (sometimes plays Collins, almost certainly familiar enough to play Collins tourneys), Orry (I don't know about his Collins practice, but he's young enough to make the switch pretty unfazed), Ben Withers (Collins player)... I don't know how Darrell or Pat Barrett will react to the change, although if Darrell finds himself as the only expert who finds himself at a tourney to play TWL, he'd probably start thinking pretty hard too. I don't think he'd enjoy beating up on 1500s and finishing 11-1 +1300. Well, maybe he would, but its novelty would wear off quickly.
...Anyway, Texas has such a small concentration of "experts" that it's certainly possible that ALL of them switch. And then what? Hold Collins/TWL tournaments per usual, and have the top-rated playing D1 as a 1600, when all the 1700+ players play Collins? Which division would be the "top" division then? Would other states or regions follow suit? Would it MATTER if other states or regions followed suit? We'd all be playing Collins here, aside from big tourneys like nationals, we really wouldn't even notice the change.
But the most important pro: It could be fun!
Cons:
I'd have to learn a lot more words.
It'd take some getting used to, and I'd probably get trounced by Geoff and Becky for a while as I pick up the words.
This could all blow up in my face, the Collins movement never takes off, and maybe I start confusing the words.
I'd alienate my friends who still play TWL. Note that I have no intentions to play BOTH dictionaries. I want to play one or the other. So my friends on ISC who want to play me TWL wouldn't be able to.
I'd be stuck playing tiny divisions at the 1-days, and probably at most tourneys for a while.
___
This may be a little conceited, maybe I think my decision has too much importance. But really, if I switch, it's possible that a lot more people switch... or it's possible that nothing changes and I just become a disgruntled Collins STEE and turn into a pretentious douchebag who tells everyone "my dictionary is better".
Hmmmm....