Call me crazy, but I actually think this is a step in the right direction. If nothing else, it encourages serious players to seek out the highest level of competition (and not sandbag). I talked with Will Anderson and Andrew Friedman about this for a while on the ride home to Albany. The truth is, some (most?) players don't really care about the high levels of competition, and just want to have fun and maybe win a bit of money. The lower division allows people to do that. Other players want to play at the top level for a big prize and glory, and the money division allows them to do that. ISN'T THAT WHY THEY'RE CALLED THE FUN AND MONEY DIVISONS?????
That being said... 10 class prizes is quite lolworthy.
No, I'm fine with a "fun" division not having a strictly merit-based prize distribution system, but I disagree that higher-rated players playing in the "fun" division must necessarily be sandbagging and therefore have to be discouraged from doing so. Is there a law that says once your rating passes a certain level, you have to stop having fun? If you don't want higher-rated players in your fun division, put a ratings cap on it, no need to mess around with bizarro incentive structures like this. (and, incidentally, if you're going to structure your prizes in such an unconventional way, you may not be strictly obligated to disclose that well before most of your players have signed up, but it seems like the good thing to do.)
Also, I think that if you're going to have a "fun" division that has an unconventional prize structure, you probably don't need $2000 worth of performance prizes in that structure. Half that money or less would work fine.
From the flyer (which made it clear from the beginning that 40% of the participants in the Fun division would cash), I gathered that the prize payout would have little or nothing to do with tournament results, but things like high game, high word, prettiest tile bag, etc.
10-15 performance prizes isn't that far off, but presumably if you're playing for fun you don't care how the money is distributed.
Comments 14
Reply
That being said... 10 class prizes is quite lolworthy.
Reply
you crazy
No, I'm fine with a "fun" division not having a strictly merit-based prize distribution system, but I disagree that higher-rated players playing in the "fun" division must necessarily be sandbagging and therefore have to be discouraged from doing so. Is there a law that says once your rating passes a certain level, you have to stop having fun? If you don't want higher-rated players in your fun division, put a ratings cap on it, no need to mess around with bizarro incentive structures like this. (and, incidentally, if you're going to structure your prizes in such an unconventional way, you may not be strictly obligated to disclose that well before most of your players have signed up, but it seems like the good thing to do.)
Also, I think that if you're going to have a "fun" division that has an unconventional prize structure, you probably don't need $2000 worth of performance prizes in that structure. Half that money or less would work fine.
10 class prizes is quite lolworthy.
15!
Reply
Reply
10-15 performance prizes isn't that far off, but presumably if you're playing for fun you don't care how the money is distributed.
Reply
Leave a comment