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First off, you need to have somewhere
to hold your event. A good place to start
is your local retailer - you'll get a
place to play (you did check to see if
there were tables, didn't you?), free
word-of-mouth advertising, and someone
to provide you with the Enhanced Premiere
product that you'll need. See if you can
get a discount for the event as cost is
always an issue for Sealed Deck tournaments.
If your local retailer hasn't got playing
space, see if a local library, school,
or college has a room that you can use
to run your event.
Now you need to set a date and time.
To me, one of the coolest things about
Warp Speed is that you only need about
2-3 hours to run an event (including prep
time) and this opens up a lot of options.
Try a Friday evening so that people can
unwind after a tedious week in the treacle
mines. Work with your local Star Wars
CCG or Young Jedi comrades in arms and
schedule your event in conjunction with
them - that way you'll get a great chance
for cross-promotion. Perhaps this format's
greatest boon is its possible use as an
adjunct to a demo in a new location -
show people the rudiments of Star Trek
CCG and then run your Warp Speed tournament.
It's as good a way to kick-start the game
as I can think of.
As for the date, the usual advice about
not clashing with major holidays, Homecoming,
and the like still applies. Oh yes, and
do not run a tournament on your
wedding anniversary or other half's birthday!
Trust me on this one.
Advertise your event widely: post flyers
in your local store, email your local
players and other volunteers in the surrounding
area. Watch the online Star Trek CCG boards
(and related sites) - sometimes you'll
find a new player who has moved into the
region and is looking for a new place
to play.
On the day of the event..., arrive early
and make sure that everything is ready
for the tournament.
Some of the things to take to the event
(many
found here on site) include:
• PADDs (and pens) if you're using
them, and a computer and Decipher's
tournament management software.
• A timer - one of these is wonderful,
or use a watch with a second hand.
A copy of the rules....
• The latest Glossary
and Current Rulings, including Major
Rakal's Dilemma Resolution Guide. One
of the great things about Warp Speed
is that the pool of cards (and associated
questions!) is limited, but you never
know when these reference documents
are going to come in handy.
• A camera to capture the happy winner
in print or electrons for Decipher and
Scrye.
• Your good humor - let's have fun, eh?
You have your players and you have your
EPs (face down, no peeking!) and you're
ready to roll. Right? Not quite.
Take a few minutes and run through the
Warp Speed format - new players will need
a quick overview to get themselves sorted
and it'll pay dividends to point out the
critical differences between Warp Speed
and the "usual" Star Trek CCG rules for
the initiate. Explain how many 30-minute
rounds you'll run, whether you'll break
for food, and how the scoring will work.
Make sure everyone knows to ask you rules
questions and not to play on or take their
opponents' word for it. You can't go back
and correct mistakes afterwards. Other
matters to cover could be counting seed
cards and draw decks before and after
rounds and moving away from the playing
area between rounds to avoid inadvertent
"scoping." This sounds like a grim list,
but it'll only take a few minutes and
can avoid possible issues later.
Now pair your players with the cards
and let the real fun begin! Be on hand
to answer any questions through this 30
minutes - move around and make sure that
your new players are comfortable. Give
people ten and five minute warnings and
use this time to sort out the first pairings.
Then pair everyone off, hit the timer,
and LET'S DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT!!!
While the tournament is underway, make
yourself available to answer any questions
that spring up, but remember that you
can't interfere with a game unless called
upon. If you're stumped with a question,
look carefully in the Rules or Glossary
for enlightenment, but be sure to keep
the game moving - 30 minutes pass really
quickly!
When the event's over, thank everyone
for turning up and making for a good time.
Hand out the prizes (it's always a nice
touch if you can reward new players) and
photograph the deserving winner. Touch
base with the store owner and make sure
that they are happy and would be glad
to see you back. Then go home, indulge
yourself in the refreshing beverage of
your choice (ahem), and then email the
tournament results to Decipher while the
event is still fresh in your mind. Then
go back to the top of the page and start
all over again!
Neil Kirby
Veridian III Ambassador
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