Important Changes to Tournament Prize Support

Hello everyone. I am Sean Smallman, tournament coordinator for Decipher. With the Star Wars Customizable Card Game tournament scene continuing to increase, and with the explosive growth of the Star Trek Customizable Car Game tournament scene, we are going to have to make some changes to our tournament support. Although this may mean a temporary reduction in availability of prizes, the longer term result will be a much more effective and efficient rating system.

The provision of prize support to every sanctioned tournament world-wide is an enormous undertaking for Decipher. It is also a big drain on resources that could be used in other more effective ways.

One of the problems we have encountered during this growth period is an increase in the amount of prize support sent to tournaments that either do not occur, or where only a few people show up and sanctioning is no longer possible. This causes over a hundred packages a month to be sent out, without results coming back in return. Where previously we had considered this to be a cost of getting the program started, we can no longer accept this with the large number of events currently being held.
In order to be more effective in our support, and to ultimately enhance Decipher tournaments world-wide, the following changes are being made, effective immediately, for all tournaments in the USA and Canada. For now, only the USA and Canada are affected by this change in policy. Other areas will continue to use the 4-week advance notice system.

1) Beginning Thursday, November 26, we will no longer send out prize support in advance. Instead, we will be switching to a system based on rewarding tournaments that were run successfully.

2) With this system we will consider a tournament to be run successfully when we receive the results and are able to incorporate them into our ratings system. We will then send the director a prize support package that will be useable for a future sanctioned tournament. This way, all directors that are meeting the minimum requirements for sanctioning at their tournaments will begin to receive prize support for future events. You will not have to post tournaments by the 4 week deadline anymore, but we still recommend that you post your events well in advance, to increase exposure to your community of players. You will still have to post them at least a week in advance to have them sanctioned.

3) We will begin to send out prize support packages to directors who send in sanctioned results for tournaments held on November 1st or later. This will provide an overlap of 25 days. However, there will be some tournaments in the overlap time which will not be covered. I apologize in advance if this happens. Since future prize support will come only as a result of previous successful tournaments, you will want to get those results to us in a timely fashion.

4) Only tournaments meeting the sanctioned requirements will be allowed to use Decipher prize support. If less than 8 legitimate players participate, or if less than the minimum required number of rounds are run by the director, no prize support will be sent to replace your supply.

We expect this new system to help us to avoid the waste of valuable resources, and also to encourage the return of results. The ratings system will ultimately benefit.

To summarize

After November 26, prize support will only be sent to a director when results are received from him or her. No results, no prizes. Not sanctionable, no prizes. Not enough players showed up, no prizes. This also means that if we cannot read the results, or the date and director's name are not included, no prizes.

Posting deadlines will only affect sanctioning, not prize support, but plan ahead. The earlier you post your event, the better chance people will know about it.

If you have posted a tournament in November, check carefully. Tournaments scheduled after the 26th will not be sent any prize support. Prizes will be sent for received results, beginning in the month of November. Most tournaments in the second half of November may therefore miss out on prize support. If you have any left over from previous events, this would be a good time to use it.

New directors running their first event in November will not receive prize support in advance. They will receive their first package when they turn in their first set of sanctioned results.

Conclusion

These changes will allow us to improve our overall scheme. They will allow us to send valuable prize support to those directors running effective tournaments.

If we run special events, such as a Beginners Month, or a Scenario month, we will still send out special prizes in advance. We will announce these as and when they happen. Occasionally we may also highlight a specific format, such as OTSD, and send advance prizes out to those.

However, the fundamental principle will be as follows: send in good results, and get a prize package to use for a future event.

For now, only the USA and Canada are affected by this change in policy. Other areas will continue to use the 4-week advance notice system.

By: Sean Smallman
Tournaments Coordinator(tournaments@decipher.com)
date: 29 October 1998 (updated 30 October 1998)