[Deptheads] Broadside Bash - Bashed

[Eric M. Aldrich I]

We have not signed on for next year with the broadside bash.

As to the hotel, we need to utilize the space we have better.

Call me tonight and we can go over this. Do you have any idea what  
deal they'd want to run the events?

Eric

On 10 Mar, 2009, at 20:24, Robyn Nixon wrote:

> Part of the things complained about was table height (wanted higher  
> tables rather than risers) and that lack of space in the gaming rooms.
>
> Risers – generally what has been requested in the past to allow  
> players to better reach across gaming tables.
>
> Gaming space (how many tables that were in the rooms).  Broadside  
> bash people gave us false numbers the days of the event when we were  
> setting up.  Over estimating by 30% on both Fantasy and 40k  
> tournaments.  Fortunately we aren’t charged per table, but this did  
> make up short of risers that we wanted to use in the upstairs.  This  
> also caused us to move the FOW tournament upstairs and caused major  
> consternation on how and where to place the FOW tournament (which  
> did accurately tell us how many people they had).  Accurate numbers  
> would have allowed us to accurately utilize the three rooms  
> downstairs for all three events, and left the upstairs room for the  
> LARPERs on Friday/Saturday nights.
>
> We are getting tarred badly for the organizational  setup of this  
> event.
>
> Have we signed on again for next year yet?
>
> Eric, I’ve tried also talking to you regarding feedback that we have  
> gotten from the GW Socal league guys (Mike Garner), calling you  
> repeatedly.
> As I told you, he has given us an ultimatum (which I despise from  
> anyone) to dump the Pacific Marauders, and take up a 2 year, all  
> conventions contract with the GW Socal folks to run RTTs and  
> Megaevents (at a minimum) for the next two years.  I have brought  
> this to your attention and tried to get you to sit down with the  
> this last fall.  I know that convention times are busy.
>
> Now the GW Socal folks just ran an Indi GT event also this past  
> weekend and here is the review
> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/232635.page
>
> Basic gist of the review:
>>> Didn't know if I should put it in News or Discussions but since  
>>> it's a review of a GT I decided to put it here. If this isn't the  
>>> right spot please mods move it to discussions.
>>>
>>> So I have to say that after the Broadside Bash (Blackmoor and I  
>>> posted our horrible experiences a week or two ago for it) my hopes  
>>> weren't very high for the next Indy GT. I don't know if I'm gonna  
>>> make to more than 1 other GT this year so to get my points for  
>>> this years circuit I had to attend. It was also being run by a  
>>> league I used to parcipate in and am planning to do so again so I  
>>> figured what the hell, i'd give it a shot.
>>>
>>> That being said, holy hell! This tournement was absolutely  
>>> awesome. Probably the best event that i've participated in in  
>>> year, possibly ever. There only 31 attendees due to the short  
>>> notice and lack of advertising (something they are already fixing  
>>> for next year) but it seemed bigger.
>
> So which way are we going with this?
>
> The local Privateer Press volunteers are also making a play for  
> another convention here in Southern California:
>>> http://forums.gamesonthego.net/index.php?showtopic=2203&pid=11025&st=0&#entry11025
>
> Gotta say the LAX hotel situation is killing our miniatures
>
> Robyn
>
>
> On 3/10/09 7:58 PM, "Robyn Nixon" <robynln at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> One of the few reviews I've seen  on third party sites:
>>
>> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/231779.page
>>
>>>> The whole tournament from top to bottom was a disaster.
>>>>
>>>> It took place two weeks ago and no one has talked about the  
>>>> Broadside Bash which is the second event in the GW tournament  
>>>> circuit, including GW. Maybe it is like a prison rape where no  
>>>> one talks about it afterwards. So I thought I would post my  
>>>> thoughts on the event.
>>>>
>>>> Where to start? In no order…
>>>>
>>>> #1. Two hour rounds.
>>>> Really? 2 hour games for a 2000 point tournament? My games barely  
>>>> made it to round #5, and I place and play my army pretty fast. In  
>>>> round #3, I played against an Ultramarine army that held his  
>>>> whole army in reserve till the bottom of turn #2 and we still  
>>>> only got in 2 turns. Smart_Alex brought horde orks, and he only  
>>>> got in 3 turns for the most part. For the GW GTs they give you  
>>>> 2.5 hours for 1750 points and even then it is dicey for some  
>>>> armies.
>>>>
>>>> #2. The tables
>>>> The tables were on knee level. I am 6’4” and trying to check  
>>>> “true-line-of-sight” was a major pain. Not only that, but to bend  
>>>> over and move your models was an issue. The tables were so low  
>>>> that you could not slide your chair under the table and you had  
>>>> to sit sideways because there was no room in the isles. Between  
>>>> sitting and turning sideways to see the table, bending over to  
>>>> move models, and bending way down to check LOS, my back was  
>>>> killing me after day one. I should have listened to it when it  
>>>> told me to stay home on day 2.
>>>>
>>>> #3. The crowding
>>>> The tables were packed in like sardines. There was no room to  
>>>> move, or to get by anyone. If you had a table that was against  
>>>> the wall, the person who had his back to the wall could not move.  
>>>> The irony is that there were over 30 40k players in a smaller  
>>>> room, and 14 fantasy players in a larger room. At least they  
>>>> could have done is move some of the 40k player to the fantasy room.
>>>>
>>>> #4. The orginizers
>>>> They have a web page that was never updated. The link to their  
>>>> forum takes you to the 2008 broadside bash forum instead of the  
>>>> 2009 forum. Not that it would do you any good because the  
>>>> organizers never answered questions there. Also most of the links  
>>>> on the web page just said “coming soon”.
>>>>
>>>> #5. Orginizers part 2
>>>> There was an armored company list there. Really? Armored company?  
>>>> All of the non-codex lists are banned from any event where the  
>>>> orginizers know what they are doing. The reason why is that none  
>>>> of the other lists have been updated to make them 5th edition  
>>>> compatible. I ended up in an argument with some people that were  
>>>> there saying that all of the sub-lists were legal.
>>>>
>>>> #6. Orginizers #3.
>>>> The initial pairings where done by comp score. Good luck finding  
>>>> what your comp score was, or how it was derived.
>>>>
>>>> Russ B. did end up with a well deserved win with his well painted  
>>>> Black Templar army. I will post my bat rep of our game in the  
>>>> next day or two.
>>>>
>>>> All-in-all it was a waste to pay $65 and to drive 6 hours for  
>>>> that level of professionalism. I expected more and I was very  
>>>> disappointed. All I can do is vote with my wallet and not show up  
>>>> next year.
>>>>
>> 2nd review:
>>>>
>>>> Well i've been saying the same thing over in our battle report  
>>>> that you wrote up. Couple of my issues
>>>>
>>>> 1) I'm pretty sure they called one game in 1 hour 45 minutes
>>>>
>>>> 2) Seconding communication. It's been 2 weeks and the results  
>>>> still aren't on their website.
>>>>
>>>> 3) They don't answer email or in person questions in any  
>>>> reasonable form. It was like pulling teeth for Allan and I to get  
>>>> our comp scores and even then they just shrugged off the  
>>>> ridiculous scores we got.
>>>>
>>>> 4) There were only 31 people in the 40k tournement. Way to small  
>>>> which shows that not updating your site or responding to  
>>>> questions probably seriously hampered attendance.
>>>>
>>>> 5) The organizers failed to mention that the parking structure  
>>>> was under construction and that we would have to park at least a  
>>>> block away (the distance wasn't a big deal, it was the fact that  
>>>> you didn't know about it till you pulled up)
>>>>
>>>> 6) Nothing, and I mean nothing, started at the time it was  
>>>> scheduled. This is probably the reason they kept cutting every  
>>>> round short.
>>>>
>>>> 7) The tables made my back hurt and i only weigh about 190 and  
>>>> 5'8". I felt bad for guys like Allan and my buddy who is also  
>>>> 6'4" who had to bend and contort to see. What's worse is with a  
>>>> little bit of work those tables raise up easily. My buddy uses  
>>>> them for work all the time.
>>>>
>>>> 8) The tank company thing was ridiculous. They let him play since  
>>>> he drove from modesto but really there are rules for a reason.
>>>>
>>>> 9) Second the cramped quarters, apparently the hotel had booked a  
>>>> second convention for the same weekend (at least that's what I  
>>>> heard from a retailer there)
>>>>
>>>> 10) They weren't consistant on the scoring rules. They handed out  
>>>> the GT scenarios which had a set scoring but then "announced"  
>>>> that it was only 7-10-15 scores with bonuses possible. By  
>>>> annouced I mean attempted to yell it in a hall packed with 30  
>>>> guys all trying to set up armies for their first game.
>>>>
>>>> 11) I really felt bad for the fantasy guys who had like 15 people  
>>>> show up to play in the tourney.
>>>>
>>>> 12) Basically it's a tournement that unless they make huge  
>>>> strides next year that I don't think will be around. Good thing  
>>>> the SCGWL is running one for us too.
>>>>
>>>> I was horribly irritated at the professionalism.
>>>>
>>>>
>> Guys this isn’t good.
>>
>> Dakkadakka is a widely read site for 40k/GW players!!
>>
>> Robyn
>>
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