The Softer Side of the NOVA Open - Importance of Soft Scores / Rewards, Presence of Them @ the Open

It's important to note our feelings about SOFT SCORES amidst all of this discussion about primer stress test tourneys, and evaluating the balance/importance of KP vs VP, etc.



So, what's the dealio ...

Well, first off, let's highlight a key difference between the "average" GT format, and the format we're using, in terms of play.

"Average" GT:
3-5 Rounds, Ties Permitted, Numerous "we won all our games" finishers at the top of the rankings after a few rounds
1 "Best Overall" award combining battle points, record, appearance, sports, etc. (this almost never goes to a person who loses any games)
1 "Best General" award going to the 2nd place finisher, and/or the top battle points (unless the best overall won that also)

Typically, your odds of winning "Best Overall" (the part that includes soft scores most often) is going to be about 60-70% based upon your GAMING, and the rest split between sportsmanship and appearance scores. To take, for example, Adepticon ...
59% Battle Points (how well you game)
6% Rules Knowledge (how well you KNOW the game)
16% Sportsmanship (your quality as a person in the eyes of your opponent, presumably)
19% Appearance (self-explanatory)

So that's 65% gaming, 16% sports, 19% appearance

This almost guarantees that a "3-0" finisher in this 3-round tournament as example is going to win the overall. There will be "soft" prizes only, such as best painted and players' choice, for those folks, but they can't win a Golden Ticket to Vegas unless they're also hardcore competitors with "I can win every game" lists. Hmmm ... OK, hey I have no beef.

HOWEVER, to help highlight the fact that we are not a "Hardcore Competitive" tourney but simply one that renders a more "Separate But Equal" view at the game vs. hobby side of things, here's how our scoring works ...

33% Rating (this is a score combining record + % of goals scored per round, basically battle points)
33% Sportsmanship
33% Appearance

So, 33% gaming, 67% soft

We don't call this "Best Overall." We call it the "Renaissance Man."

Well, OK Mike you throw one bone to the soft crowd, what about the fact that you give FOUR awards to the 4-0 finishers?

We also give 4 awards to the hobbyists: best converted, best painted, players' choice army, best sportsmanship


What we do to differentiate things is keep the competitive side separate from the soft side where possible. The 2nd Vegas Ticket, for Tournament Champion, will not go to the guy who scored higher on a quiz, or whose opponents loved him more (while beating them), but to the single guy who finishes the tournament undefeated.

Does this work for you softer fans? For you harder fans? Is the equal acknowledgment of the softer side of the hobby critical in a GT setting? Is it not?

Next up is a discussion of how we're planning on scoring sportsmanship ... yet again different from what is "normal," and another thing I'll look for input on.