Gathering of Friends 4

It's that time again - it's been over a year since our last Gathering of Friends. We've had three GOF events, and they've been great fun. The GOF events have featured:

1. Tournament-style play with a prize
2. Diversity of players
3. Variety of gameplay types
4. Large numbers of players

With spring only 2 months away, Saturday March 4th looks like perhaps a good time for our gathering?

My thoughts about the GOF4 format revolve around the same 4 points as usual, but I have been tinkering with the following idea:

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GATHERING OF FRIENDS FOUR ~ Tournament Rules

1. GOF4 will be a tournament format, with players playing a series of games in different categories, and scoring points for wins and in some cases second or third place. At the end of the evening, points are totaled, and the player with the highest total wins a prize!

2. Game session will begin at 1 o'clock on Saturday, and the latest games can be started will be at 8 o'clock (with finish time 10:30pm at the latest).

3. Twenty or so games will be available to play, in 3 different categories. Categories are based on number of players, for example 2-player games, 3-player games, etc.

Players must play at least three total games to qualify for prize, with one game played from each of three categories:
a. One 2-player game
b. One 3-player game
c. One 4 or 5 player game

4. Players will be awarded points based on their finishing position in each game played.
a. For winning a 2-player game, 4 points will be awarded.
b. For winning a 3-player game, 9 points will be awarded, with 3 points for second place.
c. For winning a 4-player game, 16 points will be awarded, with 6 points for second place, 1 point for third place.
d. For winning a 5-player game, 25 points will be awarded, with 9 points for second place, 3 points for third place, 1 point for fourth place.

5. Tiebreaker - at the end of the evening, in case of a tie, it will be broken by: total number of wins, then total number of games played, then total number of players defeated.

6. Players may play a maximum number of games in each category:
a. No more than four 2-player games, no more than 2 against the same opponent
b. No more than two 3-player games, if possible with different opponents
c. No more than two 4 or 5-player games

Players may play as many total games as they wish, but are required to play at least one game from each of the three main categories. For example, a player may choose to play 4 two-player games (e.g. Chess twice, Stratego once, Twixt once), 1 three player game (e.g. Settlers), and one five-player game (e.g. Risk 2210).

7. Matchmaking:
The spirit of the matching process will be to create games with equal skill levels whenever possible. This will insure a fair process for generating points, and will also better determine a champion by generally making winners play winners (similar to a "swiss" matching system in competitive chess play).
a. The first game of the day will generally be a 2-player game. Winners from these games will be matched in their second game in a 3 or 4-player game, and winners from these games will be matched in their third game in a 4 or 5-player game. Open positions in these games if there are not enough winners available will generally be 2nd place players if possible.
b. Non-winners will have the choice to play another 2-player or 3-player game for their second game, will graduate to a game with more players immediately after their first win (if possible).
c. In general players will be matched whenever possible against opponents that they have not played against during the first three rounds. Later rounds, players will be matched based on point totals to ensure a higher level of competition and equal play.

8. The maximum possible points scored would be:
Four wins in 2-player matches (4x4):16 pts
Two wins in 3-player matches (2x9):18 pts
Two wins in 4-player matches (2x16): 32
Total points possible: 66
Time required to play 8 games, approximately 9 hours (assuming times listed below, plus four 15-minute breaks).

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Here are the games I have been thinking of for the categories, and average game time. Please leave comments about your thoughts on these titles!

2-player games
1. Fischerandom Chess, 10-minute timer, 30 min
2. Stratego, 30 min
3. Computer Baseball, 30 min
4. Twixt, 30 min
5. Lost Cities, 30 min
6. Pente, 30 min (Mike S. will need you to bring this)

3-player games
1. Carcassone, 60 min
2. San Juan, 45 min
3. Mississippi Queen, 45 min
4. Alhambra, 60 min
5. Metro, 45 min
6. Cartagena, 45 min
7. Through the Desert, 60 min

4-player games
1. Settlers of Catan, 120 min (Mike S. and Doug: will need your copies)
2. Puerto Rico, 120 min
3. Acquire, 120 min
4. Nexus Ops, 120 min
5. Ticket to Ride, 90 min

5-player games (optional, instead of 4-player)
1. Castle Risk, 120 minutes+
2. Risk, 120 minutes+
4. Power Grid, 120 minutes (Kevin's or Doug's copy)
3. Risk 2210, 240 minutes (Kevin's copy)
5. Shogun, 240 minutes

Thoughts?