Things learned at GOF 4

We had a lot of fun at our last Gathering of Friends, and in letting time pass a bit I've had a chance to reflect on what went really well at our event, and what could be improved...

What went well
I've written before about diversity in the types of gamers, and it continues to be a strong point in these events. There are several reasons, perhaps most of all that new players are required to keep the boardgame culture going! People move away, get married, get new jobs, and otherwise become too busy to attend, and recruiting new folks is necessary to account for attrition.

Another reason to have a variety of gamer types in some of your events is to make sure that families are included. They form the support group, and nothing really gets done on a regular basis if they're not included. It is also good because friends find opportunities to socialize differently than their normal routine.

The tournament format is certainly different for most of us. I like it because it gives each game more meaning, and players tend to take it a little more seriously. For those who have been honing their skills in certain games for years, they can then match them with comparable players to benchmark their progress. Those not as competitive will find that their games are of better quality, and they will learn strategies that they would not perhaps get to see in a single session once a year or more.

Different game types, from 2-player abstract, to word games, to dexterity, to those with the heaviest German game mechanics, all make for a fun time. It forces players away from their favorites, and yet rewards those with well-rounded experience. It also gives a chance for players to actually play their favorites, as not everyone wants to play Power Grid or Puerto Rico all the time. Many of our newer gamers have really no depth of gaming experiences to draw on, so even many of the classic two-player games are new for them.

What could be improved?
The tournament scoring was way too much for our group. I put a lot of thought into the points system, and tried to make an incentive to play for 2nd when first was not possible. I also made a big deal about each player scoring their own day, with an individual score sheet for everyone to record their progress, and also to serve as a record of the event. Most thought the scoresheets were cool, but only 1 or 2 people took the time to actually record their games in any detail.

I received feedback that it would have been much simpler to just give everyone a point for a win, and then build a playoff for the top 4-5 players at the end of the event. Would be much simpler, and accomplish the same thing. I'll ditch the individual score sheet next time.

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