Hardcore (a modest proposal)

[GeneralJigger]

There seems to be a great deal of gripping about the Hardcore format for this year's SR. I have a few suggestions for the future that may help alleviate some of the problems.

1. Use the following points system: Win = 3 Pts, Lose = 2 Pts, Draw = 0 Pts, I think this would definitely encourage a decisive game since you are much better off losing than tying.

2. Tie breaker formula: 1st = player with fewest draws wins
2nd = player with shortest total game time wins (this should really solve most situations)
3rd = player with the fewest loses wins.

I think this would be able to be used in either a timed turn or a deathclock event without any trouble, also you could use a scenario or not.

Comments?

Disclaimer: Having said all that, I don't really have any experience at tournaments ( I live in the middle of nowhere) this is all just thoughts that have come to me while surfing the forums and reading the SR2012 rules pack in prep of Gencon.

[MetaphoricDragon]

How can this be a modest proposal if it doesn't involve eating babies?

Otherwise though this seems like it could either be abused outsportsmanly, or just create weird scenarios. Lets see after 3 rounds:

Player one: has 2 wins and a tie, so 6 points
Player two: has just run his caster out to die first turn every game, so 3 losses, 6 points.

Player two has both first and second level tiebreakers, this doesn't seem like a fun tournament.

[scout's honor]

Generally speaking you won't have draws. Players will simply agree who's doing better and end it there and then, before the game goes into a tie.

And Deathclock has no ties, I believe, unless extraneous rules are added.

[Blighted Tyrant]

There are no secondary win conditions, you kill the enemy caster or you both lose. That's the only real way of playing Hardcore, anything else is a PG version!

[Terraneaux]

I remember the 'losses give you more points than draws' method was used in l5r with bad consequences. Stick with 3-1-0 for W-D-L.

[whats82]

Your system seems to really punish having draws and rewarding losses. There's a lot of genuine games that just happen to be drawn out, and trying to win legitimately should never be discouraged.

[The Glen]

Bah. Go total hardcore. If game goes to overtime rfp all terrain and non caster models. THUNDERDOME TIME.

[quindraco]

1. Use the following points system: Win = 3 Pts, Lose = 2 Pts, Draw = 0 Pts, I think this would definitely encourage a decisive game since you are much better off losing than tying.

This means when you're losing, optimal action is to kill your own warcaster. How is this desirable?

[sourclams]

You could really game this system through the parings, too.

Let's say, like many stores, there's a small number of top contenders (we'll say 3 for purpose of arugment).

Guy #3 throws his first game. 2 pts. Guys #1 & 2 win, 3 pts each. Guy #3 plays some scrub, wins. 3 pts. High probability that Guy #1 & #2 play each other and at worst, one wins one loses, at best, both draw.

If they both draw, then Guy #3 is now in 1st place (5 pts vs 3). If one loses decisively, then Guy #3 has a high likelihood of playing only one of the two "best" guys, and a very low likelihood of having to play both of them, which would have been much more likely had he won Game #1.

Although it is definitely riskier in very large fields, this system can definitely reward sandbaggers by allowing them to avoid more good players by not penalizing a loss enough to put them out of the rankings completely.

[fire4effekt]

Game goes to time? Both players forfit a model to Big Blue. FOREVER. Keeps PP in business.

[deademon]

Bah. Go total hardcore. If game goes to overtime rfp all terrain and non caster models. THUNDERDOME TIME.

lol, this.

[OniBeowulf]

Bah. Go total hardcore. If game goes to overtime rfp all terrain and non caster models. THUNDERDOME TIME.

I second this!

The Glen FTW

[watchgeorgerock]

No draws. either you win or you both lose. Go for it. No pansy crap.

[DemonCalibre]

I ran events for a year, during SR2011 or 2010, I don't recall off the top of my head, I think 2010, with draws equal a double loss(This is when the tiebreakers were crappy, and promoted VP sniping).

Honestly it rarely came up, a couple of times a guy scoped because the game was decided, and any time the players didn't immediately say Guy X or Guy Y won, I marked it as a draw and they both lost.

It gives the desired result in an event which is a winner and a loser per game(Draws are evil pairings), though to be fair it isn't really needed in SR2012 as the Tie Breakers are pretty robust and will generally decide a game.

[medward]

How can this be a modest proposal if it doesn't involve eating babies?

Clearly the first tiebreaker should be a baby-eating contest.