My 2 cents as a newb....

It would be interesting if there were 3 rankings...

1: Constructed.
2: Limited,
and 3: Pre-release.

For what it's worth I think it would be cool to have a COMPLETELY blind pre-release. Let's see what the population as a whole can do with no stats, sit down, construct, and play.

Constructed is for those who can build the BEST warband given all of the pieces.

Limited is for those who know each set, and what would work best against "x" sets.

Pre-release would be for the "Johnny-on-the-spot" people who can make the best warband 1: not knowing what pieces they will get, and 2 not knowing what kind of pieces the opponent will be running. Sure the games will take longer, but it's only 3 - 4 tournaments a year like this.

my 2 cents....

... and getting spoilers a day or two beforehand on sites that they'll never visit will help them play faster and help them know the rules of the game (that don't generally rely on specific figures' abilities) because...

If I know beforehand I can let them know how something works, instead of people having to figure it out on the fly.

R~

If I know beforehand I can let them know how something works, instead of people having to figure it out on the fly.

I’m not convinced that people that don’t even know the base rules would be extra enlightened and be able to play faster given spoilers that they’ll never see, but I could be wrong.

I'm not convinced that people that don't even know the base rules would be extra enlightened and be able to play faster given spoilers that they'll never see, but I could be wrong.

Think of it as if they have to stop a game to discuss something and/or a ruling has to be made and the judge can't figure out the answer because there is no direct ruling already. Knowing stats or rules ahead of time would help eliminate that.

R~

FAQ? What faq?

Think of it as if they have to stop a game to discuss something and/or a ruling has to be made and the judge can’t figure out the answer because there is no direct ruling already. Knowing stats or rules ahead of time would help eliminate that.

btw, I 100% agree that it’d be nice as a judge to get the spoilers a few days beforehand, so you can come up with questions the players might have and figure out rulings in advance, and if there’s particularly persnickity stuff that you can pre-announce the rulings.

As a player, I’m not responsible for making those calls, so they don’t matter to me. If they come up, I call over a judge.

How dare you have preferences different from mine!

However, at the thought of actually having a "blind" pre-release, my hopes and feelings are quickly climbing again. This is something I've wanted for a long time.

I bet you'll regret having one afterwards. Not knowing any stats or new rules before you play will make games drag on. Like Rhane said, games that end before time and only go 3-4 round tops just sucks. It also makes building a warband more difficult if you go in blind. If you knew about something in the set you might play different pieces than you might otherwise if you don't know anything.

R~

No, I really doubt that. I am confident my relative ability to other players would not drop in a blind sealed tournament.

It absolutely will. Your in-game play advantage will of course stay the same, but your advantage in the band construction phase will narrow, due to reasons I mentioned in the related thread in the Strategy forum.

bq. Think of it as if they have to stop a game to discuss something and/or a ruling has to be made and the judge can't figure out the answer because there is no direct ruling already. Knowing stats or rules ahead of time would help eliminate that.

btw, I 100% agree that it'd be nice _as a judge_ to get the spoilers a few days beforehand, so you can come up with questions the players might have and figure out rulings in advance, and if there's particularly persnickity stuff that you can pre-announce the rulings.

As a _player_, I'm not responsible for making those calls, so they don't matter to me. If they come up, I call over a judge.

The less we have to call a judge over, the more I would enjoy the game.

I am personally surprised by the amount of rpg crowd that do know the rulings and alot of stats before the prerelease. At least in the ones I have attended. It has made the prereleases go much smoother. It usually doesnt help the fact that they dont skirmish well in most cases, but that is preference.

I gues I'm with Hershel on this one; it's like not studying for the SAT -- you just go in there and blow. I remember all the prep I did for Night Below -- and then I was playing at the bottom table.

Going in blind emphasizes the sh*ts and giggles aspect of the sport.

Your in-game play advantage will of course stay the same, but your advantage in the band construction phase will narrow, due to reasons I mentioned in the related thread in the Strategy forum.

I certainly don't study the stats, never have, and I'm a passable player in Limited.

UR LOGICKS HAS NO PLACES HERE!!!!one!1!!

Heh, I think the idea of a blind prerelease is pretty cool. It promotes the quick thinking players who know how to identify strengths and weaknesses. Sure there's the problem of newer people being stuck on rules, but really that will happen anyways.

Only risk I don't like is if something like NB happens and you have a million pieces wtih turn undead and your super cool fig could get owned in the face game after game because you didn't know how weak it was vs the field, even judging how strong it was on its own.

Well, I know that there are four epic stats card in the set:

Angel of Vangeance
Elf Conjurer
Bruenor Battlehammer
Yuan-Ti Champion of Zephyr

(There is maybe one more, can't remember)

I know almost by heart the farmer and a bit of manticore Stats:

Farmer CG/LG 3 pts
Lvl 1 +1 (5)
Speed 6
AC 14
HP 5

Manticore:

RIDER

Can't remember stats but i know that
Ranged:
+5 (more?)/+5/+5 (5 non-magical)
If he is rided he gets perfect targeting

I know the Mount rules:
You can replace attacks to get on the mount
You can move at normal speed and make one attack
If you doesnt move you can use the attack of the moount and rider
Can't remember about moral, but i'm pretty sure if the mount fails the two run.. So are we doing two morals?

I also know that the Large Fire Elemental has more AC (18 if i remember well) then Fire ARchon (16).

Eternal Blade is a CR 4 54 or 56 or 58 pts. Improved initiative 8 in CG.

Dwarf Maulfighters are speed 4 but 2 attacks for 20 dmg.

Viesjaw Crocodile is ugly.
(goes off of the base)

Milita Archer is a commander.
Tiefling Rogue is a commander too.

Zephyr epic has a poison 30 or 20.. (But it was really high)

Well, I know that there are four epic stats card in the set:

Angel of Vangeance
Elf Conjurer
Bruenor Battlehammer
Yuan-Ti Champion of Zephyr

(There is maybe one more, can't remember)

I know almost by heart the farmer and a bit of manticore Stats:

Farmer CG/LG 3 pts
Lvl 1 +1 (5)
Speed 6
AC 16
HP 5

Manticore:

RIDER

Can't remember stats but i know that
Ranged:
+5 (more?)/+5/+5 (5 non-magical)
If he is rided he gets perfect targeting

I know the Mount rules:
You can replace attacks to get on the mount
You can move at normal speed and make one attack
If you doesnt move you can use the attack of the moount and rider
Can't remember about moral, but i'm pretty sure if the mount fails the two run.. So are we doing two morals?

I also know that the Large Fire Elemental has more AC (18 if i remember well) then Fire ARchon (16).

Eternal Blade is a CR 4 54 or 56 or 58 pts. Improved initiative 8 in CG.

Dwarf Maulfighters are speed 4 but 2 attacks for 20 dmg.

Viesjaw Crocodile is ugly.
(goes off of the base)

Milita Archer is a commander.
Tiefling Rogue is a commander too.

Zephyr epic has a poison 30 or 20.. (But it was really high)

Hope this was legal, i didnt know very well if i could say all this or not. Please don't blame me!

Hope this was legal, i didnt know very well if i could say all this or not. Please don’t blame me!

Great stuff! No one’s going to complain about spoilers the day before the pre-release around here.

I am personally surprised by the amount of rpg crowd that do know the rulings and alot of stats before the prerelease. At least in the ones I have attended. It has made the prereleases go much smoother. It usually doesnt help the fact that they dont skirmish well in most cases, but that is preference.

This has been my experience as well. Most of the regulars have seen and discussed the spoilers. They've talked to their RPG friends about them, and almost everyone has a general idea of what most creatures can do. Even so, the games are slow, and rarely are played to a 200 pt. victory.

Without the spoilers, I don't see how the games could be anything but slower. There are some who have claimed that they wouldn't alter their play style at all, and I guess I'll take that at face value. There are also those who would never have read the stats anyway, who's play style won't be impacted.

However, even giving a (IMO) generous estimate that this will be half the participants, that means the other half will play "slower" (on average) at this event than at others.

If I were able to attend, I'd shoot for creatures/strategy that will help me get the lead by the end of round 3. If games did go to round 4, I'd hopefully have positioned myself to where I can protect the lead. I wouldn't count on any game going longer than this. If I were successful in that strategy, I think I'd probably win most of my games on time.

Wow, if the eternal blade has improved init that's definitely gonna be an auto include for the prerelease.

Wow, if the eternal blade has improved init that's definitely gonna be an auto include for the prerelease.

I agree, in sealed that's very nasty.

R~

Thanks Gabrieeeel!!!

Every little bit helps.
Now if only others with the time to post a little info could be so kind...