It’s… The Spoils™ Web Blarg!

by Will Clark, Director of North American Operations

As Gen Con fast approaches, I figured this is good time to go into a little depth as to how these things come together and what goes in to running multiple events at a gaming convention.

Planning is key when it comes to running events that span an entire day. First, you need to figure out how much product you are going to need for the whole day. That includes any pickup drafts that may happen as well as prize support for the scheduled events. It’s always better to have more product on hand than too little. Also, it is nice to have an ample supply of Spoils sleeves on hand so the players don’t have to venture too far to find card condoms.

This year at Gen Con we are trying something new with how we interact with our players. It was decided that there should be an effort to bridge the gap between the retail side and the tournament side. This year at Gen Con, The Spoils will house its retail location in the same area as its tournaments. This serves multiple purposes. One of the major ones is that it allows new players to receive a more in depth demo of the game if they desire one.

In the past we have offered to hold full length demos to players that bought a two player starter (from our booth) in the tournament area. The problem was that few players actually made the trek to the tournament area to try out the game in more detail.

Putting both sides together also solves a logistics problem that has been experienced in the past. Every year the call goes out for volunteers and every year many of you answer the call, but the response is always a few people short of ideal and the volunteers are asked to work extra hours. This doesn’t allow them to play the game they love and that is just not right. Combining both sides into one space allows us to do more with the staff on hand and utilize them more efficiently.

With all of this coming together, this Gen Con should be tons of fun and I look forward to seeing all of you August 16th- 19th.

Oh, I almost forgot. Here is the schedule you have all been waiting for! We are proud to announce that we will be holding eleven events at Gen Con this year, spread out of over three days. Highlighting this major event will be both the National Limited Championships and the National Constructed Championships. These tournaments will certainly be the place to test your might and prove you are the best Spoils player around!

Also, although it is not listed here, we will be running pick-up draft events whenever we can arrange eight players interested in playing. As we have done the past couple of years, there will be a constant sign up sheet for anyone interested in participating in one of these drafts. Please note that these draft events are not listed on the Gen Con events page or in the Gen Con book as they have no scheduled start time.

With tons of great prizes and a lot of great players expected to be there, this year’s Gen Con should prove to be one of the best for The Spoils!

THURSDAY
6 pm: Sealed Deck – $24.00 entry
1st Place – entry into both the Limited and Constructed Championships with a first round bye in each event, iPod Shuffle, packs, promos
2nd Place – first round bye in both the Limited and Constructed Championships, iPod Shuffle, packs, promos
3rd and 4th Place – Promos
5th through 8th Place – Packs

FRIDAY
12 pm: Cash Draft – $16.00 entry
1st Place – $40 cash, a first round bye in the Constructed Championships
2nd Place – $20 cash
3rd and 4th Place- Packs

2 pm: Cash Draft – $16.00 entry
1st Place – $40 cash, a first round bye in the Constructed Championships
2nd Place – $20 cash
3rd and 4th Place- Packs

7 pm: National Constructed Championship – $24.00 entry – Open Constructed Format
1st Place – 42’’ TV
2nd Place – Nintendo Wii
3rd and 4th Place – Digital Camera
5th through 8th Place – $50.00 GameStop Gift card (32 or more entrants only)

12 am: Booze Draft – $14.00 – Must be 21+ years old
1st Place – Bottle of Patron

SATURDAY
10 am: Seed Block Constructed – $20.00 entry
1st Place – entry into Limited Championships with a first round bye, iPod shuffle, promos
2nd Place – first round bye in the Limited Championships, iPod shuffle, promos
3rd and 4th Place – Promos
5th through 8th Place – Packs

12 pm: Eight Man Draft – $14 entry
1st Place – Foil Rare Set of Seed 2, first round bye in Limited Championships
2nd Place – Rare Set of Seed 2

1 pm: Eight Man Draft – $14 entry
1st Place – Foil Rare Set of Seed 2, first round bye in Limited Championships
2nd Place – Rare Set of Seed 2

2 pm: Eight Man Draft – $14 entry
1st Place – Foil Rare Set of Seed 2, first round bye in Limited Championships
2nd Place – Rare Set of Seed 2

6 pm: National Limited Championships – $36.00 entry
1st Place – iPad 3
2nd Place – PS3
3rd and 4th Place – iPod Nano
5th through 8th Place – iPod Shuffle

12 am: Booze Draft – $14.00 entry
1st Place – Bottle of Grey Goose