Draft Tournament - Options and Tips for TDs

[lefton4ya]

So you have run a tournament before but now want to run a draft tournament. What do you do?

This thread is initially to help me run my first Draft Tournament, but can be used by anyone hosting one to get initial ideas, see what worked at past tourneys, and discuss new ideas.

Places to start:
Dok's Pooled Draft format - More explanation of the draft format
Elginb's Draft-Pool Strategy - How to draft well
KC's Mock Draft Thread - Test Your Drafting Skillz! - Test if you can draft well and practice drafting
1Mmirg's Reinvigorating the Draft - More specific and alternate ways of drafting
Alastair MacDirk's Draft Tourney..... nearly as good as draft beer - General discussion and Pros and Cons of drafting
Rÿchean's draft tournament possible??? - One of the best early discussions on drafting
Ollie's Tournament Scoring Methods: A Census
Grungebob's Simple PNP Tourney System - The original guide for how to run any tournament - am must for any TD

Resources:
Draft Tournament Sheet by me. Input welcome on this thread.
Tournament Director Software by Sisyphus
Partial Scoring Sheet weesel99, updated with D3 by Johnnylama

Past Draft Tourney's, including Battle Reports (BR):
[please post thread links for more]
Colorado draft event 3/189/11 - Elgin’s BR
Cincinnati on January 15
NorthEast Ohio D3 Release Draft Tourney - Nov 20, 2010
Draft Pool Tournament, San Jose, CA, 7/31/10
Colorado Pooled Draft Event - Results, dok's BR
VT 2010 Thanksgiving Thrash
Gencon 08 Classic Draft - Kahrma's BR

Options for Drafting Tournaments:

• 4 methods of drafting commons:
  • You can draft all of the commons at once (dok's method)
  • You can only draft one common at a time, but once you do, the other player may not draft that unit unless you draft something else (ollie's method)
  • You can draft up to 2 cards of a common at once (kc's method)
  • Draft them one card at a time like everything else (HS rulebook)
• Draft Order:
  • HS rulebook for draft order (1,2,1,1,1...)
  • Traditional snake draft (1,2,2,2....)
• Handling multiple uniques (both players have the same unique unit in their pool):
  • Only one player may draft a unit of the same name (Choose between Reailin v1 & v2 & Sgt. Drake v1 & v2)
  • Only one player may draft the same exact unit (you may have both Reailin v1 & v2 & Sgt. Drake v1 & v2)
  • Both players may draft the same unique.
• Additional units to draft pool at each map - For each game at a given map, add terrain dependent units, such as units with lava resistance on lava maps, cold healing/snow strength on snow maps, etc; or melee units on melee friendly maps and flying figures on maps with perches, etc. Helps makes some less used units get used (Obsidian guards are A units on Ember Canyon Road). After each game, if a map dependent unit is drafted, return it to that map to be drafted by the next players.
• Allow draftable Glyphs
  • How glyphs are chosen
    • Common Glyph pool drafted by all each game (tournament wide pool or individual map pool)
    • Each player brings glyph(s) which form a glyph pool to be drafted each game.
    • Each player brings their own glyphs that only that person can use.
  • They are added to a unit, but if that unit is destroyed, the glyph is destroyed and removed. Glyphs may not be dropped/passed off.
  • They are added to a unit, but if that unit is destroyed, the glyph is dropped and is fair game by either side. Glyphs may be dropped/passed of.
  • Cost (if any) for glyphs. See Drafting Treasure Glyphs for suggestions. My suggestion is 30 points for permanent, 20 for temporary and banning Potion of Healing and Ancient Artifact. If there is a cost:
    • The draft pool includes glyph costs
    • The draft pool does not include glyph cost
    • When totaling game points, automatically counted as points destroyed by opponent
    • When totaling game points, counted only when the bearer is destroyed or the opponent grabs
    • When totaling game points, glyphs are never counted as points destroyed
  • Should they be drafted before/after or during figure draft. If after or during, should the be placed on units immediately or after all drafting is complete
• Placement of units
  • Placed immediately in start zone as soon as they are drafted.
  • Placed after both players have finished drafting.
  • Heat of the battle rules where they can be placed anywhere may also apply
• The same decisions as any other tourney, but the choices affect the game different than a normal tourney
  • Point Total (both for draft pool from each player and army point size) - affects which units brought more than normal. Suggestion to have max pool size double the army size (i.e. 500 point army, 1000 point pool), but have a MINimum and MAXimum pool size (i.e. 900-1100 or even 600-1000 point pool). Having a lower pool size relative to army size increases likelihood players drafting from opposing pools.
  • Partial Card scoring of Full Card scoring - Full card gives more advantages to large heroes. Partial Scoring always adds to time between rounds when using it to determine matches in a swiss tournament. Also remember to choose between counting what you kill, counting what you have left, or adding the two. For a full break down of all 1000 possible variations in scoring, see ollie's Tournament Scoring Methods: A Census.
  • Matchup Format
    • Swiss - Rank 1st by Wins then optionally Strength Of Schedule (total of your opponents' current win totals) finally by points (see above). I highly recommended using Tournament Director Software in swiss match-ups so you can easily determine matches and rankings, even adding in SOS.
    • Use Rolling Rumble format - since game times might vary even more in draft tourneys, this is a good format to use to make sure everyone is playing at all times.
    • Bracketed - good for "final X" match-ups after a swiss tournament or season rankings, but if used at a normal tourney can cause bad match-ups.
    • Random, arbitrary (TD assigns), or players pick their opponent - I wouldn't reccomend it but it does make it quicker between rounds (but not easier on the TD).
  • Time - Allow more time for drafting, roughly 5-10 minutes.
  • Maps - More Terrain harsh maps (lava, tundra, castle, shadow & (swamp) water on height, etc.) are encouraged.
  • Starting zone - 24 is standard, but having less or even more is more viable in a draft tourney. Maps with starting zones in the middle or spread out are a good addition as well.
  • Allow Marvel units - these are more viable in a draft setting, but you could also put caps such as only x # of cards or point value of Marvel.
  • Allow/enforce Competitive Unit Congress (CUC) modifications - better suited for normal tourneys, but a great way to introduce these is draft tourneys.
  • Allow C3V/SoV/C3G/HoSS or other future peer reviewed or created customs - these are more viable in a draft setting, but you could also put caps such as only x # of cards or point value of customs.

[ollie]

Good idea for a thread. Here's the thread for the Thanksgiving Thrash draft event that Scapemage921 very successfully ran last week.

Not directly related, but here's the description of the Rolling Rumble tournament format that might be preferable if TDs are concerned about length of games (as they are more likely to be in a draft event, especially if it's their first).

[killercactus]

Nice resource - here's some RunaRep.

I can't wait for this tournament on Saturday. I just posted a new mock draft over in my mock draft thread if anyone wants to get in some more practice.

I'm just dying with anticipation to see how this tournament plays out. Draft tournament FTW!!!

EDIT: Can't rep you right now - I'll try to spread some around and get you.

[lefton4ya]

One thing I need to figure out, is how to keep track of armies played in a spreadsheet during the tourneys. I was planning on using Tournament Director to keep track of players, maps, wins/looses, points, SOS, and to assist in creating match-ups per round, but it would just be nice to have a spreadsheet of what armies are played each game. ideas I have though involve complicated databases or spreadsheets, but let me know if you guys have any ideas.

Also, leave input or any suggestions (things to add or formatting concerns) to help my Draft Tournament Sheet. It is two pages (can be printed 1 page front/back), but if I made it any smaller it would require people to write even smaller.

[killercactus]

Originally Posted by lefton4ya

One thing I need to figure out, is how to keep track of armies played in a spreadsheet during the tourneys. I was planning on using Tournament Director to keep track of players, maps, wins/looses, points, SOS, and to assist in creating match-ups per round, but it would just be nice to have a spreadsheet of what armies are played each game. ideas I have though involve complicated databases or spreadsheets, but let me know if you guys have any ideas.

Also, leave input or any suggestions (things to add or formatting concerns) to help my Draft Tournament Sheet. It is two pages (can be printed 1 page front/back), but if I made it any smaller it would require people to write even smaller.

Why do you need to keep track of this during the tournament? Your excellent tournament sheets do this for you, and you can compile the data after the tourney if you want to. All you should need to know during the tournament is who played who, which is already on the paper sheets.

The biggest challenge is going to be figuring SoS between each round without the computer, but if you're using Tournament Director than that's already done for you.

[lefton4ya]

Thanks - yea I guess it is not worth keeping track of armies played by all players DURING the tournament and you can take your time afterwards just to have a list.

I added some more Options for Drafting Tournaments, if anyone has more to add, please post.

Also, when coming up with my Draft Tournament Sheet, I only left room for 14 units in your draft pool and 7 units in each army - is this enough? Especially considering that many people will do hero hodgepodge plus may want to note glyphs drafted here, should I increase to 8, 9, or even 10.

[lefton4ya]

Double posting.

I updated the document to have 8 rows meaning 16 units in yuor pool and 8 units in each drafted army. I think that is enough, and people can always scribble on the side if they bring like elementals + Wyrmling with all combinations

Also added some more options Draft Tournament Directors have to make.

[I Hate Atlaga]

Originally Posted by killercactus

Nice resource - here's some RunaRep.

I can't wait for this tournament on Saturday. I just posted a new mock draft over in my mock draft thread if anyone wants to get in some more practice.

I'm just dying with anticipation to see how this tournament plays out. Draft tournament FTW!!!

lefton4ya: Thanks for the rep Runa! What do you have for you +rep? Anything is good as long as it's not a 20. Please do not be a 20.
RUNA GOT A 20 FOR +REP!! AAAAAAAAAAH!
ACK-
Stupid helmet :end quote:

[Johnnylama]

I'm trying out this format in Cincinnati on January 15, and this was a useful resource for getting it together. Thanks!

[lefton4ya]

Updated Draft Tournament Sheet - fixed spelling and rearranged Round headings to make more sense (i.e. Opponents name is above opponent's army, W/L and points above point column).

[Killometer]

Draft Pool Tournament, San Jose, CA, 7/31/10