How important are tournaments to the future of Mage Wars?

[Fentum]

How important are tourneys to Arcane Wonders? I am a big boardgamer, but only with a few friends FTF and on-line via Vassal (and now OCTGN). As far as I can see, there is a very small boardgame tournament scene in general in the UK, though there may be a larger Magic scene. I have no real interest in Magic so I couldn't say.

Several posts in these forums are focussed on AW utilising the tournament world to drive business. Is that a BIG THING in the USA? How important are tourneys to AW? It seems as though MW can be a relatively long game to play in a tourney, multiround manner. I know that it gets quicker and is variable, but it's a very meaty game, which for me is a good thing.

Anyway, just wondering if the general approach will be tourney focussed or 'sitting at home with a couple of glasses of fine ale of an evening' focussed. Or preferably BOTH.

[reddawn]

I honestly don't think that Mage Wars will have the tourney scene that MTG does, but trust me, that is largely a good thing.  Seriously, you do not want the fickle financial and social dynamics Magic has.  However, I do think Mage Wars, if properly nurtured and with enough player/company support and playtesting, will have a follow-able, compelling, and dignified  tournament scene. 

As with most games in general, I think local metagames are going to be the driving force behind what is seen as "competitive" Mage Wars, though  I do think there are cards that are more geared towards competition and cards that are geared more towards flavor.  And really, that is perfectly fine, because the distinction between competitive and casual cards in Mage Wars is far, far less exclusive in scope.  In other games, the depth of competitive play is marginal at best, because you can expect most cards not to be competition-worthy.

All in all, tournaments are going to be a reality as long as people desire to be competitive (that is, to say, quite a while ), and maybe some people will like the hype and others won't, but the great thing in this game I have experienced so far is that the gap between casual and competitive play is rather small.  That is, playing for flavor and playing for strategy is a much more married reality in MW, and that is a very good sign of a game that will endure in both casual and competitive social spheres.

[Fentum]

That is, playing for flavor and playing for strategy is a much more married reality in MW, and that is a very good sign of a game that will endure in both casual and competitive social spheres.

I hope that remains the case. There is an old online game called Pox Nora that is very similar to Mage Wars. In the early incarnations, flavour and theme worked well with strategy. As powercreep developed, themes went out of the window.

An aspect of MW that I really enjoy is that the 'themes' are flexible from the very start, as every mage has access to every spell. Some strategy games limit the access by creature type, card colour, etc.

[labartels]

 I think the Tournament play will be a subset of the overall success of the game. Honestly, I think the best route for the game is to get more casual play and get stores to support the game with the OP kits- there are currently 3 available. 
         The tournament scene can be kind of rough for novices and in my experience tournament decks can be cut throat and not fun to play against, so I do not see it adding a lot to the community as a whole.
**Just to be clear I am referring to other card games (no it is not apples to apples) an example would be L5R- You have your 3 or 4 top tier decks each set and if you are not playing them well you are not getting very far, same for MTG.

That is not to say that I do not enjoy testing my metal against other players, I do have a competitive streak and there is a lot of enjoyment that can be garnered form competitive play, but with a limited card set that everyone has access to eventually the cards that fall above the power curve, or have cumulative synergies-  the best to play decks will be found, fine tuned and will dominate a tournament scene.
   
So for me it is the fun aspect that will dominate the game for me. Just to give an example - after a 4 way demo game one person really had a fun time- why he likes monkeys and he really likes flying monkeys. during the game he brought out the mountain gorilla and gave him flying- he was happy for the rest of the game. After the game I showed him the Warlord and again he saw Orcs and goblins and was like I want to make a an Orc spell book. For us the thematic value will bring the fun!
   I really hope everyone enjoys the game and has fun with it no matter what style or format they enjoy!
 

[Fentum]

I think the Tournament play will be a subset of the overall success of the game. Honestly, I think the best route for the game is to get more casual play and get stores to support the game with the OP kits- there are currently 3 available. 
         The tournament scene can be kind of rough for novices and in my experience tournament decks can be cut throat and not fun to play against, so I do not see it adding a lot to the community as a whole.
**Just to be clear I am referring to other card games (no it is not apples to apples) an example would be L5R- You have your 3 or 4 top tier decks each set and if you are not playing them well you are not getting very far, same for MTG.

That is not to say that I do not enjoy testing my metal against other players, I do have a competitive streak and there is a lot of enjoyment that can be garnered form competitive play, but with a limited card set that everyone has access to eventually the cards that fall above the power curve, or have cumulative synergies-  the best to play decks will be found, fine tuned and will dominate a tournament scene.
   
So for me it is the fun aspect that will dominate the game for me. Just to give an example - after a 4 way demo game one person really had a fun time- why he likes monkeys and he really likes flying monkeys. during the game he brought out the mountain gorilla and gave him flying- he was happy for the rest of the game. After the game I showed him the Warlord and again he saw Orcs and goblins and was like I want to make a an Orc spell book. For us the thematic value will bring the fun!
   I really hope everyone enjoys the game and has fun with it no matter what style or format they enjoy!
 

Flying monkeys = fun times