Recently we made some updates to how we're handling our events. We've posted this information to our Discord, but wanted to provide a broader update to those who may not be active on Discord yet.
About our Event Times
For the last year, we've been advertising two important times for each event – the end of sign-ups, and the start time. For most events, these are 15 minutes apart. For example, an event that starts at 7:00 PM will have a 6:45 PM end of sign-ups.
This 15 minutes allows us time for:
- Our crew to check in people on a waitlist (if there is one)
- The Event Lead to make sure the software is properly set up for the first round
- Our guests ample time to finish up what they were doing and get to their assigned table
What are we changing?
Historically, we've been really flexible on the end of sign-ups time, allowing guests to sign up for the first round even if it meant we would start a little late. This was frustrating some of our players, and causing our events to run longer. It also, often, created a bad experience because a single late player might arrive and create a BYE for the event. It would make matters worse if the software didn't give the late player the BYE for the round – so a guest who was patiently waiting in the shoppe to play would then be forced to wait up to an hour to play a game.
Beginning in January, we're redoubling our efforts to start our tournaments on time. what does On Time look like? If we assume a 7:00 PM start time:
At 6:45 PM the round one sign-ups will close.
If there is an existing waitlist, those guests will be cleared to pay at the register, and player list will be finalized by 6:55 PM.
If there is no waitlist, the player list will be finalized immediately.
Pairings will be posted as soon as the list is finalized. If there's no waitlist, pairings will be posted very close to 6:45 PM, with an announcement that lets you know the pairings are posted and when the Round One timer will begin, giving you the opportunity to get any snack purchases or pack up current games in time for the event to start.
At 7:00 PM the timer will start and the round will begin.

Late Arrivals (Anyone arriving after 6:45 PM)
If a guest arrives after 6:45 PM, they may be added to the event as a Late Add – meaning they will be able to start playing in Round Two.
We will only allow this if adding the person doesn't create a new BYE. For example, if we have 8 players at the start of Round 1, we will only add late players if there is an even number of them joining the tournament.
Draft Exception
If, at 6:45 PM, we have an uneven number of draft players, we may delay the start of the event to allow for an even number of players. This is because guest feedback around odd-numbered drafts is overwhelmingly negative. Regardless, no draft event will start later than 7:10 PM.
Extreme Exceptions
If there has been an issue in the area that affects a significant number of players – an accident blocking a major roadway, weather delays, etc – we reserve the right to delay a tournament's start time as appropriate.
We believe these changes will create a better experience for everyone and will provide a more consistent flow at all of our tournaments.