Tourney Preferences

[LANGJ at mail.syntron.com]

	 With respect to the type of tourneys that the combatants and the
	 spectators respectively prefer:

	 I did a survey here in Stargate a few years ago, it covered
	 everything from meals, to sites, to tourney formats.
	 The results were correlated on an IBM SAS package, by a member of
	 the barony who had access to the equipment.

	 There were several conclusions relevant to this discussion.
	 In *general* (that is to say, where there was a statistical mean,
	 and not to say that agreement was universal):

	 * "Newer" fighters preferred tourney formats where they got to
	   fight in a greater number of rounds (Driving hundreds of miles
	   in a tourney, only to be paired with a Duke in the first round).

	 * "Journeyman" fighters preferred a tourney where they could gage
	   their *performance* and ranking by how many rounds they
	   advanced in the list.

	 * "Top ranked" fighters preferred tourneys where they could
	   experience a "dry run" for Crown.

	 * Many of the former Crowns preferred a more relaxed atmosphere
	   where they could teach and "work" their students.

	 * Casual spectators want an "interesting" list.  In the case of a
	   tourney where a prize or "title" (eg. a championship) is at
	   stake, the preference seems to be a tourney in which the
	   participants are gradually eliminated toward a final round is
	   best (it is always clear who is still in contention, and who is
	   not, a "swiss five" type tourney can be more confusing, and
	   may not yield a clear winner).
	   A tourney where multiple winners is possible seems to interest
	   more people in a more complex format.

	 * The feelings of the consorts in these tourneys is too complex to
	   summarize.

	 I really need to dig the old survey out, and put the results where
	 they are more readily available (some of them are rather
	 "entertaining").

	 Bran
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	 Jim Langley
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