If you’ve gone to many bigger events like Regionals and Shonen Jump Championships, you’ve probably noticed that the tournament begins not with the first round, but with a player meeting. Contrary to what you might think, the player meeting isn’t a buffer zone for bathroom trips, sitting down and writing your decklist, snack breaks, or late registrants—it’s an important part of the tournament, and definitely worth your attention and interest.
Look at it this way—most people who fly don’t pay any real attention to the flight attendants when they make the safety announcements and demonstrate the exits, life jackets, and oxygen masks. Sure, most of the time the flight proceeds without incident, but, if there was an emergency, a full three-quarters of the plane would probably have no idea what to do—even if they’ve flown a hundred times—because they never listen to the “traveler meeting!”
Okay, so your tournament isn’t going to make an emergency water landing (although if it ever does, wow, you’ll have stories to tell for the rest of your life), but there’s still info you need to know if you want the event to go smoothly for you, and the player meeting is were you’re going to hear most of it. You are doing yourself a huge favor by listening: it keeps you from making a silly mistake later.
After they seat you, the head judge will address you and tell you what you need to know. This is when you’ll learn things like:
• The name and identity of the head judge. That’s kind of important when you want to appeal, right?
• How many rounds there will be.
• Which cards and sets are legal to play—before the event would have been the ideal time to check this, but if you didn’t, you’ll find out now!
• Whether any kinds of sleeves or sleeving practices are forbidden at the event. You want to know this before you start playing, unless you like to skate on the dangerous edge of a penalty.
• How the decklists will be collected.
• How to call a judge when you need one.
• Whether the event is Swiss or single elimination (in case you didn’t know beforehand).
• The fact that you can’t eat or drink on the tables.
• And that you should pick up your garbage and not damage the venue.
• And that you should watch your stuff, so it doesn’t get lost or stolen.
• How the match slip works—what the drop box is for and when you should and should not mark it—and what to do with your match slip once the event is done. This can change from one event to another, so pay attention. Players who don’t mark or hand in match slips correctly are the number one reason for long between-round delays. Listen up!
• If there are any policies unique to the event, such as particular ways you must shuffle, if you need to leave the area once you are finished with your match, and so forth. If you want to make sure you are doing things correctly, listen carefully to what the head judge says.
• The location of the event clock, if there is one.
• Whether or not there is going to be a scheduled food break.
• Where the scorekeeping area is, so you’ll know where to go to hand in your slip, or if you want to drop, or if you have an issue with the outcome of your match.
• You may hear a bit about sportsmanship. Don’t tune it out. You’ll pick up valuable information on how strict or lenient the event staff is about people’s behavior. If you want to avoid penalties, forewarned is forearmed.
In addition, the judges will usually collect your decklist in the player meeting as well. Why? They seat you alphabetically, right? Well, collecting your decklists while you are alphabetized alphabetizes your decklists. Clever, hmm? It saves loads of time. So help the judges save more time by having your decklist out, unfolded, and face down in front of you. Please don’t fold it up and put it someplace. When the judge gets to you, he or she doesn’t want to wait while you rummage around frantically, then hand over a tiny folded wad of paper. Also, the player meeting is not the right time to write your list—you need to do that before the tournament starts. The faster the judges can collect those lists, the sooner the event can begin. While we’re at it, write your name on your list—as well as the full names of the cards—and print clearly and neatly. (If you’re one of those players—the ones who turn in awful decklists—don’t complain that there aren’t enough judges on the floor. They’re stuck in the back trying to decipher illegible decklists. I’m just saying.)
If you need clarification on something after the meeting, you can go up and ask the head judge. Also, if you can’t hear, raise your hand and let the judges know. Sometimes speakers conk out, the volume isn’t turned up high enough, or background noise makes it difficult to hear. Maybe a tiny-lunged judge like myself is on the mike. We want you to hear, so let us know when you can’t.
What I’m hoping you come away from here with is an understanding of why you need to listen to the meeting—it’s not going to last more than ten minutes or so. I’m sure you can focus on something for that long, right? If you can manage to keep track of what’s going on in two decks of 40 cards, you can stop talking to your buddy for ten minutes, look at the head judge, and listen to what he or she has to say. You need to know the information—it will help you plan the day, keep you from making mistakes that could end up costing you a penalty, and generally make you feel like you know what is going on. Trust me, you will want to know that you’ll get a game loss if your fusion and sides aren’t out on the table, and you don’t want to have to resort to, “Oh, but I didn’t know,” and hope the event staff will let you off.
You’ll also have a sense of how the head judge and other staff will be running the event, and can modify your behavior accordingly. As Organized Play becomes more established, judges will become understandably less tolerant of players who should know better and who don’t listen or comply with the rules of the event. Most judges are forgiving with newer players, and focus on teaching them correct policies, but when they see you over and over at events, you’ll naturally be held to a higher standard. You’ll find that standard easier to live up to when you’re well-informed, so take advantage of all the free information being offered to you, and listen up when it’s time for the player meeting!
If you’re curious about how the other half lives, check out this week’s Agents of Judgment—it covers the player meeting topic from the judge’s point of view. You might find it instructive!