Announcing my exit from vintage, and other stuff:

[Juggernaut GO]

I had thought a long time about how I would finally be done with vintage.  I have played this game since 1994 when I was still in high school, and actually played competitively since 2003.  So much has changed since then, long gone are the days when you would see 150-200 people at a Waterbury tournament, now you are lucky to get 20 players to get together on a Saturday to play in a vintage tournament.

I just think people in New England are losing interest.  We are all getting older, and moving on to other things, and new players just aren't replacing us.  But, is that really a bad thing?  I think 15 years is a pretty good run with any kind of hobby, dungeons and dragons has been around since the 70's, and people still devote time to that.

The other issue is could I have done something more to fix the New England vintage scene after Myriad Games basically pillaged as much as it could from the community?  I suppose I could have started running competing monthly tournaments with them much earlier to preserve all the player interest.  You have to realize, for almost 2 years there were no vintage tournaments in the northeast other then Myriad and ELD.  Eric did his very best to give as much back to the players and provide a good vintage scene, but at every oppurtunity Myriad just asked "How much more money can I make, while giving away store credit to maximize my profit and alienate players?"  So many people quit playing vintage simply out of disgust of what Myriad did to their community, and the unavailability of any other option to play tournaments.

I did my best to try to bring the tournament scene back, but there just isn't the player interest there needs to be for it to continue.  Anyone that knows me realizes that I never really cared about winning tournaments when I played.  However, when I ran them, my number 1 priority was always that people enjoyed themselves and thought "holy shit, this is the greatest tournament ever, and I'm having a great time."  This just hasn't been the case recently, and I'd rather just go out remember how great things were, then ending them on a shitty note and trying to limp on with a community that just doesn't really care to play vintage any more.  

I have also made a couple of enemies since 2003.  I am an opinionated person, and I have a very extreme sense of what is right, and what is wrong.  If we didn't like each other, then you probably did something at some point that I disagreed with and never did anything to correct it.

On another note, it's really sad, because I made so many friends that I would have otherwise never have known at these tournaments.  Everyone knows who I am, and it's a pretty cool feeling when you walk into a tournament.   I'm not going to list names, because I can guarantee there will be people I forget, but the reality is there was a point where I was on a first name basis with nearly every person that attended a magic tournament.  Just knowing that many people, and all enjoying a card game really was a bright spot for me for a very long time.


So I lied, I will name a few people:
Ray, you are the original Pimp, and I did my best to take over after you took a step back from running tournaments.  The truth is, your shoes can not be filled.

Jeremiah and Jeff Carpenter, Jeremiah who I FUCKING HATE TO LOSE TO, YOU MONKEY, I think we will always have the old days at Matt's to remember where we all learned to play real vintage.  Jeff, keep the flame high for Memnarch, you are the only one left with balls to play it.  

Team Hadley, always too classy for me, but still fun. Steve, Jeff Greene, Matt Snow, Eastman. WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN THEY BAN VAULT!!!!

Dave Feinstein: I want my money for my stereo.

To anyone I forget, sorry, I have constitutional law class in an hour, and I have to go!

Post edited.  -DA

[Grand Inquisitor]

.



Monkeys in their cages everywhere observe a moment of silence.

[Bill Copes]

[mike_bergeron]

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3 out of 5 is pretty good travis!

Good Luck in whatever you choose.  Hopefully it can bring some joy to your life!

[Demonic Attorney]

If Travis were a band, he'd be called "Monkey Cage the War Mammoth."

He and I had a talk and it seems like what he's looking for is more of a hiatus from the format to get a new perspective on things and see how New England Vintage changes.  I think that's best; certainly preferable to quitting.

As for the status of New England Vintage, I want to offer my own thoughts.  Yes, we're struggling with problems, some of which we can't really control.  A lot of people are unhappy with the current B/R configuration.  Legacy is eating into Vintage's market share and it's tough to compete on equal footing with a format sponsored by WotC.  Tournament prize structures have shifted away from what they were in 2005-2006, and that's had a negative effect on the financial picture for some Vintage players.

That being said, I don't think Vintage as a format is dead at all.  For one thing, you only need to look as far away as New York and Philly for proof that player interest has only migrated, not evaporated.  Their monthly events are getting as many players as New England's ever did, if not a little more.  But that's mostly beside the point.

In New England, things are still in a state of flux.  Myriad Games seems to have departed from the T.O. scene.  ELD looks like he's starting to back away.  As they're leaving, some other organizers are dipping in their toes in the water, like BatterUp Games in Tewksbury, MA, Matt Denny in Hadley, MA, or Battlegrounds in Abington, MA (stay tuned).  But those are all new faces and they're in the process of adjusting themselves to the customs of the Vintage community/TMD, and deciding how much of an investment they want to make in this.

Just as T.O.'s are fluctuating, so is the player base.  The variation in tournament locations means it's tougher to get people to travel to play.  The $25 entry standard is a barrier to some players' participation.  The lack of marquee events means fewer opportunities to play for a big payout, or a large chance at name recognition, reducing the value paid out to players at the same time as a $25 entry fee raises the money players pay in.  And, as Travis rightly noted, our players got a head start on adulthood because Vintage began here, so there are more obligations vying for our players' time.

However, unlike the issues of player complaints about the B/R list (please don't make them here) and competition from Legacy, I think these other issues are solvable.  The changes in the T.O. regime in New England means there are opportunities for new organizers to come onto the scene and try to shake things up.  Maybe having fewer tournaments around here for a while would be a good thing; the 3x monthly events might have caused market saturation and, just as I hope it does for Travis, absence might make the heart grow fonder for other players.  And springtime is usually ideal for marquee events; I know at least 3 organizers have talked about them, and that would re-create Vintage's "brass ring" prize to motivate more participation.

I'll admit it's not easy to regain momentum after a downturn.  Look at the DJIA for proof of that.  But I don't think for a second that it's impossible, and I do believe enough people are still committed to the format for things to improve.  So, until then, I'll be looking forward to seeing you back, Travis.

[Tha Gunslinga]

You will be missed.

[Diakonov]

 

[Oath of Happy]

Travis, I had a ton of fun at your last tournament.  Just because you didn't get a huge turnout of players obsessed with Vintage doesn't mean that the players who did come didn't appreciate the time they had spent there.  I think one of the problems with Vintage is that the community may have gotten smaller, but some peoples expectations haven't adjusted.  As far as:
 
"when I ran them, my number 1 priority was always that people enjoyed themselves and thought 'holy shit, this is the greatest tournament ever, and I'm having a great time."

I will say that it wasn't the greatest tournament I had ever been to (It would have to be an old waterbury or something), but I did enjoy myself and I said to myself "I'm having a great time."  Also, the competition at your last tournament was great.  We had some serious veterans duking it out.  To name a few, Jeff Carpenter and Jer, Ray, Roland Chang, Bill Copes, Myself, and Clark brought an awsome new secret tech deck.

If you aren't enjoying running tournaments then don't say its because people aren't enjoying them, because we had plenty of quality players who enjoyed your last tournament.  However, since you aren't enjoying running these tournaments you should stop doing them because you shouldn't have to sacrafice your time to run a tournament just so that we can have a good time.

Thank you for a good time this past saterday, and for the other tournaments that I was able to attend in the past and good luck to you for the future.

[The Atog Lord]

Travis, reading this over is saddening. You'll be missed. I hope that you'll return in the not-so-distant future, and that there'll be a good Vintage scene for you to return to.

Rich

[MoxMonkey]

Travis you always made for a fun Vintage event.  I wish I was able to make it down to a couple of your events in CT the weekends just didn't work out for me.  Maybe Vintage will get picked up again and you'll be around again.  Good luck in school.

[nataz]

titties

[Smmenen]

nobody quits magic forever.  you'll be back. 

[JACO]

Start playing Legacy! Monkey Cage FTW!

[Eastman]

You'll be back.  Best of luck Travis!!

[The M.E.T.H.O.D]

Good Luck In Life Buddy

I don't want to start a flame war...but I'm out of the loop what happened with Myriad games that upset Travis?

[Prospero]

I just saw this thread now.  I had a great time at the December event you ran Travis - we drove home in a snowstorm and it was still worth it.

I know that Jimmy and I had been looking forward to seeing you and Sam Best on Saturday. 

Best of luck with everything.  Here's hoping that you make it a short hiatus.

[Changster]

Best of luck Travis - always a pleasure sitting across from you and getting Monkey Cage'd to death =)

[Bram]

nobody quits magic forever.  you'll be back.  

What he said.

Vintage is like herpes. You think you got it out of your system, and then all of a sudden it starts itching again.

Did I just take that metaphor too far? Either way, good luck in all your pursuits!

[Godder]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out...

Also, don't let the door hit you on the way back in .

[LordHomerCat]

I'm hoping this is closer to Eric Becker retirement, ie a temporary hiatus.

Also, for the record, the first TravisCon, the one that I attended with all the OH crew, was probably the most fun I have ever had playing cards.  That whole weekend was incredible, and you get most of the credit for that.  It sucks that it isn't viable to hold things like that anymore, but that one was magical for sure (and not in a bad MTG pun way).

[Smmenen]

I'm hoping this is closer to Eric Becker retirement, ie a temporary hiatus.

Or Shockwaves

[oneofchaos]

Travis's retirement is like Farve's.  He says he is going but what we really know is going to happen is that he will come back as the best drain control player of 2010.

Just callin it.

[Razvan]

I'm hoping this is closer to Eric Becker retirement, ie a temporary hiatus.

Or Shockwaves

Shockwave never retired, or at least if he did, the memory of it is so painful I must have forgotten all about it.

Travis, you are one of the most entertaining people in the game. Unfortunately, a lot of the doom you mention in your post is currently true.

[Yare]

Seeing the bump and after the activity yesterday, I just assumed he had already come out of retirement.

[KingoftheScrubs]

This might be slightly off-topic (though i don't think it is) but I think one of the major reasons Vintage hasn't continued on in popularity is that new players don't seem to care about the format.  I also started playing Magic in 1994 (although I was only in middle school) and almost all of the players I knew played "power" cards and decks like Big Beef Land Destruction".  Of course, I didn't have the primo cards for primo decks, but to this day I still think of those days.  Newer players aren't exposed to that, instead it's all about "standard" or extended, PTQs, etc.

If you don't hook 'em when they're young (Magic wise) you'll probably never get them at all.

That being said, Travis I don't know you & never met you but in my lurking over the past couple of years I've learned quite a bit from your posts; also you have the best avatar in the history of message boards.

[Sextiger]

You retire and then they print Lodestone Golem. COINCIDENCE????????

[TopSecret]

You retire and then they print Lodestone Golem. COINCIDENCE????????

If he is struck down, he shall become more powerful than we could possibly imagine.