Announcing the NAF World Cup 19, 20, and 21 of October, 2007

[longfang]

The qualifying round for the world cup was held at this years Eurobowl and the top 8 English guys have made the team.


Argue all you want but the best way to get a place in the team is attend tournies and preferably tournies in other countries. The world cup won't always be held in Nottingham so just because this ones on your doorstep don't expect to have a shot at the team. Yes it may seem as closed doors and clique but they/we took the initiative first and have shown the dedication/fanatisism to bloodbowl and travel. You wanna argue, check the tounies i've attended on the NAF site (and add 5 more trips to amsterdam over the years for T5). Check the rest of the team members too.


Also read the world cup brief. it is open to everyone. Go there and be part of the "non national" team event. Make friends with strangers from around the world (or other parts of the uk or your mates) and gel with them as you compete as a team.

It is not just about a national team event but of course national teams will be seen as the blue ribbon event.

[Valen]

I like to but at GW Nottingham its impossible

Hmmm, thats a very good point mate. I hadn't thought of that....

Is that a GW rule for their tournaments, or just a rule that GW has for Warhammer World?

It is most defiantley a Warhammer World Rule, I asked the first year I was there

[Longshot]

each country has a specific way to create the Nation Team for Eurobowl.

does WC will continue the same way? or did i misunderstood?

[Joemanji]

Agree with you but i don't feel the england team is cliquey as if going by the self inflicted rules which states that you must have travelled to a foreign tourny to qualify, that cuts the field down to about 20 coaches and if you are doing a lot of tournies you will know alot of the regulars. I am good mates with most of the england team but it does not mean i will be playing for my country as i am crap.

Sounds like that is a rule that has been applied retrospectively. It would be interesting to test it ... so anyone who attends at least one non-UK tourney would have an equal chance of playing for England at the next Eurobowl (2008?). I would be surprised if that were true.

Ooops ... should say that I don't mind the Eurobowl system. The event is more of a get together for that group of people than a real tourney. But that is not a problem IMO ... as has been said, those were the guys who could be bothered to put the effort in originally. Clearly the Eurobowl should not award NAF rankings under such a closed system, but that is another matter entirely...

[Joemanji]

There will be a TEAM competition following similar guidelines as have been used for the 2006 Eurobowl competition, and an OPEN Individual tournament held concurrent with the team event. Still in discussion is an OPEN TEAM tournament for those who may wish to form multinational teams and compete against other such allied teams. Also in discussion is the possibility of conducting side tournaments for other Blood Bowl variants such as StreetBowl, BB7s, etc.

This year's Eurobowl winning nation will serve as honorary host to the event and will remain as the host for the 2008 Eurobowl.

Oh, just noticed this on the NAF frontpage. Makes it pretty clear that the Eurobowl team selections will be used. If this is the case:

a) The tournament should not have been advertised in White Dwarf (too late, I know). The trouble this will cause can only damage Blood Bowl.

b) The tournament should not award NAF rankings (a requisite being that rankings are only awarded for events open to all).

By holding the event at Warhammer World the NAF has a duty to uphold the repuatation of BB.

[Mordredd]

But IMO there is a better way than a system involving averages. Basically hold an open individual event. Award points for each person's overall rank (1st place gets the most points, last place the fewest) and obtain a country's score by totalling the points for the highest ranked 6 or 8 (or however many) coaches from that country. Ties are broken by whichever country has the highest ranked individual coach.

very bad one .. a country with more players will have more chances to have more players in the high rankings .. thus england will win no matter what.

Sorry, but that's total rubbish based on the (IMO) ridiculous assumption that all coaches are of equal skill. From what I've gathered by meeting coaches at tourneys and reading what they've posted online most consider themselves average at best.

There would be plenty of coaches from Italy or Spain, just to name 2 countries off the top of my head, who would in most cases finish high enough to make a competition out of it.

You just have to look at the top tables at the Blood Bowl to know that just because most coaches there are from the UK doesn't mean that there are more UK coaches gaining top places. (From what I can tell more than half of the top 20 at the last one would not have been representing a UK country.) And from what I remember of the last Dungeon Bowl just about all of the half a dozen or so coaches who travelled from the UK placed very highly (I can't find my results sheet to check how they stack up against the top half dozen Germans though).

I can see your concern, but I just don't think that it has any foundation in reality.

England would not win "no matter what". Not even close.

[Grumbledook]

funny the bloodbowl is the worst run tournament consistantly every year, that only hurts the reputation imho (even one run by gavin was better)

I can't say whats the best way of running this and picking the teams, I don't tihnk that an average of every turn out would be fair however.

As for people turning up, you don't buy FIFA world cup tickets and expect to play for your country! Though a lot of people do play games in the various world cup parks against other countries supporters.

As for the "rules" of the eurobowl england team, it came about due to the effort involved in getting the first team together in the first place. It nearly didn't happen at all. Not having a criteria of selection only causes dispute, though having said that, it appears all methods are going too ;]

[Bevan]

1) there is no 'concept' yet for the World Cup

I'm a bit concerned by this statement. Galak and I (and some others) said months ago that many coaches from outside Europe would need about a year's advance notice since for some of us this will involve two or more weeks away from home and work.

Now we have less than a year to go and all we have is a date. Not even a concept for how it is going to work. I'm not going to apply now for 2 weeks leave next October with some of the weird ideas that are being tossed around. I may not need 12 months notice to do this (as some others do), but I expect to lock in my plans for next October during January 07.

[stick_with_poo_on_the_end]

Joemanji.....

Just behave yourself you're starting to look silly.

[longfang]

can we move the selection criteria argument to a thread of its own or even better can we have a World cup section to host all the discussions/arguments/bickering that will arise?

[Old_Man_Monkey]

Oh, just noticed this on the NAF frontpage. Makes it pretty clear that the Eurobowl team selections will be used. If this is the case:.

While nothing has been finalized, my quote you refer to speaks clearly to the nature of the COMPETITION and not selection.

a) The tournament should not have been advertised in White Dwarf (too late, I know). The trouble this will cause can only damage Blood Bowl.

Purely a guess on your part, and spilled milk....

b) The tournament should not award NAF rankings (a requisite being that rankings are only awarded for events open to all).

Not true if a player competes in the Individual Tournament and a way can be found for the team scores to be recalculated and refitted to the Individual Tournament. From one viewpoint, this could be seen as one large individual tournament with certain draws already determined....

By holding the event at Warhammer World the NAF has a duty to uphold the repuatation of BB.

I'm not even sure what this means - "reputation of BB" - in the context you are using it here. It is the BB community who has been most energetic and progressive in maintaining interest and enthusiasm for the game of Blood Bowl. One but certainly not the only expression of that interest has been the NAF and while some have placed over time too much emphasis in the rankings and the numbers part of it, the NAF has certainly succeeded in its stated mission of helping coaches learn about the game, successfully hold a tournament, and connect with other like-minded coaches. In this regard, for the past four years, the NAF has helped lift and protect the reputation of the game as much as any other single entity, certainly as much as has Games-Workshop.

GW-UK was chosen for the first World Cup in part because of the facility and what has been offered, but in mind as much for the symbolism of the act: less than 8 years ago, this game was abandoned except for a community that cared enough to keep an active interest and discussion going.

Now that same community, on its own terms and in a manner of its own choosing, can work as equals, or near equals, with the Games Workshop staff to create and hold a truly inspiring event, one that might be remembered as a watershed happening and serve to lauch another real growth of interest and excitement for the game.

No matter the format, I hope you will come to the World Cup, Joemanji, and see what the community of coaches can do when focused and determined.... if you do not come, to my mind you will forfeit all rights to criticize an event you neither supported nor attended.

[Old_Man_Monkey]

1) there is no 'concept' yet for the World Cup

I'm a bit concerned by this statement. Galak and I (and some others) said months ago that many coaches from outside Europe would need about a year's advance notice since for some of us this will involve two or more weeks away from home and work.

Not going to debate terminology with you, Bevan - what that statement meant as I wrote it is that there is little set in stone. We are going to allow time for anyone interested to chip in ideas and solutions as various problems arise. The enthusiasm and vitality of the community and the NAF membership are what is most important - if I've come across as grumpy, well, then Tom knows I'm just tired at the end of a long day.

At the end of the day, the process will result in a great event, one that every BB coach can be proud of supporting.

[Longshot]

lol, i posted on NAF forum... and everybody stay there

[Bevan]

We are going to allow time for anyone interested to chip in ideas and solutions as various problems arise. The enthusiasm and vitality of the community and the NAF membership are what is most important - if I've come across as grumpy, well, then Tom knows I'm just tired at the end of a long day.

I wasn't implying anything about you in my post(s), you seem to be doing all you can to keep this on track. I probably sound grumpy too but I am concerned about the time that is going to be taken to settle some of these issues as well as the direction some people are heading.

In relation to all the remarks about how to run the event and team selection I suggest that the organising comittee needs a majority of members who have often travelled to events outside England. They are more likely to look at the whole event from the viewpoint of those of us who need to travel, rather than locals who don't need any special effort to get there.

[Hangus]

Sounds like that is a rule that has been applied retrospectively. It would be interesting to test it ... so anyone who attends at least one non-UK tourney would have an equal chance of playing for England at the next Eurobowl (2008?). I would be surprised if that were true.

If you played a Foreign tourney then yes, 11 of the 18 (that i have counted so far) have played. So i guess that would be a yes.

Besides even if it was any one can play then the 8 that played for england are in the top 13 in the UK. Morderedd is Scottish that counts him out, Lycos has two others in the top 12 and Geggster has another one thats 12. Gumbo is the only english player who has the right to feel a bit peeved about playing and i have talked to him about it and he is fine.