2013 NAF Dice Announcement on thenaf.net

[Darkson]

What happens to the 4 very IP majors

3, and one of those is run by GW.

[Glowworm]

Hate to be one of the few voices in the dark here.....but I actually think the NAF do an OK job within the community. As a tournament organiser I know that trying to get get BB coaches to do anything is like trying to herd cats! Lots of great people with great views all pulling in different directions, "GW should butt out" " GW should support us more" "GW figures are rubbish ill never buy from them" "GW should make more figures"

I got the support I needed when I ran my first tournament, they didnt take over but where there if I needed advice ect, just about got the balance right.

They have run 2 very successful World Cups and piloted us thro' the C&D letter phase with minimal disruption, OK the shield got changed, I can live with that.

Rankings are not important to me personally, ( check mine and you'll see why) but tracking and entering them for players all over the globe? Not a job I'd volunteer for.

C'mon people, free dice are free dice, if you want em, stump up the fee to (re) join, if not dont, give the money to a charity instead but don't blame the NAF for something beyond their control, I'm sure they have tried to get GW to shift it's position on what is after all their IP.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, it will be good to catch up with people I only see once a year, this is not going to spoil it for me.

*ducks for cover*

[nazgob]

What he said.

Just imagine I said it better

Seriously, I think the NAF is really well run and I can't complain. I recently got a look at how organisations like this work; its bloody hard work!

[Axtklinge]

(...)
C'mon people, free dice are free dice, if you want em, stump up the fee to (re) join, if not dont, give the money to a charity instead but don't blame the NAF for something beyond their control, I'm sure they have tried to get GW to shift it's position on what is after all their IP.

I honestly haven't read any post taking shots aimed (directly) at NAF.
One way or the other pretty much everyone seems to understand the NAF staff had to "deal with it", and so they did, even managing to present us with an alternative for the time being.
And that's ok, we're set for this year.


Of course we'll be having 'heat' for some time (rantings about many, many subjects... dice included!), but eventually we should start thinking about next year (and others to come).

Some important matters have been mentioned (both here and in the NAF forum), questioning the actual legal relation between NAF and GW, now that they have closed the door on the dice.
Is there anything else that keeps NAf bonded to GW?
If so, what? And how important is that legal bond for NAF (if it still exists)?

If not, perhaps we should start planning for the next and following years.
As NAF associates, would we like to start having block dice again in the future?
Would we be willing to accept a different design in those block dice (since GW has IP on the actual ones)?
Or is there anything else you'd rather see as gift for NAF renewal?

(...)
I'm looking forward to this weekend, it will be good to catch up with people I only see once a year, this is not going to spoil it for me.

And so you should, and everyone else for that matter.
After all is about playing a game we all love, right?
Have fun!

[Heff]

Different coloured Fumble dice?

[Glowworm]

Different coloured Fumble dice?

+1

Your a genius, problem solved.

Now lets get back to the drinking!

[TheDoc]

Different coloured Fumble dice?

+1

Your a genius, problem solved.

Now lets get back to the drinking!

[JT-Y]

Different coloured Fumble dice?

+1

Your a genius, problem solved.

Now lets get back to the drinking!

+1

You are also a genius, see you at the bar and we'll toast Heff's genius whilst making him buy his own!

[SunDevil]

Different coloured Fumble dice?

Oh sweet Nuffle...HEFF! I still have over 1000 dice to send out of THIS color!

[Darkson]

They have run 2 very successful World Cups and piloted us thro' the C&D letter phase with minimal disruption, OK the shield got changed, I can live with that.

Close, but not quite. The URL got changed during the c&d phase, the shield got changed years ago on GW Legal's request.

And I don't think you're a voice in the dark (voice in a onesie maybe), as most posts are supportive on the NAF, there's only been a couple of posts against the NAF.

[spubbbba]

And I don't think you're a voice in the dark (voice in a onesie maybe), as most posts are supportive on the NAF, there's only been a couple of posts against the NAF.

My posts and most of those I read in this thread have certainly not been anti-NAF. What I'm saying is the NAF has done such a great job why do they need GW?

I'm struggling to see any benefit from maintaining a relationship with GW. It would be very simple to create a set of generic block dice and vary the colour each year. In fact it might open up all sorts of new opportunities. I could see the FUMBBL dice working, make the NAF ones just a single colour for the inlay to keep costs down and I prefer the more rounded corners used on the NAF dice too.

In regards to the dice, for those who aren't attending any tournaments this year then the block dice were the prime motivator for joining. Even if you didn't like the colours (I hated the orange and yellow ones so didn't get them myself) you could always sell them, usually for more than £5 too. So I can well see some not bothering to renew as normal custom dice are less of a draw, you can get your own made pretty cheaply.

[daloonieshaman]

What happens to the 4 very IP majors

3, and one of those is run by GW.

based on the current path ....
not for long

[SunDevil]

I'll keep signing up for the NAF because they do a great job and have always been super friendly and helpful when I had questions or when we started up our Three Die Brawl tournament. The idea of worldwide rankings is fun and I sure appreciate them handling that mountain of paperwork!

Though I'd be happy to discuss with them the potential of designing, creating and distributing their own block dice. Nuffle knows I have more experience with that now than I ever thought I would.

[Gaixo]

EDIT: Never mind, did my own research.

[Warpstone]

Glowworm, Nazgob, you're not wrong. The NAF does appear to be well run if you're in certain catchements and play mostly tournies.

But:

I don't interpret that as assigning blame. I interpret that as him saying that NAF's value, to him, is entirely in the dice. He won't be alone in that sentiment. I do think, good or bad, NAF will see a sharp drop in membership, particularly in areas that don't have a lot of tournaments in close proximity to each other (read as "nearly everywhere that isn't Europe").

Bingo.

NAF now offers little of value if you can't attend NAFCs or NAF WCs.

Worse, if they can't be advocates on the behalf of general membership to GW and instead are only getting bent over a barrel... well, how do you convince a new coach that there's value in his contribution to NAF for the "the good of the game." As Darkson mentions, what is the value of a close relationship with GW now? BTW, that's not a rhetorical question. I really don't know what value GW is interested in offering.

I like NAF. The leadership seem like good guys and I want them succeed. But with this latest blow, it's getting very hard to rationalize how the organization is relevant to all but a few lucky pockets of tournament players.