State of the NAFtion

[Glowworm]

just what is "NAF prize support" I run a tournament (Ok, its just 1 day/ 3 matches) but ive never had any prize support! is it the NAF shield thats given to tournaments of 4 games or more?

[Gaixo]

It's an Australia-only thing, evidently.

[Winged_Human]

I call shenanigans.

[sann0638]

Where's the quote from, Glow?

[Glowworm]

Where's the quote from, Glow?

No idea....read it on here somewhere earlier and it's been bugging me all day!!

[Gaixo]

It was here:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=38267&start=135#p678733
It seemed that no one outside of Australia had ever heard of such a thing before.

[Shteve0]

Ahem. Nothing to see here.

[Olaf the Stout]

Where's the quote from, Glow?

I made the quote.

In Australia we pay $15 for NAF membership. So we pay a higher amount than elsewhere (even taking into account exchange rates), but each tournament gets a couple of dollars per NAF renewal (not member, but renewal) at the tournament as tournament prize support.

I thought it was a worldwide NAF thing, but evidently it isn't. So I'm guessing that the extra amount Aussies pay goes towards providing a nominal amount of NAF prize support.

Olaf the Stout

[Shteve0]

I'm coming round to the idea of league site hosting, with obblm for example (but not ranking), though ideally only the commish would have to be a member - at the Alpha level. Alpha level also gets you access to tournament software and [snip! - nothing to see here!].

Edited. Is that better, glowworm?

[sann0638]

I thought about Alpha/Beta membership too, but it seems an unlikely direction to go in. Extra unnecessary layer of complication for volunteers to deal with, I think.

In a related point, we must remember that all of NAF is run by volunteers giving up free time, so ideally people that make suggestions would be prepared to put it into practice. This is why one of the best ideas I've heard is NAF ambassadors who will go out and spread the word.

Not a dig at anyone, just worth saying occasionally.

[Glowworm]

I'm coming round to the idea of league site hosting, with obblm for example (but not ranking), though ideally only the commish would have to be a member - at the Alpha level. Alpha level also gets you access to tournament software and [snip! - nothing to see here!].

Edited. Is that better, glowworm?

Much better

I have no issue with prize support, just wondered if / why some seemed to get it ( or even be aware of it!!) and others didnt, I thought it was because ( in my case) I run a 3 game event.

[Olaf the Stout]

I have no issue with prize support, just wondered if / why some seemed to get it ( or even be aware of it!!) and others didnt, I thought it was because ( in my case) I run a 3 game event.

Until several people in the thread went 'Huh?' in regards to NAF prize support when I mentioned it, I didn't know that it wasn't a worldwide thing.

Olaf the Stout

[Pakulkan]

I will give you my two cents. even when it will put me again in the dog's face off.

Most of people disagreeing with NAF status has just called "bitter", "moaning", etc. just because they point out some critical issues about last 6 years of organization. No matter if they quote the precise words of NAF responsibles.

I wouldn't waste my time again by searching among the old topics how many promises were put on the table and forget once elections passed. But I would resume few of them:

- inminent website overhaul
- more help to tournaments
- necessary connection with GW to maintain block dice agreement

All of them are miserably uncomplished. What me (and most others) saw is just a business based on the selling of some block dice, in which some people just take a lot of money to do nothing else with it.

The accounts of the organization were presented late and with shameless lack of precission. Even taking into account that we are talking about TENS OF THOUSANDS EUROS. If you ask about it, being normal in any type of club or organization, you're called so many ungly things.

Thus, what one NAF member gets today is a non-flexible ranking, some dice and an incredible old web site and resources. we could count with one hands fingers the improvements performed in the NAF last 6 years. and you couldn't argue about that because is voluntary work.

Of course.

As it is voluntary, you haven't any responsibility.

To whom call the people disagreeing to run out for elections, I have two statements:

1- One member could be critic just because is a member and pay the fee.
2- Who take care of one job, is responsible for its results, no matter if it is done for free or not. It is call the associated responsibility from you own acts.

What I saw during my long record of NAF membership is just a group of people taking care of a very hermetic organization based mostly in thousands of people that don't care about it (just the dice).

What we not get is an obsolete organization that is NOTHING without the famous block dice. Let's see how many members renew without them. Specially when they don't get anything else:

- There are absolutely awesome league managers on line. NAF has QUILT
- There are fantastic resources websites all around. NAF has 2003 documents
- There are magnificient sculptors working for tournaments. NAF gives you a cup if you win, made a number of years ago.
- There are dozens of alternative block and D6 dice from tournaments and organizations. NAF do so.

I expect the current NAF office will stay this year, with a huge increase in NAF renewals to get the final Dice stock, and them pass and go home with NAF sinking afterwards.

I would just say: good job, guys.

:!: We have thousands of members. 500 voted.

:!: Most people I know just forget about their membership without dice, because there isn't anything more.

:!: You just discouraged any people commited with the game or the NAF if him/her is not truly being and old boy club follower.

:!: You promised new website, more resources and lots of things that never came in three seasons.

:!: You don't have any responsibility to members in terms of be clear with accounts, disposals of money expenditure.

But don't argue about that. It is a voluntary work, very hard.


Thank you for your commitement, no one wants to work for the NAF. Just these decent, commited players that take care of hundreds of e-mails, dealing with GW and providing our dice.

But nothing else.

Let me doubt about this "commitement".

NAF is just about dice and money, and power and being known and respected by the poor BB players.


And I say so because yes, I've been discouraged, directly insulted and finally forget about all this disgusting stuff like other did before.

We could get something brilliant with NAF. But what we in fact have is just a dice company with people moaning about how hard they work in nothing you can really note.

All is secret, all is being considered. Nothing is easy.

Bite me, please. This is a shame

This put us in the present moment:

We forget about any other thing than dice. And now we only have an obsolete organization that needs to hurry up like crazy to catch up what other smaller organizations already provide.

The situation changed. Even do when NAF responsibles sell us that they were necessary to maintain statu quo with GW.

The situation already changed and all that we have are excuses regarding what is not yet do or did in the past 6 years to really promote Bloodbowl community.

Along these past years, we only had messages like "we are hardly working on XXXXXXX", "we are considering XXXXXXXX" or "We are near to have XXXXXXX" with no updates, reports, etc. if not (hardly) demanded by members.

So I am sorry this is not the optimistic message you expected. This is my view about what's happening next, that IMO is very influenced by what was not did before.

This is not an interesting time for NAF. Is an absolute crisis in what, once it not reacts fast and Smart, will decrease its acceptance in a huge %.

I am sad, so sad about this. Because I love Bloodbowl and I love NAF potential to sum up all of us.

And I am not talking about me, I am talking about ignore Grumbledook's suggestions, about not having Podfrey already as Prez... Many many manouvres from current NAF staff to stay and continue doing nothing. No website, no support, and finally... not even dice when Lycos put the fear on the members discrediting others tan him to deal with GW.

I would appreciate so much to all this people taking their responsibilities and facing the NAF members.

Voluntary work don't exempt from responsibility: Lazyness, nepotism, obscurantism.

[Darkson]

Hard to believe, but +1 to Pako's post.

[sann0638]

See above.

Thank you for contributing, and for tempering it from some of the language on the NAF forum (but really, bite me?).

I am actually interested in what you think the NAF should be doing now? Do you agree with some/all of the ideas already presented in the thread?