Memories from Friday

Friday saw the LCQ with 108 players, Silence of Death with 25 players and a sanctioned Draft with 10 players. This just goes to prove that I can't do simple math as I earlier stated that we had a total turnout of about 130 players.
Added to the 143 players listed above are some five to ten who didn't show up until Saturday.

All tournaments were held in one large hall, which worked fine apart from the last fifteen or so minutes of each round. When the number of spectators reached critical mass the noise of people talking got deafening. Eventually we had to ask people to either sit down at the tables where they had played their games or leave the hall altogether.

What I remember most vividly from Friday is the usual chatting during the setup and early stages of the game -- and then the eerie silence that followed twenty or so minutes into each round.

LSJ was head judge with me as support, but as the day went on it became obvious that one single judge could have handled the entire tournament with plenty of time left for having dinner undisturbed during the course of each round.

22 tables of LCQ making less sound than the draft and Silence of Death. Most players slugging wildly to their left or defending desperately to their right. Several bewildered diplomacy style players who found themselves without anyone to close deals with. Decks overall built for a meta game where vampires are soft targets, pool has to be regained and the player always hangs in the balance between going on a killing spree to their left or keeping enough defences ready to handle a potential onslaught from their right.

Tables started to collapse an hour or so into the first round, and then a few more, and them only a few more. Almost half timed out.
Same the second round, after which we had an hour and a half long lunch break.

The third round gathered sleepy and fed players lacking in concentration. It was a massacre, with tables collapsing right and left.

Some photos below:

First round. A few players have been ousted, but the games are still mostly probing. Even though each player rationally should know that they won't play against the same opponents again they are still more interested in watching what kind of oposition they are facing among all these new faces than going for the kill.



Smoking was prohibited inside the venue.



Silence of Death. In theory. Laughing at the results from actions taken these tables were not discernibly more silent than the average LCQ table.



Some fancy footwork.



Look, no talking.



Four players silently watching and one acting.



Do we see a trend here?



The final round.