\r\n ... a private boardgaming tournament that brings together a special\r\n group of competitive gamers for one long weekend of games and glory.\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2017\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2018\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2019\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2020\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2021\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing in 2022\"\r\n
\r\n\r\n \"I won this thing again in 2023\"\r\n
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\r\n The idea is that all the competitors will be\r\n tested on their mastery of a limited set of Eurogames. An upcoming model\r\n uses 24 games, grouped by length (8 long, 8 medium, and 8 short). The\r\n tournament is run using a software program that I wrote that manages the\r\n event. Prior to arriving, players will have already ranked the field of\r\n games in order of their personal preference, and are permitted to use up\r\n to three vetoes to avoid games they really would prefer not to play.\r\n Tournament points are awarded to players for not using their vetoes!\r\n
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\r\n Thursday, May 23 through Saturday, May 25\r\n
\r\n All-Day Open Gaming\r\n
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\r\n Sunday, May 26\r\n
\r\n Top Toads Tournament Day\r\n
\r\n 8:00am -- Breakfast\r\n
\r\n 9:00am -- Tournament games begin\r\n
\r\n Monday, May 27\r\n
\r\n Early-Day Open Gaming\r\n
\r\n Flying in? The closest airports are Baltimore (BWI) and Philadelphia\r\n (PHL), with BWI being the most convenient, and usually least-expensive\r\n option. We will get you to-and-from the airport, just coordinate with\r\n us on the times.\r\n
\r\n\r\n We'll use this area to communicate details about the upcoming event.\r\n More details to come of course, but here's a rough outline of some\r\n important dates...\r\n
\r\nEarly February: Initial attendance query
\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n March 1: Need final commitments on expected attendance\r\n \r\n \r\n
\r\nApril 11: Game preferences rank/veto solicited
\r\n\r\n \r\n April 18: Game Preferences Rank/Veto Due\r\n \r\n
\r\n\r\n Every game at The Toad awards some points. We\r\n tweak the formula a tiny bit from year-to-year, and longer games get a\r\n bit more consideration (and shorter games a bit less). But the idea\r\n roughly is something like this: 7 points for first place, 3 points for\r\n second, 1 point for third, 0 points for last. Thus winning is richly\r\n compensated, but every finish matters. In addition, players can begin\r\n the tournament with a small number of points, usually 1 point for each\r\n veto (of the three permitted) that they DON'T use.\r\n
\r\n\r\n It's worth noting that the four Finalists play\r\n an additional game versus the rest of the field, furthering their\r\n totals, and possibly exaggerating the actual lead they had over the\r\n others in the tournament.\r\n
\r\n\r\n There were big changes to our little tournament in 2019. To start, we\r\n expanded the field of players from twelve to sixteen, which went\r\n really well--there is a great competitive symmetry to\r\n four-tables-of-four. We welcomed back Marcy Morelli, a former\r\n contender, along with five new faces: Dalton, Eric, Jay, Randy,\r\n Sceadeau. The newbies made a huge splash in our pool, securing four of\r\n the top six spots by the end!\r\n
\r\n\r\n We also tweaked the basic formula for choosing games, turning the\r\n process on its head. Starting this year, the Tadpole at the table\r\n (whoever was doing the worst at the moment) got preference on the\r\n game-selection algorithm. This went amazingly well. It's kind of a\r\n subtle change, but it goes a long way to making sure a more diverse\r\n set of games gets played, and that in the end, the bragging rights are\r\n all the better won for having done so on your opponents' field of\r\n play.\r\n
\r\n\r\n It all came down to an amazing Final between four familiar players at\r\n a very familiar game. It's hard to believe Egizia hadn't gotten played\r\n in the initial seven rounds, but there it was available for the\r\n penultimate game. Kudos to newest champ Randy Buehler{' '}\r\n and the entire bunch for another wonderful weekend.\r\n
\r\n\r\n This was an interesting year to be sure. The\r\n 'Rona pushed our tournament out of the traditional Memorial Day\r\n weekend slot into November. And we missed many of our Toads that\r\n couldn't make the trip because of the Bad Times.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Those that braved the storm were treated to probably our most relaxing\r\n outing to date. It was a welcome relief from the draught to see old\r\n friends and get to play over the long weekend.\r\n
\r\n\r\n I've upped my culinary game a bit as well, with all the down time, and\r\n hopefully it showed in the Eats. One new tradition was born: the\r\n Night-Before Roast Turkey feast :)\r\n
\r\n\r\n We welcomed a few new Toads to the Toadstool this year: Aaron Blair,\r\n Chad Weaver and Joe Yaure made impressive debuts, with Aaron missing\r\n the Final by one point, and Joe winning a shirt on this very first\r\n outing--so, so unfair to the long-suffering. Preston Saccenti also\r\n stepped in to pinch-hit for some missing Toads, and held his own quite\r\n well for the first half of the day before fading a bit down the\r\n stretch.\r\n
\r\n\r\n For a second year in a row, Kyle led the group heading into the Final,\r\n and for the second year picked Egizia off his eligible list. But\r\n Rodney prevailed in the penultimate game, besting Kyle by a single\r\n point after adjusting for the bid. You'll see Rodney in a number of\r\n Final Table photos over the years, watching the last game. This year,\r\n they got to watch him.\r\n
\r\n\r\n While no one felt like we were past the Bad\r\n Times (and indeed we were not), 2021 saw a return to at least some bit\r\n of normalcy for The Toad. Missing some of our far-away crowd, we still\r\n managed to get back to a 16-player format, which works awfully well.\r\n We had an enjoyable long weekend, and another great run to an\r\n especially satisfying Final.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Only one new Toad added to the 'Stool this year: Chris Yaure joins the\r\n family, while we also welcomed back Andrew, Chris and Jay, who had to\r\n miss the '20 Make-Up Toad.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Chad posted updates to our Discord over the course of Sunday, you can\r\n watch the flow of the day from these pics. Antony fought his way\r\n through a tough start, and Rob faded a bit at the end. But Andrew,\r\n Chad and Jay held strong mostly from start to finish, with Dalton and\r\n Aaron just outside the T-shirt zone.\r\n
\r\n\r\n So two first-time Finalists would need to be sized for sure. Andrew as\r\n Top Toad got to call his game, and surprised us with new-this-year\r\n Medici (we were all thinking Vegas, right?). It was a good call\r\n (perhaps he noticed Chris hurriedly teaching Chad the game, since it\r\n was on the short list of possibilities!).\r\n
\r\n\r\n Andrew has made the Final every trip, but never broken through. In a\r\n close finish, he held off a charge by Antony to win the plaque. This\r\n is our fifth Top Toad, and I'm immensely pleased we have had five\r\n different winners over those years. Indeed, more attendees than not\r\n have managed a Finals appearance.\r\n
\r\nNot, however, your humble host: The Shirtless One.
\r\n\r\n It was a glorious year of \"firsts\" for the\r\n Toad in 2022, as sixteen familiar faces gathered for\r\n what--finally--felt like the Post-'Rona Era. Here's hoping! We were\r\n again short of our proper \"big group\" in 2022 due to a basement\r\n remodeling SNAFU (that is getting made right for '23).\r\n
\r\n\r\n For the first time ever, every Toad was a returning Toad--we had no\r\n first-timers this go-round. And yet there were some wonderful \"firsts\"\r\n nonetheless. We started awarding a mug to the \"Tadpole\" (the Toad who\r\n finishes last), and in 2022, two players simultaneously became the\r\n first Toads to own both a Mug and a Shirt, as Marcy broke into the\r\n Final Four for her first time, and former Champ Rodney nosedived to\r\n the bottom of the pack. Rodney now holds the dubious (?) distinction\r\n as the only player to own both a Plaque and a Mug!\r\n
\r\n\r\n It was a really great race to make the last spot in the Final this\r\n year, and your humble host, the Shirtless One, came up just ONE POINT\r\n short of finally breaking through. He was nipped in the end by Andrew,\r\n who continued his Finals streak yet again: he's made it every single\r\n time! Andrew is now just one shirt away from a Wardrobe-For-The-Week\r\n :)\r\n
\r\n\r\n Marcy was the only first-time Finalist this year, but that does extend\r\n our streak of always, every time, seeing someone new make the Final.\r\n That's just outstanding.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Speaking of Firsts, our Champion this year--Kyle Smith--could not be\r\n more deserving. He has perservered through some rough years, and some\r\n near-misses in his chase to the Top, and I think everyone in the room\r\n was pulling for him in 2022.{' '}\r\n SIX YEARS, SIX CHAMPIONS! How cool is that?!\r\n
\r\n\r\n Following upon the \"Year of Firsts,\" 2023 saw\r\n Perseverance and Consistency rewarded instead.\r\n
\r\n\r\n The field was all familiar faces--once again no room for any new Toads\r\n this year. Rodney tagged out for this season with new-job obligations,\r\n but Randy rejoined us to fill the spot.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Last year's Champ (Kyle) had a precipitous fall, seemingly making a\r\n run for the Mug. But Aaron struggled mightily this year, and secured\r\n that coveted coffee container (which I'm sure he will treasure\r\n always??).\r\n
\r\n\r\n The battle to make the Final table was fierce as always, with Antony\r\n coming up just one point short, after sitting in the Top Toad seat for\r\n much of the afternoon (it's always someone, every year). Indeed a\r\n whole cluster of Saccentis massed right around the slots just BELOW\r\n the slots that matter, including the Shirtless One.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Returning to the Toad meant returning to the Final for Randy.\r\n Meanwhile Rob, an old veteran of this competition, returned to form in\r\n '23 after a somewhat surprising absence from the Final in recent\r\n years.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Perseverance? That's Chris Wildes, who has been all over the standings\r\n over the years (and even owns a Mug!). Finally he breaks through in\r\n '23. Consistency? That's Andrew, who has made the Final every single\r\n year he has made it to the Toad, but only managed the plaque in '21.\r\n This year he ends an impressive streak for the tourney (Six Years, Six\r\n Winners), becoming the first Toad to reach the Top for a second time.\r\n It seems entirely correct that our first player to achieve this is\r\n Andrew, who sits proudly atop our{' '}\r\n All-Time standings where he belongs!\r\n
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