Divisional Tournaments The Divisional Puffing Billy Tournament Program is a system developed by the TGA with two intentions. The first idea is to help promote conventions which have consistently supported train gaming through support of the TGA and PBTs. The second is to assist our members by highlighting conventions we feel are worthy of your attention and participation because of their quality and high level of competition. (A Divisional Tournament Application is available online for Conductors who would like their convention to be selected.) The TGA has divided North America into a number of divisions based on train gaming activity and the number of Puffing Billy Tournaments staged in that area. The Divisional PBT Program is awarded to only one convention in each division. This designation is not a permanent occurrence and can be removed from a convention if it falls beneath the standards we have set or if another convention in the region hosts a better PBT. With that designation comes a special benefit to the TGA member. As you are aware, the TGA awards points based on number of participants in the tournament. One point is awarded for every 20 players in the tournament with points being rounded up. In a divisional PBT, that number will become one point for every 15 players. So, the benefits for you are two-fold. One, you receive the benefit of our knowledge about PBTs across the nation. This information allows you to make better decisions about which PBTs are for you. Second, by participating in these divisional PBTs, you have the chance to gain more TGA points. Of course, the competition will be higher but so is the pay-off. What does the Divisional PBT Program mean for the conventions? It means that conventions will be given additional support from the TGA in the following ways: The conventions will be highlighted within the Train Gamers Gazette as a host of a Divisional PBT. Many train gamers may use this guide when deciding which conventions to attend. The conventions will receive bonus points to be awarded to TGA members over and above those given at regular PBTs. Many of our members are fiercely competitive when it comes to acquiring PBT points and will attend PBTs based on how many points they think they can win. This process elevates the level of competition within these designated conventions. That is a good thing for serious train gamers! The conventions will receive prize support from the TGA based on how many train gamers attend the convention's PBT and the type of train game tournaments staged. Convention organizers will receive access to the highest rated Puffing Billy Conductors available to run their PBTs. In some cases, the TGA will be willing to send out a team of conductors to run the PBT. We have final approval of Puffing Billy Conductors, ensuring fair judging for our train gamers. The TGA may use its knowledge and expertise to help create schedules for the divisional PBTs, allowing a convention to fine-tune its tournament to better serve its train gamers. To ensure that the Divisional Tourament continues to be of the highest quality, the TGA has set some guidelines for the conventions hosting the PBTs. In this way we can better serve our train gamers. We will provide the convention with a Puffing Billy Insert that we ask be included in their preregistration and program booklets. This insert explains the Puffing Billy Tournament and its scoring system to train gamers participating in the PBT. We ask this so as to reduce confusion by the gamers as to what rules they are operating under. We ask that our promotional materials be displayed in the Puffing Billy Tournament area of the PBT so that all train gamers are aware of the TGA and the PBT circuit across North America. We ask that the paperwork be turned into us promptly. If paperwork is incomplete then the convention may lose its designation as a host within the Divisional PBT Program. Without paperwork, we cannot assign TGA points nor can we record the PBT champion. The TGA is dedicated to ensuring that our train gamers receive the recognition that they have earned. The TGA will work with each convention to customize its Puffing Billy Tournament to fit both the needs of the convention and the TGA and its members. In this way, we can bring a set of standards into play yet allow the individual conventions maintain their individuality.
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