What's up guys,
There was some discussion yesterday and I just wanted to jump in and give my personal thoughts / opinions (basically taking all the info from the previous page(s) and throwing in my 0.02).
Question #1 - Offline casuals, should we keep it casual (level up sessions included) or run tournaments each week?
I personally think that running tournaments each week are important because:
1 - It's engaging and interesting; people want a reason to make that trip to Foonzo and tournaments are the way to go.
2 - They push individuals to play their best; you'll sometimes slack off in casuals but when your "tournament life" is on the line, you'll go balls out.
3 - Point awarded ranks players within the scene; maybe your personal goal is to be Top 3, Top 5, etc..... and knowing where you stand will give you an idea what you need to do to reach that goal (or maintain it).
Regarding casuals at Foonzo:
We actually play casuals in between tournament sets so we're not losing out here. There are plenty of set-ups to jump on and play a set with someone so you can learn match-ups, offer advice, exchange theories, etc... Ideally, you don't want to "grow roots" on a set-up so others can have a turn. If you realize you've been playing for a while, look around to see if anyone is waiting for games (sometimes people don't want to impose). On the flip side, you won't get chewed out if approaching someone to reserve the console next or cut in for games; people usually don't mind giving up their spot (especially to their friends), I personally wouldn't.
In addition, having the stream available is another big incentive to come every week (later uploaded on Youtube). If players have access to gameplay footage, they can always review matches on their own time; this helps figure out your strong / weak points, analyze how your team-mates play (we're a team after all), etc... Also, people love playing to a stream, plain and simple. The stream subject will get figured out in time.
Question #2 - What format should the tournament be? Standard 3 / 5 or Round Robin?
The answer is BOTH; if we have the numbers and want to run by tournament standard rules, a 3 / 5 bracket is the way to go. The downside, you'll probably play less people (in tournament) but can always get in on some casuals. Round Robin is ideal for smaller groups (4 - 6 man brackets don't work well) and gives you the opportunity to play everyone there. I personally like Round Robin for this particular reason but as Ecodus mentioned, it's not the tournament standard and might come off as a more casual approach (especially when people want to get in that tournament frame of mind).
Question #3 - I can't make it every week, what should I do?
Keep coming whenever you can! Even though you might be losing out on "points", you'll still compete (when attending) and perhaps knock out someone preventing them from gaining extra points (which can change the outcome of the season). People will probably miss a few events here and there but that's out of their control; however, when you do make it out, play your best and have a good time with everyone there. It's better to show up 5 / 10 times than never.
There was an idea thrown out to make the seasons shorter (8 events) but having a few OFF day in between (after every 2 events). The main issue here is, what if someone can't make it on a MM EVENT DAY but can on an OFF day? It messes everything up for that particular person and perhaps better left as a weekly. If a majority of the group is occupied one Sunday, we can always come to a general consensus to take a week off and resume the following Sunday. It's just important to communicate in this thread (and future Montreal threads) so we know ahead of time (during the week) and not 1 - 2 hours prior.
Ultimately, as Quantum mentioned, the simpler the better; it's best to keep things the way they are (as done at all offline locals) and just work on the details to improve the offline scene / experience. Even though it's difficult to get together during the week, we still have access to online play and I would encourage everyone to exchange your PS3 / PS4 / XBOX tags and practice with one another throughout the week when you have time. Online is not perfect game play but it's better than nothing (especially when used as a tool to learn match-ups and simply levelling up). If you're available during the week and can get a small group together for casuals, that's even better.
tl;dr version:
- Tournaments each week; brings they hype, brings the drive.
- Big groups = tournament standard 3 / 5 bracket.
- Small groups = 3 / 5 Round Robin.
- Casuals: Play before / after / in-between official matches all you like; be conscious to not hog set-ups and don't be afraid to approach someone for games or reserve a console next.
- Eventually, we'll have a consistent stream but that's another topic.
- Show up when you can; it's better than not showing up at all.
- Let's work on perfecting all the details to have a great offline experience.
Feel free to jump in and add comments if you agree / disagree with anything mentioned (or have anything to add to it). This is a discussion after all.
. For my input on formats, I am very neutral about it , you guys know me, give me a setup and I just want to play games after games. 
