Event Review- Broadside Bash

The Bash is the third oldest event in SoCal, behind SAWS and QCR, with a fairly long history behind it.  It is run by Bama these days, but the former Pacific Marauders guys who founded it are still involved in the running of the event.

The Basics-
Years Active: 8 (I have attended five)
Format:  5 games, 2500 points, standard limitations and no special characters
Comp System:  Swedish modified
Sports System:  5 point player rated system
Painting System:  Tiered Checklist with two judges with a cap for overall
Battle System:  W/L/D with bonus points

Venue-
Broadside has moved around over the years, but the last three it has been at Kingdom Con in San Diego, at the Crown Plaza Suite.  This is a weekend gaming convention that also started three years ago, with lots of cool vendors and an ok sushi bar.  The room is a large hall, typical of these convention events, with other tournaments also going on in the same room.  The major bummer here is that you pretty much have to cart your army back and forth to the room each night, unlike many GTs.

Tables-
Solid quality with a fair amount of terrain, the tables are basically good solid GT standard tables, though they did borrow Fred's mats this past year.  There is a bit of a lack of LOS blocking terrain on the tables, but there are a decent amount of other pieces at each one.

Swag-
There is no included swag, but they do sell T-shirts fairly cheap for the event.

Scenarios-
A bit wonky, but that's normal with any first time TO.  Plus, the Broadside has always been known for doing odd things with the scenarios.  If you don't mind wackiness, they are a lot of fun.

Crowd-
This is somewhat of a mixed bag, but mostly a nice bunch.  This is sort of the cool down event from WCGT where the LA clubs all come and play, but it has also been known for being a bit more filthy over the years.  Bama more or less cracked down on the rough lists a bit and the sportsmanship has been mostly superb of late as well.  The event is somewhat smaller than others, typically drawing in 30ish, but it is still big enough to get a diverse lineup of games.

Boozing-
Its pretty much BYOB here, though you can go to the bar between rounds for pricey cocktails and snacks.  Roll in a cooler with your favorite poison and you are good to go.

Competition-
There are two big clubs (Capri and Chupacabras) that attend this in force, plus a few smaller ones that turn up.  Pretty much all of the best painters and players in the LA and San Diego area turn up here, so there are some good tough games to be had.

Overall-
This is and always has been a good solid local event.  Its not one I would suggest as part of an out of state trip (see QCR or WCGT for that), unless your family wants to check out Sea World.