I was just getting ready to type this reply and copy and paste a posting by LongJohn when I discovered that all of his recent posts are missing! I hope he's the one that deleted them, because if our moderator had done so I'm really upset. Censoring certain comments is bad enough, but to delete everything just because you have a problem with the person is not right as far as I believe. I've stayed silent in the ongoing chats about the prize tournaments and other discussion, but I did join his along with Linda's tournament. I'm not much of a fan of backgammon, though the game can be a lot of fun from time to time.
Since his posts are missing. (Regardless of why they're missing) I can no longer directly reply to them. I do recall that he said something about having to have 200 or players in them and also him saying that he would extend the starting time until he reached that goal. I can only assunme that he's liar! The tournament has started with just 64 of us. What gives? IS the prize still happening? What happened to your waiting, LongJohn?

In anycase, I would like to be removed from the tournament. I would like this done without penalizing me or anyone else. Since forfeiting all my games is an option, that's what I will do if that's what it takes. This isn't fair to the other sections though, and I'd like to just leave the tournament as if I'd never even signed up for it. Could this be arranged or made to happen? IF so, please make it happen, and thank you. If not, man that's stupid! But hey, I hope they enjoy their easy victory points off me as I will just let the games expire and that'll be the end of it.
I'm still curious about LongJong's missing posts in this section. Are they his doing, or the moderator do it?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I typed that last night and fell asleep at the key board. Since then there's been a few replies to what this tournament of LongJOhn is all about.
Our moderator says he didn't delete the posts. That leaves the creator of them (LongJohn)
Also, a few people have suggested to just forfeit the games involved and that'll take care of the games. I will do this if it's the only option. I really believe that this tournament and the way it's being conducted are bogus. As it has been pointed out, the creator is entitled to do as he pleases with the organizing of the tournament. All the same, had I'd known these changes in the tournament parameters and the ongoing debate about the tournament itself were going to happen, I would not have joined the tournament.
It seems very unfair to me that one is counted as a member of an ongoing tournament when one has been eliminated from the tournament. I wrote to Fencer about this a few months back and he didn't see much problem with it. This tournament should show the problem with it quite clearly. If I still had Pawn membership status and then forfeited or lost all my games, I'd not be ever to enter another tournament until the end off this one. This is a different problem than the one I wrote to Fencer about, and it's worse.
The problem I wrote him about concerned the fact that I had played all of my games and had the tournament won no matter the outcome of the remaining players games and I wasn't allowed to join another tournament because of the one tournament per Pawn rule. So I was stuck until the slowest two players finished their game. A week later they did. That doesn't seem fair to me, but that's how it is. That complaint is nothing compared to what this LongJohn's tournament will do to any nonpaying member. Fencer, I really believe the tournament rules should be changed to take this into consideration. As I suggested to you, limit a member's games to whatever level you like, not how many off them happen to be tournament games. Simular to IYT's handling of it. I'm sure there's other things that might be done too.
Now that I'm a paying member and have created a couple of tournaments myself, I would like anyone to enter if they'd like to. Unfortunately the "One Tournament per Pawn" rule prevents most Pawns from playing even if they have the game spaces available and they've lost a tournament. Winning a tournament or advancing to a second round shouldn't count against your total and could be considered a prize for playing well.
Just a little of my 2¢. Thank you.