R.B.I. Baseball & Tecmo Bowl tourney: Omaha Nebraska 3/30/2019

[TbT]

4th annual tourney March 30th 2019.  Tecmo Bowl @ Noon, R.B.I. @ 6PM.
$20 entry fee per tourney, or get into both for $30. All fees are paid to top 5 players in each event.
Each event opens with a round of 3 games in group play.  Results are used to seed the bracket in the tournament.
Tecmo Bowl is single elimination tourney.  R.B.I. is single elimination, becoming best of 3 in Final Four & Championship round.

2018 event had 20 play Tecmo, & 16 play RBI including players from 5 different states.  Day long event is worth traveling to.
Players making a run into the final 4, or playing in the 5th place game are getting about a 4 hour gaming experience per tournament.
Adding to the competition, players eliminated in the round of 16 will face off in extra games to determine 9th - 16th place.  We also encourage players eliminated earlier to partake in some pick up games before leaving. 

Facebook event page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/473453106452642/
Info on format, team selection process, and game play rules: https://www.tecmobowlnes.com/  



Most of our out of state competitors have already made plans to return this year, as have the local regulars. I'm confident that the turnout will continue to grow.  More players equals better competition, and more prize money to distribute. 
Additionally our venue has seen the enthusiasm surrounding retro gaming and decided to have me run a monthly event.  Their support in this area will help to raise attendance figures for this event.

Video from the 2018 tourney:
   

[nomaaa]

now you're playing with power

[Gantry]

I really have to get to one of these already, Omaha is a fun town

[BeefMaster]

I really have to get to one of these already, Omaha is a fun town

Agreed.

[nomaaa]

i can't imagine i wouldn't be the worst player there

[TbT]

This year I'm exclusively using Hyperkin brand, and RetroUSB brand HD retro systems.  These systems play NES carts with HDMI output and 720 resolution and offer a great visual experience to go with all the 8 bit gaming fun. 

I still have many working NES systems, however they can be a tad unreliable as not all have new pins in them.  Additionally there can be a slight latency issue when using the old NES with HDTVs. 

The Hyperkin retron HD(retails around $40) is a nice system.  The colors are a tad off, and the sound is a little different as well(compared to original NES hardware) but they play the games flawlessly.  The RetroUSB AVS system ($200) is the top option on the market.  Offers a PERFECT HD gaming experience.  We'll be using the AVS in the final 4.       

[TbT]

i can't imagine i wouldn't be the worst player there

Each tourney has a handful of guys that makes me wonder if they ever played Tecmo or RBI before.  They get crushed in all 3 group play games.

We had a great field of players in RBI this year, especially with the 2nd/middle tier talent.  Seemed like 3rd through 10th place were pretty interchangeable in terms of where they could have finished.  Our 2 time Omaha champ who is roughly 18-0 in this tourney commented how the field was really strong this year.  The group I was in produced 3rd place, 5th and 6th, but out 4th player was really bad and got 10 runned each game.  We were the only group to have multiple place in the top 6.  The Omaha champ said his group of 4 had a ton of close games, and no weak link, and based on what I've seen he's one of the top players in the country.  Overall the RBI field outside of the bottom 4-5 players was as competitive a tourney as I've ever seen. 

Tecmo Bowl is a different tourney.  There is a bigger divide between the elites and the 2nd tier in TB.  However the best 2nd tier guys are able to blowout the field in a similar fashion to the elite players.  The main difference is that the elite players can shut down the 2nd tier's offenses, and the elite bring a precision on offense that the 2nd tier hasn't seen before.  I've had plenty of tough games vs really good tier 2 talent, and its a grind to finally pull away in the 2nd half.  They aint no joke.       

[nomaaa]

the skill curve in tecmo gets ugly quick

we once had a 12 team tecmo tourney in HS, but by the end, it was the same 3 as it always is

[TbT]

Trophies have arrived.  Come and take a shot at em. 

[TbT]

[Gantry]

You should use the unlicensed black cart in the finals of the RBI tourney. 

[TbT]

You should use the unlicensed black cart in the finals of the RBI tourney.

Ha.  This is good stuff.

[nomaaa]

is there a difference in gameplay?

[Gantry]

Nope

[nomaaa]

dang, i was hoping i could use it as an excuse for getting crushed in nashville

[Gantry]

You still can, this is America

[TbT]

Just under 2 weeks to go.  Tourney brackets should be arriving soon via mail.  I ran some extension cords up around the ceiling at Bigway this weekend to help prep for the tourney.  Now its just putting together all the necessary paper work and making sure I have enough power strips, know the layout of tables, and that the equipment and TVs are all ready to go.     

Communications suggest we'll have players from CO, NE, KS, IA, IL, MO, & AR in attendance this year.  Many of those out of state players attended last year.  1 member of Team Canada is in negotiations with his wife about attending.  If the Omaha area folks come out in solid numbers we'll have an outstanding turnout.   
 

[TbT]

RBI promo

[TbT]

Tecmo Bowl promo




Feeling confident that we'll have over 16 in each tourney.  Going to be hard to top last year's field of 20 for Tecmo Bowl though.  Team Canada will be MIA this year, otherwise we could bank on 2 more player for each tourney.  Weather is going to be chilly and 45 degrees in Omaha.  Bodes better for this event than 70 and sunny. 

4 of us got some Tecmo exhibition games in over the weekend to get warmed up.  Friday night while I set up, we'll have 8-10 regulars in for some food and random NES games.  Going to break out some Pro Wrestling, Ice Hockey, and a few other games.  A guy who won Joe Dirt's Cotut in 2006(?) is flying in from Arkansas to play.  Beales should be in Friday night as well. 

Both tournaments will feature a lot of players that placed top 4 in previous years including 3 time tecmo champ, and 2 time RBI champ. 
I was hoping team Canada could make it, along with a really good player from Des Moines.  This Tecmo Bowl tourney would have had an incredible amount of talent at the top, but it'll still have 3-4 top shelf players, and a handful of solid 2nd tier guys. 

RBI was incredibly competitive last year.  3rd-10th place seemed to be quite interchangeable.  Many are returning to play including 2 time Omaha champ, we're adding a Columbus cotut champ, and Omaha runner up from 2017.  Beales placed 3rd and 4th in Omaha so far.  2nd & 3rd place from RBI last year are returning as well.                     

[TβG]

Good luck with your event today, TBT!