Phiswiz wrote: Why not eliminate ghosting all together at GenCon? I know this might be unpopular and I have not been playing nearly as long as most people. To me TD has always been about inclusion and fun, and for every ghost someone buys when tickets go on sale is one less ticket available for someone who really wants to try out TD.
I understand there is the wait list. Additionally there is a also a chance some tickets get turned back into the the ticketing system, but by that point most new players loose interest and/or don't want the hassle/uncertainty of the wait list. I have seen this first hand.
Aside from the people who want solo runs for the challenge and not the loot who is ghosting really benefiting? Is it the wealthy players with tokens worth more than my house/car who want more loot?
Just something to think about.
There are at least two important issues that ghosting helps address:
1. Ghosting is often a byproduct of wanting to play Hardcore or Nightmare (or some other variant). If you want to get rid of Ghosting, then you really need to change the rules regarding the group selecting the difficulty level. For example, instead of needing 100% consensus, it should either be majority rules (6+) or set the threshold at 7 or 8 players need to agree.
One of the reasons ghosting is sometimes needed is when a 10-person run is arranged as Nightmare and then 1 person doesn't show. Allowing a waitlist, stranger, or newbie risks the chance that the person will not agree to Nightmare.
2. Ghosting is related to muling, at least in terms of obtaining treasure coins and making your extra TE's "work for you."
If there was no ghosting, then some people (e.g. those with 10 CoA's) might switch to muling instead. And while muling does have the benefit of exposing more people to TD, there is also the risk of poor interactions, if there are misunderstandings about the terms of the deal, or if people feel others are getting exploited.
There are also valid arguments of why the system should favor muling instead of ghosting. And there may be some players with poor personalities who you think are better off *not* interacting with impressionable newbies....