Entrevista con Albert Mialet aka Akodo Lestat.

Ganador del Level 20 Make a Card "Shrine to Nimuro"

Ganador del Level 15 "Seven Sohei"

Ganador de los Level 10 "Uruwashi" y "The Imperial Explorer"

Top León del Europeo de Dublín

TO de los Koteis de Barcelona del 2008 al 2012

  

Translation by Elsa Valbuena

Interview with Albert Mialet aka Akodo Lestat.
Winner of Level 20 Make a Card "Shrine to Nimuro"

Winner of Level 15 "Seven Sohei"

Winner of Levels 10 "Uruwashi" and "The Imperial Explorer"

Top Lion at European Championship in Dublin 2011
Barcelona Kotei TO since 2008.

I: Good evening, we are with Albert Mialet, one of the main members of the L5R World Championships’ organization staff, but also the recent champion of the “The Hunt of the Dark Naga” tournament in Barcelona.

I: Good evening Albert.

AM: Good evening Jose.

I: We are glad you made it so easy for us to have an interview with you; we can imagine you have been very busy making arrangements for the WC during this week.

AM: Well, I have been busy, but not as much as I’m going to be next week.

I: OK, so here’s the first question. Could you tell everybody who knows nothing about tournament organization, how did you get Barcelona to host the WC?

AM: Well, the truth is that, in Dublin, Nico and Dimas suggested that they were interested in Barcelona’s hosting the L5R WC, so we discussed it and finally agreed it was a good option. The Spanish tournament organization team had already considered the possibility but had actually never gone after it actively. The Koteis we have been organizing during the year have gone well, and that’s what made Nicolas Bongiu opt for Barcelona.

I: As far as we know, Padis and L5RBarcelona are organizing the contest, which means that Dimas and you are the main ones responsible for the L5R WC’s organization. However, how many people other people are there in the staff?

AM: If I’m not wrong, there are 10 of us: the two main organizers, two scorekeepers (Didac and Fran), the main judge (Abraham) and many other people working in other areas such as the bar, the round publishing team, the auxiliary judge team, etc...

I: So, how many judges will be at the L5R WC?

AM: Dimas is going to be a judge as well, I myself am going to be an auxiliary judge and there will be another 3 auxiliary judges. Rémi will be helping us too, since he is an expert on Legacy, and there’s other people who know the rules very well and will be lending us a hand.

I: The L5R WC at Lyon two years ago set very high standards regarding the venue and organization in general. Did you get any advice from the previous organization’s staff?

AM: Yes; Rémi, one of the organizers of the Lyon L5R WC is currently living in Barcelona and he has provided us with great knowledge; we have also asked Dimas and Pablo for some advice since they organized the European Championship in Madrid, and they have also been very helpful. The AEG staff has been there to help and solve doubts, so the information we have gathered altogether has enabled us to successfully organize the Barcelona WC.

I: We imagine there are some prerequisites concerning the venue, how did the “Cotxeres de Sants” become the actual venue of the WC?

AM: well, actually one of the requirements for hosting the WC was that we should find a good venue. Unlike in Madrid, we found a great venue at a good price, but before that I contacted hotels, the local government and many others. However, their fees were just too expensive and Cotxeres offered us a good deal.

I: So, moving to the economic side of the WC, who pays for the staff, the prizes, the venue, etc? Is it financed by AEG?

AM: AEG funds part of the event, but the main input money comes from the registration fee players pay to participate in the tournament. That makes it complicated for the organizers because we have to invest our own money at the beginning and then recover it as players register into the WC. That’s why there are sometimes gifts with the registration, to motivate players so that they register as soon as possible and we get some money to start working.

I: So, in the end is there a balance between the expenses generated by the event and the amount of money from player’s registrations?

AM: Yes, there is. It’s sometimes complicated to calculate but at this point we already have an estimate budget and number of players, so, there is a balance. Furthermore, we have tried to invest almost all of the money from the players into prizes and gifts.

I: Some players have doubts about the main event, maybe you can clear them up. Here’s the first one: Are the players only allowed to use different decks in different tournaments, which is, if a player qualifies on Friday, does he/she have to play the same deck on Saturday?

AM: Oh, that’s an easy one. Players can use a different deck in any of the three qualifier tournaments on Friday, and if they qualify to play on Saturday, they will be able to use any deck both in the Main event and in the Second Chance tournament. However, on Saturday each player must bring its deck details written down on a sheet of paper and hand it in before playing; that deck may not be modified during the tournament and if they enter the top, of course.

I: The second doubt is: how many dropping chances has a player enrolled in the first qualifier?

AM: Those enrolled in the first qualifier have two dropping chances. They can play two games and then decide if they continue or drop. So, even though we may have to adapt the schedules due to unexpected circumstances, we calculate players will have played two games before the second qualifier begins.

I: So, how are you going to deal with the game length, timeslots between rounds or those tedious pairing resets that may somehow delay the event?

AM: Well, pairing resets can always happen, but we will be on the alert to prevent them. About the game length, we will be very strict on that and so we ask players to stick to those 45 minutes, which are 45 minutes of game, not 45 plus the last battle. We think respecting the schedules is crucial for a good development of the tournament and we will insist on it for the sake of all the players.

I: In order to strengthen our deal, is the l5rbrothers site the official broadcaster of the L5R WC? Are we allowed to record and upload the games to our site?

AM: Of course, as long as the players accept on their being recorded and agree on your uploading the recordings to the site. I am sure it will be of great benefit to the community, and by handling this you are taking a load off the organization as well.

I: About the registration, last time we checked the official website, there were 270 registered players, is it the number of players you expected? What was your forecast?

AM: I think we will reach the 300 some registered players, even though it was said we may get to the 400, but I don’t think so.

I: So, what about the countries represented in that list of registered players, is Spain the country with the most representatives? Among the foreign players, are there many American players?

AM: I have been asking the players to specify their country for the World Cup and some of them have done so, but many of them haven’t and I’ve spent some time guessing the countries from their surnames and so on. I can say there are many players from France, Belgium, England and Ireland, but it’s hard to tell which players are English and which are American. The Spanish players are almost ¼ of the overall number of players.

I: Given the quality of the Spanish players and the high representation in the WC, do you think Spain is the favorite country to win the World Cup?

AM: Yes, I think so because we play at home and that’s always an advantage, and also because we’ve been playing hard in the last tournaments.

I: I checked the records and Spanish players have won Koteis and European Tournaments, but in 16 years of World Championships since 1996, there has never been a Spanish winner of the WC!

AM: Yes, it’s true; we’ve succeeded in several other tournaments but not in the WC, so I sincerely hope this year we will have a Spanish player on the top of the podium.

I: Among the international most well-known players, such as Tim Wells or Case Kiyonaga, which ones have already confirmed they will be attending the WC?

AM: I spoke to Tim Wells and he won’t be coming. Greg Wong, a Dragon player who’s always in the top is coming, just like Justin Walls and Bryan Reese, but the latter will be working for AEG. We will also have Pablo Rojo, José Luis Tagarro (Tselu) and many more; there will be a very high level.

I: Now, the next two questions we ask you to answer them not as an organizer, but as a player. In your opinion, how’s the playgroup going to be like? Who’s your favorite?

AM: My favorite is Lion; it’s my clan and I hope it wins the WC. I really think the Kitsu deck is one of the most powerful ones, but anything can happen and maybe a Paragon or a Scout deck will slip into the top. In my view, Crab is also among the favorite clans; personally I really like the Berserker deck. Last, but not least, I think Scorpion might cause a stir, it’s been proved very powerful in the previous weeks.

I: Up to TSE, which cards do you consider decisive in the playgroup.

AM: Definitely “Skipping the Puddle”. Besides that, the Naga Items are just too mcuch; the Scoprion Cloak is just amazing, but also the Phoenix and Crab items… Personally my favourite would probably be “Oblivious”.

I: If you were to participate in the WC, which deck would you play?

AM: I would probably stand between Kitsus and Nonhumans, they are my two decks and choosing just one would be too difficult, but I would definitely play Kitsus in the qualifier.

I: So, this is the end of the interview. I would like to thank you for your time and sincerity in the name of the audience. If you’d like to add something, this is the time.

AM: Stick to the 45 minutes!! The only thing I ask you for is to be punctual and to stick to the 45 minutes of play so that everything goes as planned and people can leave early, go party, etc. and we can all have a good time.