AMEN on the board performance. So...look what boards that new (uninformed) people entering the hobby are buying.
I for one wasted a lot of money on equipment that don't come close to the level of performance as custom boards etc. How much do people have to spend to figure it out? Its a shame really.
Jimbo- I'm with you, I fully support the "local flavors"... that being play under the rules where you go.
Norbert- I apologize if I misrepresented the traditional 3.2 standard in any way by discussing my opinon of the weighted performance, it was never my intention. I think I've commented that the heavier players run better and I feel I should clarify that. I should have stated that IN MY EXPERIENCE heavier weights (and in particular a heavier base with lower center of gravity) are inherently more balanced and run smoother and with more directional accuracy with far LESS TWEAKING required. I stand by this as this is my personal experience. Now having said that, when the time is put as RD acknowledges (with good tweaking) I completely agree that a sub 3g figure performs absolutely splendid! You are a true "master tweaker" and I can say with first hand knowledge that your players perform on a level that is amazing- after all meeting you more than a year ago and seeing the game played at such a high level was one of the biggest reasons I pursued the hobby further. I simply answered the question that the thread asked, and that is that I prefer weighted because I like the way the players (on average) perform on any board. In fact I'll take it a step further and say that I believe that a heavier base (2.0g+) design would greatly inhance the game. You know what though, my My Mike Hart is under 3.0 and untweaked and he's brilliant (and I aint changing him)!