A few things I don't know whats been changed since I have not read OP.
1. 10 Dollar Entry... Its the standard..and it works. Why would someone want to travel for a tournament that first place does not even win 50 dollars if they get first?
2. The 2nd game should be game that guarantees numbers. Guilty Gear is the safest bet. I know NJ players, they will promise you numbers for [insert game here] but when the event comes along only 3 will show up then they will complain when the game gets dropped. Look at the break when they dropped AE 2012. 4 games rotated out to fill the void and non of them worked.
3. If you want players to come to your event (from OUT OF STATE) the start time should be 8pm Sign up with an 8:30 start time, NO EXCEPTIONS. An average tournament takes about 4 hours give or take. If you start any later beyond 8:30 the tournament will run late and NY players will end up riderless, complain about it, and never show up again.
The break weeklies that KDZ/Hacker Mike/Jaxel run are a perfect model to show how something can succeed, and how something can fail, in NJ.
