I've known Jeff's CNTC partner, David Sabourin, since he was about 10 or 11.  That's why I can get away with calling him Scooter.  He and I have discussed playing semi-regularly over the next few months but the stumbling block might be system.  He loves system and I don't. 

There are 3 main reasons I don't like uber-complicated systems:

1.  System drops/infrequency/disaster avoidance.

If you're not playing tons and tons of bridge with someone, you're going to have system drops.  Those are bad for partnership morale/confidence and team confidence.  Lots of system comes up extremely infrequently, which leads to more system drops and/or wasted mental energy.  I particularly dislike 'homemade systems' that no 'name' pair in the world plays.  If nobody plays it: a) its strategic advantage is dubious at best and b) I'm learning a system that I can only play with one person in the world.  Teammates don't remember the push in 2NT down 1 when you didn't have the tools to get out in 2 of a major after a 2 Club opener.  They remember the grand slam you bid off a cashing ace or the slam you played in the 2-2 fit.  Complicated system invites disasters.  I have enough disasters without it, thanks.

2.  Reduced mental energy to bring to other facets of the game.

This is pretty self-explanatory.  The more memory work you pile on, the less neurons you have to do everything else that bridge demands. 

3.  Square peg/round hole.  Trying to fit wrong hands into a conventional call so you can use it more often.

This happens a lot.  It happened a couple of times when I played with Scooter yesterday.

The first time it came up I picked up all red in 1st at matchpoints:

AKQJT9 / 743 / 653 / 8

Scooter and I had agreed to play multi.  I've never played it.  I don't care for it.  Meckwell just dropped it.  That's good enough for me.  But Scooter loves it, fine.

Maybe I'm a hair strong for a weak 2, it's borderline, but this way I get to try out a new gadget, woo hoo. 

I bid 2 Diamonds, he bid 2 Hearts, I bid 2 Spades, he tanked for about 15 seconds and passed. 

Maybe I should have bid 3 Spades over 2 Hearts.  Maybe I should have opened 1 Spade. 

843 / Q8 / KQ75 / AK92

AKQJT9 / 743 / 653 / 8

+170 was worth 10% of the matchpoints (our 1 bad board in an 8 board tournament, 5 boards in the 80%'s and an average plus and average minus.)

So later in the day we sat down for some IMPs.

I pick up at unfavorable in 4th:

QJ63 / AJ5 / 64 / AQT3

Nice hand.  Lefty opens 1NT.  Scooter didn't want to play DONT or Capp, and suggested Hello, a convention devised by Jerry Helms.  He bid 2 Clubs, showing Diamonds or a Major-minor 2-suiter.  I'm betting on Diamonds.  With most hands responder is supposed to bid 2 Diamonds, which the 2 Club bidder can pass with diamonds.  Is this a 'most hands' hand?

It never occurred to me that game wouldn't have play.  I've got all the side suits pretty much double-stopped, Scooter came in at unfavorable, surely he has a card on the side and a suit that will play for one loser sitting behind the NT bidder.  If his suit isn't that good, he's gonna be beefier.

I bid 2NT (just in case he had the major-minor hand, I figured he'd bid his major at this point.)  Scooter bid 3 Diamonds and I bid 3NT.

Lefty led the King of Hearts and dummy tracked:

K5 / 842 / QJ9853 / 84

QJ63 / AJ5 / 64 / AQT3

Wow.

I slipped a trick hoping for a miracle and got that trick back later, but no more.  Down 2.

How 'bout let's DONT use Hello here?  Maybe I should get a second opinion from Jerry Helms.