Yeah, it’s kinda trippy 
No, and no. I know that they intend to run more, and I know that Bristol has applied for one, but I don’t know more than that.
I really enjoyed the theme of the last data cycle and I think FFG can do a great job at providing it. They seem, however, kind of overly passive and living in their own world with their own ideas and theories. Don’t misunderstand me, I do think that what they’re doing now is really good, however, they CAN do much, much better and if they do, they will only gain. I think they could start the astro-train-of-awesomeness just by opening up to public, regularly participating in forums, joining discussions and inquiring about enhancements.
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I’m glad they still give out playmats. I just got my first one!
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TBH, I think much of this stems from the fact that FFG still sees themselves primarily as a boardgame company. Even though some of their LCG lines have been around for a while, it wasn’t really until A:NR (and maybe conquest) that they had anywhere near the recognition as some of FFG’s boardgame lines (see: Arkham Horror). They are likely quite happy that competitive scenes have formed around AGoT, A:NR, and Conquest, but a) they don’t want to embrace the M:TG tournament model (and probably don’t have the requisite profit margins, frankly), and b) they’re not exactly experts at it yet.
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I don’t like negativity but this needs to be said.
Not being experts is one thing, doing a bad job and not changing course is another.
There have been calls for this game specifically to push for a competitive scene. The prize support isn’t there and the tournament support isn’t there. For example: why would you post that stores are hosting store championships before a date and time are determined? Beyond that, how do you not include the dates and times on your website so people can find it. Instead, FFG leaves it to us to do legwork if we want to enjoy their product. That is not good customer service or the way to grow a competitive scene.
That’s one of a hundred gripes I have and have immediate and easy answers to. Unfortunately for the community I don’t work for FFG, and unfortunately for FFG they can’t afford me.
EDIT: And oh god I would hate to live/work in Minnesota. No offense, but Ohio is about as far north as I can stand.
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You know, Wizards has been doing this for about 20 years or so. FFG might learn a thing or two from them…
Not that I’m advocating cash prizes, mind you. I think once money enters the equation it ceases to be primarily about “the love of the game.” However, they could follow the example of their prize support and event structure.
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I’m not posting this as a troll, and I’m acknowledging up front that that it’s going to come off that way given the audience that’s about to read it.
Anyhow, a lot of you come off as conceited beggars that expect to be pampered because you’re the best at a game that thousands of people play. Yet, it’s like the recognition that your best isn’t good enough. You need money, and all of these cool things to play a game you love at the highest level. And I don’t know, if you need that, maybe you shouldn’t be doing this? Maybe you should be going to vegas and playing poker as spags (i know) was jesting you do. Maybe you’re in the wrong game?
I feel like the love of the game ought to be enough and that the prize support should be as wide in scope as possible (read rewards as many as possible); because, while there should be an incentive to get to the top, we all love this game and we all want it to be its best and the rest of us aren’t going to get golden tickets even if we do more for the game than the rest of you. Some of you do great things for the game beyond winning. MTG red is building a system (against FFG’s wishes, granted) so more people can play the game, and he took 2nd. Many of you write articles and are evangelicals for the game. Some of you just talk shop on the net, but that’s still a form of advertising.
The rest of us do that too, though; promote the game, write stuff, teach people, and make sure people are having fun playing the game. I’ll throw games intentionally or even play weaker decks just to make sure I have people to play against.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you want to have a negative environment where we all bitch about FFG for months on end. We can do that. After we’ve convinced FFG that they are our enemy and we have no regard for them I’m sure they’ll just turn around hand us big giant chocolate bars, wrapped in gold even, and give us a fatherly pat on the head.
I’m all for making the game better and for making FFG better, but, damn, lets have some perspective while we do it. Please?
Honey + Bears. Carrot > Stick. Etc?
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I don’t know if this was directed at me, but Imma respond regardless.
I hope I don’t come off as a beggar, or that all I care about are prizes. I frequently pass down my prizes in tournaments, and only monetize the prizes when I travel to play (Indianapolis, Chicago, Louisville, Minneapolis to name some of the far off places I’ve gone to play). I too would rather the prize support be wide in scope, and I have only a small interest in a cash prize. We can examine that point alone and see that regionals kits, for example, only have 64 cards for prizes. There should be enough for every player to get one, right? Enough for even the most novice players to walk away with a prize? Not at either of the regional events I attended last season where the attendance was over 64. Remedied by giving 100 cards or some other prize for the bottom rung.
FFG is not our enemy, but they’re not our ally either. When was the last time you saw anyone from their team posting in a forum? They’re content with the level of service they’re providing and it’s not up to most standards in the industry. Not just the prize support, but the tournament support is lacking.
Reducing the number of rounds specified in the rules because the TO doesn’t want to have to run a tournament that long is outrageous, but that is exactly what FFG’s staff did at FFG headquarters to hundreds of customers who came in from around the globe for a “world class event”.
I just want them to do better, that’s all. I’d rather see the prize support stay the same and have the tournament structure reviewed and put people in place that want to community to grow as much as I do. You do this by running fun events and having information regarding these events readily available.
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There is a lot we can do and actually do to support the community by bringing in new players and putting out content and stuff like that, but the fact of the matter is that the most popular games attract a lot of people with prizes. It would be a lot of appealing to travel to regionals if you knew that you could get at the very least entry to gencon for nats if you won.
I am really happy that there are more regionals. I never gave two shits about the prizes, but I feel like there is a little bit of an issue with that. Shouldn’t I?
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You’ll like the “bye” this year- it’s like a credit card. The illusion of monetary prizes.
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I have never been attracted to a game by the prizes I can win from it. What attracts me, and what attracts most people to a game, is how fun it is, and how friendly and approachable the people who play the meta is. I’d never start playing a game just because the prize support for it looks good.
Of course I love it when I win prizes, and I was absolutely over the moon when I won my first netrunner playmat. But I care far more about the act of winning a local tournament (or top 4ing a SC/top 8ing a regional) than about the prizes I get from winning/top 4ing/top 8ing.
I’m not sure getting more valuable prizes is the answer. It makes the environment far, far more toxic when actually valuable things are on the line. There is also the cost to the game store - FFG actually charges the game store money to host a regional, and I’m sure a lot of these stores would simply pass the price hikes on to the players.
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What people here don’t really understand is the fact that a couple of players here (Medio, Spags, myself as well and globally every “good players” around here) already have like …10+ playmat, a couple of playsets of every promo cards FFG printed (bar some really rare one like he Eli 1.0 or the PSF) and a shittons of useless virus/agenda tokens. The previous season gave us some nice promo cards and some shitty one but at least a playset of Kati Jones / Datasucker / Scorch were at least playable. Not so much with ID or crappy tokens. I don’t have any clues what i’m gonna do with the 10/15 Reina I will probably win during the regional season.
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With the added bonus of only 1 bye per person allowed. If you win a second SC the bye propagates down to the first person who has yet to receive a bye.
I own 2 playmats, but I’ve lost count of the number i’ve given away.
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Exclusive alt-art cards to the top 4 at big tourneys would be cool. They can leave the ‘make a card’ to the Worlds champs, but what about national champs or top 4 at Worlds getting their face on a card?
There’s a lot that can be done. We just want a little creativity, and, more shit, of course.
Yes. If you don’t have tokens you like by now (new players aren’t winning these), these aren’t helping you. I honestly prefer the cardboard packins with the core sets to these.
Do you think FFG reads this shite? I wish they did. Someone send them a link.
I appreciate the devil’s advocacy, but, you’re not getting a ‘Like’ from me on this one.
Is this new? I won two last year, and use both byes. Hell, the ‘TO’ at one store didn’t put my name on one, and I joked about selling it on eBay. Was going to give it to @aandries to use when he travelled to the UK Regional, but he was too honorable to use it. Judge program is coming, I know. Still.
I’m done complaining. @gumOnShoe is right in that this negativity will accomplish little or nothing. However, it is slightly cathartic to me.
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Don’t really want the like. I hate having to say it. You’re all pretty cool and its this one thing you guys continually harp on that bothers me. Better prizes for the top x players are going to do a whole lot of nothing for community building, which is what I’d like to see. I want more plugged in and good prize support for the local level. Leagues are the lifeblood of this game and if anything’s going to improve, that’s where I want to see it improve. If you guys get cooler swag in the process fine, but its really not my concern and frankly I think it’d be foolish of FFG to cave to the pressure of the top X players when there’s so much other stuff they need to focus on first. Balancing this game, for one. Judge program for another. Not issueing c&d’s to players who are recruiting tons more people. Ensuring there’s a way for new players to enter the game so it doesn’t die off the way every other LCG does.
Anyways, I look forward to seeing all of you at various tournaments again. I wish you the best of luck (even those of you who don’t need it). And I wouldn’t mind if FFG did help you guys out, so long as they also address the other issues the community has. I think tickets to the event would be awesome, I could get behind that. Even lodging for regionals winners.
I just don’t see the reason to constantly bitch. At least make it constructive…
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I am not sure specifically who this was intended for, (other than @Spags obviously 
) but it’s not about getting more stuff for me when I talk about the crappy prize support. I don’t look at the prizes and say with my hands on my hips “It’s not good enough for ME.”
It’s not good enough for the community, and the future of the game. Here is how I see it. I don’t think FFG really knows (or maybe cares) what they have there hands on. I believe the potential of this game is so much larger than what FFG is willing to invest into it. If they fed the game/community with (to name a few things) better valued (or rarer) prizes, better accommodations for winners, (travel, ticket, ect), (dare I say a ranking system?), and maybe most importantly, make The World Championships a spectacle all about the players! Make it so when people walk away from the experience, they will undeniably have to say to themselves ***“WOW!! FFG really cares for me(us)!***”
Regardless of personal opinion, it’s clearly documented that many people are not happy, and many people who (like it or not) are quite influential in the competitive A:NR community. People might have different reasons why they aren’t happy, but the reason I am not happy is because I feel like they are chopping the legs out from what could be.
All that said, you are spot on when you say having a positive environment might be the most important thing for all of us (looking at myself too). It is the reason why this community has been and still is awesome, and why big tournaments simply are the best.
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What if they offered more promotion for the top players, and backed it up with air fare and hotels to Worlds? It’s already a game with a competitive fan base; they could really play off of that by shipping some of the regional winners to sunny Minnesota once a year.
Also, on a positive note, it’s cool they let the winner design their own card.
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