| From: | Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: FASA Ambassadors? (was: Re: Second Run) |
| Date: | Wed, 24 Jun 1998 03:04:55 -0700 |
> As you mentioned Matt, with you buying from the net instead of retail, why
> should stores carry a game that does not really sell as well as other games
> like Magic?
Because I do about three demos a month? :) I'm not the *only* consumer
out there, and occasionally I guilt someone into splurging on a few
boosters, starters and display cases. But, personally speaking, *my*
pocket can't stretch enough to allow random purchases, so everything I
buy comes from the net, at absolute lowest cost.
> I mentioned this before, and like before, not one person
> followed up on it - sometimes I think people are a bit 'afraid' of hurting
> FASA's feelings or something. But going on my personal experiences, when I
> was searching for the Underworld expansion, all the stores that previous
> sold the First Run, except two (one retail chain), none of them were going
> to carry any further expansions because the First set sold squat for them.
> I did not like seeing that because it seems to say the game might slowly
> die. So how would I push a game onto retailers that are set not to sell a
> game? Money talks... and I think you would know the rest of the phrase.
Demo, demo, and more demo. Write articles if you're shy. Shadowrun
*has* stayed in Inquest's Top Ten for over a year, so there's customers
in them thar hills somewhar.
> <Snipped various cons...>
> Here is a thought to ponder - though a game like Magic is infamous for
> releasing expansion upon expansion, do you think the slow, drawn out
> approach SRTCG is going will be a boom or a bust over time?
Although FRPG's 'Rolling Thunder' release system certainly has its
supporters, I can't say that it's inherently a positive thing. I've
often found with the larger sets you can go back and find - hey! - a
card you'd once overlooked is actually pretty decent.
Perhaps more importantly, FASA *should* be cautious before it adopts the
'monthly mini' system, simply on the grounds that it's FRPG's baby; if
FASA makes a decision, it has to be done because it's FASA's choice -
not because someone else has been successful doing it. I know Mike, I
know Jim; they're tigers.
> Yes, I would
> prefer quality over quantity, but just say for a moment that here is a
> brand new person looking to get into a card game. Looking over the various
> titles, what do you think their initial reaction would be seeing a wide
> selection of cards with Magic written on them compared to seeing two sets
> with Shadowrun on them? Then add in all the other various card games to
> the mix.
Then again, there's something to be said for *not* flooding the market.
While MtG sells, it's also got a very large number of critics, simply
because so many of its cards are re-hashes. I think there's a lot of
strength to the Shadowrun universe, a *wealth* of concepts out there; it
could probably do a bit better, so long as it doesn't overextend itself.
I've also found that with the smaller-quicker releases, people tend to
still refer to them as part of a larger set, so the individuality of
each set is reduced sharply. Not *terribly* important, except for
pride-of-ownership reasons.
> I wonder what my comrade-in-arms Brad is up to these days.....
So do I, for different reasons.
So, uh, what did we all do that we're not comrades ourselves? I mean, I
know what *you* do (snicker) that makes me feel less-than-comradely
towards ya, but I don't know how I (or anyone/everyone else) got the big
blow-off for.
- Matt
------------------------------------
Quid gignitur ex hyaena et psittaco?
Animal uiribus ridendi in ioca sua eximum.
GridSec: SRCard / Freedonian Research Assistant
Teen Poets FAQ: http://pw1.netcom.com/~mbreton/poetry/poetfaq.htm
SRTCG Website: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/2189/ccgtop.htm
