From:	"Abadia, Teos" <Teos.Abadia@****.COM>
Subject:	Re: SRTCG Ambassadors: Prime Runners Association
Date:	Thu, 25 Jun 1998 11:56:57 -0400

Matt Writes:
> >I am presently talking with FASA about the possibility of setting up
> an
> >Ambassador-style program for Shadowrun: the Trading Card Game, called
> >the Prime Runners Association. (The name might get changed.) These
> are
> >the guys on the edge, teaching new players the game and getting as
> >many people involved in SRTCG as possible.
>
Awesome, Matb! I've felt like I was left all alone in my efforts to
promote the game (as a consultant I travel a lot, and I always run demos
wherever I go). It will be nice to have FASA's support, not to mention
a little compensation for our efforts.

> >There is a strong chance Prime Runners (or whatever we end up being
> >called - I'm open to suggestions) will receive Free Stuff from FASA,
> as
> >I'm willing to supply many goodies out of my own pocket, and can
> >silver-tongue FASA into offering promos, playtesting cards (maybe)
> and
> >other possible goodies.
>
"Playtesting Cards" and "Other Goodies" are the best incentives. As I
mentioned to you before, I just saw Aliens/Predator offer a BOX of
boosters to anyone that gets a favorable article on A/P printed in a
magazine! That's a big incentive, and it can make the difference.

> >What I'm looking for (besides a better name) are what *you* feel your
> >rights and responsibilities are -- obviously, there's a give-and-take
> at
> >play. Experiences from other Ambassador programs - what they did
> right,
> >what they did wrong - is greatly appreciated, but I'm mostly
> interested
> >in what's going to attract your attention.
>
In general, I think the Prime Runners need to be well organized. It
might be best if one of us was an administrative contact and worked with
one FASA member directly to ensure proper communication. We want this
to be professional in appearance and execution. I would want to see
established schedules and guidelines, and would hate to be always
wondering what I am supposed to be doing, or what FASA is doing. We
would be volunteering significant time, and would want to be well
informed and taken seriously.

Hansen Writes:
> What you'll probably need from each Ambassador is the following (not
> in
> order) :
>
> 1) Know the basic rules well. All the errata and specific card rulings
> are
> not essential at the moment. Just carry it around with you.
>
> 2) Establish a network of retailers who will be interested in the
> program.
> This is because to get just one retailer to sponsor the promotion will
> eventually 'burn out' the sponsor. In return for their sponsorship,
> run
> demos and small informal tourneys at the retailer's location. Show the
> retailer that the game has potential.
>
This is a really good idea. The Prime Runners could help add to the
list, but it would probably be best started if FASA offered a small
incentive to retailers that wanted to work with a Prime Runner (or name
one of their staff as a Prime Runner) to sponsor demos, tourneys, and
other events. In fact, the program might simply be to give retailers
support material (nicely printed up tourney rules, demo decks, promo
cards as awards) and to offer to assign a Primer Runner to them if one
exists in their area. If no PR is in their area, they could name a
staff member to be a PR for their store.

> 3) Try to get existing players who are interested to set up 'small'
> tourneys
> on a regular basis at the network you have established.
>
This is a great idea. I have been working to start a ladder with some
friends of mine via IRC games, and also trying to start tourneys in
Philadelphia. It would be nice to start having some rankings based on
performance (number of victories, overall rep, etc.) so we could go to
the FASA Web site and see who is the best.

> 4) Try to organise at least a monthly or bi-monthly tourney. Try to
> create a
> 'league' of some sort. This will be a regular congregation period for
> players within the area you are targeting. The idea of this is to
> allow
> SRTCG playing community (hey think big) to get together and thus
> potential
> players will not feel that they may be abandoned.
>
Agreed.

> 6) Finally you need commitment. That's probably the most important. If
> you
> lose it, trust me you'll loose your players.
>
That is one of the most important ones for me! I am a member of two
gaming groups, totaling more than 50 members, and I visit 4 gaming
stores on a regular basis. In addition, I travel to different gaming
stores around the country, as my consulting job moves me around. I am
based in Philly, the 5th largest US city. I would be really interested
in this, despite the time commitment it would take.

My vision would be that any person could visit the FASA Web site and go
the SRTCG page and find a list of tournaments being played, and be able
to find something in the near future within a few hours of their
location. This person could look up winning decks, strategy tips,
articles on new releases and past expansions, and find the current
tournament leaders. This person could then look up the info for their
closest tournament, and call up the Prime Runner and find out more
information. Also, this person look up their closest gaming store on
the Web site. (Perhaps even just a link to something like
http://www.bigbook.com/, which is what I use to find gaming stores in
new cities).

As for names, I can't think of anything clever right now, but hopefully
throwing some ideas out will help someone else:
The Syndicate
The Dragon's Dealers
Prime Contacts
True Mentors
Sprawl Leaders
Prime Mentors

Matt, these are great ideas. We all appreciate what you, Loki, and Bull
are doing, and hopefully we can develop a system so more of us can
contribute.

Teos.