Fortune Cards: and randomized collectible cards come to D&D

[Wicht]

I think those saying they would gladly pay $6 to play in a demo version of a game are being honest but also projecting a bit. Not everyone is a hardcore WotC fan and in a new game demo you want to make access to the demo as easy as possible to cast the net as broadly as possible. At the outset, the $6 fee narrows the net considerably and thus lessens the impact of the demo opportunity. While $6 may sound like only a small amount to you, there are those like me who have to watch every penny. Added to this the fact that I have 4 kids that might like to do the demo and you've suddenly turned it into a $30 expense for me. So sure, the $6 demo might cast a net wide enough to draw you in, but it would exclude me. And that's just bad marketing. I agree with whomever said that the smart move would be to give the stores some sample cards and allow those to be given away as free samples to go along with the game. That creates an experience that right from the beginning appeals to everyone, thus making the net pretty broad.

 

[Scribble]

This is the cost of doing business... no one forces a store to hold a gameday, so I would hope that by now with all the free D&D gamedays a store knows whether it makes up for this added cost or not... that's what running a business is about... as for "incentives"... I'll discuss that below.


Because you get to sell products a week or more before anyone who doesn't can. And honestly there have been numerous posts by FLGS owners who have stated this has greatly increased their business.

Yes- I've seen them too, and was never indicating it didn't work at all. I'm just saying that this is part of the plan at increasing that business even more.

You don't have to agree with it- I really don't care. My entire point was that there's more to it then simply WoTC wants money.

It's a clear plan of action on WoTCs part to support the FLGS.

Letting them sell material early is part of it. Game days are part of it, and the 6 dollar buy in helps support it.

Yeah, because forcing people to spend $6 on a product they know nothing about and may not like will do wonders for the "hobby". Also because there is no other way to spend $6 and support the hobby... while still actually getting something you know will be useful to you. ... wait actually I listed a few in an earlier post.

No one's forcing you to do anything. The store is holding a voluntary event, and there is a buy in to take part. If you want to take part, you pay the 6 dollars - and you even get a pack of cards out of it.

If you don't- then don't buy in.

Same as if you decide to go to Gencon or any other number of conventions. They all have buy ins, and the buy ins help support the whole thing.

I agree with whomever said that the smart move would be to give the stores some sample cards and allow those to be given away as free samples to go along with the game. That creates an experience that right from the beginning appeals to everyone, thus making the net pretty broad.

Sure- thats a good plan to get people into the stores... But it does nothing to really give the store a guaranteed income from the people who take part. Selling the cards creates kind of a safety net for the store.

It's a known issue right now that people are routinely going to physical stores, demoing the product there, asking the store owner questions about it, and getting the tactile experience, then leaving to buy it on line.

Sure- as Imaro indicates it's part of "the cost of doing business," but if WoTC really believes that brick and mortar game stores are very important to the industry/hobby then they can't just sit around and hope things work out.

 

[Imaro]

Yes- I've seen them too, and was never indicating it didn't work at all. I'm just saying that this is part of the plan at increasing that business even more.

You don't have to agree with it- I really don't care. My entire point was that there's more to it then simply WoTC wants money.

It's a clear plan of action on WoTCs part to support the FLGS.

Letting them sell material early is part of it. Game days are part of it, and the 6 dollar buy in helps support it.

Well IMO it's not a "clear plan of action on WoTCs part to support the FLGS", it's about WotC selling their product, particularly GW stuff and not about "supporting" the FLGS. Otherwise give options that would cast the FLGS in a more favorable light and encourage repeat visits such as the purchasing a $6 gift card for the store, or $6+ purchase in the store period allows one to participate. I feel like you are trying to paint this as some type of altruistic, selfless act by WotC, and I don't buy it.

IMO this is about creating an incentive to buy the GW game by strongly encouraging anyone who wants to try it out to purchase compnents they can't use otherwise.

I'll put it like this, I wouldn't be happy to buy 2 boosters of property cards, or plastic hotels, to demo monopoly before I had the game or knew if I enjoyed it or not... and this is the same premise.

Especially after I played it and didn't like it (Sorry I find Monopoly extremely boring and tedious...)

 

[MrMyth]

This is irrelevant to the point of a gameday. I am not WotC's friend they are a corporation I purchase items from, I am not my FLGS's friend they are a shop I purchase items from... The gameday serves a clear purpose for both, to entice me to buy WotC products from this particular store. I will purchase those products if I enjoy the game... I won't if I don't... I also won't purchase products to try a demo, it has nothing to do with suffering through something, since that level of discomfort is not necessary for me to decide that, with all the rpg's I have and that are available, GW is not far enough above the bar for me to spend my money on. I work for my money and I expect a company to convince me to want to give it to them for their products. Plain and simple.

Again, I find this bizarre - I go to Gamedays to play games, and have fun. I mean, I get that if there is a price to do so, it might turn you away. Fair enough. I don't think charging for the boosters is the best idea as far as marketing goes.

But the idea that a price of entry is some sort of mark against you - that they are "forcing people" to spend this money - is completely absurd.

I can understand someone saying that they think less people will attend Game Day events if there is a charge, and that it is thus, a bad idea.

But some people seem to be going a step farther and acting like there is some active offense to this, or that WotC is somehow ripping people off or forcing them to fund their own advertising, which is just a bizarre view of the situation.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Same as if you decide to go to Gencon or any other number of conventions. They all have buy ins, and the buy ins help support the whole thing.

Bingo.

No one is saying that going to a con should be free, and charging for the opportunity to check out new product makes cons evil/uninviting/etc. What's a con but a FLGS game day writ VERY large?

 

[Imaro]

Bingo.

No one is saying that going to a con should be free, and charging for the opportunity to check out new product makes cons evil/uninviting/etc. What's a con but a FLGS game day writ VERY large?

And I would have no problem paying the FLGS (either in product I want or directly for space) to play... What I don't want to do is have to buy something I have no need for... unless I spend another $40... as dictated by WotC in order to play. There's a slightly different dynamic going on here and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

And I would have no problem paying the FLGS (either in product I want or directly for space) to play... What I don't want to do is have to buy something I have no need for... unless I spend another $40... as dictated by WotC in order to play. There's a slightly different dynamic going on here and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So, if the FLGS charged you $6 to play and then gave you two free booster packs when you sat down, would you be OK with that?

 

[Imaro]

So, if the FLGS charged you $6 to play and then gave you two free booster packs when you sat down, would you be OK with that?

Not if it's charging because WotC mandated or strongly suggested that I "purchase" said bosters. I'm not 3, playing word games doesn't change what's really happening IMO.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

That's a purely semantic difference that you're fluffing up into some sort of moral boundary.

 

[Imaro]

That's a purely semantic difference that you're fluffing up into some sort of moral boundary.

No it boils down to the fact that I don't want to pay a company to demo their products... but I have no problem paying the shop for it's time and manpower in making that possible... so no, it's not a semantic difference if WotC is still requiring a purchase of their boosters in order to play, I'm sorry you can't see the difference.