Randomization and you

[Verdande]

It's been going for about 15 years now in M:tG and 7 years in DDM, so I wouldn't take it for granted that it's going to fade.

I feel that Magic the Gathering and DDM are sufficiently different that a comparison isn't accurate.

In M:tG, randomized boosters are a good way to get rare cards that you can't afford to buy otherwise. They're also an essential component of an actual game that you can play.

DDM is marketed towards people who use minis in their game, and I'm not sure exactly why they're so popular, as they're not particularly high quality and they're not their own separate minis game anymore. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure it was terribly popular) They do come pre-painted, which is nice.

In this case, they're selling what is essentially randomized accessories for a roleplaying game that you could make up yourself. I'm not sure I see the draw, or the necessity for such a thing other than to try and get more money than you'd get by publishing them all at once.

To me, it's like getting randomized character sheets. You wanted to play a Rogue? Sorry, you got Magic User and Cleric. Wanna buy another one?

 

[fanboy2000]

Sorry to nitpick, but while many games stores do sell individual cards....

If your FLGS sells boosters, it sells the individual cards.

...I know for a fact this isn't true. I've been to game stores where M:TG hasn't been sold individually since the 90s, even though they still sell the random booster packs.