Ambassador Report - November 2002
Region: Ronara - West Texas
Ambassador: Matt Clouser
1. THE STATE OF GAMING IN MY AREA:
Retailer Scene: Unfortunately, no change to report here. There are NO stores in my area that support Decipher products and activities. I caught a rumor last month that there may be a new game store opening - however, it turns out that several local players are "considering" the move but don't have the financing or a location identified. I'll continue to track this development.
CCG Scene: Again, CCG's are virtually dead in the area - Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic are played in small pickup games - primarily at Specialties, our local toy store.
Texas STCCG Scene: With the unfortunate loss of Bart McLeroy as ambassador in Dallas last month, I'm the only ambassador left in Texas - so I'll relay what I know from my contacts in Texas. To my knowledge, there are five STCCG centers of activity in Texas - Dallas/Ft Worth, San Antonio, San Angelo, Austin and Abilene. The story remains the same state-wide - TD's are scrambling to keep interest alive in the game.
2. WHAT I'VE DONE "FOR LOVE OF THE GAME" ....
To be honest, this has been another disappointing month for STCCG. NO ONE showed for my demos on November 3rd and 17th at Hastings. As you might expect, Hastings game manager is not keen on ordering any products with that poor a showing.
I also ran a small demonstration of 2nd Ed for two of my more experienced 1st Edition players on November 30th. Their reaction bears repeating here.
The overall reaction was that the new game mechanics where very "smooth" (a direct quote here). They particularly liked the overall simplicity of the game - particularly the ship movement system. Basic starship operations - like combat and cloaking - now requiring cards to play - were a definite turnoff.
The most telling comment I got was that they pretty much felt like Decipher killed the game by deciding to go with a second edition where the cards they've aquired over the last 5 or so years would no longer be useful. In particular, they felt that the 1st Edition wasn't as broke as Decipher thought it was and that changes in the RULES - not the CARDS - was the answer. The example I got was a suggestion (which I also read on the ambassador messages) that there be a limit to the number of cards played per turn.
I explained to them that Decipher was between a rock and a hard place because of declining Trek sales and a diminishing player base increasingly dominated by powerful "gimick" (i.e. Vic/Cyrus) and "high-dollar" (i.e. Barzan Drop) decks. I also pointed out that Decipher had mad an inital attempt at a new CCG (which got me stereo "raspberries") before trying a second edition.
These guys are going to be a hard sell - for now I'll work on some of my other players and see if I can't get at least a small core group reassembled for regular play...
Tournaments: None - No tournaments held this month - no venue currently available.
Tournament Directors: Three santioned TD's - Jerry Jackson, Grant Woodring and myself.
Demos: Three (see coments above)
3. PROMOTIONAL PLANS FOR NEXT MONTH.
I will continue to coordinate demonstrations on Suday afternoons at Hastings - as long as the management is willing to work with me. Hopefully I can get a bite or two if I can get space in our local theater.
4. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES: Demos, Demos, Demos ....
5. LOCAL RETAILERS/VENUES:
1. Hastings
3552 Southwest Plaza, Sp 14
San Angelo, TX 76904
(915) 949-9401
Attn: Nate Duckett (Manager)
Until next month....
Matt Clouser
STCCG Ambassador, Ronara Region
San Angelo, Texas USA
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