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Any Star Wars CCG fan can tell you that Kiffex did this long, long ago.

The company is just plain meddlesome in all matters regarding the Star Wars license. LucasArts also torpedoed Decipher's Star Wars CCG, and for somewhat similar reasons. The SWCCG was too different from what was out there, and presumably didn't have the flash-bang action experience they wanted. While I won't claim that it was without fault, the game was killed before its time (even though it was after I stopped playing).

To veer slightly offtopic, they appear to be doing well with their LotR game and have expanded their license stable. Has anyone out there tried out the MegaMan(!) TCG? I'm having a hard time imagining it.

The company is just plain meddlesome in all matters regarding the Star Wars license. LucasArts also torpedoed Decipher's Star Wars CCG, and for somewhat similar reasons. The SWCCG was too different from what was out there, and presumably didn't have the flash-bang action experience they wanted. While I won't claim that it was without fault, the game was killed before its time (even though it was after I stopped playing).

To veer slightly offtopic, they appear to be doing well with their LotR game and have expanded their license stable. Has anyone out there tried out the MegaMan(!) TCG? I'm having a hard time imagining it.

I mean a future where people can't even do 2*3 without a calculator.


I don't think so - even in socially deprived areas where the majority of school-leavers don't go to college, and the black market is the only form of trade, people still instinctively know a good deal from a bad deal.

Having augmented intelligence will probably become a reality though - combine a miniature video camera mounted onto eyeglasses and a headup display projecting onto the lenses, and you could do all sorts of useful things - augmented memory would allow you to automatically cardcount at Poker, or could project the directions you need to go on a freeway system you have never used before.
Or you could have a set of headphones and end up looking like Lobot

I'm currently playing the online version of the Lord of the Rings CCG. This game does have the unfortunate CCG pricing model (i.e. the more you pay, the better options you have) but it's certainly possible for a player with a good idea of what they want to get a tourney winning quality deck for around $50-70. (This approach requires lots of camping in the trade lobby to find people willing to give you stuff you need for the limited stuff you have, but that time investment is no worse than any other MMO.)

Anyways, the good news to the otherwise somewhat newbie-unfriendly pricing is that there's no mandatory recurring fee to keep the collection that you have. (There's an optional $10 monthly membership that gives you more than $10 worth of stuff and is intended essentially as a loss leader, since members get a 20-40% discount on further purchases, encouraging you to spend more. The membership pays for itself for anyone spending at least $10 a month on the game, but again, is optional if you know you won't be playing for a few months and want to cancel it until you come back or just want to cut yourself off.) This means that I'm not getting significantly worse value for my money dollar for dollar than the people who spend hours and hours playing, as one does in a monthly fee use it or lose it payment scheme.

The CCG model does require a certain resignation that every so often you'll face someone who destroys your puny deck with their massively larger collection. This also, from what I hear, is common on PvP MMO's (LOTRO is PVP only, there are no AI opponents yet, even for tutorial). But at least here once you get started, all that matters is how well the ~70 or so cards you brought to the table work together to win you the game. Not how much time you've spent (though playtesting will help you pick which cards to bring), not how much the 70 cards you have are worth, and DEFINITELY not how much the cards from each of your collections that aren't being used this game are worth. Knowing you've beaten someone who spent 10 times as much as you on the game? Priceless.

We are swiftly delving off-topic here, but let's play a game. We'll call it "reasoned argument" - I'll say the things I liked about SW:CCG, and you give reasons for statements such as "it was awful". Then perhaps others with similar experiences can share their opinions.

1: Variety of gameplay - There was no dominant deck type. Certainly, it could be annoying to come up against the expensive "Main Characters and their Toys" decks, but these were not terribly difficult to combat once you've ID'ed their play style. Each expansion added something new and original, such as capturing rules, Dagobah training, and the Epic events (Death Star/Yavin IV destruction, turning Luke to dark side).

2: Unique game mechanics. Combat was neither clunky nor excessively luck-determined. The universe was well covered and you could do whatever you wanted within the confines of your deck.

Decipher now has the license for an LotR CCG that looks classy as well.

There is a continuing theme in these posts whinging about good LucasArts projects being cancelled in favor of their latest Star Wars project.
Isn't the natural response, then, a Star Wars graphic adventure? This would seem to be right up their ally, and they would have a host of charaters and situations to put them in. Possibility?

On another note, they have not only done this to their "extra" licenses. The license for the Star Wars CCG (Collectible Card Game) was pulled out from under them. Decipher had put out a very high quality AND profitable product; the license was given to a different company to make a game better suited to 10-12 year olds because apparently they are a larger market and could turn more profit at the expense of an intelligent and fun game.
And yes, they ARE a company and it IS their job to make money, we've all read those posts- but it is important not to piss off your current consumers in chasing after new ones.

episode 2 has some star destroyer looking things on surface too

Decipher's card lore is official SW universe. Read the top sections on these (one) (two) (three) cards. I swear, i know more about the SW universe from playing this game than reading all the books.

Decipher's card lore is official SW universe. Read the top sections on these (one) (two) (three) cards. I swear, i know more about the SW universe from playing this game than reading all the books.

Decipher's card lore is official SW universe. Read the top sections on these (one) (two) (three) cards. I swear, i know more about the SW universe from playing this game than reading all the books.

Perhaps a fan of Oola living in Los Angeles? *shrug* It could happen.

Later,
Patrick

Top 10 Reasons why The Enterprise-D would defeat a Star Destroyer From - Cole BozmanM

10 - Stupid Imperial commanders mistake the Enterprise for an Imperial freighter.

09 - Vader uses Turbolaser power to charge his batteries.

08 - TIE Fighter pilot sneezes inside his helmet, crashes into Star Destroyer's bridge by mistake.

07 - Data beats the Star Destroyer's main computer at 3-D Chess.

06 - Geordi lets loose with a 30 minute stream of Technobabble, Star Destroyer spontaneously combusts.

05 - Enterprise crew beams over Wesley. Crew doesn't stand a chance.

04 - Wedge appears suddenly and the Star Destroyer high-tails it out of there.

03 - Jean-Luc gives a long speech about ethics, Star Destroyer crew dies of boredom.

02 - Star Destroyer fires at Enterprise, Helm explodes. Enterprise fires back, Star Destroyer partially damaged. Repeat 100 times

01 - Two words: Picard Maneuver!

What are you going to listen to on your way up?

Magic Carpet Ride?

I reviewed games in the paper-gaming hobby, 1984-96. It's a hundredth or a thousandth the size of the computer game business, which must explain why I only got one junket.

Summer 1995. Decipher was promoting the first expansion for its STAR WARS trading card game. They flew about a dozen editors and reviewers in to their home city of Norfolk, Virginia, and put us up at a nice hotel. They hired a three-masted schooner (flying the Decipher flag, no less) to sail us up the Elizabeth river past the US Naval Shipyards. We got to meet charming and witty David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the movies. And we each got a top-quality binder and bookbag emblazoned with the game logo. It was a heady experience.

They did a brief demo of the game on the cruise, and all the designers were present. I remember spending most of the cruise debating with the designers about their decisions, instead of enjoying the cruise; I can't say, even now, whether that was responsible of me or just stupid.

A heady experience. But no one ever tried to influence my review, except in the entirely legitimate way of design debates. The review, which ended up lukewarm, took a tongue-in-cheek angle, recounting the junket and the ways it had failed to change my views; unfortunately, the magazine (the now-defunct DUELIST from Wizards of the Coast) cut most of this for space.

In my experience, reviews make little difference in the paper-game business, and junkets on this lavish scale aren't cost-effective. I never heard of Decipher doing another one after that. But they certainly made that one shot memorable.

...and not the work of Gygax. This fetid thing is the brainfart of one Ryan S. Dancey, a (former) executive at WOTC. He has since left to run his own company focused on the Open Gaming License. Several articles a couple years ago on various sites claimed D&D was going open source. It's not, and never will. It's more like M$'s "shared source" malarky.

I read the OGL. It's junk. Do not think it has the same purpose/principle/goals behind it that the GPL does. The OGL exists so that WOTC can steer the entire game industry. All these little game companies were spawned because of the OGL, and the OGL will be their downfall. If any other game company had money (Decipher is the closest), they would sue WOTC for anti-trust violations. Hard core /. gamers should think about all the similarities between M$ and WOTC.

D&D is the reason why there are so many other RPG's out there. I know, because stupid D&D rules are one of the reasons why I made my own game.

And some more insight into the history lesson going on here...Hasbro only bought WOTC because Pokemon was a cash cow at the time. Now that it's dying (yah!), Hasbro is worried. They never understood what they were getting.

Damn, should've included these in the first message. Here are links to the publisher, and the publisher's previews of the introductory game and the full RPG. Having skimmed these, it's not clear to me now that the introductory game has an automatic upgrade path to the RPG.

The publisher will not be Games Workshop.

Damn, should've included these in the first message. Here are links to the publisher, and the publisher's previews of the introductory game and the full RPG. Having skimmed these, it's not clear to me now that the introductory game has an automatic upgrade path to the RPG.

The publisher will not be Games Workshop.

Damn, should've included these in the first message. Here are links to the publisher, and the publisher's previews of the introductory game and the full RPG. Having skimmed these, it's not clear to me now that the introductory game has an automatic upgrade path to the RPG.

The publisher will not be Games Workshop.

Hahahaahaha, Good one... Layton Founder .... hehehehehe

...Was not as good as the previous two I had been to, the last of which was the year before WOTC bought TSR.

Firstly, I must admit I was not there to play games, I was there for info on starting a game company. Mission relatively accomplished.

There were kids playing card games everywhere. They're like roaches that you just get used to and ignore, but if one gets in your way, you dispose of it.

Third Edition D&D. Better rules, still isn't r-o-l-e playing.

WOTC needs to get over themselves. Seriously. Does anyone else remember the press release circa 1995 that said, "We don't want to be the biggest game company in the world."

It also seemed to me that even though the new convention hall is bigger now, the Con itself was smaller than three years ago.

Comment Quickies:

• New Star Wars RPG to be based on D20 system/D&D rules
• Decipher announced the CCG license to LOTR
• The little blond running around in the chainmail bikini on Saturday was stunning
• Even I could tell the smell was coming from the anime corner.
• Rainbow-headed goths? The apocalypse is upon us.
• I know the guy in the picture with the Mystery Machine.

GenCon was still fun, but not as fun as it had been