I am new to CCGs, and I understand the whole idea of manipulating the product, so as to manipulate the buying habits of the consumer/collectors, i.e. rare cards, etc. I am into it for the game, much, much more than collecting (though I admit the graphics are excellent). So, I don't get as much enjoyment as some at plopping down lots of cash, hoping to get the cards I need. But, I accept it as a part of the game model....who knows, if I am in the CCG world long enough, maybe my opinion will soften even further.
But, I do feel a bit insulted, when cards are included which we really have no use for, nor could we really trade them. Starbases! We get them all when we buy the starter packs....why do I need a dozen more, when we can only play one card, and anybody with whom we would want to trade, would not need the card. It seems more like a waste of a card, and a small fraction of my money, each time I buy a booster. It feels a bit insulting to my intelligence. If it is not a foil, I don't want it.
To a much lesser extent, I sort of feel this way about some of the very common cards as well. I mean...what do I do with 20 cards of one of a dozen ship cards? I probably can't trade those, because everyone else has them coming out their ears as well.
Are all CCGs like this...putting what are essentially worthless cards in the mix? Does it just go with the territory?
I wonder if one solution is to start building and selling my own 'starter' sets, at half of what they normally sell for. Thing is, (if people bothered to do this), that this cuts into the profits of White Wolf, who we want to see make enough profit on the game to continue supporting it.
Well, I have a hunch, that my perturbedness just stems from my ignorance about CCGs in general. So, forgive me, if I am sounding like a clueless whining noob. I know that WW is not about providing games, but about making profits. And this system may be a proven way to make profits from a CCG. And I am not one of those people that think that profit or capitalism is bad at all. I just don't like feeling manipulated in the process.
Aside from this, I really like the game....having spent a totally inappropriate amount of money and time on it The game system is very well done, so hats off. I am so far, willing to overlook the insult.
This board needs some activity anyhow...
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Brootal
User Battlecruiser
Posts: 454
Re:I feel insulted... - 2007/12/29 12:09It's certainly the way the most successful CCG works, and probably most of them work.
To put it simply, the breakdown of value of a booster goes something like this:
rare: $4.00 uncommons: free commons: free
(based on a $4 purchase price per booster)
ok perhaps the uncommons have a little value, particularly if you only open about a box worth of cards, but not much.
The reason for the booster composition is mainly for limited play, then the commons have much more importance.
However, I tend to agree on the starbase/region issue somewhat as the rules for limited allow you to bring your own starbases and regions, these would be better off sold as a fixed pack with one of each in them (say the same price as a regular booster, or perhaps a bit more depending how many there are).
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mikelosaurus
User Cruiser
Posts: 112
Re:I feel insulted... - 2007/12/30 13:54I suspect that WW/CCP's reason for including starbases and outer regions in the boosters is because they might be useful for drafting. However, I'm not sure how well the game holds up to draft (I haven't seen much feedback here about it anyway). I would certainly agree that it would make more sense to make them starter-only, and perhaps distribute them in packs to agents specifically for sanctioned draft events.
On a related note, it does surprise me that there are no starter-only cards - everything you can get in the starters you can find in the boosters, so at the moment there isn't actually any need to buy a starter except to get a paper copy of the rules (which you can download anyway). In terms of a business wanting to shift as much product as possible, this seems strange (to me, anyway).
Post edited by: mikelosaurus, at: 2007/12/30 13:55
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The game system is very well done, so hats off. I am so far, willing to overlook the insult. 
