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New here, bare with me pls. Is it common that the only option to play at LGS is "pay the entry fee to play and get nothing if you don't come on top?" Or is this driven by the current scarcity of product? I get it when it's like that when people play at pro levels. But at a tiny little store with 6-8 people who play regularly? Sure, the entry is not some ridiculous amount of money. And yes, people should be getting those promo packs regardless, but it has been discussed already that not every LGS is giving those away according to guidelines.
So is it like that with every TCG? There's no way to play constructed (in person) without prize-driven competition?
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My store, everyone gets a weekly play pack for playing then you can win a pack for every round win. I want to hand out more but 3 boxes a month and still trying to do one draft a month means we can't really do more than this.
The fee is goes towards something (usually). It's more like "buy a booster or store credit" to play. And in most cases it includes some sort of top heavy prize incentive (like 1 booster per 2 entries for winner or split by top 4 etc). You usually get most of the entry fee back plus the hours of entertainment plus supporting the store.
Tldr don't demonize pay to play unless the way it's locally applied is super sqummy.
It's not. It's literally pay to play and your entire fee goes towards prizes for winners. If you don't win, you get nothing.
That's not how it works in most places. 10 euro entry gets you 10 euro worth of stuff, plus a chance at the prizes if you top 4.
See my point about scummy and improper application in some places.
Right. Well, that sucks.
Nah it's not like that everywhere. Most of the places I've played this, and other TCGs, it's a booster for entry. (Ie: $6 entry gets us the pack and the promo pack, then every two entries is an extra pack for the prize pool)
Then there's still prizes on top. Not every store turns EVERYTHING into a profit machine. Drawing people in is what draws the bigger profit, so "selling" packs at cost, or a tiny loss, gets you the people in the door.
Thank you. SWU is first TCG I'm playing and I have no point of reference. It felt off to me, but I at the same time I wasn't sure if my expectations weren't unreasonable, and that's just how these things go typically.
That's upside-down. I run 30$ drafts, and everyone gets a pack to play and a pack per win as prizes and op packs are given to everyone who shows up.
For premier, there's no fee, and everyone gets op packs for showing up.
It's flatter prizing to encourage new players and still give the high skill people a feeling of accomplishment.
That said, I only get 1 or maybe 2 drafts a month with current allocations and have nothing to sell to anyone, so it's still a frustration for the people who didn't buy a couple 500$ cases launch day to get their hands on cards they want.
I don't need more cards, although opening packs is fun, I'm not gonna lie. I don't enjoy feeling like I'm being taken advantage of. If people with years of experience (and deep pockets) want to play for big wins, n00bs like me shouldn't be expected to fund their winnings. Sucks that there's no other option available.
That's why I Mahe sure everyone gets something to play. A robust, competitive environment is necessary for a strong community, so I'm still giving more packs to winners. Hopefully, everyone in the community can go home with 4 packs at some point.
it’s standard to have to pay to enter a weekly tournament. LGSes also frequently charge table fees even if not competing
LGS generally have a table fee. This is part of their business model. To play constructed without a fee, play somewhere else like a food court or a park.
I must be lucky not been a single LGS that charged to use a table.. most just will limit where you can sit if they have an event that is using table x, y or z etc.. All of my LGS's allow people to come in and play anything for free.
Very lucky indeed or perhaps you live someplace with very low storefront rents.
Are you saying your stores charge you to play whether you’re playing in an event or not?
It's always been that way. The store needs to make some money, and they're offering you a space to play
It's $5 to play SWU at my LGS and that also gets me a booster pack and one of those open play promo packs.
I believe they also have a general (very low) table fee if I wanted to reserve/rent a table, but I think that's common here at any of our LGS's and cafes.
We do an open play night, once a week. $5 gets you a booster and an op pack.
I’m confused. They’re charging you a fee to come play at the store? Or play sealed where you open packs? I need more info.
It isn’t at all weird for stores to require a table fee for people to come play at their store. How much are they charging you?
Seeing as there is a stock shortage i would not expect any store to hand out boosters to anyone besides maybe top 1 or if it’s a large 32 person tournament, top 8 maybe.
Are you saying you want them To hand out boosters to every player who pays an entry fee? If they’re charging you more than 5 dollars i wouldn’t play at that store. But you left out that vital piece of info, how much are they charging you?
Also your last sentence, are you asking or are you stating that as a fact? ATM how organized play is set up it is to insensitive people to meet up at their lgs weekly and get the weekly play pack, and tbh that’s where the value is. Are you wanting to get free packs every week when you play at your store?
In my LGS, the price to entry the weekly league is buying a booster pack every day you participate (only way to get a pack, so not too bad) and then you get a promo pack (?) every 2 wins or 4 losses in that day.
That’s cool but your lgs is not running OP correctly. (Although they’re entitled to go whatever they want with it, i don’t think FFG can rly enforce it) It’s a weekly OP pack. You get one for just showing up, and participating in whatever the weekly style of play is at the store.
That does OP stand for?
Organized play, my bad. It’s how you get the weekly play packs and will lead into whatever type of sanctions tournaments fantasy flight games (FFG) will run.
Organized play
What do you mean, get _free_ packs? I get nothing. I pay, I play, all my money goes to prize pool for the winners, I leave with nothing. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I pay entry fee and if I don't win, I get nothing. No booster, no promo pack, no store credit, nothing. And that's the only option available where I live. I want to know if this is how it is across all TCGs.
No that’s shady. But it’s their lgs they can do what they want. Stop supporting them.
Yeah... I'm gonna have to nope out of it :(
i mean it’s reasonable for the store to charge you something to play there, right?
I don't know how LGSs run their business, but according to majority of comments here, the way my store is handling things is not at all a requirement for a successful business. It may however be a reflection on what kind of players are in my area. Idk and I no longer care.
they don’t have the weekly promo pack for playing in the league?
It has been established by numerous other commentators that your fee should be getting you a booster or store credit and not going 100% towards prizes. Your local shop is trash and you should stop playing there.
I will. Too bad it's the only place I can play at :(
Idk here at both stores you pay $15-20 to play draft which is basically just buying 3 packs or constructed is $5 and you get a weekly play pack and it feels fair for using their space idk.
I’m about to do a 32 player tourney this weekend and entry is only $20.
The primary store I play at chargers a $10 entry fee. Everyone gets an OP pack and they’d normally do a pack per win above 1, but are doing store credit instead. So basically, you have to win 2 matches to come out ahead.
Other stores I play at are free and either do a tournament with no prizes or an open play. Everyone gets an OP pack in both cases. I expect that when we get supply again, the free tournament will become a $5 entry with a pack per win or something similar.
I don’t think it’s necessarily shady that your store isn’t doing other prize support, though I do think it’s more fun and more welcoming to players of all skill levels if you do some sort of prize support beyond the top places.
It does make me wonder what they’re doing with their promo packs. Those $20 per pack eBay listings are coming from somewhere… Given that FFG’s threshold for earning an OP pack is literally showing up to an event and watching, I think it sucks that some stores are bogarting theirs, but maybe they don’t have much supply of those either.
My LGS chargers $10 for an entry fee and you get 1 pack per win. We play 4 Bo1 games. So if you do not win, you do not get a pack. But every entry gives you a weekly play pack.
Typically my LGS would give an actual pack or 2 as entry, but due to inventory levels, I think they are not able to.
How my FLGS does it:
Once a week the evening from 18-22 is 'devoted' to SWU (and also Flesh and Blood and regular board games).
No fee to enter or play.
If you want to buy boosters, you are currently limited to 3 due to supply-shortages. These can be used however you want. The last few weeks we have managed to get a draft going for those that want. But you are free to just open your boosters, or take them home or whatever.
If you play in any way, draft or Premier/Constructed, you get an OP-pack. (I suspect it is the same if someone comes just to trade cards with other players, but I haven't seen any player do that yet)
We fluctuate between 6 to 18 SWU players I would guess.
The drafts we play has so far not had any prizes. We have discussed perhaps getting the store to let us buy some extra boosters for prizes or opening the OP-packs and having the winner select the package they want first. But so far we are just drafting and playing casually, so no need to play every opponent and no need to build the absolute bonkers best draft-deck.
In practice, our drafts often just gives that you play 3-4 games with your draft deck and then people switch over to trying out their Premier/Constructed decks instead.
This is in a town of approx 300k people and this is the only organized SWU-events in the town I think.
Sounds like a dream.
At my stores, there's no way to play organized constructed without prize-driven competition. If you want to show up and try and meet a rando without the store intervening to help you, nothing's stopping you.
Chances at prize money draw players.
That's what I was thinking. Without a chance to win big time, people don't appear to be motivated to play. At least for me locally it's proving to be that way.
My LGS does $11 entry 1 pack for entry 1 OP pack for entry 1 pack per win (4 BO3)
$11 for 4 hours of entertainment in a great atmosphere with great people is damn solid in my book. The packs are honestly just a bonus with this outlook.
You get a booster and a promo pack, that's nice.
Vote with your dollar man. If you think a store is being stingy with it, go play at a different one. If there are no stores near you that have good value, then don't go or organize your own games.
The rules for stores running weekly play are that anyone showing up to trade, play a game, or teach someone how to play gets a weekly play pack. If you wanted to show up and get your pack…store should have to give it. But wouldn’t you rather play in their organized event for a small fee?
Yeah, well, you don't get one anyway, unless you win. And no, I don't want to pay to play, if I get absolutely nothing. I can see the appeal of buy-in tournaments for experienced TCG players, even if it's not something I personally would be into. This is a fun hobby for me, I don't need the stress of competing to win back my money (in a form of precious sold out boosters).
They get those packs for free and FFG has specific rules for how to give them to players. The weekly play packs. I’m pretty sure you can report the store if they’re only letting you have one if you pay.
If I’m understanding the question right typically stores will do a fee that is turned into store credit or buy a pack or something to play. Even if there’s a small fee you should still get an OP pack. I don’t know if I’d want to pay to play it there was absolutely nothing given back.
What if that fee is turned entirely into prizes for winners? And those who lose get nothing? No credit, no pack, no promos.
If it’s league play I probably wouldn’t play there.
I'm not sure what league play is. It's the only store that does organized play near me. I've been feeling like I'm the crazy one for thinking it's not at all fair, and no longer wanting to play that way. Everyone else is on board. I don't know. Maybe my local scene is super competitive. But the way it's set up, almost feel like it's akin to gambling (like buy-in in poker), not a fantasy themed card game.