DukeofChutney wrote:


Consumerism is DEEP in the board gaming hobby. Maybe (probably) other hobbies are similar, I don't know. The largest board game community in the world (bgg) is full of people either talking themselves into thinking a game they bought was a good purchase, back patting having bought a game, or otherwise justifying game purchases. If you look at the recommendations forum there you'll see games not even published being recommended, it's bizarre. I would bet many of the board gaming folks at Gencon are also bgg folks.

Probably also doesn't help that it's an LCG. You gotta get in on the ground floor and become an expert NOW so you don't fall behind the curve once the monthly chapter packs (or whatever) start to come out.

Michael Barnes wrote:

I didn't expect you to be surprised. People buy games because they are told a game is good, a classic, a must-buy. They don't really think if they would like the game, they think it's good so they must own it.

However, the cult of the new automatically blocks any old game and by old I mean "That you can't buy off the shelf". So there was a lot of potential sales blocked by the lack of a new edition, the edition happened and now everyone and their mother is going to buy the game and let it gather dust.


The problem is that for many, the boardgaming hobby is getting new games, talking about them for a week and then repeaing the procedure. It's not really about playing and having fun or discussing that fun.

Bull Nakano wrote:


I don't think it's any worse than video games. People line up at midnight to get the first copies and play it straight away. I have friends who take days off work to try the new must-play game (Mass Effect 3 or Gears of War 3 or Halo or whatever your poison is). You'll encounter people who log in 40-50 hours in the first week or two of the new title launch.

Some of this also for new, highly anticipated books. People could not wait to get their hands on the latest Harry Potter and stayed up for the night to finish it in one sitting, even little ten year old kids.

I think it's different with different media.

Going to a midnight showing of a movie can be really amazing as the shared excitement just keeps growing and growing. Plus you have people dressed up and all sorts of general nerdery going on.

Midnight launch World of Warcraft expansions were similarly awesome shared experiences and then racing home to get on and see all your friends popping on and all just running around freaking out about the NEW NEW NEW stuff.

General video games it's cool when you can share that initial excitement with a bunch of other people, be it digitally or just hanging out the next day. There is something exciting about playing a game before anyone knows all the tricks and you're all collectively figuring out the system and how to best use it.

Getting a board game super early, I dunno. Meh.

The problem with getting a board game right as it comes out is that you get all the stupid typos and errors that plague early editions. This is a BIG problem with FFG games, which are incapable of shipping without some kind of minor (and occasionally major) boo-boo.

Of course, the plus-side is that if you get an early edition, and the game suddenly becomes super-rare, you can make a killing on a trade or sale if the game doesn't work for you. I had a buddy who traded a first printing of 7 Wonders for Memoir '44 and all the expansions up to that point. It is, without a doubt, the best trade I've ever heard of.

San Il Defanso wrote:


Well, in this case, the cards and rules have already largely been made public, so there's not much waiting in the wings. We got the last of the card wording yesterday through various people on BGG. I take your point, though. Just applied for another technical (rules) writer position at FFG. Seems like their output is only going to accelerate

San Il Defanso wrote:


Meh. Traded a copy of Lord of the Rings Trivia Game for Dune. ;)

No, it's far worse than videogames. The average user in boardgamegeek has more games than the people of Racketboy, where everyone owns a Turbografx and can tell you the name of every single game Sega ever made.

Ten minutes? That's nothing. Shit, I remember Soundgarden tickets selling out in less than five in the 90s, and those scalpers were far more ruthless. Playoff tickets are damn near impossible unless you win them through a union job (and sell them on game day for a trip to the Caribbean).

Difference is, those are one time events, so the scalpers have leverage. I'm stunned that there are rubes dumb enough to fall for a markup on a boardgame, but then, nerds and streetsmarts I guess.

FFG got s second shipment in, so a lot more people were able to get access (including, presumably, tourney players, like the author of the post.) It sold out in minutes, though, too.

www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/843655/sold-out-gencon-saturday-1038am