I know die hard fans will be mad at me for saying this, but this game is dead to rights. The player base, the forum posts, the excitement for the game has stopped, and it is sad.

I love the game, I do, and I want it to succeed, but what can FFG do to build the player base?

Unfortunately I am thinking about quitting because why keep buying something that no one else is playing.

I dont think it is "dead to rights" but it is close. I think the LOOOOONG delay between the end of the Hoth Cycle (September) and the start of Echoes of the Force cycle (March) really did a number on the game. Also, the Dash/Freeholder fiasco probably didnt do the game any favors either.

FFG needs to get product out on a consistant basis and not have a 6 month gap between cycles.

I also think Between the Shadows is going to bring some people back to the game. That set looks AMAZING and it should help the Scum tremendously.

Tons of people play this game. There is just not many that post to this site. Most of us are over at CGDB. There is a 4 page thread about the new cycle pack and a 3 page thread about the Rebel Green Squadron previews from yesterday by TC.

FFG sites have never been heavily traveled and when all of the issues with the site occurred and the site was inaccessible most people just stopped bothering with the site as they had already moved on.

CGDB is owned by FFG so it's just as good and a busier community. Plus that is where the deck builders, card spoilers etc. all are.

Tons of people play this game. There is just not many that post to this site. Most of us are over at CGDB. There is a 4 page thread about the new cycle pack and a 3 page thread about the Rebel Green Squadron previews from yesterday by TC.

FFG sites have never been heavily traveled and when all of the issues with the site occurred and the site was inaccessible most people just stopped bothering with the site as they had already moved on.

CGDB is owned by FFG so it's just as good and a busier community. Plus that is where the deck builders, card spoilers etc. all are.

Yes that might be better, but 69 replies with some repeat replies for the new set is ground breaking, and look at the X-Wing forums (I know different game), but Star Wars isn't enough to sell this game, and yet the FFG forums have unique replies and posts throughout the day.... I would say a a good amount of people play, but this isn't an issue just where I am at, there are pockets around the country that have a good base, but I would say more have fewer players and are losing them then are thriving.

It's growing where I live. Some areas are gonna shrink and others will rise or stay the same. It's just the nature of gaming.

I don't think this is indicative that the overall player base is shrinking at all.

I've seen nothing but growth in my area, I'd call this game a young emerging game

We are also in a lull between major tournaments. Regionals are largely over, and many players cannot make the trip to nationals. So, for many of us, the next big event is Worlds. And, given the releases that are on the horizon, I lose my motivation to do much innovative deck building, since I know that whatever decks are hot right now will likely be old news by the time Worlds rolls around. I still play a lot, but I think for many of us, the intensity of playing/posting, etc., decreases between big events.

New York City has an ever growing highly vital community!

I'm a new entrant into the game. Just in the last month. Anecdotal evidence, perhaps, but still evidence that the game can still grow if people try it. I was even not that much of a card game fan until someone showed me how to play (using their set) and 2 weeks later I had a hefty collection. It's an evil addiction.

FFG will obviously do what they do (promotions, events, releases, etc), but that's only going to go so far. How a game (ANY game) really gains in popularity is by boots on the ground - real live players - spreading the word and teaching others to play the game whenever and wherever possible. This doesn't have to be something so formal as a demo event. Just find someone in a store who looks bored and say "hey, wanna learn how to play this?" That's how I got roped in! The game will speak for itself. Sure, you might hit 4 our of 5 people who say "no" or "gawd I hate that game." But the other 1 out of that 5 is enough to spread the word even further. In the end, what keeps a game alive is the enthusiasm of the existing player base.

I'm going to add in a tip, though: if you're teaching someone how to play the game, there is nothing more obnoxious than using them as a test subject for your most recent killer deck. Give them an equally efficient deck (or get over yourself and use the core starter decks) and maybe don't play quite as efficiently as you might normally play. In other words, don't take advantage of a rookie and smear them all over the table in two rounds just to prove you can. They'll walk away from the table and NEVER return. I have seen countless people that say this is the reason they never got into any number of 1-on-1 strategy games (TCGs, LCGs, miniature games, etc).

If you really want to go all out, try organizing an event at your FLGS. Just talk to the owner and say "hey, I want to do an event for Star Wars LCG." Offer to do all the leg work (post on the store's FB site, make a flyer and hang it in the store, etc) and just be there on the day and help make sure everyone has a seat and someone to play against. It doesn't need to be an officially sanctioned FFG tournament. It doesn't need to result in an award in the end. And you don't need to be overly formal about it. Just people showing up to play a game. Perhaps it will fizzle and only one person will show. But that'd be one person who would likely be happy to play.

"Dead to rights?" Was it caught doing something wrong?

I don't know why you think the game is shrinking. It's never been one of FFG's best sellers which X-Wing and Netrunner are, but I don't see any evidence that it's dying. It's always been niche and remains so. Still, it's grown a bit around here now that we have a local player base of a few dozen who stay in touch and get together for casual play and local tournaments.

Let's not forget the strength of the Star Wars brand and how much excitement over that franchise is going to grow as we approach Episode VII.

Telling people they can buy into two nostaglic childhood loves- Star Wars and Magic: The Gathering- without having to worry about the chase of rare cards? That's going to bring people to the game in droves when the marketing for Episode VII actually ramps up.

This topic comes up every couple of months it seems. I think this is just local perceptions. For instance, we have a large group of players in my area for the first time since the game started. It's wonderful!

Official single player rules wouldn't hurt. I have 3-4 friends that know how to play but never seem up for a game (We always end up playing MTG). Solo play would definitely keep me buying packs.

This topic comes up every couple of months it seems. I think this is just local perceptions. For instance, we have a large group of players in my area for the first time since the game started. It's wonderful!

My local group has quit SWLCG ever since FFG's announced Warhammer 40K. We're all die-hard SW fans, but also WH40K fans as well. Guess our wallets can only take so much abuse.

(We're in Malaysia, so games tend to be more costly due to standards of living and all that.)

That said, we'll still hold on to whatever we bought, and slip back in if need be. Never really took off here, as ANR's got the lion's share of the LCG scene. There's easily several dozen ANR regulars here, which is large by local standards, and fewer than 10 or 15 SWLCG players scattered through the capital city region. A May 4th tournament had only two people showing up, who eventually had 2 - 3 quick games before going home.

We've already talked about the need for more regular expansions and how the six month hiatus pretty much killed it: yeah, I wholeheartedly agree. I only played weekly/fortnightly, but I remember how people here starting selling their SWLCG collections during those six months.

I also remember how local difficulties in getting our Edge of Darkness sets was the start of the SWLCG rot here. Waiting nearly 2 months for the sets basically forced us to move on to deck-building games etc.

My bunch played Magic casually (never did tournaments) on weekends, and the one thing that FFG could copy off Wizards is their committment to timelines. Granted I do understand that the scale & resourcing that Wizards have is something that FFG just doesn't have, but looks like whatever they're doing, it's working better now? At least I see the sets rolling off more regularly.

Back to the question on what it'll take FFG to get me back into the game: I honestly don't know. Not even sure if the new SW movies will do anything. I suspect my bunch will still be hooked on the WH40K LCG, but who knows, heh...

How about offering a map where you could locate players like they already had installed on their website in the past?

I have to agree with gunner. I would really like to see some solo/co-op rules.

They would have to become more involved with organized play. They won't, though. The delays killed off a lot of players too. There weren't a lot of people playing before that, so it was especially bad for the player base. The biggest recent regional turnout was the equivalent of a mediocre Friday Night Magic. It's just a small game and it will remain a small game until they lose the license. Take it for what it is and just enjoy it while you can.

It's just a small game and it will remain a small game until they lose the license. Take it for what it is and just enjoy it while you can.

I'm not so sure it would take them losing the entire license. I think that may be a bit too over dramatic. I think if they organized a couple more events (like you said) and did some more MAJOR expansions like "Balance" (co-op, to name one) then they could certainly put a bit more life into the community. Priority though, is making it relevant through events. And you know, if it stays small then it stays small. I'd rather FFG have the license and make a good but small game than Wizards of the Coast owning it and just churn out terrible popular game after another.

I'd rather FFG have the license and make a good but small game than Wizards of the Coast owning it and just churn out terrible popular game after another.

Absolutely. I'm sure the first thing they'd do with the license is they'd hire Richard Garfield, or someone else who knows nothing at all about game design. And considering the timeline, doubtless they'd try to capitalize on the hype surrounding the upcoming film at the risk of drawing younger fans into the playerbase rather than marketing only to Classic purists.

And I'll bet they'd even dip into some of that EU crap as well.

Not saying it will lose the license because it has a poor player base, I'm saying that the Star Wars license will be switched over to another company sooner or later, regardless. Has nothing to do with the success of the game. Decipher's Star Wars CCG rivaled Magic in popularity and the license was still pulled. Just how it works with IP's like that.

And no one is saying that the popularity would increase the longevity of the license. I was simply making the point that saying it will never be popular until FFG loses the license is a bit over the top.

If the game was going to explode in popularity, it would have already done so.

Why do you say that?