As I sit here alone at Metagames, trusty deckboxes at my side, I begin to wonder how the other metas are doing. We've had a sharp decline in at least the last month here. Probably a little more before that even. If your meta is doing well, what sort of strategies are drawing players in and keeping them there? If your meta is not doing well, what is creating that (except you, Lars, we all know what's affecting your meta. )

We've tried over and over here, but for one reason or another (at least one being repeated fumbles in official OP) we're just down to a handful of people showing other than myself. And when only one other of them shows, they tend to get discouraged and not show up the next week when someone else is able to attend as well. It seems to be a vicious cycle here that is honestly deadening my love of the game.

We're actually doing alot better over here. Although I'd say that's more to do with the various chicago get togethers coupled with the fact that we all just have more time. Maybe things will start to pick up this summer. I mean it seems like most of the problem with you guys is that you don't have alot of time and can't seem to get together on the same day. Maybe the summer will free up some people's time?

Kennon said:

heh. well there is game play issues and then there are meta issues

Our meta is actually growing (first time i can say that since i made the meta grow) we have 2 new players and 1 returning player. We've had up to 10 different people playing at one time and 3 other stop in for one time shots. The old Night Watch still looks at the cards and i think if it wasn't for him spending all of his money on monsterapoclopyse (sp) he would be more invovled. He still talks a lot fo shop with us when he is there.

We have a store that really helps us out with times and has other game play at the same time. One of the reason we got the returning player and 1 of the new players is we switched our schedule from wednesdays to thursdays (because of life, not specifically for them, that was just a bonus). ~Plus we are all really cool guys and everyone wants to hang with us =D!

Letsgored has done an amazing job running the NYC meta. I have NOT been as diligent with supporitng the suburban group. Time and work have put soem constarints on my gaming activity this past year, but excitement at the local store persists despit me. We porbably have 10-15 players in the suburbs, of varying degress of commitment and skill and 6-8 regualrs in teh city, including tow new addiitons just since LCG started. With summer here, I plan on starting more tournmaents on the Island and tring to get into teh city more foten.

I have to say we are as active as we have been in years.

The Chicago-area meta might actually grow if we had a FLGS to play at. As is, it's not the game that keeps the meta going; it's the friends involved.

Last couple of months has seena decline with us. The economy and approaching end of the school year (we have a few teachers and parents in our meta) has resulted in very light attendance. I'm hoping with the end of the school year we'll be back up to our normal numbers in the next week or two.

Of course I'm moving in a couple of months so I'm looking for a meta to join in Dallas... anyone know anything?

Well, you asked for it... a report of the California metas:

1) STM: Collectively decided to stop playing. I'm not sure what exactly was the killer for them, but it was awesome to see them coming out to support rings at Kubla.

2) LA: General morale was on a decline with some of the players, but older players were buying back into the game with 5KE. Sadly, they imediately left angry after the cards they just spent money on got rotated. As far as I know, some of the guys still play casually together, but nothing offical has been organized after our fearless leader left. I would, but I'm too far away.

3) San Diego: Our meta had a bunch of guys buying in with 5KE. Sadly, they left when they saw change, after change, after change. I guess they saw red flags, despite me trying to convince them otherwise. One of them has recently called me, and we may get together soon to play. With the lack of players (visibility in stores), and the way older players felt they were treated, it has been pretty difficult getting anything going.

4) Threat from the East Bay: Our shining ray of hope!!! Dormouse just posted for them above (Happy birthday my friend!!).

My intent in posting this is simply to inform, not to spread negativity. Trust me, negativity is one of the main things standing in the way of growth for the game out here. The less I see/hear of it, the better. The game is great, and I had a blast playing at Kubla. I look forward to playing more often with friends old and new in the future.

I am very interested to see what is working for other metas so please share.

Indeed. While I was sure feeling negative when I started the thread, I was actually starting it in an effort to find a way to not feel negative.

ktom said:

Is that because Games Plus isn't a "Friendly" LGS? Or it's just a convenient central location? And it's creepy to leave posters at the store inviting people to some strange guys basement for an 'iniation' into a living card game?

And does that last sentence sound way too much like Qyburn leading Falyse down into the black cells for experimentation?

Maester_LUke said:

Or is it because Games Plus is at least 40 minutes away for everyone involved?

Dang... was totally going to ding you for restating my previous question... and then I hit the quote button and realized I'd left out the "not" in my supposedly sarcastic question. But now, back to your answering inquiry:

So in reality, there's not actually a "convenient" FLGS for you, because geographically that would have to involve a massive gravity well to sufficiently fold space time to make it convenient to all parties? Sounds like you need some new friends to game with in your neck of the woods, and just exile those other <redacts original term for the comfort and safety of posters that might not know me so well> gentlefellows to Wisconsin.

*And then it wouldn't let me post, so I deleted out the quotings, in hopes that it might speed up this process, since it was referring to the two other most recent posts in the thread.

We have a renewed interest in TN, thanks in large part to the couple guys from Cookeville who started driving up every so often. Two more locals joined our ranks in the last month and we've been running an unofficial league with them to get them better acquainted with the game. They have kind of replaced the ones who have moved away/been shipped to Iraq/lost interest. We've never been a huge meta, but the core 4-5 guys have remained for the most part, with varying degrees of interest. But even most of those who have waned are jumping back in now.

The kentucky meta is back...me and king of the saltwives both retired but when we heard about the LCG, we couldn't resist..not to mention staton's 3 texts a day saying we should play again.

we are gathering the old meta (most of it) and have been succesful at gathering some new players...which seems easier these days since the LCG.

we are looking at a start of 8 or so players for the first tournament...which isn't close to our average of 15 players or so...but i believe it won't be long.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

OK... so as for New England:

Boston... a tumbleweed rolls by with a silent whisper... one man stands alone skin covered in blue tatoos and blood, his bronze sword blunted, scratching his head.

No Mass... An village empty, silent save for the cawing of crows eating up the corn of unattended fields.

New Haven... a raven tells me the city burns, battle is still being joined at the mouth of the river.

EDIT: It just occured to me, that some people might not be as intereted in celtic history as me...

Boston, just me. Mainn doesn't even reply to email or phone asking how he is... let alone gaming. Jon and Ethan don't even like agot being mentioned around them. I also know that I am the only one buying cards in the one store that still carries agot... soley becaue I special order it. The last time I played was in the small league we had just after black friday.

Maybe connecticon if the nyc folks show up might re-light the spark... but it's doubtful.

No Mass, they play spoils now.

New Haven... I hear there is playing out there.

the DC/NoVA meta is picking up. There are three of us one or two times per week, and it looks like two more will start to join us more regularly. We also have one person in from out of town occasionally.

wow, people still play spoils? i thought tenacious games went belly up, and hadn't paid out the better portion of the money they "gave away" as prizes in their second year

finitesquarewell said:

They are trying to get it up again (on the re-read, that sounded interesting!) at Tenacious Games...but not as much of a competative game maybe? But I have not seen concrete results (I was not a fan to begin with, but they are a Seattle company and I hope for any game to be good).

The Seattle meta is frustrating. We have had probably 8-10 unique players, but it is like pulling teeth to get anyone to make it on the same day. Hopefully between Seattle, Canada/Bellingham, and Portland we can get a regional going. I was very hopeful about a month or two ago, but less so now.

Guardian of the Night said:

Where exactly in KY? I used to drive to Lexington all the time for LotR tourneys, and it's really not a bad drive for us.

longclaw said:

We're about 20 minutes outside of Cincy, so just in the northern most tip of KY as you could prolly get...So I'd say youd be looking at an hour less then you normally would drive.

But i guess since youre coming from TN it would be a little under an hour more lol.

Yeah, Cincy is not terrible, actually. More than I'd want to drive for a regular tournament, but certainly a good possibility for a regional or something.

/thread hijack (sorry)

I think Staglord is overselling how well I'm managing the NYC meta, but I appreciate his vote of confidence since I tend to view myself as the current caretaker of the results of his effort to keep the game alive in the city. Yep, we have about seven regulars who meetup in midtown, although on any given night it's usually something like four who make it (which is not bad given how for the most part we're talking about adults with a lot of "real" demands on their time, which I'm sure is a challenge for other metas as well). One of the regulars is one the new additions Stag mentioned and had been an AGoT player that drifted away sometime during ITE and then returned to the game (and found our group) when the LCG format started up in earnest. The other new player is just starting into the game but has taken a strong interest in it and has gobbled up the Core Set and some chapter packs since trying out the game with us. Interestingly (to me at least) the best "draw" this year to get folks to meet up on the same night was when we ran the six week season of League play and there has been some expressed interest (myself included) in doing some more League deck format meetups.

As for growing the meta, it's a challenge. We don't have a game shop in Manhattan that actively supports the game since the closing of Neutral Ground --Compleat Strategist sells the chapter packs, but it doesn't have readily available open gaming space and CCGs are not its bread-n-butter from what I understand. (That said, I should reach out to them to see if they'll let us try to promote the meta in a modest, low effort for them, way since more active players can only mean more sales for them --at NG, they let me put by their register a business card holder with cards that had information about contacting the meta). GreyjoyChris put a lot of effort into building a website for the meta that lets us make information readily available to existing and prospective NY players and to coordinate meetups. These forums, the NYC meta website, and my trying to be active in AGoT threads on boardgamegeek.com, I think is how our two newest players found us and there is a "nibble" or two from other people I've been contacted by via those channels who may come out and try the game with us at some point.

Kennon said:

Kennon, I think if Kevin and I were more consistent you probably wouldn't have some of these issues. We've had upwards of what, 8-10? New players: Huseman, Baldwin, Karl, Xyler, a few others? Returning player: Paul. Old timers: Me, you, Jeppedo, Kevin. It would help if us oldtimers were there more often to provide consistent gaming for the new players.

Yeah, a couple others. That younger kid that I keep forgetting the name of, and Bowman, though he's never been around on a night you guys were there so far.

Hey there Kennon,

Just recently, a few more players have joined the game. If you include Elder and Bowman, there are 4 new players. I think our meta is going to begin growing and hopefully become more consistant (myself included hopefully). But I agree that having more of the veteran players show up would definitly help out the growing process.