Some of you would not be able to handle an LCG.

I get excited in two different stages (steady...)

I get excited when stuff is announced as it's new and looks cool and gives us new options.

By the time it all gets released, I've made a few lists that I really want to try and so I'm excited to get them on the table.

I have gone on record before to say that I basically would love it if nothing was spoiled. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing pictures of the ship to be released, but nothing else.

As I stated before, nothing is worse than opening an Xmas gift, with full knowledge of what is contained within ...

The actual release dates are too unreliable and they need to wait until a few months before release dates for real spoilers. FFG has the worst foreplay.

I'm sorta in between.

I want to know something about the ships before I buy them. I would rather not buy something blind knowing nothing other then the what the ship looks like and which faction it belongs to.

But I'd also be happy not knowing everything, and having been able to proxie it for the last 4-5 months.

I have gone on record before to say that I basically would love it if nothing was spoiled. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing pictures of the ship to be released, but nothing else.

As I stated before, nothing is worse than opening an Xmas gift, with full knowledge of what is contained within ...

And if the rest of us wanted blind buys we'd play MTG.

I'm sorta in between.

I want to know something about the ships before I buy them. I would rather not buy something blind knowing nothing other then the what the ship looks like and which faction it belongs to.

But I'd also be happy not knowing everything, and having been able to proxie it for the last 4-5 months.

Pretty much how I feel. I like the spoilers, it gets me excited when I feel the game getting kind of stale.

The problem is we want previews early, they give us previews early, then it erupts into some inane fight about how this or that works for 10 pages, we get 3 actual pages about the ship, then we have nothing to talk about for 3 months so all the whiners start complaining, and get bumped to the top because there's nothing else to talk about.

That said, I never expose as I usually need that action.

... nothing is worse than opening an Xmas gift, with full knowledge of what is contained within ...

Not receiving any Xmas gifts is worse.

I get excited for the announcements and the articles, then patiently wait for the ships to arrive. I do not proxy anything in the meantime, but I do create lists to try later. I don't play any of them until I actually own them.

I think my problem is that when they spoil *everything* a few months ahead of schedule people can already start proxying, playtesting, numbercrunching etc. so when the ships actually hit the table there isn't the feeling of "Oh it can do THAT" or "Maybe if you do x + y you'll get a effect you're looking for" I like what they are doing now. Not spoiling every card but enough to get you excited

I agree, but realize that it's more than likely that the time for production (at the printer), shipment (on the boat), and distribution (shipping now) is probably a minimum of 4 months after the products have been finalized. I would assume their philosophy is to leak early to generate excitement (and preorders to help inform production) and are then beholden to the actual print/ship/distribute schedule. If there are additional delays (or a longer process, as in the case of the Epic ships), it creates a longer window. My assumption is that they try their best to minimize the window from announcement to distribution, but there are fixed minimum times and a lot of variables that can mess with that schedule. So, in that regard, I tend to cut them a break.

Now, as far as the preview articles leaking (almost) everything, I really don't mind. Usually it helps me decide how many of a given ship to order, either based on squad points or upgrades that demand multiple copies.

Overall, it seems like this is more searching for something to complain about rather than an actual grievance. If FFG ever adopts GW's secretive/hostile stance, I'd quit this game in a heartbeat.

If I had to have it my way, here's what I would do:

18-20 weeks before the release:

Release a picture of the ships, but don't give anything else away

16 weeks (4 months) before the release:

Every other week spoil stats of a new ship, one of the generic pilots, and probably 1 upgrade card.

8 weeks before the release:

Every week spoil 1 named pilot, and another upgrade card.

4 weeks before the release:

Every week release a squad article making use of the new ships, and a tactic that would be useful, spoil some additional info here, but keep at least 1 card (either the other pilot or an upgrade card) unknown

Never spoil the dial. This way no one can really proxy them beforehand, and while you can squad build with the known content, you can't be sure how well it's going to play (I reference the shuttle when everyone thought it was completely OP, but the released, and it's dial kept it from being super competitive). And by holding at least 1 card from each expansion (so a total minimum of 4 unknowns) there's still plenty in the squad building left to be spoiled.

Do not give a teaser of the next content until after the new content has arrived. This keeps the focus on the brand new stuff (and buying more of it!) instead of people getting excited for ships 6 months out. If we're going on a 6 month schedule, that means that there's 1-1.5 months of "down time" between the initial spoiling of the upcoming wave. In this time frame, you could discuss full squads of the just released wave, have guest articles (e.g. Paul Heaver articles), or could even do some insider articles / Q+As with the developers.

I have gone on record before to say that I basically would love it if nothing was spoiled. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing pictures of the ship to be released, but nothing else.

As I stated before, nothing is worse than opening an Xmas gift, with full knowledge of what is contained within ...

I agree with any2cards. I'm almost to the point that I don't want to know anything about the next release. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch... Almost but not quite.

Personally, I love reading about the new cards and such ahead of time. Whilst I would agree that FFG seem to do their spoils a little too far in advance, I'll happily take that over GWs extreme.

Now, if only we could persuade them to release some Armada news...

I have gone on record before to say that I basically would love it if nothing was spoiled. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing pictures of the ship to be released, but nothing else.

As I stated before, nothing is worse than opening an Xmas gift, with full knowledge of what is contained within ...

And if the rest of us wanted blind buys we'd play MTG.

Hardly the same, and it's not even remotely close ...

At least with FFG's expansions, wait a few days after they are out and you can learn all you want about the ship, its cards, etc. When you do buy it, you will have cmplete foreknowledge of what you are getting. We both profit and win.

With MTG and their random packs, it is a complete crapshoot ...

For what its worth, my local LGS has been told by their distributor that the Raider AND Wave 7 will be available shortly after Gencon.

As for the delay, for those who don't know FFG had a big issue with their overseas manufacturer and quality control issues at the plant. Had they not had those issues, we would probably already be playing with our new toys.

I'm fine with the way things are spoiled. Doesn't bother me in the least.

Long exposure times gives people security.

Knowing that there's something to look forward to in a year, still, keeps people playing until that new thing comes out.

In this particular context (where there are no plot elements to be revealed), spoiler timing boils down to "the earlier the better". Having physical access to the ships and playing the ships are two different things.

It makes no difference to me, really. The only effect previews have is determining if I preorder (I'm not going to pay anything until I know what I'm buying.)

I'd like to see a little more mystery, but I don't think it's bad overall.

And if they do the whole Gencon only until December thing again, I will flip a piece of dog poo.

Is that an effective form of protest where you're from?

Some interesting comments here, I would have though more would have been in favor of info release closer to the time, which is my opinion.

For those who like to have the info 6 months in advance, why? some say they want to know what they are buying, yet surely 1 months notice would be sufficient for you to know if your going to buy the ships or not?

we seem to be in somewhat of a parallel universe when a "new" set comes out, typically there is nothing new about it, players have been playing with the ships on Vassal for months (and in the case of the Advanced fix it will have been played with for about 8 months) and the next wave is previewed almost immediately.

I as well as many on this forum would like to actually enjoy playing with the new ships in the flesh for a while before new info is dropped, with proxies busted out.

one universe where we play with what is standard legal for testing for events and another universe where anything new goes, with the prerequisite " I wish I could play with EPT "X" at the next tournament as its been known about for 3 months already but it wont be out for another 3 months.

I'm conflicted as I am always interested in new info naturally, yet I would like there to be less time between preview and actually receiving the ships.

Because seriously 8 months by the time the raider gets here, is just too much I feel.

I play pretty much exclusively on VASSAL due to living in the middle of nowhere, so as far as I'm concerned spoilers /are/ wave releases.

For those who like to have the info 6 months in advance, why? some say they want to know what they are buying, yet surely 1 months notice would be sufficient for you to know if your going to buy the ships or not?

This touches on a phenomenon I have been noticing in gaming for a while now. For the past several years, at least, there has been a steady movement to pre-order stuff more and more in advance. I'm not sure what exactly caused it, but I first noticed it in relation to GW stuff (surprisingly). Online retailers started making new GW stuff available for pre-order based only on rumors that that a new product was going to be out... sometime. I heard of several instances of retailers getting burned because they put a product up at a certain price, and then when the product was actually announced the retail price was higher than it had been rumored and they were stuck honoring their pre-orders at a much lower price than they wanted.

I'd like to blame the retailers for this trend because they are the ones who put products up for pre-order months before a release date is even known, much less arrives but, if people are going to commit to buying something almost a year in advance I can't blame the retailers for wanting them to commit to buy from THEM. So, as long as people keep feeling like they ABSOLUTELY HAVE to promise to buy something months before it comes out the stores will keep making that an option, and keep pushing the limits to make THEIR store the one that makes stuff available the earliest.

Myself, I don't get it. I will buy 1 of each of wave 7 as soon as it comes out. When my LGS owner has the option of ordering them from the distributor, he will say "Hey Troy, do you want some of the new X-Wing stuff?" and I will say "Yeah" and then I will have them within a day or two of release. If I didn't have a FLGS that would hold new stuff for customers I could still go online and pre-order stuff a week before release. then I will at least know whether or not there is money in the bank account to cover the purchase. If I had pre-ordered a Raider as soon as it was available, who knows what my finances would be like when the card is finally charged.