I really love Star Wars: The Card Game . It's my favorite card game by far. But our local community just can't seem to latch onto this game. A couple of years ago we had over a dozen people interested in the game, ranging from casual players to tournament champions. We took road trips to store championships and regionals in neighboring states. Since that time, interest has steadily declined.

Now, it's been months since I have played it regularly as the three other people around here who actually still play the game never seem to make time for it anymore.

Anyone else having this trouble?

I feel like getting new players interested in X-Wing Miniatures is much easier because A.) The game appeals to a wider range of people, B.) The dogfighting mechanic fits so perfectly with the Star Wars universe, C.) There are always plenty of unused ships making it easier for a new player to borrow their way into the game before fully investing in it, D.) Not being able to mix factions makes it even easier to let someone else borrow stuff, and E.) The interest in the game is still growing in this area rather than declining.

Any ideas on how to get new people interested in a game that is 5 deluxe expansions and almost 5 cycles deep, making it too expensive for a new player to jump in and invest in everything that's been released so far? MSRP for everything released to-date, including a second copy of the core set and Edge of Darkness, would be $678.20 plus tax! Even buying it all at discounted prices or buying used copies would still be quite an investment. Most people who aren't already invested in this game would hesitate to drop that kind of dough.

It seems as though this is the major downfall of the LCG model, where the game reaches a certain point where veteran players start losing interest (usually because they keep losing games) and new players can't afford to jump into the deep end. Then FFG releases a new version of the game or a different LCG altogether and players jump ship en masse.

Why not reduce the number of force pack cycles that are allowed in tournaments? That would give casual players the ability to jump in competitively mid-stream and not have to shell out a ton of cash for a game that they don't yet know how to deckbuild within. They could buy just two or three cycles of cards and deluxe expansions, thus making it more affordable and allowing for a faster recycling of O.P. cards and combos. Plus we could see new and interesting combinations of cards that are in objective sets.

I wish I could help. It died here too and we've been unable to restore it. I haven't played in over a year.

Not to be all doom and gloom...but it really does seem that this game is dying, particularly with the lacklustre promotion from FFG (and the focus on Destiny).

Not to be all doom and gloom...but it really does seem that this game is dying, particularly with the lacklustre promotion from FFG (and the focus on Destiny).

I agree 100%. Destiny will more than likely completely kill this game. I have liked all the LCGs (Netrunner being my favorite) but these games seem to have pockets and I don't live in one. The only ones that do well are the non competitive ones, like LoTR and now Arkham Horror. I keep hoping that a Star Wars LCG similar to those two will come out, but unfortunately with Destiny I don't see it happening.

How are you targeting folks now? I think the issues you described are relatively true for any game that has semi-frequent releases. The advantage to an LCG is that the cost is one time. I have spent less on SWLCG since it came out than I spent on any CCG I have ever played in any given 1 year period.

The best way I've seen or heard is to be seen. Go to your local store and demo, but don't do it alone. Always be playing the game while you are there. Bring lots of playmats to have on display. People are drawn to the artwork. No discentegrations and the Hoth assault are two beautiful examples that depict epic scenes from the movies.

Last, a good promoter talks about his product. Don't talk about others. If someone asks about how it compares, answer the questions by talking about the game, not my explaining how it is similar or dissimilar to something else.

I would say it doesn't have a presence in my local area or at least one that's not advertised. There are multiple gaming stores around and while some used to run it a couple years back, it now no longer has a presence.

It's not a hard game to get into nor is it a hard game to play, but I think the gameplay is so unique that new gamers may struggle with it early on. Building for two different forces (light and dark) and having to construct decks around the pod system is not common in other games.