21 hours ago, Bazleebub said:I suspect it's more likely that says 'Getting new players'.
There obviously are a number of ways FFG can go to make the game more accessible. The new Crane Winter Court deck is a great start, if we can recommend 1 single pack to go with it to make it legal then we're golden.
Personally, I think there's a great opportunity to look again at the Terminal Directive model. For those unaware, Terminal Directive was a Netrunner LCG box which had a story that two players could play through. I believe it was quite successful as a product, players were interested in it, but had a critical reception due to a number of issues around the design. It suffered in my opinion, as it tried to hard to be a legacy game with stickers and everything when really it didn't need any of that.
If L5R design looked again at that model, a single box product where two players get to play through a story campaign, it would be a big success. As a model for new players, this kind of box + a core set makes for a great board game style product that is perfect for the 'kitchen table' style play that is the primary source of revenue for FFG games. Similar to Arkham, when you're ready you can buy the next big story box and play through that at your own pace. Alternatively, it serves as a stepping point into the competitive scene where you take those decks out of the campaign box limited environment and into tournaments.
That's pretty much my dream L5R product
THIS is exactly what I wished for the relaunch of L5R to be. After having played Lord of the Rings LCG and Arkham Horror LCG since launch, I expected this sort of treatment for L5R. Not so much a cooperative game, but with at least a STORY MODE. This is so important and essential to L5R's identity. In the old AEG days I think the weekly fictions are what kept this feeling alive for the game. Sure I can play out a story in my own mind over my card interactions but sometimes this feels forced. Although somewhat abstract, I feel that the game Battle for Rokugan captures the epic clan struggles of L5R better than the card game, but lacks the character (and characters) of the LCG. I even have played around with ideas on how to combine the 2 for a more holistic experience.