Twn2dn said:
@Rings: Ouch, but at least that's a pretty good silver lining.
@Matamagos: Great suggestions. The people I play with are fine about using proxies (printed copies, or even written ones) for casual, but I'm guessing that for anything beyond pure casual, players are expected to have the actual cards. Maybe we should experiment with that in our league though....
So, not to hijack this thread, but I thought it might be helpful to start a list of useful, tangible strategies for growing metas. Here's a few items, though I suppose not all are realistic for every meta.
- Play at a game store, or somewhere you'll get visibility with gamers.
- Play regularly, with a fixed schedule. (How important is this?)
- Have brick-and-mortar vendors relay info (word of mouth or fliers) about the local play group to purchasers of the game.
- Be flexible on the rules for new players (let them proxy cards)...not sure how important this is, but I imagine every bit counts.
What winning recruitment strategies am I missing?
I would add the following to your excellent list:
- Have occasional events that cater to new players. This means prizes that are guaranteed to go to newbies and a focus on teaching rather than winning. Plan for some to not have the game yet, so have core decks ready for ALL to use so the newbies are on an even footing when it comes to the decks.
- Advertise in the store with flyers and on sites other than FFG's forums.
- Make sure you get new players' email addresses, forum names, etc. - some way to keep in touch with them after their first game. And then follow up with them soon after to see how they enjoyed it and if there's anything you can do to help them with their understanding of the game, building decks, etc.
What I find is that we all tend to focus on trying out our new decks when we get together and we forget to put effort into attracting new players. When everyone has their "killer" deck at the get together, newbs can get frustrated since they have nothing that can compete and just end up losing game after game. When new players ask for help or guidance everyone is great and willing to do whatever it takes to help them get comfortable and familiar with the game. Where we're lacking, and I include myself in this, is putting in the extra effort to create an environment that is geared toward growth.