No, FFG did something. What people are asking for seems to be a mix of something else, something more, or a whole hell of a lot of something more, and of course the point that the OP brought up, something that is enough for everyone present.

Personally I wonder if the purchase of the SW license may have put them in a place where they didn't want to overextend. AGoT is the crown jewel of the LCG line, but I think we may have to face facts that tournaments and tournament players do not drive their sales the way M:tG does for WoC.

Has anyone talked to their head of marketing? I imagine that they are willing to listen to alternate ideas about prize support, and if the numbers are their they'll do what they can. If people don't like what is being offered, offer up an equitable replacement to the guy (guys?) that make the decision.

I know I am probably arguing with myself, but sometimes as a business owner, you have to do things that might not directly translate into $$ at that very moment. Many things in advertsing and give-aways are in this area.

I own a bank (I think this is common knowledge). I have all sort of pens we give away. Can I really dedicate any of my assets/sales to the fact that we have approximately 50,000 pens floating around Northeast Nebraska? No. But, it generates its own sort of buzz (we are doing eco water bottles next week), and name recognition.

At GenCon, have an avid tourney player base makes money, hard to track, but it does. Obviously there is a level between spending $5,000 and spending $250 dollars...I think most people posting think it is a bit too far on the $250 end

rings said:

Somewhere between $250 and $5000 probably sums it up the best-- whatever the number is in that range that doesn't make FFG's tournament support at their biggest gaming event of the year look totally bush league. Given their own positioning of themselves as the gaming industry standard-bearer of board games and LCG card games, I think it's in their best interests not to look like a bush league operation on the tournament circuit.

Maybe they need to bring in a dedicated tournament organizer to work in their Marketing department to lend more credibility to the proceedings? FFG's marketing is really good in nearly all other respects, but their tournaments sound very anemic, not just in terms of prize support, but in terms of promotion.

Really, at this point, the argument could go either way: If somebody at the company says "Only 16 people showed up for the Warhammer Invasion tournament at Gen Con" is the response "Cut the tournament budget, then, the game isn't producing" or "More money to the tournament budget to promote the hell out of it"? Maybe they use sales numbers to determine how much to support a game beyond simply publishing it? Who knows?

I traveled 1500 miles to go to gencon, paid 96 dollars (not including airfare and hotel) just to be able to play in two tournaments and I took 6th overall and I just got 3 house cards.

I travelled 60 miles to Kublacon, paid 40 dollars(which was paid back to me for volunteering), played in 6 tournaments for free and came home with a pin, house cards, gold tokens, uncut sheets, and a custom wooden Martell house card.

Tell me why I should go to worlds next year?

Fieras said:

+1. Great example Jon.

I only played in one Regionals with the official kit, and I think I came away with more from regionals than I did from Gencon (but not that much more needless to say).

Fieras said:

96 dollars just for entry to Gencon?

Gencon badge was between 68 and 70 something. Each event was 8 dollars.

Stasis said:

Yeah, I didnt pre-reg, so my badge was 80 and each event was 8.

Fieras said:

In FFGs defense for that - they don't get a penny directly from the registration fee. They priced the event as cheep as possible given how long it was set to be in the catalog.

Sluggonics said:

Hey, as it turns out, FFG IS hiring an "Organized Play Associate"-- maybe the grumbling of the Gen Con tourney participants has been heard after all!

I would personally like to see FFG have a regional event at Gen Con and host the world's so we don't have to spend the cash supporting Gen Con.

If the $100+ we each spent on getting into Gen Con to play the tournament went into a prize pool there would have been some nice prizes.

Bashkar said:

thats something i never quite understood: why have Worlds at a big convention like GenCon? its mostly about advertising there, isnt it?

wouldnt it be better to have some smaller tourneys, so that people see there is a tourney environment (call it competitive if you want). have players play lots of fun events and casual games. (of course hints that there is something like Worlds soemwhere else should be visible.)

this will attract the curious watchers better than a big tourney, that to one not (deep) into the game presents like this: serious, not very casual at all, taking a lot of time (1 complete gencon day), players discussing and starting quarreling, ...

this will also free some of FFGs capacities, both with staff and space.

i guess most people go to gencon to enjoy a broad varietys of games. most people go to an event like Days of Ice and Fire to enjoy some specific Thrones-events. having worlds there seems to be a very good solution imo.

widowmaker93 said:

As a long-time Marvel fan, I'd love to see FFG do something like this.

Is it too early to agitate for the Spiderman card to be erratad?

ASoIaFfan said:

Could they just get the rights to Vs. and re-release it? That game was a blast.

You will get more people at GenCon is the normal thought. Even people who might not travel just to play aGoT will go to play aGoT 50% of the time and be able to do all the rest as well.

Days of Ice and Fire was great, but even if it held 'worlds' I don't know if it would be required if I didn't live pretty close. And that was when GRRM actually attended himself! *shrug*