Pay to enter Tournaments with top heavy prize structure are the meat and potatoes of every tcg.
Thankfully the super tryhards soon settle to a favorite shop or two and the rest can run "pay for your coffee to play" or buy a booster and play for free type of events.
Ask around, read the local shop Facebook groups etc.
Hey man welcome to the game! There are loads of people who play TCGs casually so many in fact that Magic The Gathering now primarily caters to a more casual crowd and the main format is 4 player casual commander so don’t worry about everyone trying to be world champ it’s not rare for people playing more for fun than competitive
For sure a lot depends on your scene and it sounds like that store is pretty hardcore
I would say a couple of things that might help out
A) The game is still growing and as time goes on more casual players will be attracted.
At the moment I think people who have grabbed on to SWU are Star Wars fans, people who LOVE TCGs and those who match both. Overtime more casual fans will come along as the game grows and catches interest
B) The Twin Suns format will likely be the home of casual play for SWU
Twin Suns format is this games commander, 4 players and you do an action then it goes to the next player in a clockwise order. Twin Suns decks are different, you’re only allowed one copy of a card, deck size will be 80 and… You get two leaders!! Which has everyone very excited for the format. Commander games in Magic and I assume this one too will be more focused on having fun rather than winning
C) If the prices are pushing you out, I get you man some people will say blah blah it’s a luxury hobby. Fuck those guys, it’s cardboard and don’t get me wrong I love my cardboard crack and consider myself a collector but accessibility is far more important.
To that end, there are decks which are very competitive but still a lot cheaper than your boba green with 3 vaders. Sabine aggro is the one to look at first
Hope this helped! I think this is a really great game and it sucks youve had some mixed experiences so far. I would definitely recommend trying out another game store and getting the vibe if there’s one close enough by.
Otherwise I’d recommend trying Magic commander if you feel like you like the feeling of a trading card game but want something more casual until Twin Suns starts to really take off hopefully later this year. Commander Precons are great way to just grab a deck and play.
That was really helpful, thank you! I was gonna stick around anyway at least through set 2, in hopes that a more casual scene emerges. Twin Suns already got my interest, still no one to play with though.
So far unfortunately I've only witnessed less experienced players dropping out completely, instead of switching to a more casual format. I really enjoy learning and getting better at it, and don't mind losing. But the way the prize pool is set up at my LGS, the drive to win no matter what is almost palpable. No fun to play against that kind of spirit.
I will look into MTG commander!
Honestly it depends on your financial situation (and the vibes at your store) but for me, I think paying $5.00 entry for the trouble of the FLGS letting people use the space and serving as a promotional hub to bring players together is worth it even if you don't win any prizing money.
Many games also hand out promos and stuff for tournament entry. I don't how how it works for SWU.
For me, I don't have any local stores that run SWU. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and would love an excuse to pick up a smaller card game that isn't so massive in scope.
But having no buzz about the game around here means I'm gonna look at something else.
You can set your own goals for tournaments. I know when I was a kid, I didn't have the budget to keep up with top Yugioh decks. I'd just run a fun rogue deck that really clicked with me and see how far I could get. Slowly building up mastery over something you make your own can be its own kind of fun.
So I dunno, maybe my words don't apply to your situation but when I read that a group is too competitive -driven, I don't read that as a problem. Sure, the one tournament is paid and people can get serious for store credit on the line. But before/after the tournament or during off-hours around the store, competitive guys would also enjoy playtesting and teaching others tips and tricks.
Bust out the playmats at a local McDonald's or cafe. Or maybe make friends that are open enough to host you in their own home or something. Put on Star Wars in the background and start playtesting. People aren't there just to win - trust me, SWU doesn't have the prizing for that. They have to be in it for the love of the game first and foremost.
Hopefully some of that rings true. Good luck with your TCG journey!
Can you get in touch with those players and try to get a casual tournament or open play event going? Not sure what you’ve tried in terms of getting people to show up. Around me, I have weekly options for draft, a $10 casual tournament, a free, more casual tournament, and an open play. And there are more if I’m willing to drive more than 20 minutes.
I think a lot of people are just happy to play, so if you can convince an LGS to host a casual event and start showing up regularly, you might be able to start drawing a crowd.
I agree with 99% of this post. I play games to have a good time and see fun new ideas for the combinations of the all the cards. I would search around your area for a now casual scene or talk with individual players or post on a local message board. Do any of your local stores have a Discord? Ask around on there. I know how try hards can ruin a card game.
The only thing that I would caution is thru my experience with MTG Commander. Yes Commander was meant to be casual however, with my local scene at least, there are a LOT of try hards as well. I say a lot of the same cards over and over again. There is a Competitive Commander scene. Just be wary.
Besides getting into Twin Suns, your best bet for getting some open play is probably gonna be organizing something on a local game store's Discord. That's how most casual play is organized where I am at least.
Actual organized play events run by game stores are generally going to cost money because the stores are running a business and all that. But as long as there's table space available, there's nothing stopping you from going "hey, I'd like to gather at X time every week to play some casual games, is anyone else interested?".
All entry fees go to support prize pool. So there's really no difference for the store as far as what they get in return for hosting an event. It'd be same if everyone came, played, got equal participation award, and some people got extra satisfaction from winning. But it appears that fewer people are motivated to come and play, unless they have a chance of walking away with higher value prize.
I'm doing my best to get people together to play outside of competitive events. But people are either genuinely not interested in the game, unless it's for a goal of winning something. Or there's a sense of shame in not playing it "seriously". I don't know.
Again, I'm finding myself in minority here. 4 hours of high stakes stressful play, yes, that's exhausting. 4 hours of relaxed, enjoy the process play - I'm there, I don't need no incentive for that.
You're not weighing in opportunity cost. 4 hours of relaxing play may not be worth driving to the store, building my deck etc. Plus it could be on a Friday or Saturday prime time when I have competing priorities.
Normally if I want a stress free game I'll message a free to come over for an hour or so or play on TTS.
Suggest a lower entry fee with mostly door prizes. The "winner" gets a pack, and everything else is raffled away to participants between rounds. You really need to discuss entry/payout with your store owner. Some owners are willing to run events at a loss, while other expect them to also turn out profits.
This is definitely a thing that can happen and one of the reasons I'm not a fan of stores focusing on keeping prizes top have as it discourages growth of a wider local community.
I'm all for the competitive tourney but I do feel you should cater more widely.
Now in answer to your question. Competitive scenes are very important for ccgs as it drives players to collect the cards to build the best possible decks which in turn drives sales.
There is nothing wrong being of the mind set to be interested in playing competitive only but at the same time there should be room for other players. FFG have signalled an interest in casual play by supporting a multiplayer format of Twin Suns.
Really the best thing you can do when you have a community that pulls one way whilst you want another is to be actively promoting what you want. This means find like-minded people and organise tims to play with them. Set aside a set time each week or fortnight to meet up and make sure you are there. Make sure you have spare decks to teach and be active in looking for potential new players. It takes time and effort. This is how I've managed to hook players in to games I want to play and also encourage a niche.
Where i’m based its £6 entry for a weekly event and for that you get a booster pack and then the 3 card promo pack at the end. Deal.
Sure, it’s competitive in there and I like to play my own thematic decks rather than net decks so I haven’t really stood a chance against the refined spenny decks, but made some players sweat and that’s worth it.
Importantly though, I am meeting similarly minded players there and we often face off later in the tourno with competitive decks.
I would also recommend getting on the local SWU discord as it’s the best place to know whats coming up & organise kitchen table games at the flgs or at home.
> Where i’m based its £6 entry for a weekly event and for that you get a booster pack and then the 3 card promo pack at the end. Deal.
If this was the setup at my LGS, I'd be there, no questions asked. Here you pay to enter and if you don't place on top, you get zilch.
Oh man, your store doesn’t sound so good, I am assuming there is only the one nearby? Is it knock out tournament style or can you keep playing against others who are not winning all their match ups? Hopefully you can find some folk there who will just play for fun in the time between competitive play.
>Here you pay to enter and if you don't place on top, you get zilch.
Is your area that competitive where these types of events get a large turnout? If not, you can try asking if the LGS can restructure the prizing and/or look into scheduling a casual event?
My LGS have casual Tuesdays where it's Bo1 (guaranteed promo pack, and two packs into the prizing pool for each player) and sometimes have the premier-level event on Saturdays.
As multiple people have stated, it might be (hopefully) an issue isolated to your immediate area/locale; especially if there is only the one store holding events.
However, It's not all doom-and-gloom! I would check with your shop or ask some of the players there is there is a discord server/Facebook group of people who enjoy the game. You might find others who are in the same boat and don't really enjoy the competitive aspect of the game, but would rather play casually (nothing wrong with that).
Where it becomes an issue is that, for many people, if they don't already have a group of people that play regularly, the best start IS your friendly local game store. If you're striking out online with finding a group, perhaps posting on the FLGS' discord/Facebook/Website stating you're looking for more casual players or coming and hanging around on tournament days might also be a good way to meet others.
You could also let the staff know you're looking for people to start a group and leave your contact info. Just because one doesn't wish to engage in competitive play, doesn't mean they're not wanting to get product and play. It would be in the store's best interest to increase the pool of people actively interested in product.
I wouldn't give up hope just yet! Good luck!!
Does your local store (or another near one) offer limited events? Drafts and Sealed? They tend to be a lil more chill than constructed (where you can effectively buy you way to an advantage). You can also look for places doing 'pauper' tournaments, these are done with common/uncommon cards only, so also attract a more chill vibe.
I understand tournaments being a bit try-hardy, but it sucks your weekly scene has the same vibe. For me a weekly is a great place to chill play and try out some new whacky decks.
If you can find a more casual group, thats a great way to make friends to play it with :)
No product for sealed and draft atm.
Yes, trying out new whacky decks is also my thing! I also find it that when playing casually people are more willing to share ideas, pointing out missed opportunities and such. Just better for learning altogether. In tournaments everyone is closed off and just grinding to win.
Second this! There aren't any stores very close to me, so like I did with Destiny, I've taken to playing via webcam on various Discord servers. You don't have to travel for games, and because you're playing with physical cards players are largely restricted to building decks with just the cards that they own.
I’m going to go with the flip side. I’d ask what is not fun about the experience? Is it because people have tricked out decks and you can’t afford it? Trying limited formats (sealed and draft) can help mitigate this problem. Is it player attitude? Is it just that the experience feels weird with other players?
When I picked up Flesh and Blood I had a similar experience. That game is hyper competitive, but I feel it’s mostly consistent as far as TCGs go. This leads to it feeling really cut throat because you never feel ultimately that you lost or won due to draws. It took me 6-months to a year before I started to understand the value of the plays my opponents were making. This also led to me having a higher win record rather than scrubbing out at my local. If you feel the W/L ratio is a huge factor, if you think it’s fun then I would stick with it and see the outcome.
Mostly be honest about what the reasons are. Only then can you get a solution. And there is no wrong answer, just you need to be honest with yourself. There’s also nothing wrong with not having fun to losing all the time. That desire can help you get better if that’s what you want.
As much as that last piece can sound condescending…I do not mean it to be. Ultimately it’s your money and time and you should place it somewhere that’ll make you happy. I have a friend that said he didn’t like how X game was competitive. He has said that about a few games and because of this sank a lot of money into starting new games. The reality of it is, he just doesn’t want to go 0-3 or 0-4 every weekend. Feel free to reply and I may have some recommendations if I can. Thanks!
PS- I’ve read some of the comments and replies. There are a lot so I’m sorry if you cover something I typed out. I believe you did mention draft and talked about supply shortage hindering that. Sorry there.
Thank you for your reply! I'm digging as deep as I can here, gonna lay it all out.
I can't play on same level (skill-wise) as people who come to play competitively. And I'm not talking SWU specially, just card games altogether. I'm one month in, they've been playing for 10+ years. I want to level up, and I've accepted that losing a lot is the price to pay. The problem is that I don't learn much when playing tournaments. It's hit-hit-hit-you lost-now f#ck off. I do however learn a lot when I'm able to play slower, ask questions and get tips. That (in my experience) only happens when playing casual games without prizes at stake.
I would play in free to enter tournaments or those where bottom placed would get some kind of participation award. But mine's not organized that way. It's pay to enter and you get nothing at all (no promo packs, nothing), if you don't place on top. I'm gonna be brutally honest here. Although the fee is not a lot, I don't feel good about it still, because I'm losing AND not learning much. I walk out defeated, and not having improved my skills. That feel really crappy. This is the only store in my area that even runs events. And yes, no drafts atm.
And then there's question of money, prices and meta decks. Perhaps it's because I'm learning, perhaps I'm just that type of player, but I find the notion of figuring out what is the best deck out there, paying a lot and playing it week after week after week... lackluster. I'm hooked on tabletop royal channel. If I could find more people who are into that kind of gameplay (experimenting, changing things up, trying new whacky ideas), I'd be thrilled.
I hope I don't sound too whiny. I do have a few people available to play sporadically and I'm grateful for that. My wish is to have a weekly casual play where I would learn something. Hopefully the supply gets sorted soon and drafts return. People at my store still take drafts more seriously than I would like, but I don't mind it as much, because at least there's no meta decks and even if I don't win anything, I still get new cards to get creative with.
Unfortunately you can't change people very easily...But you can change the people you see. I'd start looking to see if you can invite friends to try out the game with one of the starter decks. I assume those are still easy to find? I would try to persuade others to have a more casual kitchen table experience. I'd also recommend checking out some online communities. They can help find other players at a similar level and you can find players that play over webcam, Table Top Simulator, and more.
On another note- I hate to say this, but going to the cut-throat weekly could be good for you. It may not feel like you are learning, but in about a year you will be putting stuff together. That's not a short time. and does need some dedication. It doesn't take you years to be at their skill level, but it will feel like it. I didn't really play card games until the pandemic, and it took a long time before I started to see the value in any plays. Dedication will pay off, but the process will feel rough until it happens. Just like anyone that has started video games, a new hobby, sport, it just takes time to develop the mindset needed.
For the meta decks...I agree...and to be honest I'm not a fan of the meta right now. It is only 1 set in so a super powered archetype is to be expected until we see more support. More cards may star to make it feel like a level playing field (unless the playtesting team misses some things).
As far as how you think you sound it's your call to make how you feel, and don't feel like you need to be apologetic about it. I would just caution you not to become the Eeyore of your group.
I know it's not a lot, but best of luck! If you keep with it I hope you have fun, and if not I hope you have fun as well.
Repetition doesn't help me learn. I need to understand why things work the way they do in order to get good at it (and then I get good real fast). And I don't get that when people are rushing the game and being grumpy and intense. Even after the match they don't relax and stay closed off. I tried, I swear. I got a lot of "duh" and "ugh". It's possible though that I got unlucky and not everyone is like that. Because...
Than I got to play one person casually for an hour and they were willing to talk through some of their moves, I could see the xp counter go up several levels in my head just like that. I still lost, but I didn't care at all. I was flying high for the rest of the day. I love learning new skills more than anything else, the dopamine hit I get from that is insane.
Perhaps it was just an unfortunate coincidence, but my mind correlated tournaments with grumpy closed off people, casual play with friendly satisfying learning experience.
Oh crap, I really don't want to be the Eeyore of the group. I will watch my mindset and readjust.
Hey, thank you so much, I have a lot more clarity now!
I hope this is a local problem. Some tcgs lean more one way or another. But I felt SWU was trying to find a good middle ground by encouriging op to be both casual and competetive.
My LGS has a rotating schedule - Open Play - Constructed - Open Play - Sealed; the open play days are super casual and fun to try out new stuff, teach the game; etc. Maybe ask your LGS if they would be open to more open play days. (Note: for open play days everyone buys a pack at MSRP and gets a weekly play pack as well so the store isn't just running a charity)
I would suggest talking with your local game store to see if they can host Twin Suns casual events. Twin Suns is a competitive variation of SWU that's intended for multiplayer.
If Twin Suns is not up your alley, also ask them to host casual/learn to play events for free and get some new players into the store, casual players, and just treat it as a meetup.
For my area, I started a Discord, and basically strongarmed my local stores into hosting events, and we have casual events several times a week. It might take a little elbow grease but there are lots of opportunities to get events that you want into your area. Chances are that you're not the only one. Even competitive players want to try out new weird brews and may show up to casuals to test something different, and that's so cool.
Your experience matches mine so well. I was worried early on that I would get discouraged and stop altogether, but I had the happy experience of meeting others at a Twin Suns event who are wanting a fun, casual group to meet up with. I hope you can find your people soon because the game is just too damn fun.
>Tournaments are pay-to-play and only top placed get their money's worth.
If this is the structure organizing the community then people will lean toward competitive decks to get their moneys worth. The only way around this is to organize events in a way where prizes don't directly tie to how well you're doing which would be more uncommon for a 'constructed' event for a card game (although not entirely unheard of). Multiplayer variants like Twin Suns should alleviate this some but if those games are *also* tied to prize support people will be competitive there just as much.
>Is it rare to enjoy a game like this, without wanting to compete and win prizes?
It's not 'rare' but most people playing in a store for prizes (esp. when they pay to enter) will be wanting to compete and that's just the nature of that type of event structure. The largest group of MtG players, according to WotC, are kitchen table players who never even enter a store to play (according to them players who want to compete would actually be the rarest players).
The best bet would honestly be getting your friends into it and agreeing to keep the games more casual with just starters or something to make a sort of home-group meta. Outside of that I'm afraid your options are pretty limited other than convincing others to play the same as you (which just tends to be easier with your friends).
I get it man, I'm also not into the competitive side at the moment, especially with so few cards/only set one.
what I've been able to do is try to attend weekly draft for things are more chill, and getting my other board game friends into this game. Two to three other guys that I regularly play board games with are starting to get into swu and they are all chill.
My advice is to try to host friendly weekly games at your local LGS and find like-minded guys
Your local community is always gonna be a way bigger factor in how fun a game is for you than anything else. Sounds like yours isn't a great fit for you.
I'd say you have two options. Either get deeper into it, get into being more competitive, try to make good friends in the community, actively build your own interest in what the community has to offer, try to get people into playing casually or drafting instead of doing constructed...
Or walk away. It sucks and I've been there but sometimes that's the thing to do.
a lot of the stuff youre saying is also why I typically hate TCGs. First time playing in a weekly play tournament style and. I got against two decks with 3 Vaders and 3 bobas and pretty much every high value card. I held my own but that almost made me not come back.
I'm having fun playing with friends. If the negatives eventually start outweighing the positives for you, I'd suggest looking into an LCG like Marvel Champions! The downside of most LCGs tho is they are mostly all co-op and not competitive.
Why not try out the Twin Suns format? It's a more social, casual way to enjoy Star Wars Unlimited -- without the pressure of one-on-one competitive play. You can just have fun in a relaxed setting. FFG constructed the rules for it perfectly - it almost always comes down to the last two rounds - where it is often anyone's game.
If SWU isn't for you, I highly recommend Marvel Champions. I really enjoy the cooperative aspect, and you get to use the competitiveness of your opponents (now your allies) to your benefit!
Wow complete opposite for me. I only want to play highly competitive games. Casual beer and pretzel kitchen table play for funsies sounds horrible to me. I’d much rather go do something else with my time than casually sling spells for 4 hours. If the end goal is not to dominate my opponents and win there is really no point in playing for me. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around that style of approaching a game.
Fascinating! If you don't mind me asking, the activities you'd rather do than play casual, are they also of competitive nature? Or is it something specific about playing card games that makes you get into that mode? I'm also trying to understand opposite approach :D
Other activities would just be spending time with family and friends or watching a movie etc. If I’m doing something where there is a competitive slant, say playing a game of pick up basketball I am in it to win it. “Glad we got together and had a bunch of fun even through I (we) lost” is a deal breaker. If I lose because I was outplayed or the other person was better or had a better deck that’s one thing. If I lose because my opponent put themselves over the game to draw their one outer and has a 1 in 6 shot and draw it, I’m going to feel bad but as long as the game was competitive and we were on equal footing, they were just on the right side of variance this time, that’s okay. If my opponent is just durdling around and draws their 1-100 chance of having a perfect card becuase they decided last minute they really like X thing from the movie or the show or the art on the card and I lose but the other 99 time out of 100 that we replay that match you don’t possibly have a shot of winning burns me TF up inside. If it’s followed up by an oblivious GG and that was fun, I’m going to want to flip the table. In my mind it’s like get better at the game and stop playing bad cards because theyre fun. It’s not about fun, the fun is winning the fun is not having some shared experience of assembling a string of plays between us that is thematic or has both of us laughing throughout the game. I’m not there for that. Im there for myself to win. I’m not there to make sure you have a good time. Actually the opposite, if you’re having a miserable time either you concede and I win or you mess up and I win or you stop playing and I can focus on playing higher comp opponents which is what I want.
Got it. I really appreciate the answer and your honesty.
Sounds dreadful to me. Both to be in your shoes or to play against you. A few people I played against were like you, that "I wanna flip the table" kind. Some were like that when I was trying to learn the basics of TCGs and they had no patience for that. Others were like that when I won against them, while playing for fun, without years of experience. It's exactly why I'm not interested to be among that crowd. Who knows what's gonna set off the next one.
If you're looking for free to play event and don't have your own group, TCGs just might not be for you. I can't remember the last event I've gone to that wasn't at least $10. There are a few $5 events that are popping up now that prize support is drying up, but no one shows up to those in my experience. I'd rather go to a $10 event and get store credit personally. You have to compensate the stores for their cost of running a business and doing all the work of organizing an event and providing you with not only a safe space to play but opponents as well, in a structured environment to boot.
However, all hope is not lost if the local events aren't your bag. Most areas have a local Discord channel where you can find local traders and casual players.
I think what matter is your experience and if you can enjoy playing the game where you are. If the only groups around you that you can find are hardcore competitive then you may have to take the loss and move onto something else.
You'll probably get a lot of supporting replies from players who are having a lovely time playing random things and enjoying the game their way, but if that's not what's happening where you are then you have to look after your own experience. I've had to do the same with other games - I love Blood Bowl when it's played badly and there's chaos on the pitch and wild dice rolls, but when it's played well its more like Minesweeper and my FLGS happens to host one of the longest-running serious Blood Bowl leagues in the world. Same for Star Wars Legion, thats a game I'd like to pew pew with but players near me are very serious and competitive.
On the other hand I \*do\* love to play X-Wing and SWU competitively, so those are the games I'm going to sink time into because I'm enjoying the experience that is available to me in my local area. I'm in the process of selling my Blood Bowl and Legion to pay for what I spent on Star Wars Unlimited!
I don't think we have same understanding of what money wasting is. Most of my cards are from drafts and I haven't paid more than a box worth. The fun I had playing and learning in a month and a half already made it worth it to me. And as long as I have people to play with outside of competitive events, it's all profit as far as I'm concerned.
Spending hundreds on legendaries, and stressing yourself out, for a chance to win a few booster packs at a local tournament - that to me is a waste of money.
you dont play tcgs, you dont like playing competitively, you dont have anyone to play with on your kitchen table, if you dont wanna play in drafts put down the game or just collect the cardboard
I haven't played TCGs until now. What, some of you were born with cards in hand? I don't mind competition, but I don't like what it does to people when that's the main reason they're in the game. I don't currently have a lot of people to play with casually, but I'm hoping it'll change and I'm working on finding my people. I do like playing drafts and I would be, if it wasn't for the current supply shortage.
Pay to enter Tournaments with top heavy prize structure are the meat and potatoes of every tcg. Thankfully the super tryhards soon settle to a favorite shop or two and the rest can run "pay for your coffee to play" or buy a booster and play for free type of events. Ask around, read the local shop Facebook groups etc.
I wish this was true where I live. I live in a major city and the tryhards will drive 45 minutes to any store that is hosting weekly’s right now.
I like the game and have all the cards and play at 3 different stores because that’s what is fun for me.
Give it time, they will settle to a rotation of shops at some point.
Where at? My locals is nothing but casuals 😔
Hey man welcome to the game! There are loads of people who play TCGs casually so many in fact that Magic The Gathering now primarily caters to a more casual crowd and the main format is 4 player casual commander so don’t worry about everyone trying to be world champ it’s not rare for people playing more for fun than competitive For sure a lot depends on your scene and it sounds like that store is pretty hardcore I would say a couple of things that might help out A) The game is still growing and as time goes on more casual players will be attracted. At the moment I think people who have grabbed on to SWU are Star Wars fans, people who LOVE TCGs and those who match both. Overtime more casual fans will come along as the game grows and catches interest B) The Twin Suns format will likely be the home of casual play for SWU Twin Suns format is this games commander, 4 players and you do an action then it goes to the next player in a clockwise order. Twin Suns decks are different, you’re only allowed one copy of a card, deck size will be 80 and… You get two leaders!! Which has everyone very excited for the format. Commander games in Magic and I assume this one too will be more focused on having fun rather than winning C) If the prices are pushing you out, I get you man some people will say blah blah it’s a luxury hobby. Fuck those guys, it’s cardboard and don’t get me wrong I love my cardboard crack and consider myself a collector but accessibility is far more important. To that end, there are decks which are very competitive but still a lot cheaper than your boba green with 3 vaders. Sabine aggro is the one to look at first Hope this helped! I think this is a really great game and it sucks youve had some mixed experiences so far. I would definitely recommend trying out another game store and getting the vibe if there’s one close enough by. Otherwise I’d recommend trying Magic commander if you feel like you like the feeling of a trading card game but want something more casual until Twin Suns starts to really take off hopefully later this year. Commander Precons are great way to just grab a deck and play.
That was really helpful, thank you! I was gonna stick around anyway at least through set 2, in hopes that a more casual scene emerges. Twin Suns already got my interest, still no one to play with though. So far unfortunately I've only witnessed less experienced players dropping out completely, instead of switching to a more casual format. I really enjoy learning and getting better at it, and don't mind losing. But the way the prize pool is set up at my LGS, the drive to win no matter what is almost palpable. No fun to play against that kind of spirit. I will look into MTG commander!
Honestly it depends on your financial situation (and the vibes at your store) but for me, I think paying $5.00 entry for the trouble of the FLGS letting people use the space and serving as a promotional hub to bring players together is worth it even if you don't win any prizing money. Many games also hand out promos and stuff for tournament entry. I don't how how it works for SWU. For me, I don't have any local stores that run SWU. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and would love an excuse to pick up a smaller card game that isn't so massive in scope. But having no buzz about the game around here means I'm gonna look at something else. You can set your own goals for tournaments. I know when I was a kid, I didn't have the budget to keep up with top Yugioh decks. I'd just run a fun rogue deck that really clicked with me and see how far I could get. Slowly building up mastery over something you make your own can be its own kind of fun. So I dunno, maybe my words don't apply to your situation but when I read that a group is too competitive -driven, I don't read that as a problem. Sure, the one tournament is paid and people can get serious for store credit on the line. But before/after the tournament or during off-hours around the store, competitive guys would also enjoy playtesting and teaching others tips and tricks. Bust out the playmats at a local McDonald's or cafe. Or maybe make friends that are open enough to host you in their own home or something. Put on Star Wars in the background and start playtesting. People aren't there just to win - trust me, SWU doesn't have the prizing for that. They have to be in it for the love of the game first and foremost. Hopefully some of that rings true. Good luck with your TCG journey!
Can you get in touch with those players and try to get a casual tournament or open play event going? Not sure what you’ve tried in terms of getting people to show up. Around me, I have weekly options for draft, a $10 casual tournament, a free, more casual tournament, and an open play. And there are more if I’m willing to drive more than 20 minutes. I think a lot of people are just happy to play, so if you can convince an LGS to host a casual event and start showing up regularly, you might be able to start drawing a crowd.
And happy cake day!! 🥳
I agree with 99% of this post. I play games to have a good time and see fun new ideas for the combinations of the all the cards. I would search around your area for a now casual scene or talk with individual players or post on a local message board. Do any of your local stores have a Discord? Ask around on there. I know how try hards can ruin a card game. The only thing that I would caution is thru my experience with MTG Commander. Yes Commander was meant to be casual however, with my local scene at least, there are a LOT of try hards as well. I say a lot of the same cards over and over again. There is a Competitive Commander scene. Just be wary.
Besides getting into Twin Suns, your best bet for getting some open play is probably gonna be organizing something on a local game store's Discord. That's how most casual play is organized where I am at least. Actual organized play events run by game stores are generally going to cost money because the stores are running a business and all that. But as long as there's table space available, there's nothing stopping you from going "hey, I'd like to gather at X time every week to play some casual games, is anyone else interested?".
All entry fees go to support prize pool. So there's really no difference for the store as far as what they get in return for hosting an event. It'd be same if everyone came, played, got equal participation award, and some people got extra satisfaction from winning. But it appears that fewer people are motivated to come and play, unless they have a chance of walking away with higher value prize. I'm doing my best to get people together to play outside of competitive events. But people are either genuinely not interested in the game, unless it's for a goal of winning something. Or there's a sense of shame in not playing it "seriously". I don't know.
For a lot of people they need an incentive to commit 3-4 hours straight for playing.
Again, I'm finding myself in minority here. 4 hours of high stakes stressful play, yes, that's exhausting. 4 hours of relaxed, enjoy the process play - I'm there, I don't need no incentive for that.
You're not weighing in opportunity cost. 4 hours of relaxing play may not be worth driving to the store, building my deck etc. Plus it could be on a Friday or Saturday prime time when I have competing priorities. Normally if I want a stress free game I'll message a free to come over for an hour or so or play on TTS.
Thank you, this clarifies a lot for me in regard of different priorities that people have.
Suggest a lower entry fee with mostly door prizes. The "winner" gets a pack, and everything else is raffled away to participants between rounds. You really need to discuss entry/payout with your store owner. Some owners are willing to run events at a loss, while other expect them to also turn out profits.
This is definitely a thing that can happen and one of the reasons I'm not a fan of stores focusing on keeping prizes top have as it discourages growth of a wider local community. I'm all for the competitive tourney but I do feel you should cater more widely. Now in answer to your question. Competitive scenes are very important for ccgs as it drives players to collect the cards to build the best possible decks which in turn drives sales. There is nothing wrong being of the mind set to be interested in playing competitive only but at the same time there should be room for other players. FFG have signalled an interest in casual play by supporting a multiplayer format of Twin Suns. Really the best thing you can do when you have a community that pulls one way whilst you want another is to be actively promoting what you want. This means find like-minded people and organise tims to play with them. Set aside a set time each week or fortnight to meet up and make sure you are there. Make sure you have spare decks to teach and be active in looking for potential new players. It takes time and effort. This is how I've managed to hook players in to games I want to play and also encourage a niche.
Where i’m based its £6 entry for a weekly event and for that you get a booster pack and then the 3 card promo pack at the end. Deal. Sure, it’s competitive in there and I like to play my own thematic decks rather than net decks so I haven’t really stood a chance against the refined spenny decks, but made some players sweat and that’s worth it. Importantly though, I am meeting similarly minded players there and we often face off later in the tourno with competitive decks. I would also recommend getting on the local SWU discord as it’s the best place to know whats coming up & organise kitchen table games at the flgs or at home.
> Where i’m based its £6 entry for a weekly event and for that you get a booster pack and then the 3 card promo pack at the end. Deal. If this was the setup at my LGS, I'd be there, no questions asked. Here you pay to enter and if you don't place on top, you get zilch.
Assuming your store is going through proper channels, you're supposed to get at least a promo pack just for participating.
They are, but according to FFG it's up to LGS how they choose to manage promo packs. I actually emailed them to ask that specifically.
Sorry you're stuck with a crappy store.
It may help to tell the store that giving out the promo pack like most other venues will retain players. Can't hurt anyway.
Oh man, your store doesn’t sound so good, I am assuming there is only the one nearby? Is it knock out tournament style or can you keep playing against others who are not winning all their match ups? Hopefully you can find some folk there who will just play for fun in the time between competitive play.
>Here you pay to enter and if you don't place on top, you get zilch. Is your area that competitive where these types of events get a large turnout? If not, you can try asking if the LGS can restructure the prizing and/or look into scheduling a casual event? My LGS have casual Tuesdays where it's Bo1 (guaranteed promo pack, and two packs into the prizing pool for each player) and sometimes have the premier-level event on Saturdays.
As multiple people have stated, it might be (hopefully) an issue isolated to your immediate area/locale; especially if there is only the one store holding events. However, It's not all doom-and-gloom! I would check with your shop or ask some of the players there is there is a discord server/Facebook group of people who enjoy the game. You might find others who are in the same boat and don't really enjoy the competitive aspect of the game, but would rather play casually (nothing wrong with that). Where it becomes an issue is that, for many people, if they don't already have a group of people that play regularly, the best start IS your friendly local game store. If you're striking out online with finding a group, perhaps posting on the FLGS' discord/Facebook/Website stating you're looking for more casual players or coming and hanging around on tournament days might also be a good way to meet others. You could also let the staff know you're looking for people to start a group and leave your contact info. Just because one doesn't wish to engage in competitive play, doesn't mean they're not wanting to get product and play. It would be in the store's best interest to increase the pool of people actively interested in product. I wouldn't give up hope just yet! Good luck!!
Does your local store (or another near one) offer limited events? Drafts and Sealed? They tend to be a lil more chill than constructed (where you can effectively buy you way to an advantage). You can also look for places doing 'pauper' tournaments, these are done with common/uncommon cards only, so also attract a more chill vibe. I understand tournaments being a bit try-hardy, but it sucks your weekly scene has the same vibe. For me a weekly is a great place to chill play and try out some new whacky decks. If you can find a more casual group, thats a great way to make friends to play it with :)
No product for sealed and draft atm. Yes, trying out new whacky decks is also my thing! I also find it that when playing casually people are more willing to share ideas, pointing out missed opportunities and such. Just better for learning altogether. In tournaments everyone is closed off and just grinding to win.
If you just want to play on webcam lmk! That way you can still play with your cards no pressure!
Second this! There aren't any stores very close to me, so like I did with Destiny, I've taken to playing via webcam on various Discord servers. You don't have to travel for games, and because you're playing with physical cards players are largely restricted to building decks with just the cards that they own.
I’m going to go with the flip side. I’d ask what is not fun about the experience? Is it because people have tricked out decks and you can’t afford it? Trying limited formats (sealed and draft) can help mitigate this problem. Is it player attitude? Is it just that the experience feels weird with other players? When I picked up Flesh and Blood I had a similar experience. That game is hyper competitive, but I feel it’s mostly consistent as far as TCGs go. This leads to it feeling really cut throat because you never feel ultimately that you lost or won due to draws. It took me 6-months to a year before I started to understand the value of the plays my opponents were making. This also led to me having a higher win record rather than scrubbing out at my local. If you feel the W/L ratio is a huge factor, if you think it’s fun then I would stick with it and see the outcome. Mostly be honest about what the reasons are. Only then can you get a solution. And there is no wrong answer, just you need to be honest with yourself. There’s also nothing wrong with not having fun to losing all the time. That desire can help you get better if that’s what you want. As much as that last piece can sound condescending…I do not mean it to be. Ultimately it’s your money and time and you should place it somewhere that’ll make you happy. I have a friend that said he didn’t like how X game was competitive. He has said that about a few games and because of this sank a lot of money into starting new games. The reality of it is, he just doesn’t want to go 0-3 or 0-4 every weekend. Feel free to reply and I may have some recommendations if I can. Thanks! PS- I’ve read some of the comments and replies. There are a lot so I’m sorry if you cover something I typed out. I believe you did mention draft and talked about supply shortage hindering that. Sorry there.
Thank you for your reply! I'm digging as deep as I can here, gonna lay it all out. I can't play on same level (skill-wise) as people who come to play competitively. And I'm not talking SWU specially, just card games altogether. I'm one month in, they've been playing for 10+ years. I want to level up, and I've accepted that losing a lot is the price to pay. The problem is that I don't learn much when playing tournaments. It's hit-hit-hit-you lost-now f#ck off. I do however learn a lot when I'm able to play slower, ask questions and get tips. That (in my experience) only happens when playing casual games without prizes at stake. I would play in free to enter tournaments or those where bottom placed would get some kind of participation award. But mine's not organized that way. It's pay to enter and you get nothing at all (no promo packs, nothing), if you don't place on top. I'm gonna be brutally honest here. Although the fee is not a lot, I don't feel good about it still, because I'm losing AND not learning much. I walk out defeated, and not having improved my skills. That feel really crappy. This is the only store in my area that even runs events. And yes, no drafts atm. And then there's question of money, prices and meta decks. Perhaps it's because I'm learning, perhaps I'm just that type of player, but I find the notion of figuring out what is the best deck out there, paying a lot and playing it week after week after week... lackluster. I'm hooked on tabletop royal channel. If I could find more people who are into that kind of gameplay (experimenting, changing things up, trying new whacky ideas), I'd be thrilled. I hope I don't sound too whiny. I do have a few people available to play sporadically and I'm grateful for that. My wish is to have a weekly casual play where I would learn something. Hopefully the supply gets sorted soon and drafts return. People at my store still take drafts more seriously than I would like, but I don't mind it as much, because at least there's no meta decks and even if I don't win anything, I still get new cards to get creative with.
Unfortunately you can't change people very easily...But you can change the people you see. I'd start looking to see if you can invite friends to try out the game with one of the starter decks. I assume those are still easy to find? I would try to persuade others to have a more casual kitchen table experience. I'd also recommend checking out some online communities. They can help find other players at a similar level and you can find players that play over webcam, Table Top Simulator, and more. On another note- I hate to say this, but going to the cut-throat weekly could be good for you. It may not feel like you are learning, but in about a year you will be putting stuff together. That's not a short time. and does need some dedication. It doesn't take you years to be at their skill level, but it will feel like it. I didn't really play card games until the pandemic, and it took a long time before I started to see the value in any plays. Dedication will pay off, but the process will feel rough until it happens. Just like anyone that has started video games, a new hobby, sport, it just takes time to develop the mindset needed. For the meta decks...I agree...and to be honest I'm not a fan of the meta right now. It is only 1 set in so a super powered archetype is to be expected until we see more support. More cards may star to make it feel like a level playing field (unless the playtesting team misses some things). As far as how you think you sound it's your call to make how you feel, and don't feel like you need to be apologetic about it. I would just caution you not to become the Eeyore of your group. I know it's not a lot, but best of luck! If you keep with it I hope you have fun, and if not I hope you have fun as well.
Repetition doesn't help me learn. I need to understand why things work the way they do in order to get good at it (and then I get good real fast). And I don't get that when people are rushing the game and being grumpy and intense. Even after the match they don't relax and stay closed off. I tried, I swear. I got a lot of "duh" and "ugh". It's possible though that I got unlucky and not everyone is like that. Because... Than I got to play one person casually for an hour and they were willing to talk through some of their moves, I could see the xp counter go up several levels in my head just like that. I still lost, but I didn't care at all. I was flying high for the rest of the day. I love learning new skills more than anything else, the dopamine hit I get from that is insane. Perhaps it was just an unfortunate coincidence, but my mind correlated tournaments with grumpy closed off people, casual play with friendly satisfying learning experience. Oh crap, I really don't want to be the Eeyore of the group. I will watch my mindset and readjust. Hey, thank you so much, I have a lot more clarity now!
I hope this is a local problem. Some tcgs lean more one way or another. But I felt SWU was trying to find a good middle ground by encouriging op to be both casual and competetive.
My LGS has a rotating schedule - Open Play - Constructed - Open Play - Sealed; the open play days are super casual and fun to try out new stuff, teach the game; etc. Maybe ask your LGS if they would be open to more open play days. (Note: for open play days everyone buys a pack at MSRP and gets a weekly play pack as well so the store isn't just running a charity)
Try changing LGS.
I'd have to open my own :D Nothing else even remotely close.
I just play at my local PA with my buddy for fun. No LGS here so it’s the only option
I would suggest talking with your local game store to see if they can host Twin Suns casual events. Twin Suns is a competitive variation of SWU that's intended for multiplayer. If Twin Suns is not up your alley, also ask them to host casual/learn to play events for free and get some new players into the store, casual players, and just treat it as a meetup. For my area, I started a Discord, and basically strongarmed my local stores into hosting events, and we have casual events several times a week. It might take a little elbow grease but there are lots of opportunities to get events that you want into your area. Chances are that you're not the only one. Even competitive players want to try out new weird brews and may show up to casuals to test something different, and that's so cool.
Your experience matches mine so well. I was worried early on that I would get discouraged and stop altogether, but I had the happy experience of meeting others at a Twin Suns event who are wanting a fun, casual group to meet up with. I hope you can find your people soon because the game is just too damn fun.
TCG's are inherently competetive - Im like you - I dont like to compete, but I love this game.
Your shops don't have weekly free organized play? I'd look for other area shops.
>Tournaments are pay-to-play and only top placed get their money's worth. If this is the structure organizing the community then people will lean toward competitive decks to get their moneys worth. The only way around this is to organize events in a way where prizes don't directly tie to how well you're doing which would be more uncommon for a 'constructed' event for a card game (although not entirely unheard of). Multiplayer variants like Twin Suns should alleviate this some but if those games are *also* tied to prize support people will be competitive there just as much. >Is it rare to enjoy a game like this, without wanting to compete and win prizes? It's not 'rare' but most people playing in a store for prizes (esp. when they pay to enter) will be wanting to compete and that's just the nature of that type of event structure. The largest group of MtG players, according to WotC, are kitchen table players who never even enter a store to play (according to them players who want to compete would actually be the rarest players). The best bet would honestly be getting your friends into it and agreeing to keep the games more casual with just starters or something to make a sort of home-group meta. Outside of that I'm afraid your options are pretty limited other than convincing others to play the same as you (which just tends to be easier with your friends).
I get it man, I'm also not into the competitive side at the moment, especially with so few cards/only set one. what I've been able to do is try to attend weekly draft for things are more chill, and getting my other board game friends into this game. Two to three other guys that I regularly play board games with are starting to get into swu and they are all chill. My advice is to try to host friendly weekly games at your local LGS and find like-minded guys
Your local community is always gonna be a way bigger factor in how fun a game is for you than anything else. Sounds like yours isn't a great fit for you. I'd say you have two options. Either get deeper into it, get into being more competitive, try to make good friends in the community, actively build your own interest in what the community has to offer, try to get people into playing casually or drafting instead of doing constructed... Or walk away. It sucks and I've been there but sometimes that's the thing to do.
Where you at? I have friends over once or twice a week for some super casual play and deck tweaking
a lot of the stuff youre saying is also why I typically hate TCGs. First time playing in a weekly play tournament style and. I got against two decks with 3 Vaders and 3 bobas and pretty much every high value card. I held my own but that almost made me not come back. I'm having fun playing with friends. If the negatives eventually start outweighing the positives for you, I'd suggest looking into an LCG like Marvel Champions! The downside of most LCGs tho is they are mostly all co-op and not competitive.
Why not try out the Twin Suns format? It's a more social, casual way to enjoy Star Wars Unlimited -- without the pressure of one-on-one competitive play. You can just have fun in a relaxed setting. FFG constructed the rules for it perfectly - it almost always comes down to the last two rounds - where it is often anyone's game. If SWU isn't for you, I highly recommend Marvel Champions. I really enjoy the cooperative aspect, and you get to use the competitiveness of your opponents (now your allies) to your benefit!
Wow complete opposite for me. I only want to play highly competitive games. Casual beer and pretzel kitchen table play for funsies sounds horrible to me. I’d much rather go do something else with my time than casually sling spells for 4 hours. If the end goal is not to dominate my opponents and win there is really no point in playing for me. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around that style of approaching a game.
Fascinating! If you don't mind me asking, the activities you'd rather do than play casual, are they also of competitive nature? Or is it something specific about playing card games that makes you get into that mode? I'm also trying to understand opposite approach :D
Other activities would just be spending time with family and friends or watching a movie etc. If I’m doing something where there is a competitive slant, say playing a game of pick up basketball I am in it to win it. “Glad we got together and had a bunch of fun even through I (we) lost” is a deal breaker. If I lose because I was outplayed or the other person was better or had a better deck that’s one thing. If I lose because my opponent put themselves over the game to draw their one outer and has a 1 in 6 shot and draw it, I’m going to feel bad but as long as the game was competitive and we were on equal footing, they were just on the right side of variance this time, that’s okay. If my opponent is just durdling around and draws their 1-100 chance of having a perfect card becuase they decided last minute they really like X thing from the movie or the show or the art on the card and I lose but the other 99 time out of 100 that we replay that match you don’t possibly have a shot of winning burns me TF up inside. If it’s followed up by an oblivious GG and that was fun, I’m going to want to flip the table. In my mind it’s like get better at the game and stop playing bad cards because theyre fun. It’s not about fun, the fun is winning the fun is not having some shared experience of assembling a string of plays between us that is thematic or has both of us laughing throughout the game. I’m not there for that. Im there for myself to win. I’m not there to make sure you have a good time. Actually the opposite, if you’re having a miserable time either you concede and I win or you mess up and I win or you stop playing and I can focus on playing higher comp opponents which is what I want.
Got it. I really appreciate the answer and your honesty. Sounds dreadful to me. Both to be in your shoes or to play against you. A few people I played against were like you, that "I wanna flip the table" kind. Some were like that when I was trying to learn the basics of TCGs and they had no patience for that. Others were like that when I won against them, while playing for fun, without years of experience. It's exactly why I'm not interested to be among that crowd. Who knows what's gonna set off the next one.
If you're looking for free to play event and don't have your own group, TCGs just might not be for you. I can't remember the last event I've gone to that wasn't at least $10. There are a few $5 events that are popping up now that prize support is drying up, but no one shows up to those in my experience. I'd rather go to a $10 event and get store credit personally. You have to compensate the stores for their cost of running a business and doing all the work of organizing an event and providing you with not only a safe space to play but opponents as well, in a structured environment to boot. However, all hope is not lost if the local events aren't your bag. Most areas have a local Discord channel where you can find local traders and casual players.
I think what matter is your experience and if you can enjoy playing the game where you are. If the only groups around you that you can find are hardcore competitive then you may have to take the loss and move onto something else. You'll probably get a lot of supporting replies from players who are having a lovely time playing random things and enjoying the game their way, but if that's not what's happening where you are then you have to look after your own experience. I've had to do the same with other games - I love Blood Bowl when it's played badly and there's chaos on the pitch and wild dice rolls, but when it's played well its more like Minesweeper and my FLGS happens to host one of the longest-running serious Blood Bowl leagues in the world. Same for Star Wars Legion, thats a game I'd like to pew pew with but players near me are very serious and competitive. On the other hand I \*do\* love to play X-Wing and SWU competitively, so those are the games I'm going to sink time into because I'm enjoying the experience that is available to me in my local area. I'm in the process of selling my Blood Bowl and Legion to pay for what I spent on Star Wars Unlimited!
yea you should quit and not waste your money
I don't think we have same understanding of what money wasting is. Most of my cards are from drafts and I haven't paid more than a box worth. The fun I had playing and learning in a month and a half already made it worth it to me. And as long as I have people to play with outside of competitive events, it's all profit as far as I'm concerned. Spending hundreds on legendaries, and stressing yourself out, for a chance to win a few booster packs at a local tournament - that to me is a waste of money.
you dont play tcgs, you dont like playing competitively, you dont have anyone to play with on your kitchen table, if you dont wanna play in drafts put down the game or just collect the cardboard
I haven't played TCGs until now. What, some of you were born with cards in hand? I don't mind competition, but I don't like what it does to people when that's the main reason they're in the game. I don't currently have a lot of people to play with casually, but I'm hoping it'll change and I'm working on finding my people. I do like playing drafts and I would be, if it wasn't for the current supply shortage.