On Facebook I have been seeing a lot of people putting up: “Just starting to play, where do I start?” This is both exciting because of the influx of new blood; but also a difficult question. The Star Wars: Destiny we play now is different than the what we started playing 7 sets and 1 cycle ago. When we first started playing this game, it was characters, supports, and upgrades. You had those types of decks like Han Solo (AW46)/Rey (AW38) that were shield crazy and difficult to push through. Then the evolution to the Bala (AW19) trinity that had everyone frustrated. Then the invention of FN-2199 (SR2) that wanted everyone to flip a table or two.
Setting the Hook
So do you start someone there? I mean the booster boxes are cheaper, and with the points fixes it makes more pairings possible. But who is playing that style on a consistent basis? Do we, therefore, set someone up to flounder because they can’t get reps in and practice their new game? Do we send them to the Legacy sets and have them be able to learn at the feet of Snoke (WF4), Yoda (LG33), Darth Vader TTB (AG1), and Old Man Luke (WF56)? This may be a simpler time where the mechanics of the game can be picked up and learned. On top of this, they will be able to go to their FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) to participate in games and tournaments.
Or do you say to the newcomer, “Start with Convergence and buy packs of the other sets as you go along. Get a wide range of cards and play infinity until you gain enough cards to build a more complete standard deck.” This is probably the hardest way to go, and the easiest way to lose people that have shown an interest in a game that we love to play. Our responsibility as players is to help this game get main stream and pull in those that are interested.
Reeling Them In
So how do we do this? Well let me tell you how we accomplish this at my FLGS. We have multiple people that are collectors, people that want complete play sets of each box type. When you do this you have to crack many a pack to get those cards that are near impossible to get. By getting those cards you get a plethora of multiples; we take those multiples that are unneeded by us and give them to people that walk in with an interest to the game. There have been times where someone that comes in and buys a starter to play will walk out with a card box full of commons, uncommons, rares, and even some legendaries to help start their own collection.
Allow me to explain: we don’t give away something that we know is “good trade bait” if we haven’t completed our play set, but we allow newcomers to look at what we have and take cards that are just taking up space in our collection. By doing this we foster the idea of community. We show the new person that this isn’t a game where winning is the only thing. We reach out and pull new players toward the fulcrum of the teeter totter so that they can compete.
Coming to a tournament and constantly getting your head caved in will be one of the quickest ways to lose new players. By the simple act of purging cards, that we already have too many of, and increasing the card pool of someone new allows the new players to build decks that they will be able to pilot to a better record. Along with that, being open to help someone along with strategies, after your match. If it is a quick match, allowing yourself to play another so you can explain some of the nuances of what certain cards can do.
As people that have been around this game for a while, we need to push competitiveness but also try and be inclusive. I can’t tell you how many CCGs I had played where the people made the experience worse. Those bad experiences drove me away from not only the game but also that FLGS. In my area we have seen 3 stores close in the last year and a half. The FLGS could go away if we are not careful with them. We need to take the time to build up games and bringing new players into the fold is just apart.
Hopefully this has been helpful and you can take a little time to help a new person along the way. If we have learned anything from our beloved Star Wars Saga it is that we are stronger when we are together.
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