A VTES model for the gamestore

In my mind there is an obvious solution, but I think many people will oppose it.

Do what FFG did with Netrunner. Reboot the game. ENTIRELY. Throw out all the old cards. Redesign both the cards and core mechanics from the ground up. Keep the good stuff, streamline what's too complicated (a lot of stuff), and don't be afraid to replace the parts that don't work. Also, make sure there are good 2-3p rules as well as being good for 4-5. If that takes a variant, so be it. Add more variety to vampires, they should not just be a list of Disciplines. Some have special abilities today but it could be taken a lot further and add more flavor. Remove the excess clans, there are way too many. 7 original Camarilla would be my choice.

Do a good job with this and sell it in an LCG-like format that is player friendly to buy and collect and publish it under a company that can commit to keeping the game going so people don't worry about it going under. Boxed expansions every 3 months may be better than monthly packs.

Do this, and you should end up with a popular game. But, the trick is being willing to do it and putting the future good of the game before maintaining people's investments in old cards.

dboeren wrote:

Do this, and you should end up with a popular game. But, the trick is being willing to do it and putting the future good of the game before maintaining people's investments in old cards.

It will not work, for a variety of reason.

The first is, a lot of player play VtES because there is no silly format and card aren't obsolete. With card from Jyhad only, you can do a deck that can win tournament ; what other TCG can say so ?

The consequence of a reboot would be to lose spad of old players, since the game will have thrown out of the windows one of its core aspect.

The second is, it have worked with FFG because FFG is a well-respected company with significants cash reserves. In addition to have some respectability for brick and mortar store, it also mean they were able both to find game designer, tester, and money to make it work more or less out of the box.

In short, because it have (more or less) worked ok for another game don't mean it will work for this one.

I'm not exactly in favour of the PoD model if it removes the collecting part of the game entirely - ie. rarity is entirely gone, Enkil cogs becomes as abundant as Bum's rush, etc. Going from that to a total reboot is just stupid. VTES has survived because of the community and the mechanics (ie. being a decent game). Screwing over said community even more than by introducing PoD is just ridiculous.

Okay, I'll bite:

How does improving access to the entire library of available cards screw anyone over but card barons! in terms of the community.

"Oh, woe is me, I have access to too many decks now, I quit this terrible, terrible game!"

Shockwave wrote:

Okay, I'll bite:

How does improving access to the entire library of available cards screw anyone over but card barons! in terms of the community.

"Oh, woe is me, I have access to too many decks now, I quit this terrible, terrible game!"

I really agree with this statement. It really is sad and unfortunate that players who have invested hundreds of euros or dollars or pounds on extra rare cards in a sense lose their investment values, it really is, but for the whole of the community I think it's just better to increase the availability of all cards to everyone, and thus make the introduction to the game and collecting of multiple deck variants a valid option to newcomers and not-so-old players by a... well, lots.

Kraus wrote:

I really agree with this statement. It really is sad and unfortunate that players who have invested hundreds of euros or dollars or pounds on extra rare cards in a sense lose their investment values, it really is, but for the whole of the community I think it's just better to increase the availability of all cards to everyone, and thus make the introduction to the game and collecting of multiple deck variants a valid option to newcomers and not-so-old players by a... well, lots.

I have to agree on this one. This game (like all other games) keeps on going just as long as there are players and one good way to gain new players and keeping current players intrested would be giving all players acces to all cards. Yes, it is sad that cards will lose most (if not all) their worth but I don't think cards as an investment but rather as a hobby. My cards are for playing the game, not some collected treasures to be sold when the time is right for making money. I would like to see PoD just because then I could buy many cards to my decks which are now out of my reach because of their insane price or their rarity (or likely both). I don't mean buying millions of Ashur Tablets and Enkil Cogs but I would like to have acces to ALL cards I whish in relatively cheap manner. And I think that new players after they have grasped rules and played enough with their first decks would like to get building new decks. And they would like to build new decks without having to pay huge summs of money to make them efficient. "Old players" have stacks of cards and can make what erver they wish, but new palyers are restricted on few startters and booster sets to bolster their collection of cards. Giving acces to all cards would definetly help keeping the game as interesting as possible as everyone would have equal chance of making decks and having the cards they want in them.
Of course this is just my opinnion on the matter and I understand that there is potential of losing hundreds and even thousands of euros (or dollars) and that makes some people very reluctant on supporting PoD.