A Wild Ride

Ever wonder what it takes to build a scene? We asked a local game store manager to tell us their story of building the FFTCG community.

Roughly a year and a half ago, the owner of the store I manage asked me if I thought that a Final Fantasy trading card game would be something that I would like to try.

It has been a wild ride ever since.

The release of Opus I was a day I will never forget. Our order was allocated down (meaning we received less product than we wanted), and we ended up with a total of three boxes and three of each starter deck. Being the Final Fantasy fan that I am, I personally bought one starter deck and some of my friends bought the others. We proceeded to try the game out. After about an hour we all realized that this game had potential to do amazing things.

The mechanics of the game, the quality of the cards, and the flavor of the characters had us hooked. Next thing we knew, we had purchased all of the stock we had just received. Thusly, our scene was born. We knew the game was a hit, and very early we had other people hanging around to play.

Unfortunately there were some hiccups along the way. Distribution was an issue like I had never encountered before. I was used to games like Magic: The Gathering. In that game, if you want a product, there are many ways to make sure you get it. Dealing with limited availability with FFTCG was a challenge. Nevertheless, I was still pushing for people to try the game and give it a chance because of what the game could be. I was convinced that all that needed to happen was a reliable supply chain, and the game could take off in a big way. Unfortunately the inability to stock FFTCG was coming very close to ending the game before it had the chance to get going.

It had been about thee or four months from the release of Opus I when we got an announcement that a second set was releasing. Skeptical at this point, we decided to order the set and see what could happen with another try. We got the product in (of course, it was allocated down again), and the same glamour from the first set revitalized the few players we had. We were able to entice a few more players with the game. Availability made that a lot easier.

This process was repeated again in Opus III, and by now we had gained a small but now loyal following for the game. Roughly five players were dedicated to showing up, and we all sang praises for a game that just kept getting deeper as sets were released. Things were going as well as they could have. Product became easier to order, and a few other stores in our area had been able to get their hands on a box or two and some of the starter decks.

Our little community started to grow.

I remember one weekend where we had planned on holding our regular tournament. As late as it was in Opus 3, we did not have very high expectations for attendance. Unexpectedly, a group of players from another local store came in and doubled our numbers for the tournament. I cannot put into words how that day made me feel; the elation at the idea that the game I had fallen head-over-heels was actually being played! From that day forward, it took off: players deck crafting, comparing strategies, and testing sweet brews. It was like the old days of MTG all over again, and this community seemed to be built on the understanding that the game was still young and every player had a responsibility to the survivability of the game. Our tournament scene had finally blossomed to a point where we had decided to treat FFTCG like other card games and start to support singles.

That was one of the best decisions we ever made. Building a showcase to display this young card game made more and more people aware of its presence. Then, with the Opus IV release on the horizon, we had almost hit a point that FFTCG was outperforming other card games and we had almost done what I had thought would never be possible. SquareEnix decided that they were going to run a special event for the release of Opus IV, similar to its competitors: a sealed event where players were rewarded for playing with special promos and a unique D10.

I was excited that this game had come so far in the year it had been out, but there was a small problem. We did not get the chance to enroll in this special event, despite our support for the game. However, even though we did not host one, the Opus IV prerelease brought an entire new life into the game. Local shops holding the event reported that each had seen a decent turnout for the events and wanted to learn more. Our name got out into the community and our numbers for tournament play had doubled again. The feeling when you look back and see that your five man group had become a 15-20 man event is absolutely moving.

Needless to say, this community and this game have had a rocky start, but for where we are now, I would not change a thing about it!

This story was written by Vince (a.k.a. Kefka) who manages Poket Gaming in Poquoson, VA.