This past weekend I attended two Regional events for the Netrunner LCG. The first was at my home base of Grasshopper’s Comics while the second was up at Pandemonium Games in Cambridge, MA.

While at the Cambridge event, I was fortunate enough to finish the Swiss rounds in first and play in the Top 8. During the Top 8 round, I was paired against an extremely nice player (whose name is eluding me at the moment) and during our game we had a discussion about the Netrunner rules.

We both agreed that Netrunner is an absolutely fantastic game and that Fantasy Flight Games, on the whole, is a great company. We also agreed, however, that Netrunner was in desperate need of a “rules lawyery” rule book (his words, not mine).

At the time of this writing, all of the rules for Netrunner can be found in the rulebook that comes with the core set and a seven page FAQ document that can be downloaded from the FFG website. While these two documents certainly answer most questions players have, that’s all they really do: answer the questions players have been asking.

What Netrunner, or any game for that matter (including Spoils) really needs, though, is a “rules lawyery” rule book like the one my opponent was talking about.

Although it is great that players can hop on the forums and quickly find out what happens when an Affectionate Dollkeeper assigns and inflicts damage to an attacking Gideon, the answer doesn’t necessarily teach the players the rules.

The players who asked the question will be satisfied that they got their answer of “Gideon does not die” but they will not have learned that it is because of rules 408.1 and 408.1a, “If something tries to inflict 0 damage, then no damage is actually inflicted. This means nothing that would trigger as a result of damage being inflicted happens.”

Netrunner, currently, has very few rules akin to the ones I quoted above. Instead, FFG relies on a FAQ system that answers extremely specific questions but does not always explain the interactions of the cards via any sort of comprehensive rules.

This is why I am extremely glad that The Spoils decided to “lawyer up” a long time ago. The current iteration of the Comprehensive Rules Reference answers just about any question the average Spoils player would have in a manner that teaches them the rules instead of just specific situations.

The Comprehensive Rules Reference is not perfect, though, and could definitely benefit from a bit of “rules lawyer polishing.” There are still some rules interactions that need to be explained fully in the CRR, as well as some general cleaning-up that could make the entire document flow better.

I’ve heard rumors of an updated CRR being in the works, and if that is the case, I am excited to see the new version. If it is just a rumor, though, I definitely suggest that AT take another look at the CRR and put it under the magnifying glass as a more detailed rulebook will always benefit the game and its players.

Although I know everyone is eagerly awaiting the release of Shade of the Devoured Emperor, my fill-in Blarg for Ken this month is full of exciting internet news!

For those of you who don’t know, The Spoils is available online, free to play, through OCTGN. OCTGN is a free-to-download software that allows players to play their favorite card games via the internet. This gives players the opportunity to playtest with players from all over the world on their free time without having to travel to the LGS.

The Spoils OCTGN files also recently underwent a massive overhaul to accommodate for the new OCTGN update, so you have no reason to worry about the game being compatible with the software. I personally don’t know what went into this update, but I do know that it was exhaustive.

Speaking with Ken recently, he expressed a lot of interest in growing online Spoils activity. Apparently one OCTGN member, TriAdX, shares his sentiments and has been talking to Ken about starting an online Spoils League.

The only issue with starting a League is that it needs a dedicated player base to take off, so if you haven’t given OCTGN a try yet, definitely do! It is extremely easy to set up and use, so don’t worry if you are computer illiterate.

In regards to offline Spoils, work on the Unlikely Heroes block is going so well (other than printing issues) that Ken told me he is already starting planning for the next block. We don’t even know the name of the set after Holy Heist yet and we are getting news regarding another block!

Personally, I find that very exciting.

That’s all for now! Get out there and Build Something!

So it is my turn to Blarg again. I will admit to the feeling of treading waters while we all wait for Shade of the Devoured Emperor to finally be produced. I have been thinking hard about what to tell you guys, but there is only so much news to give out until we finally get the new printing company to get the final set of samples ready.

So far we have had two rounds of samplings, but there are still some things that need tweaking and, for some reason, the third round of samples is dragging. We have, of course, reached out to them and even offered to make a prepayment to show our good will, but, though they certainly appreciated the gesture, they assured us that this wasn’t necessary.

I guess that is a good thing! At least it makes me feel confident that they are good guys and they just want to make sure things are done absolutely right for the samples. Hopefully we will soon be surprising you all with some good news!

Though we may not be printing currently, it doesn’t mean that nothing goes on behind the scenes. Every week I have individual talks with Ken Pilcher (Head of R&D), John Westcott (our U.S. Sales Manager), and Ian Spiegel-Blum (OP and Community Manager) about what goes on in their part of the operation. Of course we all know that our tasks will be much simpler once we finally release a new set, but until that day (soon) comes, we keep on fighting to spread the word of The Spoils.

Besides speaking with these three great guys, I also have contact with many of our Spoils artists. Sometimes this is done via the forums where we handle all of our art assignments; and other times it is the less exciting task of handling invoices. Mind you, I pay happily for the great art they produce, it is the bookkeeping I am less fond of.

The art for the next set, Holy Heist, is well on its way with more than thirty artworks already done and another big chunk being worked on currently. So though things are quiet on the outside, things are still busily churning behind the scenes. Hopefully we will be ready to show you all what it is we have been secretly plotting soon!

Some of you who were around back in the TG days may remember there was a short lived website for Team Hopper. It was primarily a site just to showcase myself and my fellow teammates, as well as provide some deck lists and strategy articles here and there. It wasn’t anything special, but it was something.

When TG went under the site followed suit. Recently, however, Team Hopper has been on an upswing due to a host of new games we play competitively. Rather than just focusing on Spoils, we also now dabble in Netrunner LCG and Star Wars LCG, both games increasing our team size considerably by bringing back some players who grew tired of the CCG model.

Since the Team Hopper resurgence, I’ve been considering (and working on) relaunching the Team Hopper site. I don’t want it to simply be a profile site, though, and would instead like it to be a gaming epicenter, similar to what Team Covenant currently has.

With this in mind, what kind of multimedia stuff interests you all in regards to gaming?

I’m not asking simply because I plan using this data for my site, I’m legitimately curious. The idea of gaming crossing into the realm of podcasts, streaming, video reports, webisodes, etc., may not be the newest idea on the block, but it still feels very fresh to me.

This is likely because I come from an era where the only online interaction I had with other players was on a website called DeckTech, which was a site geared towards players posting decks for Decipher Star Wars and receiving feedback from other players. It was a revolutionary idea at the time, one that has effectively become the norm thanks to the popularity of the Internet.

Some of you, however, are probably much further along the curve than I am. If that is the case, what kind of gaming multimedia do you take part in?

So far I have only really dabbled into podcasts, adding a handful onto my playlists whenever I can. I find podcasts to be amazing as they allow you access to the thought processes of not only top players, but players from all over the world. It is a new way to experience other metagames without having to travel.

Plus, podcasts allow you to hear players discuss their strategies and decks, that way you don’t have to try to infer them from just reading lists or tournament reports. This is an invaluable asset as it allows players to really dig deep and explain themselves, their decks, and particular strategies without having to write long, drawn out articles.

Another interesting piece of multimedia is video. The past few years have seen streaming and taped matches become extremely popular, allowing players to actually witness the action as it happens or watch a game in its entirety later. This certainly beats reading a tournament report as you won’t miss a bit of the action or have to remember a complicated board state.

Plus, some recorded matches even feature the individual players’ hands, so you can see the specific decisions they made and why. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

What forms of gaming multimedia do you all enjoy? Are there ones I didn’t mention here that you think are especially awesome? Or is there something you have come up with that hasn’t been implemented yet? Share it with the world!

Greetings Spoils enthusiasts!

Today I’d like to start by giving you a quick update on Organized Play. I’m currently continuing work on designing a long-term OP calendar, which will be released to the public little by little. The goal here is to better marry our production schedule with events moving forward, and to allow retailers and players alike enough time to plan for an event, advertise, and organize accordingly.

I’d like to announce the next three month’s Revolution events now, so that players and tournament organizers can start preparing. Please feel free to email me at iansb(at)thespoils(dot)com any time with feedback on how the Revolution program, or any of our other events, can be improved. I am always happy to receive your comments and suggestions. I am truly excited about the new formats we are introducing for the next few months, and hope that you will give them a shot!

May: Fragile Resources
Description:
Think of resources as warehouses, or tubes, or vaults that can be targeted and destroyed.
All resources count as locations with a structure value of three.

June: Mind Reader
Description:
If you’re any good at this, you play the Spoils way too much. Nerd.
Whenever you draw a card you must read the flavor text beneath the card name. (This only applies after you have drawn your starting hand.)
If your opponent can name the card, which you just drew, you lose one point of Influence.

July: Two-Headed Lobster
Description:
More fun than getting socks for Christmas.
Two players with two decks on each team.
Every player who did not go first counts as “going second” in regards to starting hand.
Turns alternate between opposing members of each team. (Player 1 and Player 2 are on the A team, Player 3 and Player 4 are on the B team. Turn order would go: Player 1, then Player 3, then Player 2, then Player 4.)
Players on the same team can confer openly.
Each faction must be attacked separately (meaning no shared influence totals).
Players can use characters to form blocking parties to defend their teammate, or have their characters join their teammates’ blocking party.
The first team to defeat both opposing players wins.

More
I am also working with Ken on finalizing our Gen Con preparations and, while I can’t say too much yet, I’m excited about some of the changes we’re bringing to the Con this year. Keep an eye out for a call for volunteers in the coming weeks.

We at Arcane Tinmen (AT) are just as excited about the release of Shade as the players are, and I am working with Michael to insure our release celebrations are as stellar as possible. The purpose of this Blarg post, however, isn’t to highlight any of the Organized Play opportunities.

In addition to my role as Director of OP, I am also the Community Manager. I am responsible for selecting Ambassadors and helping them spur The Spoils on a grass roots level in their area. For those that don’t know, the Ambassador Program is designed to empower those passionate about growing The Spoils to run their own demo tournaments to introduce the game to new players at their local stores.

Potential Ambassadors email me at iansb(at)thespoils(dot)com for an application. After I review the application, they are either accepted or asked to reapply at a later date. Once the applicant has become an Ambassador, they are responsible for contacting local game stores and organizing the first event to introduce The Spoils.

Sometimes Ambassadors are already members of an established gaming community. Other times, they may be entering a foreign group, or starting to build one from scratch. Either way, here are a few key tips to remember when demoing to new people.

People Join People
The Spoils is a fantastic card game. It has humor, strategy, incredible art, interesting characters, fluid gameplay, and intuitive design. Open R&D allows for ownership of the cards themselves, and AT offers Afternoon Saturday Spoils tournaments free of charge, Seasonal Championships, convention support, and other events. Despite all of these reasons to play, the number one reason people participate in anything is because their friends are doing it, too. Keep this in mind when demoing or introducing The Spoils to a new group for the first time. Convincing one person to pick it up is great! Convincing a group of friends is better. Players that have a group of friends to play with during the week when they’re not at the game shop are more likely to continue playing than the person who plays occasionally on the weekend, but doesn’t think about it any other time.

Interested is Interesting
When demoing The Spoils, remember to always maintain interest, not only in the person you’re demoing to, but the game itself. Try to stay high energy and smiling. While this may seem like common sense, part of your job as an Ambassador is to make your demo event the most fun it can be, so that the regulars that trickle into the store but aren’t participating wonder what they’re missing out on. Don’t fall into thinking people aren’t interested in the game. If you’re interested, they will be, too. Also, new players that refuse a demo don’t actually know what they’re saying no to, because they haven’t played yet!

Ultimately, The Spoils on its own can peek a player’s interest. It is the role of the Ambassador to help create the communal experience through connections with other players that will keep players playing.

Till next time!

Ian

Making the decision to become a judge in a game you love is usually a thankless decision. Very few players will be grateful of their judges because they see judges as a necessity for their playing experience. More often than not, though, judges are former players who are foregoing their desire to play in order to provide that opportunity to everyone else.

When I started judging The Spoils back in the days of Tenacious Games, TG realized that judges were giving up their chance to play in events and earn points/prizes. To compensate, TG usually awarded points to judges (although at a much slower rate to players, of course) as well as product or even special promos. Judges were rewarded for being judges.

Since Arcane Tinmen took over The Spoils, judge incentives have effectively disappeared. Sure, judges who volunteer at big events are always treated wonderfully and compensated in some way, but other than that, nobody really has any incentive to become a dedicated Spoils judge.

The primary reason for this is that The Spoils community simply isn’t big enough, yet, to require dedicated judges in each major gaming area. The Three Judge System works fine for where the game is at right now, but it may not be that way in the future.

With this in mind, here are some incentives I’d like to see if dedicated judges are needed to keep The Spoils OP program alive.

Judge Promos – TG did these back in the day and, as a judge who received them, I absolutely loved them. They were highly collectible, featured amazing artwork, and really helped judges stick out among the player-base. Many of my fellow Team Hopper members would frequently try to trade me handfuls of rares just to get their hands on ONE of my judge resources (which are now the colored Seed 3 resources), that’s how valuable they were.

Product – The easiest, but probably most boring reward AT can offer, is product. Product will likely appeal to judges who don’t really care for unique items and would rather just grow their collection, but it definitely shouldn’t be the main reward as product usually isn’t a great motivator to judge.

Uniform – One of my favorite articles of clothing (which is unfortunately too big on me now) is my Spoils judge shirt that is made of that silky under-armor style material. I wore it to every major Spoils event that I judged and would wear it frequently if it were still my size. Maybe I have an unnatural attachment to this particular clothing item, but I think it would be cool if Arcane Tinmen produced shirts in the same vein as that one.

Playmats – The Spoils has been putting out a lot of really cool playmats lately, specifically the ones featured at MegaCon last month. I don’t know if this is within the realm of possiblity, but I think it would be awesome if judges of major events received the same playmats as the top finishers but with a “Judge of” stamp on top of the logo for the event. Similar to the promos, this is just another unique item that judges can recieve that players can’t.

Fellow judges or judge wanna-bes, speak up! What would incentivise you all to judge more frequently without the Three Judge System? Make your voices heard!

Due to being super busy putting final touches on Shade, as well as managing the design of Holy Heist and planning for Gen-Con, I’ve decided to keep this week’s Blarg relatively simple.

Instead of telling you all about how we are building the game this month, I am going to preview a Shade card in hopes of getting you guys to build something of your own.

Check out the latest Shade of the Devoured Emperor preview card….Stuttershy!

This card provides a little extra “oomph” to Micromajig based decks while also providing the potential to see the return of the Horsemajigs of the Apocalypse.

What do you plan on doing with this card? Show me by building something!

Boy, the waiting is killing me! We keep going back and forth with the printer about the upcoming Shade release. There continues to be little details that needs fixing because we want this to be just perfect. At least we are getting closer every time, but I surely would have liked to see things move faster so we can get the fresh new product into the hands of all you players. I am sure you all are eagerly awaiting the new cards as much as I am.

The artists are churning away at the next set after Shade, which is Holy Heist, and the art look pretty amazing. This certainly makes me smile, especially since we have signed on some new bright guys that I am sure you will all like!

I am filling in for Ian this month as he is extremely busy plotting the future of The Spoils Organized Play Program. While I don’t have any details as it what that entails, I can say that Ian will likely be talking about some of those OP plans in his Blarg for April.

In this week’s Blarg, I want to talk to you all about some of the things I hope to see in the future of OP. Before I begin, I must remind you all that I have nothing to do with OP plans, card design, set design, actual production, the rules, anything like that. I am simply a writer and a player, and I know as much about the inner workings of this game as you do.

With that said, I am really looking forward to the future of OP. I think the road will be rocky to start due to the small pool of players Ian has to work with, but once that hurdle is overcome, I see the future of Spoils OP being bright and prosperous.

The reason the small playerbase is an obstacle is because it prevents AT from planning big events with large prizes. We can’t have events like a Grand Prix (Magic) or a Darkmoon Faire (World of Warcraft) because there simply aren’t enough players to support events like that. As much as I love travelling to events like these, they just aren’t feasible right now.

Despite this, however, I still like the idea of the OP program offering events that try to bring players from different areas together. I enjoyed the State Championship events from 2010 (that also built into the National event at Gen Con that year) and think it is an interesting area to look at. It breaks the country down into smaller areas that players may be willing to travel between, without alienating players like bigger events do in other games (WoW Regionals, I’m looking at you).

The big key to OP success, though, will be streamlined events. I don’t really know how to go about this as I am not an OP guy, but I always enjoy it when there is a “seasonal” feel to events. For instance, in 2010, I loved the period that started with practicing for State Champs and wrapped up with Nationals. I think this was roughly a four month period, but it really gave a sense that players were building to something.

For example: ASS events were good practice for the State Champs. Every ASS event felt like a part of the State Champs experience, which builds a sense of importance and community. Then, once States was over, the push towards Nationals began with the same feeling. States also had the added benefit of having a National feel due to the prizes on the line, specifically the free entry and bye into Nationals.

Speaking of prizes, this is a hot topic. While many players (including myself) would love huge prizes that include cash and super awesome pieces of tech, the game just isn’t big enough right now to support that. Instead, Spoils should focus on providing great tournament experiences and unique prizes, such as the playmats featured at MegaCon two weeks back. I absolutely want those playmats and, if I were anywhere near Florida, I would have traveled to the event just to try to win one.

My major hope for OP, though, is to see the Player Portal up and running effectively. I don’t know if this is a high priority or who is working on it behind the scenes, but I have always been a fan of rating systems. Climbing the ladder was a major reason I took Star Wars (Decipher) and Raw Deal so seriously as every week I’d be fighting to increase my rating. I’m sure there are other players out there who feel the same, so getting the Player Portal working smoothly could provide a little jolt to OP.

As it stands, I am currently unrated in The Spoils, but not because I have not played in any events, obviously. If anyone has any tips regarding how I can go about getting myself rated, that would be greatly appreciated. I have my old STE number, if that helps.

Enough about what I want, though. What do you guys want to see from Organized Play? Let your voices be heard in the comments below or on the forums so Ian knows what you, the players, want!

With MegaCon taking place this past weekend, my desire to travel all over for tournaments is starting to grow. In my head, MegaCon kicks off an amazing convention season that starts with MegaCon, passes through Origins, and finishes strong with the almighty Gen Con. Then, if you’re still hungry for more, there is DragonCon shortly after Gen Con wraps up.

So many conventions, so little time!

Personally, I absolutely love gaming conventions and wish I had the funds and free time to travel to all of them. As it stands, it is likely I will only go to Gen Con and the Fantasy Flight Games World Championships this year, but it is definitely possible that I will attend Origins if Spoils plans on having a strong presence.

But what is the draw of conventions? For me, it is a big mix of reasons. First, I enjoy traveling, particularly road trips. Something about long drives with friends discussing gaming, strategy, and life in general is just an absolute blast for me.

As far as gaming goes, though, there really is no better way to test your skills than to travel to big events. They don’t even have to be big events in the sense that they feature a major championship, but big events in the sense that there will be players from all over the country/world attending to play. The prizes don’t even have to be big, it is all about the diverse player pool.

For starters, you get to meet a ton of new people. These new people will have new decks, new strategies, and new gaming outlooks that you can learn from and mesh with your own. To become a better player, I definitely suggest traveling as it broadens your horizons and expands your outlook on whatever game you may be playing.

Second, you get to play against players you have never faced before. This provides a new challenge as each game is fresh and exciting, a stark contrast from playing against the regular players at your Local Gaming Store. This should help you elevate your game to a new level, or at the very least, provide a new experience for you to reflect on and learn from.

Third, the convention schedule is a lot of fun. I know some people disagree, but I absolutely love bouncing from event to event with barely any time to ingest food. Although it could be compared to a long day of gaming at your LGS, constant gaming at a convention or big event has a much different feel, particularly because everything is brand new.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to attend a convention this year, I urge you to fall off the fence and land on the side of convention crawling. I can’t say that big conventions are for everyone as that is not true, but it is definitely fun for a large percentage of gamers. It is one of those experiences you won’t really understand until you try it, so definitely take the dive.

Plus, if you come out to a convention this year for Spoils, you will meet some of the friendliest and most fun card gamers on the planet. Every Spoils player I have met these past few years at Gen Con and Origins has been amazing, and I look forward to running into some of them again at Gen Con this year.

If you do plan on traveling to some events this year then I hope to see you there. Be sure to come up and introduce yourself. I won’t be hard to spot as I’ll be the guy in a Team Hopper shirt with awesome facial hair.

If you aren’t going, though, then I urge you to reconsider. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to write some engaging and interesting tournament reports to make you feel like you were there.