http://www.decipher.com/fightklub/blog

This is a really interesting departure for Decipher and for the CCG industry as a whole. It looks at first glance like a pyramid selling scheme (it isn't, because there is only one step...) but when you crawl underneath it, it is actually a reworking of the promotional model for CCGs *as it actually happens* rather than how the companies would like you to think it happens.

Organised Play coordinators are notoriously undervalued by CCG companies and yet they are the people who essentially sell the games and keep the communities together. Games shops are increasingly cautious about taking on CCGs in fears of another flop and dead stock. This method cuts out the shops (unless they want to join the mentor scheme) and places a direct incentive into the hands of the OPCs.

Add in the ubiqitous viral nature of the spread, the encouragement to use social networking and 'Web 2.0' technologies for promotion, the exclusive gangs, the very elitist nature (which works for some CCGs very well) and its all pretty much a work of genius from my end.

Of course, if the gameplay is dreadful it will fall flat on it's arse. However, if it does not it is a reworking of a tried and tested model into a reflection of the reality of gaming rather than the theory. (c.f. the success of D&D3.0 being promoted as 'D&D with all of your favourite house rules made official and the attempts with D&D4.0 to wrestle with the problem of an aging, geographically diverse core playgroup with increasing amounts of disposable income...)

It begs the question - what assumptions and sacred cows are we carrying with us as we do our game design and could we rework models into reality that could tackle them if they are not working for us?

Neil