Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

An odd sceniero...Reviving a Las Vegas, Nevada Leage...

Skywolf1

Skywolf1

New Member
Consistent with how things for me this month, have been rather "out of the ordinary", I can now add
yet another such event to this ever growing (and ever frustrating) list.

League turnout for Saturday 25, October 2003, Tim Boal's Comic Oasis: ZERO!

This is a definate first, and while I have been able to persuade the store owner, to keep the league
going, even though he has wanted to cancel it for as long as I remember, I must say, this doesn't
bode very well for any future sessions at this store, which up until 3 weeks ago, had 16 people!

I make calendars, have special tournaments, really encourage participation in the league, however,
to have no one show up, has really got me mytified to say the least.

When Tim had stores on both sides of town, my leagues did very well, ever since he had consolidated
into the one location, league attendence has gone south, and I have no apparent explaination.

So, aside from whhat I already do, should there be OTHER things that I can do to stimulate interest?

Any and all help would be greatly apprecriated.

Take Care,

Skywolf1
 
Well, I remember once getting one person, but never zero. Hold a training session. Try coming in during other events (i.e. Yu-gi-oh) and teach people how to play for promos or packs or something.
 
About 2 years ago,we had no one show up once...I`ve found out that attendance is like a rollercoaster.We`ve gone from 4 or so to 32+ back down and then up again,etc.. over the years and there is a variety of things that make it do that.School,parents,sports,etc...are all factors.Also,some people just get bored after awhile.

But overall,it always goes back up.We`ve had a steady average of 12 or so lately per session.Just have to keep the environment fresh with some changes.Offer the kids some prizes and such for different things.A few things I do that may help:

•Offer a pack to anyone who brings a friend in that signs up for league.This encourages League growth and helps get more cards into the environment.Definately a win-win situation.

•Have a "featured match" once per week(I do 2-4 "individual" matches).What I do with this is first,pick people at random(I hand out draw tickets,the ones that come two per # and I give the person one copy and keep the other but you can also use dice,etc..).Then I have them play 2-on-2 for added variety to the league and give the winner 20 points and a pack and the loser 40 points.This has been a big hit with the kids.I also use deck boxes,card sleeves,etc as prizes and you can always change it to what you feel is good for you.

Maybe these tips will help you if you try them but I will say is just have patience and I`m sure it will get back to more respectable numbers.Just be positive,make the scene refreshing and things should be ok.Have faith my friend.

`Sensei
 
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With the big shopping season coming up, you're almost guaranteed to see an increase in headcount.

Change things up. Variety keeps people interested.

Keep things cheap. People love free or low cost.

Keep it fun. If it's not fun, your attendance level is going to tank on a permanent basis.

An off week is something we've all experienced. Don't let it get you thinking that everything is going south.
 
I try to go with the hook approach, something that keeps the players involved and commited for more than a single session. right now I'm going with the deck challenges (as we had brainstormed over earlier). Even when players cant make it, they often try to get ahold of me to see how things went and what the new challenge is going to be.

So my basic point is this, try to keep a good balance between having things available for "good ol' stop in and play", and "dont miss a session or you'll miss out on something important".
 
Ouch... I remember how hard it can hit when you get that first weekend where no one shows up. Don't let something like this make you feel really down, it can happen at times for reasons some have already said (school, sports, family events, etc.). Well you do things to make the league more intresting than what comes in those boxes, you should also consider getting the word out to the community to get newer members into the game. Once every few months I get a bunch of 'mini' flyers printed and I go around the local town putting them up and distributing.

One of my 15+ players said to me one time that he "always played the game for the last few years, yet never knew Jumpgate [the store where I run my league and where he buys his game stuff] had a Pokemon league". And don't forget there is always next week,

-marril
 
I don't know if this is possible in the USA, but i write one article in the local newspaper (only twice a year).
Telling kids to grab their cards and come and look that you can actually play a real game with it.
(overhere most kids throw them against walls and see if the picture is on the upside and than you win)
Really 99% of the kids overhere don't know you can really play a game with them, parents read this local paper and both times i did at least 10 new members showed up in the weeks after it.

For me this worked too well, i even have a memberstop/waitinglist because i can't handle more than 30 kids alone.
 
Going on that idea, perhaps you could turn yourself into some sort of human interest story.

If that doesn't work, you could always introduce a Pokemon-Themed version of Match Game.
 
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