Author Topic: Customer Loyalty? WotC vs Pokemon Pokidad Member # 135 posted April 24, 2003 06:36 PM             Noticing the Boards to be very quite over the past several weeks, I thought it is time to have some fun. Also, I haven’t heard from many of the competitive players, either on the boards or through emails. Here is out topic for discussion. Customer’s Loyalty makes a great “Marketing” MBA project/paper. The current change in hands for producing a product is a very interesting one. There are numerous questions that had to be researched through sampling, analysis of internal data, cost information, marketing surveys, etc. Some of the questions might be: Will the gamers who love to play at Premium events (e.g., Stadium, STSs, Worlds) stay with the product (us competitive players who make up a small percentage of the overall market customer base) or stay with the company [WotC] who promoted the product if we [TPC] switch promotors? Will other consumers of this product stop buying the product since a different company will be manufacturing and distributiing the product World wide? Will “Our [TPC]” customer base leave us if another Company produces our product and distribute? How much customer base will be lost in switching to another promoter for our product? All of these factors, and more, were considered in TPC/Nintendo decision to promote thier own game [Pokemon] instead of “out-sourcing” to a leader in the field for producing TCG products such as WotC. I know where our loyalty stands, especially the boys. I also know what they love about the game itself, the people who they meet, the wonderful WotC staff, especially the MTs and other WotC employees, and how they were treated during the wonderful adventure of ours. So, what do you think about your Customer Loyalty? To a product [Pokemon] or to a company [WotC]? From: Falls Church, VA USA | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged farbsman Member # 53992 posted April 24, 2003 06:45 PM             I plan to go with the Pokemon Trading Card game as a player and collector when it is taken over by Nintendo. However I also plan to stay with Wizards of the Coast as a tournament organizer for other card games they own. By the way, plan to hold tournaments and leagues for Pokemon with Nintendo if they let me. -------------------- Webmaster at http://www.cardleagues.com Pokemon League Gym Leader. Judge at Columbus Gym Challenge 2002 Judge at Worlds 2002 Judge Super BattleZone 2003 Detroit Tournament Organizer/Judge Super BattleZone Sturgis, Michigan 2003 SBZ Sturgis Pics/Results AIM:farbsman From: Northern Indiana | Registered: Dec 2001  |  IP: Logged WizPog_PokeMom Member # 113273 posted April 24, 2003 06:48 PM             Interesting subject, Dave...but those of you who are going to answer, please do it in a way that this doesn't end up being a poll, please. Explain your choice, rather than just put "product" or "company", okay? 'Mom -------------------- Master Professor/Tournament Organizer/Pokémon League Gym Leader, Adventure Games and Comics, Poway, CA Nothing endures in this world. Everything changes according to karma. But, like the ocean, underneath the restless existance of the countless waves there is one boundless stillness that embraces and gives life to all the moving waves. Namuamidabutsu... From: San Diego, CA --location of WCSTS-2001 and West Stadium Challenge 2002 | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged The true lord of the pits Member Member # 116764 posted April 24, 2003 07:01 PM             Well, to be perfectly honest, WotC will soon become a thing of the past in my mind. While I still play Magic: The Gathering every now and then, there will be pretty much nothing else for me Wizards-wise (That is, unless certain freak "accidents" give Yu-Gi-Oh to WotC ). So after explaining things, I'll probably be more loyal to the game than our good, yet fading friends at Wizards. -------------------- "The Cabal is here, and everywhere." The, one, only... www.imakuni.com The crazy, teen-oriented: www.pojo.com Website Reborn! www.bulbagarden.com Also, be sure to check out our super-cool trade forum! http://bmgf.bulbagarden.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=67 From: TEXAS... Giddy up! | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged Dark and Vile Member # 74653 posted April 24, 2003 07:07 PM             Typically customer loyalty plays out when the products made by two companies are equivalent - different brands of toilet paper, for example. I'm not sure if TCGs have enough similarities to adequately fall into a customer loyalty evaluation like that. Are Pokemon and Magic (or Yu-Gi-Oh) similar enough to be interchangeable? I don't think so. As a result, I think customer loyalty on this kind of thing is going to start off being less than it would for other products. Consider this though. What if Pokemon just went away entirely? Some players would want to pick up another TCG. Would they (a) find a game they liked without regard to who made it or (b) would they look to Wizards first to find a game to replace Pokemon? I believe the answer would be (a). I doubt there is much customer loyalty in this kind of thing. As for me, I'm in it for the game. Whether Wizards or Nintendo or whoever makes Pokemon, that's where I'll be. But I'll say one more thing in closing. It seems to me that Wizards is making some attempts to keep Pokemon players in the Wizards fold. I have yet (post licensing news) to see a Pokemon Chat that did not mention Risk 2105 or Neopets. I interpret this to be an attempt to market those games to Pokemon players through the chat. From: Melbourne, FL | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged Orange Soda Member Member # 19838 posted April 24, 2003 07:19 PM             Wizards has been great and all, but Pokemon is the only TCG that I really care about, and it's probably just as well, because I can only afford to maintain a modest collection of one game. I've played Magic against my brother using his cards, but the game didn't hold a lot of appeal for me. Don't know why. It just didn't "click" with me the way Pokemon did. So I'll be sticking with Pokemon. -------------------- I'm crushed. The fans are crushed. Orange Soda is Crushed Orange Soda!~Gengar Orange Soda Online From: University of Missouri-Rolla | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged Big_Pappa_Poke Member # 3495 posted April 24, 2003 07:58 PM             Hmm... I've emailed Pokemon-USA about OP and WotC about OP for Showdown Sports, Star Wars and Magic Arena League. Neither have responded to my questions. I'm giving it until Origins. I'd love to do both Pokemon and a WotC league at our store on Sundays, but I guess neither really cares enough about our small area to give me any information. Or maybe it's because I am not a store owner, just the ONLY person who runs OP at Castle Comics. I'm waiting ... -------------------- ** The preceding message was brought to you by the nEw WeEzInG oDoR ** Winner - Skyridge SBZ Dayton 15+ Winner (with Nathan "Silent Bob" Spenny) - Origins Team Limited Evolution - Second in the World in Team Limited Third - WotC's final Pokemon event (Sunday Modified at GenCon) Adventure, excitement... a Jedi craves not these things. Would you like a chocolate covered Pretzel? From: Portsmouth, OH, USA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged NoPoke Member # 42315 posted April 24, 2003 11:55 PM             I'm loyal to pokémon because of the great benefits it has had on my son's growth as a person. I see the game as a valuable asset. I'll not let go of it easily. I do not feel any loyalty to WotC as a company or to Hasbro its new owners. There is so much corporate scandal around that I'm not sure that corporate loyalty is significant anylonger. Brand Loyalty...again massive multi-nationals have made brand loyalty difficult. The DCI..this is a tremendous organisation and most definately has my loyalty and respect. I'v even started learning M:TG so that I can retain my links with the people who make up the DCI. People and community: this is probably the core of my loyalty. A sense of community and belonging is, I believe, fundamental to the human psyche. The MTs and many others who have worked hard to nurture that community spirit have my deepest respect. Does that help? Maybe the marketing opportunity is in creating communities and a sense of belonging. -------------------- ======================================== 'Good News' or 'Bad News' but NOT NO NEWS some people brag about their tournament results, me I'm gonna brag??? about what players have managed to get past me LOL -------Hoodwinked---(things I won't get wrong again...)------ 'legal stalling' : game loss at least 'only joking' on misreported match results: DQ Yep its that serious! The prize swap penalty as it applies to shuffling. From: Crawley England | Registered: Sep 2001  |  IP: Logged procrastination_alley Member # 106884 posted April 25, 2003 09:57 AM             Personally I've told my son that I plan on keeping up with wizards while they're still around and the sets are available and needed, and after that then switching to Nintendo product. But in the same breath I encouraged him to use his allowance to buy the other product if he desires, which he said he would. So I guess all in all, I'm in it for the game not the company. I have no plans to change to any other game. From: Utopia, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Sep 2002  |  IP: Logged Pokidad Member # 135 posted April 25, 2003 10:07 AM             Hi Dave (Dark and Vile), I think to some extent the TCG are similar enough to be interchangable. Although there are differences (just like in cars) they are similarities as well. The trick most companies like to do is crave out that niche in the market to make their product different than the other guys so that Customer Loyalty (or switching cost) is to expensive for the customer. Being in this game from the beginning has a different impact on us compared to new players as well as age of the players. Seeing the recent changes in the last couple of years for age groups, other minor changes, leads less for older players who love the game as well as competition and recognition. All of these issues, plus more, comes into play for Customer Loyalty, both to the game (product) and the Companies (WotC and TPC) themselves. Personally, depending on which age group your in, depends on your loyalty as well. My kids are getting older, one has his competitive game play limited, like myself. The other two can continue to play until they reach 15. Sure, we both like the game but our original interest in playing this game was a game we all could compete together, a "Family" game. This aspect of the game has gone, IMHO. Really GONE!!! So, has the Companies lost our Loyalty to this product? Yep, to some degree. Do we like the game, absolutely. Even though two of us don't have what we feel is our need for competitive play similar to the earlier STS events, we like this particular TCG compared to others. However, Magic, which I have not devoted enough of my time too, is just as challenging and sometimes rewarding as Pokemon was. Also, it does fullfil one of our intitial requirements, a game that we all can compete in. The problem is switching costs, lost of community (which I feel is better than Magic on the National level - at the local level, we have meet a lot of great players), and other factors (competitive environment is not the same - nasty players with fouler mouths, etc.). I can deal with it but I rather play against better sportsmanship and calibar of player. So, if you can read through the lines, we are at a turning point in our lifes. Not sure what the next several months. I would like to hear from CJMich, BBJ, Johnny Blaze, Denise (NC player), Frank Moore, Jean-Marc, Michel, and several other parents with kids to see how they feel about their Customer loyalty, not just to the product, but to a company and especially the key employees who truly develop this game over the past several years. From: Falls Church, VA USA | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged Squirtle007 Member Member # 74451 posted April 25, 2003 10:36 AM             I would have to say both. First of all, I am not willing to give up a good card game because of its ownership. That is just silly. A good game will still be good. Second of all, i think Wizards does a better job translating cards than anyone else. Lets take upperdeck for example. If you read the card text on most Yu-gi-oh! cards, it is confusing. This is because it is a direct translation. Let's take the trainer Poke Ball. It reads: Flip a coin. If heads, you may search your deck for any basic or evolution card. Show it to your opponent and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward, Simple isnt it? Well if it was a Yu-gi-oh! card translation, it would be: Flip a coin. If you called correctly, move one basic or evolution card from your deck to your hand. Reveal this card to all players. The deck is then shuffled. See how the wizards text is more understandable? Second, Wizards is home to MANY Quality TCGs. Magic the Gathering Harry Potter Star Wars Showdown and of course...POKEMON! Third, Wizards OP/Customer Service beats all other TCG producing companies i've ever seen. I will continue with the game, but i will miss WOTC. From: VA | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged Skywolf1 Member # 1448 posted April 25, 2003 11:36 AM             In the area of "Customer Loyalty" Wizards of the Coast scores TOP marks. WotC has supported this game, and this community, WELL ABOVE and BEYOND what is required, and continued to do so even after the Pokemon Brand made its transition from Fad to LASTING Brand. WotC's Parent Company, as we all know has been looking to "dump" the brand for sometime now, and replace it with something else, that they THINK will be as much, if not more popular than Pokemon. It should be interesting to note that this "replacement" "fad", also re-entered the Lycos 50 (http://50.lycos.com) at #39 this past week. Will it replace it? Doubtful. The truth is, Nintendo has HOPEFULLY learned from the BEST here. So, if the day were to finally come, (which it did) that WotC would no longer continue to produce the TCG, I feel it is safe to say that the the NEW company (Nintendo) is learning from the best in this industry. Over the 5 year span that this game has enjoyed with WotC, look at everything we have gotten, at NO-COST to us as players: 1. Weekly Chats dedicated ONLY to this game. (Monthly chats for our European and UK friends). 2. Large scale events, SBZ's, GC's and SC's and STS's in the past, which to my knowledge never charged anything to the attendees. 3. An interactive message forum, where WotC employees post their thoughts and suggestions. 4. The Pokemon Professor Program. I am sure there are other things that I am not mentioning, however, WotC has been very loyal to its customers. I would be curious to see if UD is the same way with its YGO player base when that brand starts to cool down. Only time will tell. In closing, Nintendo has a very good mentor here for the game, and HOPEFULLY with the help from the community, we can envoke positive changes to this game, that will make it a more enjoyable activity for ALL ages for many years to come. Take Care, Skywolf1 [ April 25, 2003, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: Skywolf1 ] -------------------- Marsh Schneidau (aka Skywolf1) Founder, Card Trainers International Nevada's FIRST Master Professor Skywolf1: JOLTEON--You practice as you perform. At first you bide your time and become very resourceful, but when the time is right and the odds are in your favor you strike full force at whatever the task might be. Visit "Team UK's" NEW website at: www.members.aol.com/hairyclefairy From: Las Vegas, Nevada USA | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged Dark and Vile Member # 74653 posted April 25, 2003 02:34 PM             Dave (Pokidad), I know exactly what you're saying about being in the game from the beginning. My daughter and I bought Pokemon Red when it was released in Sept. 98 and even has 3 of the 4 Pokemon stuff critters that KFC gave out in November 1998 (how many people remember those?). My family dynamic is different that yours. My daughter was 6 when we started playing this game. She's almost 11 now. So the 15+ issue hasn't been an issue in our family. Considering how much of a family thing Pokemon has been for us, I can certainly see how that (15+) would change the game for you. If we were going to change games, I would look at getting into a game (a) that has organized play, (b) has been stable, and (c) is growing. In my opinion, Magic is the only game that meets those criteria. There is a chance that we might move into Magic at some point in the future. I've been fiddling around with it a bit and am pretty impressed by the mechanics. But a TCG is almost like a language. You understand the nuances of it, you know the combinations, and you know how to evaluate new ideas. It takes a while to learn those things and I'm not really interested in changing while Pokemon still has so much to offer my daughter and I. On a side note, are you and your family going to Gencon? dc From: Melbourne, FL | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged pokepsy Member Member # 129949 posted April 25, 2003 03:23 PM            I'm in it for the game if they stop making it i will not go out and find another game this is the game i've been playing for the past 4 years and i'm not quiting on it no matter who has it. -------------------- You're not bad, i'm just that good... wait... no i'm not, doe, any way, it's all in good fun. 18 and still play pokemon with my little brother. we are in it for the long run. From: Tijuana/San Diego, CA | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged Gym Leader Blaine Member # 5977 posted April 25, 2003 05:44 PM             I will stay with the game and continue to play it. I will not spend the same money as I did before on it, but other things factor in that also. As for WOTC, I will continue to TO for them, I have been doing it for the past two years. I have alread got two stores wanting me to start up Star Wars tournaments since Im a big SW fan. Also two other stores that want me to help with their magie tournaments. SO even though Pokemon OP will not be done by WOTC, I still fell I have a lot to give back to the company through tournaments for the years of enjoyment they have given me with this game. -------------------- "One day I will be the most powerful Jedi ever!" - Anakin Skywalker darkmt_mike presents the speaker with question 83 from gym_leader_blaine:DMTM who would win in the battle in Gengar VS Jango Fett? darkmt_mike says, "Hmm. think Gengar uses the Force so I would bet on him." Salt Lake City Professors Web Site From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged Marcello-Milord Member # 74276 posted April 26, 2003 02:07 AM             Some words from a foreign... I personally loved the work of WoTC on Pokémon. As written above, they have been done a boost to this game even when it was near to dead. In the past, probably they looked mostly to the commercial side of the thing, making expansions and expansions, sometimes with errors on text and layouts... In the last year, you have noticed that the game is reborn... A brand new "League-ish" program, the Professor Program started and working all around the world, the new expansions with boxtoppers, reverse foils, etc. The lack of money due to some restrictions by Hasbro (I know that, WoTC Italy now is transferred into Hasbro's offices 'cause they made less money than the previous year, and now - from the old staff - there are only 2 person from 30) has surely done problems for the organization of GC, SC, and then the license loss... I'm happy that WoTC will fully support the game until the license will end. I'm happy for the LCII, Jamboree, and obiouvsly Skyridge, the new promos for BZ, and so on. I'm happy that we have a great staff, MTM, DMTM, MTP, DMTS, they give us all their efforts... I'm sad because there'll be no more WoTC into Pokémon. But I hope that Nintendo will be taking the WoTC's work and boost it into a new wave of life for this funny game... The start is ok, we'll see in the future what'll happens... -------------------- **Marcello-Milord!** * A proud Pokémon Professor * Member of Team Europe * Judge in many Wizards' Premier Events * Gym Leader of PKMN League in Sassari (Italy) * Nidoking #1 Trainer * Proud Team Rocket member! * AKA Milord/Tuxedo Mask "Arrendetevi subito, oppure preparatevi a combattere!" "Miao, proprio così!" (Italian TR end of motto) ::ICQ: 106121537 :: ::AIM: MarcelloMilord :: From: Milano - Italy | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged PhoenixSong Member Member # 120501 posted April 26, 2003 05:53 AM            I will go with Nintendo, but I will also continue to support Wizards as long as the produce the Harry Potter game! Without that though, they wouldn't have anything interesting to me .... except - aren't they getting the simpsons game? Yeah, so .... both. From: FL | Registered: Jan 2003  |  IP: Logged ShadowCard Member # 2104 posted April 26, 2003 08:44 AM            When i heard wizards lost the liscense, i halted all purchasing of pokemon products for myself and told my family not to buy any for me (but i'm continuing with the game). I felt betrayed by wizards for being so silent in the first place so i have no loyalty towards them. Pokemon is what i like. When i was told WOTC made pokemon, i didn't even know it (that was almost 3 years after starting pokemon). Personally, i'm disappointed with WOTC's actions towards the game and welcome nintendo's taking of the liscense. I think eventually what happened with pokemon will happen to every other wizards TCG except magic. when WOTC realizes they canot stay in business with declining games or Hasbro refuses to give extra money, the whole opperation will shut down. -------------------- "And there came a hero who said: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, nor the very fabric of time, but the hero would not prevail...nor would he surrender." Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged Mew2SB Member # 85641 posted April 26, 2003 09:14 AM            I thk of those Premium events (e.g., Stadium, STSs, Worlds) are only for those players who live in States...(Local players from states but no... other players from other country like singapore, malaysia?) what abt those who live in asia? Hasbro refuses to give extra money for event in asia, as they afraid to get a lost in the end that causes the whole operation shut down.... When i heard wizards lost the liscense, i halted all purchasing of pokemon products for myself and told my family not to buy any for me (but i'm continuing with the game). I felt betrayed by wizards for being so silent(For what?) in the first place. -------------------- I am a guy who never stop! Well Known Person in SINGAPORE! From: Singapore | Registered: May 2002  |  IP: Logged Arthas_Zero Member Member # 134971 posted April 26, 2003 09:20 AM            Well, although i still play the game and try to attend as many tourneys as possible, it gets pretty hard where im living. The Wizards of the Coast store that i usually go to closed down a few weeks ago. I tried going to the other card and comic stores, but they hardly get any Pokemon card gamers. So for my answer, i'm kind of half-and-half. The company is a great, as well as the product, but one question still lurks in my mind. How is Nintendo going to alter the Pokemon card game? -------------------------------------------------- Never give up on something, even if you do fail multiple times. From: Earth | Registered: Apr 2003  |  IP: Logged Pokidad Member # 135 posted April 26, 2003 04:15 PM             Hi Dave, Quick note: We are still undecided if we are going to Gencon. My wife and I are starting to discuss about making it another vacation. Will know more when summer begins. As for customer loyalty, the MTM, DMTM, and others have treated us (players) very fairly. The only thing I regret is they will not be involved with Pokemon Brand in the future. Nintendo I sure will do a great job but they will have a tough act to follow. So, I'm loyal to these guys. From: Falls Church, VA USA | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged dkates Member Member # 113463 posted April 26, 2003 08:54 PM            I'd have to say game. Since I didn't even do tournaments for years-- I've still only done one, and it was not a major one by any stretch of the imagination-- and this is a fun game, I stick with the game. Although, if Wizards were to start another card game line, I might try it. I can just see people mentioning the other ones Wizards already does-- I tried Magic, didn't especially like it, but I could tell it's their best work, and that's saying something. So I'll definitely stick with the card game, but I might keep an eye on Wizards for new "trends in the making." -------------------- Every time I think I can't say anything stupider, I prove myself wrong. Maybe I should just stop thinking. From: Houston, TX | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged SteveP Member # 14743 posted April 27, 2003 12:18 AM             Gratitude and Appreciation are the words that best describe my feelings towards WOTC. I would attach the word Loyalty to my feelings about the Pokemon TCG. Let me explain. Since Day 1, I've purchased large amounts of the Japanese versions of Pokemon. Probably every deck I make contains at least a few Japanese versions. Back when DCI restricted the use of non-local language cards in DCI-sanctioned tourneys, I was a STRONG advocate to change the rule and allow unrestricted use of these cards. My first few tournaments that I head judged, I refused to enforce the local-language-only rule because I felt DCI was trying for force the players to be loyal to WOTC and not the Pokemon product. But, that rule has changed because I believe WOTC understands that the majority of Pokemon players are loyal to the Product, not the Producer (IMO). Next, my gratitude and appreciation to WOTC is FULL. Personally, I feel they went above and beyond in their effort to hold high-level tournaments and to recognize and reward the top-level Pokemon players. Like your sons Dave B, my son was lucky enough to go to the TMB in Hawaii and a number of STSs/Worlds events, all at WOTC's expense. Those experiences have bonded my #1 son and I together for life. Those trips will rank up there with our Disney and Skiing trips as the most memorable family events. Finally, as I've watched my son switch over to another TCG (Lord of the Rings), I've realized that he's loyal to the product and the enjoyment he gets from playing it. I really like NoPoke's comment about the dangers of being loyal to a corporation in this day-and-age. Self-interests often dominate the corporate boardrooms, and loyalties don't temper into many executive decisions. Books have been written about the deterioration of corporate-employee and producer-consumer loyalties, so I won't say any more. -------------------- Proud member of Team PokéParents - we play Pokémon with our kids! From: Colorado Springs, CO, USA | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged bulbasnore Member # 703 posted April 27, 2003 09:14 AM            I got into Pokemon TCG because I was impressed by the cool way my children were meeting other children wherever we took them with their PKMN binders. I was also watching the cartoon with them on Saturdays (as many others) and thought it had some good things going for its story and world-view. My wife was quite taken with the little critters as well. We're pretty much into the Pokemon franchise and have some non-card merchandise (card bags from WOTC web site, caps, gameboys games, guides to TCG & Gameboy, etc. aside from gaming supplies). Not being a big game person of any kind since college, I've been kind of a when asked to play Monopoly, etc. I used to know 10s of card games and many board games, but something happened to dry up my interest -- and with respect to those things, its still not back. What began to change things for me was when I watched my children try to 'play' the TCG, making up rules. You know the harmony that making up rules brings, so I tried to look up the rules on-line and ran into the flash demo on WOTC site. I taught them how to play and had to play a few games to get them into it. In looking at the cards, the strategies I became interested in the game. I also took my children to the leagues and played. Fortunately, there were some very cool Pokeparents at these leagues that also played. It turns out some of our league players were later STS champions. Everyone was a good sport & got along well, and the applied level of strategy was very high. This added to my interest in the game (despite getting my head handed to me every time I tried to play a winning deck). Pokemon Lady (if anyone remembers her) had written a piece explaining how easy it was to sanction Pokemon tourneys and the great support TOs got from WOTC. I was getting interested in that myself when a couple of folks from League happened to mention they wanted to get some tourneys going & I passed on that info... I've done a few tourneys and others have done many more. We've had great tourney leadership here in SoCal; if you look at any tourney around here, chances are somewhere you find IPGeek21 as promoter, instigator, negotiator or outright organizer. My involvement with the game has been affected positively by having a major leader in the area, in addition to the affect of all the cool & competitive people of all ages who were regulars at leagues & tourneys. So, its really been a mix of things that have kept me forking out the bux for cards and enjoying the game. WOTC support has been a big part of it -- technically, online and as an organizer. There are things that could be critiqued, mostly related to premiere OP age structures. They've shown a remarkable capacity to grow and change. Overall, espectially technically, they've set a high standard for the next group that takes over OP. However, my interest is with the Pokemon franchise content. I am not now nor have I ever been a big fan of the sword & sorcery genre. We bought a big chunk of MLB Showdown for relatives one Christmas, but it didn't take off with them as we thought it might. My children are into Neo Pest online, but its unlikely that I'll be buying boosters in any qty for that TCG. It will have to be strictly a personal money deal, like my son's Yu-gi. Having ONE tcg to collect and play is enough in terms of available space to store it, money to buy it and time to get into it at a level that will sustain interest. So, I'll be hanging with WOTC as long as they have the Pokemon franchise; some people are no longer interested in sanctioning tourneys, but I'm still interested in playing in sanctioned events. I'm still hoping to go to Origins. If WOTC is still into it in Aug, I may sanction a few final tourneys with them. If they're closing all their retail, I doubt I'll have the opportunity to drop in and by PKMN packs in the future. Unless the new custodians of OP mess up with rules, local or premiere play, when WOTC exits PKMM, I'm sure I'll move on with the brand. -------------------- Pokemon TCG is a game for all ages. 6th Place June 2002 WCSC Professor Draft 6th Place July 2003 Comic Con Fan Appreciation Tourney From: Where you play a kid's game and never T8 in it! | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged Michel Member # 286 posted April 27, 2003 04:01 PM             Dave, The situation in Europe is not very clear. Not a single word of Nintendo about our countries - we don't even know if the cards will be sold over here (I remember Expedition) - and only one Wizards game : Magic. Harry Potter and Star Wars were dead before they reached Belgium, and other Wizards games are not known here. Laetitia and myself are very thankful to Wizards for the great moments we've had like in New York, San Diego, Seattle or Hawaii. Thanks to them we've seen a lot of things, met a lot of nice people, had a lot of fun ... If they propose a new game (Neopets ?), we'll certainly try it and maybe get involved in it like we are in Pokemon. Laetitia is not interested in Magic for the moment. She's 12 and the structure of Magic in Europe is not the same for the kids as it is in the USA. We've already had contacts with Magic players during tournaments when both Magic and Pokemon were played at the same time. I do agree with her on the fact that the community is different, more 'aggressive', more competitive with the negative aspects of it. She loves Pokemon, and we love the game. If we have the opportunity to keep on playing the game, running tournaments, judging, ... we'll certainly do it. Like I said, we don't know if we'll have Pokemon and if we'll have another Wizards product in the future. I really hope we'll may be loyal to the product ... and to the company. To be honest, it's not a question of company but a question of persons. I'm thankful to MTM, DMTM, Peter, Kristin, ... all the people I know who work for Wizards. Quite different than beeing thankful to the company This said, we deeply regret that the 'Wizards era' will end without us. We'll miss the only European qualifier and going to Indianapolis is far too expensive for us. It was the last opportunity to meet the people we've already met in the USA, to play drafts during the night somewhere in an hotel, to have fun, ... we'll miss it. It was the last opportunity too to play a big event in Europe, ... we'll miss it too. When Laetitia played with you a 'bad deck' at the Honolulu airport, we didn't know we had just played our last big tournament. I really hope we'll keep in touch with people like you or other people we've met, but we had dreamed of another end of what we call the 'Wizards era'. -------------------- Proud member of the Professor Program Proud member of Team Europe Judge at the Gym Challenge Rainham 2002 - Gym Challenge Antwerp 2002 - Gym Stadium Amsterdam 2002 - Worlds Seattle 2002 - GenCon UK 2002 - Gym Challenge Lucca (IT) 2002 - Gym Stadium Antwerp 2003 http://www.pokemonteambelgium.be.tf POKEMON TEAM BELGIUM BattleZone BRUSSELS - Belgium loves Pokemon too ! ! ! From: Brussels - Belgium | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged

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