Comments on: If you were ever interested in printing a collectible card game… http://sonjayatandon.com/04-2006/if-you-were-ever-interested-in-printing-a-collectible-card-game/ ...tales of a software curmudgeon Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:59:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: sonjaya http://sonjayatandon.com/04-2006/if-you-were-ever-interested-in-printing-a-collectible-card-game/#comment-11 Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:27:24 +0000 http://sonjayatandon.com/04-2006/if-you-were-ever-interested-in-printing-a-collectible-card-game/#comment-11 One of the things we discussed a lot what how many booster boxes we wanted people to buy before they got a full set. We opted for two -- and it is not just for monetary reasons. You don't want them to run out of cards too quickly -- if it only takes one booster box to get a full set, then in about 4-6 months, your players are essentially out of content. The core players through purchases or trades would end up getting a full set. At two boosters you give yourself 9 months to come out with the next expansion -- which isn't a lot of time for a small company -- unless you are the big players, these ccgs don't bring in a lot of money. So, that is why we were shooting for a distribution that required 2 booster boxes for a full set. We felt we had a plan in place that could deliver expansions every 9 months (and we were shooting to get it down to every 6 months) -- now if we just could have got that license sorted out :P One of the things we discussed a lot what how many booster boxes we wanted people to buy before they got a full set. We opted for two — and it is not just for monetary reasons.

You don’t want them to run out of cards too quickly — if it only takes one booster box to get a full set, then in about 4-6 months, your players are essentially out of content. The core players through purchases or trades would end up getting a full set.

At two boosters you give yourself 9 months to come out with the next expansion — which isn’t a lot of time for a small company — unless you are the big players, these ccgs don’t bring in a lot of money.

So, that is why we were shooting for a distribution that required 2 booster boxes for a full set. We felt we had a plan in place that could deliver expansions every 9 months (and we were shooting to get it down to every 6 months) — now if we just could have got that license sorted out :P

]]> by: DPrentice http://sonjayatandon.com/04-2006/if-you-were-ever-interested-in-printing-a-collectible-card-game/#comment-10 Mon, 24 Apr 2006 10:56:47 +0000 http://sonjayatandon.com/04-2006/if-you-were-ever-interested-in-printing-a-collectible-card-game/#comment-10 which is why whenever you open a booster, the uncommons and the rare are always stacked in the same location in the booster pack. There is NO true randomization of cards... 8 common, 2 uncommon, 1 rare per booster... (maybe you'll get lucky and get the 1 ultrarare per sheet as your rare, lol) These classifications were carefully determined, sorted, shuffled and stacked up... then they distribute them appropriately to have a fair distribution. The days of opening up an early ccg booster and finding 3 ultra rare cards is long gone. While it can be exciting, it's bad business to have a true randomization, where the kid who can afford 2 packs doesn't get the same proportion of uncommon and rare as the rich kid (or suitably employed adult) who buys by the box. the other problem I see was that generally, in a 36 pack of boosters... you'd never get a real breakdown of an expansion - ie, there were Common: 66 Uncommon: 89 Rare: 55 Sponsor: 06 in your set. In a box, that means youd get roughly 2/3 the rares, most of the uncommons, and roughly 4 of each common. so to complete a set, you'd end up buying another box... and due to the random distribution, you'd still end up with a hole or two in your uncommon and rare cards, and have 6-10 of each common. You're now sittng on somewhere between 300-500 unuseable cards. And they're probably unsaleable too....as they're the same commons and uncommons as everyone else is sitting on after 2 boxes. yes... its a money maker for the production companies, cuz it builds to the impulse buys, and the addiction factor.... but it's a real drag to the consumer.... which is why whenever you open a booster, the uncommons and the rare are always stacked in the same location in the booster pack.

There is NO true randomization of cards… 8 common, 2 uncommon, 1 rare per booster… (maybe you’ll get lucky and get the 1 ultrarare per sheet as your rare, lol)

These classifications were carefully determined, sorted, shuffled and stacked up… then they distribute them appropriately to have a fair distribution.

The days of opening up an early ccg booster and finding 3 ultra rare cards is long gone. While it can be exciting, it’s bad business to have a true randomization, where the kid who can afford 2 packs doesn’t get the same proportion of uncommon and rare as the rich kid (or suitably employed adult) who buys by the box.

the other problem I see was that generally, in a 36 pack of boosters… you’d never get a real breakdown of an expansion - ie, there were
Common: 66
Uncommon: 89
Rare: 55
Sponsor: 06
in your set.

In a box, that means youd get roughly 2/3 the rares, most of the uncommons, and roughly 4 of each common.

so to complete a set, you’d end up buying another box… and due to the random distribution, you’d still end up with a hole or two in your uncommon and rare cards, and have 6-10 of each common. You’re now sittng on somewhere between 300-500 unuseable cards. And they’re probably unsaleable too….as they’re the same commons and uncommons as everyone else is sitting on after 2 boxes.

yes… its a money maker for the production companies, cuz it builds to the impulse buys, and the addiction factor…. but it’s a real drag to the consumer….

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