The
d r a o b d r Ca m u r d n u n Co
Is the TCG boom hope, or hype? By Joey Senart, Decks and Draughts
L
et’s start with a classic: “You should carry this new trading card game.” If you own a local game store, tell me you didn’t wince a bit. Over the last thirty years, hundreds of TCGs have tried to power their way onto store shelves – using intriguing worlds or familiar IPs to break into LGS’s with fans uttering that very line. Unfortunately, no matter how initially promising, few new TCGs succeed. The typical tale sees a new game hit the shelf intriguing players for a little bit, then that “shiny, new” feeling fades, and those players return to the likes of Magic, Pokémon, or Yu-Gi-Oh while that product collects dust on the shelf. Based on this track record, the automatic response for many store owners is to decline on these new TCGs and continue their focus on higher margin board games. But something is re-writing the standard story, and the TCG industry is experiencing a boom that even has Disney wanting to jump in with their Lorcana Trading Card Game. Consider Flesh & Blood’s $1M 2022 tournament prize pool, MetaZoo’s partnership with eBay, Target, and WalMart, and Sorcery: Contested Realms racking up a $4M Kickstarter campaign. It’s not hard to suggest there could be a legitimate disruption to the typical TCG behavior. But therein lies the cardboard conundrum: Is all the hype and value a
22_ATT_4_Nov1.indd 3
sign of potential? Or is it merely pressure? In the old days when Wizards of the Coast was a local game store and Scrye Magazine was a source of hobby truth, the TCG industry went through a similar explosion to this current one. The difference between then and now isn’t much of a plot twist: the internet has opened new doors for the entire hobby industry. Trading card games are now less reliant on the curiosity of cardboard loyalists. Word of mouth referrals are radically different. Leveraging YouTube creators, Discord servers, Tabletop Simulator, and more, an entire market for a TCG can be created without needing to hit the table, undergo extensive playtesting, or find validation within the traditional distribution model. The addition of Kickstarter allows more accessibility for game designers to self-publish. Dozens of successful campaigns have brought thousands of backers and, in some cases, millions of dollars in support. Social media gives those games an opportunity to shine worldwide, driving home that the TCG industry is bigger than ever. Titles like Alpha Clash, Legions: Realms at War, Primal, Runes of Ede, Runeslingers, Starcrossed, Vanquishers, Zeitgeist, and even a provocatively-themed Cannabeast, among many others, are finding their continued on page 8
Q4 2022 • AROUND THE table
3
11/2/22 1:58 PM
