“Our mission is to bring people together in the flesh and blood through the common language of playing great games” is the keynote statement from Legend Story Studios “about us” page.
This statement is something to really keep in mind as we start the new year and we approach the start of the next competitive season for the Flesh and Blood TCG. This of course kicks off with the Pro Quest season, which begins on 14 January 2023. We also see events like Battle Hardened taking place in cities such as Leeds in the UK.
As this season rapidly approaches, we will all be thinking hard about which decks we are going to play and how best to tackle the season. Whether that’s trying to drive Briar, Warden of Thorns, towards the Living Legend status hanging over her currently, or if its how to bring newcomer Arakni, Huntsman to the forefront of the competitive scene.
These decisions are of course impacted by the type of player that you are and there are different types of players in any game, from social casual players to hardcore competitive players.
I consider myself somewhere in the middle, a casually competitive player, what this means essentially is that I’m only ever able to play on a casual level, so maybe once or twice a month in person, but when I play, I’m aiming for the win. Sadly, this has only ever landed me one top 8 at a Pro Quest and a few small turnout Armory events under my belt. I’m yet to reach the proverbial mountain top myself and I don’t delude myself thinking I ever will, considering the time I actually get to play.
There are of course those hardcore competitive players, those who go to as many Armory, Pro Quest and other events as possible each week. They are looking to get the XP, the prizes and of course, the money that comes from topping those big events. There is nothing wrong with being a competitive player, not really.
But something I have noted on multiple occasions since being more active on Twitter (@bigboss010) is the aftermath of these large-scale competitive events. The solemn and sad posts, which seep out shortly after the conclusion of the event, that search for the answers to what went wrong.
My own experience has seen also me sitting on a long train ride home to Crewe, hell bent on quitting the game because I didn’t do as well as I believed I should’ve. Having to sit and really think about my view of what I want from this game as an individual. Then coming to terms with the fact that you just can’t win them all and with the amount I’m able to play, is probably unrealistic.
So something I’ve started to be very concerned about is the mental health of the player base. This sinking feeling which seems to come from the end of an unsuccessful attempt to climb to the mountain top seems more and more common these days.
I
spoke with my good friend Martyn on my podcast (Big Boss Book Club) about his
experience playing Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering at a competitive level and
it’s clear this isn’t just restricted to isolated cases in FAB.
When James White and the Folks at Legend Story studios developed this game, the gaming system and brought it to the public, I can with great confidence say, they didn’t want people getting depressed after playing. I hope their goal was to have players sitting, fist bumping or shaking hands and discussing the game. Debating those critical moves and plays.
So this brings me back to the opening of this article. The goal is to bring people together in person, to play great games. That’s the key, playing great games. We come together for our love of this game and although we can be serious about it, aiming to win the big one. We need to remember; we are together to play this game and we shouldn’t put so much emphasis on the big W over our own well-being and just having fun.
The friends and experiences this game can offer are practically limitless and it’s on us the current player base to make these experiences positive, welcoming and more importantly, enduring. In my mind these are the only true ways of expanding the player base and continuing to grow this amazing game.
I myself am hoping to attend the Battle Hardened weekend in Leeds, UK. I am also bringing my previously mentioned friend, Martyn with me as he is eager to get involved in a major event. What decks will we be bringing, you maybe asking yourself. Well thanks for asking.
I’m going to be bringing Briar, Warden of Thorns, for a couple of reasons really, the biggest reason is that I’ve never played her at an event before and as this is her farewell tour, I figured this maybe the last chance I’ll have to pilot her at a CC event. The other reason is that I love the Runeblade class and if you’ve ever played against me when I’ve piloted Big Vis (Viserai, Rune Blood) you’ll know I just cant do it very well and my win / loss record is HORRIBLE. So Briar felt like a good option to stay on-brand and with a class I actually enjoy while hopefully not completely jobbing out (sorry for the wrestling reference).
My friend Martyn has expressed a big interest in Bravo, Showstopper. Essentially, Martyn is a big wrestling fan, like myself and Guardian has the Chokeslam card…… Enough said really.
So to conclude this piece, I want to thank you for taking a few minutes to read this and I hope you’ll consider checking out my social media pages and my podcast.
Please remember though that although the Pro Quest season is about getting those PTIs, its also about getting together in the flesh and blood to play great games. The fundamental point of games is to have fun. So please take care of yourself, your mental wellbeing and to quote the Gamble Aware UK TV advert, when the fun stops, stop.
Rule 1 of playing great games, is to have fun and enjoy the experience. Whether you are turning up to play with Fai, Briar, Bravo, Lexi or our supreme ruler Azalea. I wish everyone the best of luck in their endeavours this Pro Quest season and I hope you all have fun.
I’m Big Boss, I’m out…. Peace.
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