Why should you find an FLGS (friendly local game store) to enjoy SWU better?
I can remember when I first saw Star Wars Destiny at Gen Con. It was a fun, fast-paced card game with neat dice and cool accessories. I was interested but, at that time, most of my gaming was with a weekly group of middle-aged men who focused on X-Wing and then eventually grew to “boardgame out” whatever the new hotness from BoardGame Geek or Kickstarter. When Destiny was released, I was mildly excited and ordered a starter set, playmat, and a couple of boosters. It was nothing too crazy, as I had assumed I would play it a couple of times and maybe buy a few more boosters to enjoy the art. Well, that was before a couple of beautiful accidents happened.
The first accident was when one of the people in my weekly game group had his sister ask if he wanted anything for an Xmas gift. He told her that he was interested in Star Wars Destiny and asked for eight booster packs from the first set (which had just released). Due to either magic or neglect, Amazon instead sent him eight booster boxes. When he tried to return them, the vendor just told him to keep the boxes. Thankfully, my friend was very generous and shared his bounty with the group. We had a small group open the pack and trade around to get their wanted cards. I was a bit lucky and was able to pull two Emperor “Big Sheev” Palpatine cards (If you don’t know Destiny, think of this like a SWU Leader along with some amazingly overpowered dice). We played a few times, and I thought it was fun and probably something we would pull out a couple of times a year. That was, until my Star Wars (specifically Ahsoka Tano) loving daughter saw the game.
I remember talking about our endowment of cards, and she said, “Ohh, that sounds neat; what did you get”? We both inventoried the haul, and she was enamored with the dark side powerhouse that was Palpatine. From the start, she had some crazy luck with the dice (just ask Andy about that), and loved to put her dad under with some crazy rolls and better-than-expected card play. We had fun playing at home and, while looking around social media, I saw a notice of a Destiny tournament at a local game shop. While I have played quite a few board games and had a great time playing X-Wing with my group, I was a bit hesitant to take the plunge into the CCG competitive scene. I talked to my wife about it and, when my daughter overheard, she wanted to go. She was in middle school, and I was a bit worried about just how she would be treated by people looking for another win on the list. Hoping for the best we decided that we would both go, and she could take that Palpatine deck she loved.
My worries about her not feeling comfortable were quickly replaced with my fears about ending up losing all of my games and her winning a couple but having significant interactions with everyone she played with and met. She was an outlier, but the community made her feel welcome. Any misplays were answered with kindness and correction, and discussions on how she could win games by making the slightest adjustments. No one took it easy on her, but no one made her feel less by being new at something or not fully understanding its intricacies. I hate to say I don’t remember who, but someone invited us to go to The Destination (the store that hosted the weekly Destiny league in town).
The first time we walked in on a Wednesday night, I felt like I was stepping into a bar where everyone knew everyone else and I was an outsider… but that feeling disappeared after five minutes of conversation. Before I knew it, my daughter and I were showing up week after week and learning not just how to play, but also the rituals of playing a CCG. We went from being outsiders, to merely being new people, and finally to regulars. Along the way, the conversations went from very welcoming and friendly to the conversations you only have with friends. It was an excellent way for my daughter to understand how male relationships work. It starts with high levels of respect and understanding, but after a couple of months there was teasing about how one of the local (and appropriately aged) guys appeared never to be able to beat her in a game (and was obviously a bit smitten with her).
In time, the group we met to play games with became part of our friend circle. The people who I played with became the people who I talked to about life events and listened to when they had their own issues. Destiny may have died a few years ago, but the friendships that started in our group are going on strong, and I hope to rekindle that with Star Wars: Unlimited.
So, while I think that SWU looks to be a great game, I am most excited about the communities it can build. We can never have enough friends, and I can’t think of a more fun way to create and develop those relationships than trying to destroy them every week.
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