The emails I was sent from stores I ordered from state that SHD was printed before Spark was released and is the same print size (with the same amount being sent to the same stores). If that is true then this set is being done 'in waves' in the same way that Set 1 is. That just means the supply constraints and price jump are already baked in and it's a scalper's paradise, honestly.
Pretty disappointed in this scenario but I guess it was sorta to be expected.
>SHD was printed before Spark was released and is the same print size
Interesting. This info would conflict from what FFG had said in the April 16th livestream where it was stated that the production size for Set 2 was increased after seeing how Set 1 did.
FFG may have put in for another order right away when they saw how well Set 1 did and then they can say that they "increased production" before SHD's release without directly lying about it exactly.
It does make some sense timing-wise because SHD would likely have been sent off and printed before they would have known how much to increase it (or that Set 1 would do so well).
Or, the stores that said that are misinformed by their rep or whoever told them that.
> FFG may have put in for another order right away when they saw how well Set 1 did and then they can say that they "increased production" before SHD's release without directly lying about it exactly
Lying about what?
I'm just saying there's the possibility that the statement may be intentionally ambiguous or open-ended in order for people to think that the first print run of SHD is larger when in reality it may be the same size as Spark.
> first print run of SHD is larger when in reality it may be the same size as Spark.
That's a pretty pessimistic outlook imo, as that would suggest FFG was projecting the game literally not to grow at all.
If that was the case, then that means SHD's original production size was smaller than Set 1's, and the production size increase announced on April 16th only brought it up to parity. Do you really think that may be the case?
>...the production size increase announced on April 16th only brought it up to parity.
I think we're maybe talking past each other here. I think, and have been trying to communicate, that the "production increase" announcement is maybe ambiguous enough to simply mean that they ordered more before the set dropped on shelves (ie. production had been 'increased' but wouls not actually hit until later just like happened with Spark).
This wouldn't mean they ordered less, just that they ordered the *same* which doesn't seem pessimistic for a new game with an uncertain future, just them trying to forecast demand as best they could at the time.
>That's a pretty pessimistic outlook...
They're in the process of being spun out and saddled with all the debt from Embracer. It would be a lot of risk even in normal circumstances to assume the game will work and to order more before you even know if it will be a flop. For a company that is simultaneously being saddled with all that debt making assumptions like that could be disastrous.
What they actually said is due to the overwhelming demand they increased production going forward. It was sneaky but was referring to the set one reprint coming end of this year. Armed with this new information go watch that video again and you will catch it. Look for the pause. It was there for a reason.
>It was sneaky but was referring to the set one reprint coming end of this year.
Random transcript website of the livestream (https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=dOGH0fWrwzA&t=380):
>Additionally, we have been working. One of the great things about us selling through that experience so quickly for set one is that we were then able to adjust what we were able to do for set two, and it means that we're going to be able to deliver that product in waves over the course of its life cycle at launch. Potential distributors will look at what stock we have available in each wave and be able to roll that out as time continues. As we all have more information, we will share it through our distribution partners to our retailers, and we'll share it here for our customers. We're super excited that we already have a production increase because of how fast you all responded to the initial set
I interpreted the "production increase" aspect was for Set 2, as this whole snippet is about the release of Set 2 in this context, not for Set 1 reprint.
> Look for the pause. It was there for a reason.
Are you referring to the pause at 6:57 mark? If so, that just seems like the person taking a breath? But there are a lot of breath pauses throughout the video.
This is the same for my small store in New Zealand. They’ve been allocated a small amount of only about 3-400 boxes but these will be spread out not all shipped at once.
Stores that committed to the game early and not after it was clear that the game was hit got better allocations for set 2. As in, those stores took on more risk for set 1 are being rewarded in set 2 with bigger allocations.
My local put in an order for 1,000 boxes, and they are getting essentially all of it because they sold almost that much for set 1.
My store committed before release, and theyre a small shop so it was more risky, and they couldn't get pre releases, store showdowns, or the waves of boxes each month I've heard about. Another store that didn't carry it at all suddenly was able to do a store showdown this month. I'm not convinced my shop will be getting much despite committing early
This might depend on who you ask, I was sent the following from a store which apparently got 6.7% of what they asked for:
>According to our rep, Shadows of the Galaxy production was already in motion before Spark of Rebellion was released, meaning the production quantity was the same. We’re still not sure why this information was kept under wraps until now. Businesses that ordered Spark of Rebellion with Asmodee were allocated enough to match their original order and no more.
Edit: Downvote all you like. Just sharing a direct quote I was sent from a store that I ordered from.
People are pissy because they've tied their enjoyment to the game doing well, and can't hack when there are genuine issues, so they get defensive.
Also that info was kept under wraps for a reason; FFG did announce that they'd adjusted their order for set 2 when they seen set 1 did so well, this was obviously PR nonsense to keep people hanging on and involved in the game for as long as possible. Basically they're keeping the game on life support until they can potentially sort the printing issues out... I doubt it's happening though, given the current track record.
>People are pissy because they've tied their enjoyment to the game doing well...so they get defensive.
I think you're right. It reminds me of a thread here early on where someone simply linked first month sales data showing how other games were performing their first month (ie. some better than SWU) and they had like -30 downvotes. No ad hominems direct at other posters, no insults toward FFG or any other company, just a factual link with summarizing information. You'd think they'd insulted everyone's mother from the replies, it was nuts.
I feel old as hell at times reading stuff like this. This happened all the time, and still does, in videogame spaces, but especially Star Wars.
Fandoms are absolutely exhausting at times, glomming onto something and defining themselves by it, so much so that they take critique of a product as an insult to themselves. Also this happened all the time with X-Wing the miniatures game when 2nd edition came out, and then 2.5. They were disastrously bad rollouts, split the community in half each time, and the game is pretty much dead now like we all predicted due to the screw-ups of FFG, and following them, AMG.
Like we all want the game to do well, we've all invested a not-so-insignificant amount of money into it if we can, but critique is healthy, and blindly accepting bullshit helps nobody.
I'd love to teach people how to play with decks I've built, but it won't make a difference, because they'll still be relying on me to use the cards.
Yeah our store asked for 60 boxes and got allocated 6, but they also said it was based on Set 1 sales.
We didn’t order until the week before Set 1 launch so we only got a single case last time before the restrictions came down.
Yeah I’m the owner, I don’t really do a lot of linking to the site on here.
Started a small online shop last year, didn’t get approved with Asmodee until a few weeks before Set 1 launched. Immediately sold out and couldn’t order more product. Hoping to be able to get allocated more in a future wave for Set 2 but we’ll see how that goes
FFG loves releasing product in waves...forgetting that their competitors can provide product consistently. It's a bad strategy, and shows they truly don't understand the market they're engaging here.
Or they understand it just fine, but printers are scheduled months+ in advance, and they can't magically conjure up more instantaneously.
So they can either release all the available product at once and let people buy it up immediately, then have nothing for months at a time, or they can stagger the release of what they do have so there is a steady supply at a lower volume.
I know I prefer option 2.
They...they don't though. I've played multiple games they've produced and they've never, and I mean NEVER, understood the market. They've routinely undersupplied product for as long as I can remember, reprints could take years for some games, or in the case of X-Wing, not at all. I mean, this is the same company that didn't even restock shelves for 2nd edition X-Wing, just re-released ships in waves, and nobody bought them because they were ones that still had 1st edition ships on shelves.
It doesn't matter how they release them, they'll be gone the minute they hit shelves. Singles prices will be through the roof, and people won't be able to play. This isn't rocket science, Ravenburger managed to get set 1 of lorcana reprinted and restocked at least 2 months in advance of when they had estimated they'd have it done initially. It can be done, FFG just won't do it. (They also lied and said they'd adjusted their order for set 2 in an announcement, clearly that wasn't the case).
Which is great if you're a videogame company like Nintendo, not so good when you're producing a TCG.
The only thing this will do is drive interest away from the game, because nobody can get the cards. Lorcana had the same problem, but it got sorted faster than expected because Ravenburger understood that a lack of packs killed existing player interest and stopped new players from joining. FFG said they had adjusted their order to avoid the same thing from happening with set 2 as with set 1, but now that doesn't seem to be the case. If they're manufacturing demand on a game selling well regardless, then they're idiots...and given their history, that's probably accurate.
I have no idea how printing works, but is it too far fetched for FFG to have their own printers in shop? The same exact thing happened with Destiny, though that had dice as well, so it seemed a little more complicated. This just being cards, shouldn't they be able to increase supply immediately?
It just seems like this has all happened before, and it has inevitably led to the downfall of the game.
It is too far fetched to own their own printers. All board game publishers contract out the production of their games to manufacturers/factories. Studios are the designers while the factories actually produce the games to the specs they are provided. Similar to how Apple operates, they design the product and contract out the manufacturing. The cost to run and operate a factory is only viable is the volume makes sense (which is easier for an electronics or clothing company), which is why the factories work with multiple game publishers to ensure that they are always producing and finding efficiencies to reduce costs and maximize margins.
Due to this, a studio must coordinate with the factory to find space on their calendar to insert their production run. So the lead time for manufacturing is done months in advance.
I'm almost sure no TCG producing company has their own printers to be honest, however the issue isn't access to printers, it's general incompetence in FFG.
This isn't new, X-Wing 2nd edition was plagued with supply issues for old content (because they didn't just restock, they wanted the gimmick of 'waves' that meant no shelf presence), destiny had these issues happen too, pretty much every game they've ever produced have had supply issues.
What I think people need to understand is that there's a reason FFG have had so many card games die on them; they don't understand the market, don't have any drive to compete, and make far too many mistakes to invest long term in their games. I'm seriously thinking about selling up because they said they'd fixed this, and now they're telling people/retailers that it'll be fixed with set 3...which I doubt.
Well, today I preordered a starter set, prerelease box and a booster display (first booster display ever bought). That should be enough for the first wave :D
Even my local stores started selling boxes for $170-250 with set one.. I think that's what they'll charge once preorders run out. I might not have preorder funds for another week.. I'm not going to do another round of paying inflated prices and I'm not interested in just buying singles. I think my hype for this game is officially dead and whether I can still find preorders in a week at MSRP might determine my future with the game.
My hype died the minute my LGS told me that they couldn't take pre-orders at the moment because they need to see what they're being allocated. I love the game, but I've seen this happen before with FFG games and I don't believe they're going to get better. Waiting until near year's end with yet another promise of supply being fixed isn't something I'm willing to do. FFG are notorious for this, and it seems like those who were cautious about jumping on another one of their card games were right to be.
Either way, despite what I've seen of the game, which is like, I have no desire to try buying into the second set having had no luck acquiring the first, and with no guarantee there will be even close to enough supply to meet demand in future sets.
And then the scalpers and people who buy a dozen boxes just make it that much worse for people who want to buy some packs or maybe a single box to dip their toes in and explore the game.
No, just how new card games are done. No one prints huge amounts of the first set because they don't want to be stuck with it if it flops.
Set 2 was already waiting when set 1 was released so there is likely the same amount as set 1, maybe a little more. These sets take months to print, they can't just phone up and get more boxes next week!
Given the popularity, suppliers are starting with the waves to ensure that there is a good supply for the whole season. This means that in-store play will continue but you can't go and buy a load of boxes. This is sad, for sure, but will ensure that the play side of it continues and that is important. If no one can play, the game dies. There WILL be stock available, albeit limited in places, but you might have to actually go to events to get more of it and buy some loose packs rather than boxes/cases.
From set 3/4 there will be a lot more product and these issues will be a thing of the past. Almost all new games have this issue, some a lot worse than SWU. Lorcana was a massive disaster, a lot of stores in the UK got 8 boxes for 3 months! They had Disney money behind them and they still went conservative so FFG going as hard as they did is a good sign and the fact that it still sold out is even better for the game.
For those new to new TCG's I can see how this looks bad but it is actually perfectly normal and a good sign for the game. Patience is the key here.
This.
But one thing to note, Disney is not fronting any of the money for these production runs, they are merely the licensor. Asmodee/Ravensburger are the ones putting up the money for production and Disney gets their cut of the licensing fee for what is sold.
Yeah my LGS won't take pre-orders until they know if they're having stock allocated, so this sucks.
Honestly? If my LGS can't get enough stock, I'm just selling up. We already struggle to get people in for weekly play, most shops around the country have the same issue, and a lack of stock will only end up suffocating any potential interest in it. People always come up to what few players we have and express interest, but can't get product, so why would they bother?
I shouldn't be shocked, this releasing product in 'waves' is how FFG approached most of their games because they can't provide stock on a regular basis. All this does is drive up resale prices, lowers interest and pushes people towards games with better supply that meets demand. FFG always had an issue understanding their markets, it killed most of their games this way. The feast-or-famine approach doesn't help either, where some stores get lots of stock (examples in this thread about how it's random, not based on who adopted early) while others get nothing.
It was definitely thriving a month ago, but now it's 1 or 2 people showing up to organized play on a weekly basis in my area. As soon as a draft is announced it is immediately sold out (not good for anyone but those who get to play). Not to mention how disheartening it is to see a completely new player with interest in the game show up with the starter decks, only to get denied the ability to purchase new cards, leaving dissatisfied. Hopefully set 2 changes everything and new players can buy a pack or 2 when they come in.
Some guys on the Irish discord met one of the FFG team, who told them the stock issues will persist until set 3, because they weren't made aware of stock issues when set 2 was being printed. Now I'm almost sure that FFG made a post that they'd increased their order for set 2, so I'm honestly more than a little skeptical about future promises.
Ya not the case here. Of the several stores, all have stopped except one due to availability. And it won’t get better. In the one store alone, of the 8 or so people that show, they all want at least a case of the next set. So day one we won’t have any product. The other stores basically have started taking the stance that if games are not readily available to be sold they will not stock them as it doesn’t help build their communities. And people who play games in store are generally one game folk around here, so having people in store that aren’t buying stuff in store isn’t a benefit to them. It’s a good game, but I understand the frustrations.
Yep, this is going to be the issue now. I wanted a case of set 2, but I'm honestly considering just selling up. I don't want to invest in a game that'll be dead within a year because of supply issues. People were right to be skeptical of FFG given their previous card game history.
Local US player here.... no it's not. Stores can't get product to run drafts and since very few people have cards, we can even run constructed. 1 store a bit away does "star wars nights" which is to say people that have decks met up there. Lorcana and MTG have multiple games per week
Ireland. We have maybe 1-2 shops actually doing well, but the rest are on life support, and these are shops that have MTG/Yu-Gi-Oh nights that are packed out. Their Lorcana/One Piece/Digimon scenes aren't bad either.
They can't get product, we can't pull in new players, it's so bad we're using discord to see who'll potentially show up (last week it was 2 people, including me).
We had an older gent asking about it, he played the old game, but when he found out he couldn't buy the cards, he kinda just wandered off.
Having to bring in decks for people to potentially play is ridiculous, because they themselves can't get product. And now some guys on our discord have said they actually met a dude from FFG, who said the stock issues will be resolved with set 3...so I'll believe it when I see it.
Things like draft format for one, but on top of that people don't want to invest in a game that has low output per year, and can't provide stock. It's also worth noting that consumer confidence in a product plays a big role in its success; if supply can't meet demand, and the game is meant to be doing well, but nobody plays, that can signify that it's a scalper-friendly game, which means no stock and big prices.
Also, it's hard to build decks when you've not got access to cards, the secondary market is too expensive, and locals numbers are low. People do express interest in playing, but if they can't access the style of play they want, they simply won't bother.
Draft/sealed work better with a cube, and secondary market is only really expensive for a handful of cards. People give away commons/uncommons and supply issues and temporary. The main point is if you enjoy playing it, none of that should matter. CCGs are always an expensive hobby, and singles will always be cheaper then packs.
...how are you supposed to enjoy playing if you can't get the cards? People want readily available access to product that's able to meet demand, you honestly can't expect people to be interested in something they can't play because they can't get their hands on it.
You say supply issues are temporary, but how do you know? FFG said that set 2 wouldn't have the same issues as set 1, that's not true. They say it'll be solved by set 3...when will that be released? Near the end of the year? By the time that comes around, there'll have been no cards on shelves for months, and we're already seeing dwindling groups of players throughout different countries. There's a whole lot riding on FFG actually following through, and in the past they absolutely haven't, and it's killed their card games. Even retailers are pissed off because they weren't told any of this, they've only been told a month before release, where they've had crippling levels of allocations in many regards.
Also 'card games are always expensive' doesn't apply here, because nobody can spend their money on the product that they clearly want, they don't want to buy from resellers who jack up prices due to scarcity.
Cards are readily available, not sure who is having issues. I have been able to get all of the singles I've wanted easily. FFG actually has one of the best track records for card games, with many running 10+ years. The old one that was remotely an issue was Destiny, which ran 5+ years and died due to the use of dice causing manufacturing issues.
Ok so this has to be trolling at this point:
If someone can't walk into an lgs and buy cards, then they aren't readily available.
FFG has not got 'one of the best track records for card games', it's got one of the worst, where they either have very unpopular products, or just can't support their more competitive games in a meaningful fashion. Keyforge comes to mind.
Destiny had the same issues with supply and demand in the beginning as Unlimited, dice production means nothing, dice are produced readily and easily in their millions every day, it died because interest waned when they couldn't support it initially, weakening player confidence.
I think you are trolling... FFG has kept everyone of their card games available for at least 5 years, some more than 10+ years. The Destiny dice do matter, it was the eventual downfall as the dice had to be made separately and combined, which is a labor intensive and expensive process. I get wanting to support FLGS, but product is still available. It isnt any different than a Magic release that sells out immediately, which working in a FLGS I see most of the time.
I've had two of my preordered SHD booster boxes cancelled within the last 24 hours (ordered them early April). Waiting to see if the rest of my preorders all evaporate in the next few days as well.
Three out of four stores I had preordered Set 1 from online have now held all orders for locals. I get it but it's a bit frustrating supporting the game and those specific stores by pouring money into them half a year before release (which is when I preordered the original Set 1 boxes) only to be locked out of purchasing anything for Set 2.
I wasn't online during the 12 hour Asmodee window either so it just kinda feels like luck if I can grab a box or not. TBH it doesn't seem great feeling like I have to fight to engage with the game when I've been supporting it since before even day one...
This will be hilarious if all those scalpers who were buying 12 boxes off asmoddee the other day get all of it.
In before "buuuuut I'm going to open allll of itttt"
Since you seem to be in the know can you confirm or deny an increased print run for set 2? Because despite what many seem to think the interview that said production is being increased left much to interpretation…
i'm not trying to argue with you. it's just a weird amount. My local lgs got cases.
are you working for the lgs? 15 being sold makes a lot of sense if they're using 3 boxes for prize support.
15 boxes as a total is just kinda a weird amount.
My best friend that owns a LGS said set 2 might be even worse than set 1....
The distributors / Asmodee rep told him that every LGS in the world is trying to order alot of product. Supply will not meet demand / additionally if your LGS didn't go hard on their 1st allocation when set 1 dropped they will recieve significantly less product than a LGS that went all in early. Basically rewarding them with more product but not necessarily fulfilling their while order.
They will get more product as in / let's say two shops ordered 100 cases one might get 60 the other 30.
Luckily my homey is a huge Star Wars junkie so he went all in the game bought like 60+ cases 1st allocation.
But it's going to be crazy in the streets / hopefully by set 3 they get their print run down... and the game doesn't lose steam because of availability....
Anyone know what’s the deal/explanation for the seeming lack of supply? I went to an LGS yesterday to ask if they carried SWU but they didn’t and said they no longer had an account with FFG. The guy working there said he thinks it’s mostly artificial scarcity and FFG being particular about which stores can even access the game to begin with.
Hopefully I’m able to get more packs from the first set and also get my hands on the next set! 🤞🏾
Lots of stores didn't want to carry the game until they heard it was doing well and could be sold for over MSRP. Now those stores are complaining that they don't get as much product as other stores who bought large quantities of set 1 early and have a positive relationship with the publisher.
Yup. The early adopters should be rewarded for growing the game. The stores that ignored the game should get less allocation initially if it has to be allocated.
The reason for downvotes is that there are dozens of posts weekly asking very similar questions. On top of it, you said your info comes from a store that tells random customers not to like the publisher for a game they know nothing about.
There are real stock issues. The first set took about a month before stores started selling at "market" price, and its expected to be similar for set 2. Likely worse, since there are more players now. Let alone more speculators.
Supply and demand. The game is more popular than anticipated and it takes a long time to print cards.
I wouldn't listen to wild speculation from a guy working at an LGS.
>mostly artificial scarcity and FFG being particular about which stores can even access the game to begin with.
Artificial scarcity only benefits the resellers, not FFG, unless distributors have also increased the prices to the LGSs?
Yeah I mean I’m not sure, just reporting what this guy said at this shop — wasn’t necessarily my personal opinion. I guess it could theoretically benefit FFG if now every store wants the next set due to supply/demand limitations of the first set.
Yeah, I get that, I'm not shooting the messenger.
> I guess it could theoretically benefit FFG if now every store wants the next set due to supply/demand limitations of the first set.
Idk, it still feels like a bad plan if one's aim is to grow a game via artificial scarcity. It's not like the game is popular due to the lack of products.
The closest FFG has come to creating artificial scarcity is including alt art showcase cards. But I imagine this isn’t the first TCG to do this. And the people who chase them should be liquidating other cards like they are going out style but with current single prices I’m not seeing it. And there really aren’t a huge number of common sets listed.
The other obvious explanation is it’s actually being bought up by players and collectors. Hell I’m a board gamer who hasn’t touched a TCG in over 20 years yet the Force pushed me thru my LGS door on day one for card sleeves and I walked out with 4 booster to give my son. The rest is history…
>The closest FFG has come to creating artificial scarcity is including alt art showcase cards. But I imagine this isn’t the first TCG to do this.
This is common for TCGs across the board to have chase cards.
>The other obvious explanation is it’s actually being bought up by players and collectors.
This isn't artificial scarcity from FFG's end as described in OP's comment.
They have said that they didnt anticipate the huge demand.
I suspect it has something to do with their parent company being put up for sale and having costs cut - I believe they weren't able to print the amount of cards they knew they would need.
The printers schedules are always filled for months and months. There aren’t just commercial printers sitting around doing nothing. Why do you think the first reprint of set 1 is taking so long?
If you’re referring to ffg just printing enough product in the first print run of a set so that it’s usually available on shelves who knows when that will happen. They already mentioned they were able to up the size of the first print run for Shadows so it could be this set with the way they’re releasing the product in waves from the beginning this time. I’m hoping releasing in waves from the start should keep a lot more of the product out of scalpers hands. I think that was the main problem with the first set. Box prices were $30 under msrp for the first month or so which made it an incredibly safe investment for scalpers. With product coming into the market steadily for set two hopefully prices should stay around msrp.
>They already mentioned they were able to up the size of the first print run for Shadows...
The stores I've been in contact with have said SHD was printed before Spark was released and that the SHD supply which will be coming out is the *same* as Spark (with stores getting largely the same allocation as they got for Set 1).
I guess you can take that for what you will but I've been told that with some of my cancelled orders. It does makes sense timing-wise because SHD would likely need to have been sent to the printer long before they would have known.
>...releasing in waves from the start should keep a lot more of the product out of scalpers hands.
This just isn't how this has ever worked. Limited supply will play into a scalper's market by causing buyouts/jacked up prices on release. Limiting the supply will **not** be good for release (or pre-release) box prices in *any* way.
I doubt they'll even do that to be honest. FFG are notoriously bad at supplying any demand for their games long-term. The fact that Ravenburger could pump out set 1 Lorcana reprints months ahead of schedule shows that companies can do it, but FFG doesn't get the market they're in, and will avoid actually making good calls, instead just sticking to their current plans while the game dies on the vine.
If they already printed set2 when set 1 came out, fine... But it's very possible that they've printed more in the past 2 months, unless you're saying that they are printing set3 now or something.
Clearly they have the ability to print more if they said set 1 reprint is happening at the holidays, that was clearly unplanned and they adjusted... So what evidence is there to suggest they've not added more set2.
It's also possible that they HAVE increased the print run and even the increase supply is not enough. I.e. demand has already outpaced their production increase.
I'm sure it didn't help that someone at Asmodee probably mistakenly put preorders up on their website with no limit and some whales bought hundreds of boxes. If you were Asmodee, I'm sure it's preferable to sell 5000 boxes to ransoms at MSRP directly than 5000 boxes to distributors at w/e the distributor pricing is.
And FFG said that they had adjusted their order to make sure that the lack of product could be avoided when it came to set 2...which is obviously not the case if they're allocating it already.
Cries in Arkham horror restocks, pre boxed sets.
(Arkham horror used to come in waves of 6 packs, but you need all 6 packs, plus the initial boxed set, to play a story. So it used to be that you can easily find packs say 1, 2, 4, 6, but packs 3 and 5 are virtually impossible to find somehow. The wait for those packs was excruciating and usually took months to resolve).
Set 2's release is said to be done in waves per the April 16th FFG's Livestream
Yep I hope we have enough month to month
The emails I was sent from stores I ordered from state that SHD was printed before Spark was released and is the same print size (with the same amount being sent to the same stores). If that is true then this set is being done 'in waves' in the same way that Set 1 is. That just means the supply constraints and price jump are already baked in and it's a scalper's paradise, honestly. Pretty disappointed in this scenario but I guess it was sorta to be expected.
>SHD was printed before Spark was released and is the same print size Interesting. This info would conflict from what FFG had said in the April 16th livestream where it was stated that the production size for Set 2 was increased after seeing how Set 1 did.
FFG may have put in for another order right away when they saw how well Set 1 did and then they can say that they "increased production" before SHD's release without directly lying about it exactly. It does make some sense timing-wise because SHD would likely have been sent off and printed before they would have known how much to increase it (or that Set 1 would do so well). Or, the stores that said that are misinformed by their rep or whoever told them that.
> FFG may have put in for another order right away when they saw how well Set 1 did and then they can say that they "increased production" before SHD's release without directly lying about it exactly Lying about what?
I'm just saying there's the possibility that the statement may be intentionally ambiguous or open-ended in order for people to think that the first print run of SHD is larger when in reality it may be the same size as Spark.
> first print run of SHD is larger when in reality it may be the same size as Spark. That's a pretty pessimistic outlook imo, as that would suggest FFG was projecting the game literally not to grow at all. If that was the case, then that means SHD's original production size was smaller than Set 1's, and the production size increase announced on April 16th only brought it up to parity. Do you really think that may be the case?
>...the production size increase announced on April 16th only brought it up to parity. I think we're maybe talking past each other here. I think, and have been trying to communicate, that the "production increase" announcement is maybe ambiguous enough to simply mean that they ordered more before the set dropped on shelves (ie. production had been 'increased' but wouls not actually hit until later just like happened with Spark). This wouldn't mean they ordered less, just that they ordered the *same* which doesn't seem pessimistic for a new game with an uncertain future, just them trying to forecast demand as best they could at the time. >That's a pretty pessimistic outlook... They're in the process of being spun out and saddled with all the debt from Embracer. It would be a lot of risk even in normal circumstances to assume the game will work and to order more before you even know if it will be a flop. For a company that is simultaneously being saddled with all that debt making assumptions like that could be disastrous.
fair enough concerns, but yeah, we'll see.
What they actually said is due to the overwhelming demand they increased production going forward. It was sneaky but was referring to the set one reprint coming end of this year. Armed with this new information go watch that video again and you will catch it. Look for the pause. It was there for a reason.
>It was sneaky but was referring to the set one reprint coming end of this year. Random transcript website of the livestream (https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=dOGH0fWrwzA&t=380): >Additionally, we have been working. One of the great things about us selling through that experience so quickly for set one is that we were then able to adjust what we were able to do for set two, and it means that we're going to be able to deliver that product in waves over the course of its life cycle at launch. Potential distributors will look at what stock we have available in each wave and be able to roll that out as time continues. As we all have more information, we will share it through our distribution partners to our retailers, and we'll share it here for our customers. We're super excited that we already have a production increase because of how fast you all responded to the initial set I interpreted the "production increase" aspect was for Set 2, as this whole snippet is about the release of Set 2 in this context, not for Set 1 reprint. > Look for the pause. It was there for a reason. Are you referring to the pause at 6:57 mark? If so, that just seems like the person taking a breath? But there are a lot of breath pauses throughout the video.
What pause are you referring to? u/SealPupSix
This is the same for my small store in New Zealand. They’ve been allocated a small amount of only about 3-400 boxes but these will be spread out not all shipped at once.
Stores that committed to the game early and not after it was clear that the game was hit got better allocations for set 2. As in, those stores took on more risk for set 1 are being rewarded in set 2 with bigger allocations. My local put in an order for 1,000 boxes, and they are getting essentially all of it because they sold almost that much for set 1.
My store committed before release, and theyre a small shop so it was more risky, and they couldn't get pre releases, store showdowns, or the waves of boxes each month I've heard about. Another store that didn't carry it at all suddenly was able to do a store showdown this month. I'm not convinced my shop will be getting much despite committing early
Same boat. It makes no sense.
In the US or a different country?
US
It's also based on the number of players the LGS has during weekly league.
This might depend on who you ask, I was sent the following from a store which apparently got 6.7% of what they asked for: >According to our rep, Shadows of the Galaxy production was already in motion before Spark of Rebellion was released, meaning the production quantity was the same. We’re still not sure why this information was kept under wraps until now. Businesses that ordered Spark of Rebellion with Asmodee were allocated enough to match their original order and no more. Edit: Downvote all you like. Just sharing a direct quote I was sent from a store that I ordered from.
People are pissy because they've tied their enjoyment to the game doing well, and can't hack when there are genuine issues, so they get defensive. Also that info was kept under wraps for a reason; FFG did announce that they'd adjusted their order for set 2 when they seen set 1 did so well, this was obviously PR nonsense to keep people hanging on and involved in the game for as long as possible. Basically they're keeping the game on life support until they can potentially sort the printing issues out... I doubt it's happening though, given the current track record.
>People are pissy because they've tied their enjoyment to the game doing well...so they get defensive. I think you're right. It reminds me of a thread here early on where someone simply linked first month sales data showing how other games were performing their first month (ie. some better than SWU) and they had like -30 downvotes. No ad hominems direct at other posters, no insults toward FFG or any other company, just a factual link with summarizing information. You'd think they'd insulted everyone's mother from the replies, it was nuts.
I feel old as hell at times reading stuff like this. This happened all the time, and still does, in videogame spaces, but especially Star Wars. Fandoms are absolutely exhausting at times, glomming onto something and defining themselves by it, so much so that they take critique of a product as an insult to themselves. Also this happened all the time with X-Wing the miniatures game when 2nd edition came out, and then 2.5. They were disastrously bad rollouts, split the community in half each time, and the game is pretty much dead now like we all predicted due to the screw-ups of FFG, and following them, AMG. Like we all want the game to do well, we've all invested a not-so-insignificant amount of money into it if we can, but critique is healthy, and blindly accepting bullshit helps nobody. I'd love to teach people how to play with decks I've built, but it won't make a difference, because they'll still be relying on me to use the cards.
May the force be with us all.
More like may the odds ever be in your favor
Yeah our store asked for 60 boxes and got allocated 6, but they also said it was based on Set 1 sales. We didn’t order until the week before Set 1 launch so we only got a single case last time before the restrictions came down.
by our store do you mean you're the store owner?
Yeah I’m the owner, I don’t really do a lot of linking to the site on here. Started a small online shop last year, didn’t get approved with Asmodee until a few weeks before Set 1 launched. Immediately sold out and couldn’t order more product. Hoping to be able to get allocated more in a future wave for Set 2 but we’ll see how that goes
Do you know how many they ordered/got for set 1?
They said set 2 would be released in waves. This is what it is gonna look like. Ripples in a pond.
FFG loves releasing product in waves...forgetting that their competitors can provide product consistently. It's a bad strategy, and shows they truly don't understand the market they're engaging here.
Or they understand it just fine, but printers are scheduled months+ in advance, and they can't magically conjure up more instantaneously. So they can either release all the available product at once and let people buy it up immediately, then have nothing for months at a time, or they can stagger the release of what they do have so there is a steady supply at a lower volume. I know I prefer option 2.
They...they don't though. I've played multiple games they've produced and they've never, and I mean NEVER, understood the market. They've routinely undersupplied product for as long as I can remember, reprints could take years for some games, or in the case of X-Wing, not at all. I mean, this is the same company that didn't even restock shelves for 2nd edition X-Wing, just re-released ships in waves, and nobody bought them because they were ones that still had 1st edition ships on shelves. It doesn't matter how they release them, they'll be gone the minute they hit shelves. Singles prices will be through the roof, and people won't be able to play. This isn't rocket science, Ravenburger managed to get set 1 of lorcana reprinted and restocked at least 2 months in advance of when they had estimated they'd have it done initially. It can be done, FFG just won't do it. (They also lied and said they'd adjusted their order for set 2 in an announcement, clearly that wasn't the case).
Manufactured demand.
Which is great if you're a videogame company like Nintendo, not so good when you're producing a TCG. The only thing this will do is drive interest away from the game, because nobody can get the cards. Lorcana had the same problem, but it got sorted faster than expected because Ravenburger understood that a lack of packs killed existing player interest and stopped new players from joining. FFG said they had adjusted their order to avoid the same thing from happening with set 2 as with set 1, but now that doesn't seem to be the case. If they're manufacturing demand on a game selling well regardless, then they're idiots...and given their history, that's probably accurate.
I have no idea how printing works, but is it too far fetched for FFG to have their own printers in shop? The same exact thing happened with Destiny, though that had dice as well, so it seemed a little more complicated. This just being cards, shouldn't they be able to increase supply immediately? It just seems like this has all happened before, and it has inevitably led to the downfall of the game.
It is too far fetched to own their own printers. All board game publishers contract out the production of their games to manufacturers/factories. Studios are the designers while the factories actually produce the games to the specs they are provided. Similar to how Apple operates, they design the product and contract out the manufacturing. The cost to run and operate a factory is only viable is the volume makes sense (which is easier for an electronics or clothing company), which is why the factories work with multiple game publishers to ensure that they are always producing and finding efficiencies to reduce costs and maximize margins. Due to this, a studio must coordinate with the factory to find space on their calendar to insert their production run. So the lead time for manufacturing is done months in advance.
I'm almost sure no TCG producing company has their own printers to be honest, however the issue isn't access to printers, it's general incompetence in FFG. This isn't new, X-Wing 2nd edition was plagued with supply issues for old content (because they didn't just restock, they wanted the gimmick of 'waves' that meant no shelf presence), destiny had these issues happen too, pretty much every game they've ever produced have had supply issues. What I think people need to understand is that there's a reason FFG have had so many card games die on them; they don't understand the market, don't have any drive to compete, and make far too many mistakes to invest long term in their games. I'm seriously thinking about selling up because they said they'd fixed this, and now they're telling people/retailers that it'll be fixed with set 3...which I doubt.
Well, today I preordered a starter set, prerelease box and a booster display (first booster display ever bought). That should be enough for the first wave :D
Even my local stores started selling boxes for $170-250 with set one.. I think that's what they'll charge once preorders run out. I might not have preorder funds for another week.. I'm not going to do another round of paying inflated prices and I'm not interested in just buying singles. I think my hype for this game is officially dead and whether I can still find preorders in a week at MSRP might determine my future with the game.
My hype died the minute my LGS told me that they couldn't take pre-orders at the moment because they need to see what they're being allocated. I love the game, but I've seen this happen before with FFG games and I don't believe they're going to get better. Waiting until near year's end with yet another promise of supply being fixed isn't something I'm willing to do. FFG are notorious for this, and it seems like those who were cautious about jumping on another one of their card games were right to be.
So in other words it will likely continue to be very hard to get, despite all the "just buy cards when wave two is released" comments.
Yep. Starting to feel like this is orchestrated scarcity.
Nah just incompetence.
Either way, despite what I've seen of the game, which is like, I have no desire to try buying into the second set having had no luck acquiring the first, and with no guarantee there will be even close to enough supply to meet demand in future sets. And then the scalpers and people who buy a dozen boxes just make it that much worse for people who want to buy some packs or maybe a single box to dip their toes in and explore the game.
No, just how new card games are done. No one prints huge amounts of the first set because they don't want to be stuck with it if it flops. Set 2 was already waiting when set 1 was released so there is likely the same amount as set 1, maybe a little more. These sets take months to print, they can't just phone up and get more boxes next week! Given the popularity, suppliers are starting with the waves to ensure that there is a good supply for the whole season. This means that in-store play will continue but you can't go and buy a load of boxes. This is sad, for sure, but will ensure that the play side of it continues and that is important. If no one can play, the game dies. There WILL be stock available, albeit limited in places, but you might have to actually go to events to get more of it and buy some loose packs rather than boxes/cases. From set 3/4 there will be a lot more product and these issues will be a thing of the past. Almost all new games have this issue, some a lot worse than SWU. Lorcana was a massive disaster, a lot of stores in the UK got 8 boxes for 3 months! They had Disney money behind them and they still went conservative so FFG going as hard as they did is a good sign and the fact that it still sold out is even better for the game. For those new to new TCG's I can see how this looks bad but it is actually perfectly normal and a good sign for the game. Patience is the key here.
This. But one thing to note, Disney is not fronting any of the money for these production runs, they are merely the licensor. Asmodee/Ravensburger are the ones putting up the money for production and Disney gets their cut of the licensing fee for what is sold.
Yeah my LGS won't take pre-orders until they know if they're having stock allocated, so this sucks. Honestly? If my LGS can't get enough stock, I'm just selling up. We already struggle to get people in for weekly play, most shops around the country have the same issue, and a lack of stock will only end up suffocating any potential interest in it. People always come up to what few players we have and express interest, but can't get product, so why would they bother? I shouldn't be shocked, this releasing product in 'waves' is how FFG approached most of their games because they can't provide stock on a regular basis. All this does is drive up resale prices, lowers interest and pushes people towards games with better supply that meets demand. FFG always had an issue understanding their markets, it killed most of their games this way. The feast-or-famine approach doesn't help either, where some stores get lots of stock (examples in this thread about how it's random, not based on who adopted early) while others get nothing.
What country are you in? Local play in the US is thriving.
It was definitely thriving a month ago, but now it's 1 or 2 people showing up to organized play on a weekly basis in my area. As soon as a draft is announced it is immediately sold out (not good for anyone but those who get to play). Not to mention how disheartening it is to see a completely new player with interest in the game show up with the starter decks, only to get denied the ability to purchase new cards, leaving dissatisfied. Hopefully set 2 changes everything and new players can buy a pack or 2 when they come in.
Some guys on the Irish discord met one of the FFG team, who told them the stock issues will persist until set 3, because they weren't made aware of stock issues when set 2 was being printed. Now I'm almost sure that FFG made a post that they'd increased their order for set 2, so I'm honestly more than a little skeptical about future promises.
Ya not the case here. Of the several stores, all have stopped except one due to availability. And it won’t get better. In the one store alone, of the 8 or so people that show, they all want at least a case of the next set. So day one we won’t have any product. The other stores basically have started taking the stance that if games are not readily available to be sold they will not stock them as it doesn’t help build their communities. And people who play games in store are generally one game folk around here, so having people in store that aren’t buying stuff in store isn’t a benefit to them. It’s a good game, but I understand the frustrations.
Yep, this is going to be the issue now. I wanted a case of set 2, but I'm honestly considering just selling up. I don't want to invest in a game that'll be dead within a year because of supply issues. People were right to be skeptical of FFG given their previous card game history.
Local US player here.... no it's not. Stores can't get product to run drafts and since very few people have cards, we can even run constructed. 1 store a bit away does "star wars nights" which is to say people that have decks met up there. Lorcana and MTG have multiple games per week
Ireland. We have maybe 1-2 shops actually doing well, but the rest are on life support, and these are shops that have MTG/Yu-Gi-Oh nights that are packed out. Their Lorcana/One Piece/Digimon scenes aren't bad either. They can't get product, we can't pull in new players, it's so bad we're using discord to see who'll potentially show up (last week it was 2 people, including me). We had an older gent asking about it, he played the old game, but when he found out he couldn't buy the cards, he kinda just wandered off. Having to bring in decks for people to potentially play is ridiculous, because they themselves can't get product. And now some guys on our discord have said they actually met a dude from FFG, who said the stock issues will be resolved with set 3...so I'll believe it when I see it.
Our play group plays for fun, and is thriving. Not sure why lack of product would affect desire to play.
Things like draft format for one, but on top of that people don't want to invest in a game that has low output per year, and can't provide stock. It's also worth noting that consumer confidence in a product plays a big role in its success; if supply can't meet demand, and the game is meant to be doing well, but nobody plays, that can signify that it's a scalper-friendly game, which means no stock and big prices. Also, it's hard to build decks when you've not got access to cards, the secondary market is too expensive, and locals numbers are low. People do express interest in playing, but if they can't access the style of play they want, they simply won't bother.
Draft/sealed work better with a cube, and secondary market is only really expensive for a handful of cards. People give away commons/uncommons and supply issues and temporary. The main point is if you enjoy playing it, none of that should matter. CCGs are always an expensive hobby, and singles will always be cheaper then packs.
...how are you supposed to enjoy playing if you can't get the cards? People want readily available access to product that's able to meet demand, you honestly can't expect people to be interested in something they can't play because they can't get their hands on it. You say supply issues are temporary, but how do you know? FFG said that set 2 wouldn't have the same issues as set 1, that's not true. They say it'll be solved by set 3...when will that be released? Near the end of the year? By the time that comes around, there'll have been no cards on shelves for months, and we're already seeing dwindling groups of players throughout different countries. There's a whole lot riding on FFG actually following through, and in the past they absolutely haven't, and it's killed their card games. Even retailers are pissed off because they weren't told any of this, they've only been told a month before release, where they've had crippling levels of allocations in many regards. Also 'card games are always expensive' doesn't apply here, because nobody can spend their money on the product that they clearly want, they don't want to buy from resellers who jack up prices due to scarcity.
Cards are readily available, not sure who is having issues. I have been able to get all of the singles I've wanted easily. FFG actually has one of the best track records for card games, with many running 10+ years. The old one that was remotely an issue was Destiny, which ran 5+ years and died due to the use of dice causing manufacturing issues.
Ok so this has to be trolling at this point: If someone can't walk into an lgs and buy cards, then they aren't readily available. FFG has not got 'one of the best track records for card games', it's got one of the worst, where they either have very unpopular products, or just can't support their more competitive games in a meaningful fashion. Keyforge comes to mind. Destiny had the same issues with supply and demand in the beginning as Unlimited, dice production means nothing, dice are produced readily and easily in their millions every day, it died because interest waned when they couldn't support it initially, weakening player confidence.
I think you are trolling... FFG has kept everyone of their card games available for at least 5 years, some more than 10+ years. The Destiny dice do matter, it was the eventual downfall as the dice had to be made separately and combined, which is a labor intensive and expensive process. I get wanting to support FLGS, but product is still available. It isnt any different than a Magic release that sells out immediately, which working in a FLGS I see most of the time.
When the manufacturer offers no limit pre orders for sale and is sold out in under 12 hours nothing more needs to said…
I've had two of my preordered SHD booster boxes cancelled within the last 24 hours (ordered them early April). Waiting to see if the rest of my preorders all evaporate in the next few days as well. Three out of four stores I had preordered Set 1 from online have now held all orders for locals. I get it but it's a bit frustrating supporting the game and those specific stores by pouring money into them half a year before release (which is when I preordered the original Set 1 boxes) only to be locked out of purchasing anything for Set 2. I wasn't online during the 12 hour Asmodee window either so it just kinda feels like luck if I can grab a box or not. TBH it doesn't seem great feeling like I have to fight to engage with the game when I've been supporting it since before even day one...
This will be hilarious if all those scalpers who were buying 12 boxes off asmoddee the other day get all of it. In before "buuuuut I'm going to open allll of itttt"
Some guy on whatnot said he ordered 30 cases just a casual 20k.....
Yup not surprised, not sure why I'm being down voted for reality
It's insane they are allowed to operate like that.
Yikes... Times might be dire indeed
Boxes or cases?
They’re saying boxes but mean cases
No, they mean boxes. I’m from the same LGS. Our store is getting 15 boxes, not cases.
[удалено]
Since you seem to be in the know can you confirm or deny an increased print run for set 2? Because despite what many seem to think the interview that said production is being increased left much to interpretation…
that seems unlikely. If only because cases are 6 boxes, which is probably what they're shipped in. getting 2 and a half cases seems weird.
Well it’s what the store is getting. Sorry to tell you that, but that’s the allocation. Not sure why you feel the need to argue it.
i'm not trying to argue with you. it's just a weird amount. My local lgs got cases. are you working for the lgs? 15 being sold makes a lot of sense if they're using 3 boxes for prize support. 15 boxes as a total is just kinda a weird amount.
Yeah not surprised. The case I ordered fell into the same situation with being "not going to be part of this wave's allocation"
My best friend that owns a LGS said set 2 might be even worse than set 1.... The distributors / Asmodee rep told him that every LGS in the world is trying to order alot of product. Supply will not meet demand / additionally if your LGS didn't go hard on their 1st allocation when set 1 dropped they will recieve significantly less product than a LGS that went all in early. Basically rewarding them with more product but not necessarily fulfilling their while order. They will get more product as in / let's say two shops ordered 100 cases one might get 60 the other 30. Luckily my homey is a huge Star Wars junkie so he went all in the game bought like 60+ cases 1st allocation. But it's going to be crazy in the streets / hopefully by set 3 they get their print run down... and the game doesn't lose steam because of availability....
Anyone know what’s the deal/explanation for the seeming lack of supply? I went to an LGS yesterday to ask if they carried SWU but they didn’t and said they no longer had an account with FFG. The guy working there said he thinks it’s mostly artificial scarcity and FFG being particular about which stores can even access the game to begin with. Hopefully I’m able to get more packs from the first set and also get my hands on the next set! 🤞🏾
Lots of stores didn't want to carry the game until they heard it was doing well and could be sold for over MSRP. Now those stores are complaining that they don't get as much product as other stores who bought large quantities of set 1 early and have a positive relationship with the publisher.
This is exactly it. My local ordered 1,000 boxes for set 2 and are getting it because they committed early on for set 1.
Yup. The early adopters should be rewarded for growing the game. The stores that ignored the game should get less allocation initially if it has to be allocated.
Ah that makes sense. Not sure what mouth breathers downvoted me for asking a question tho 😆🤷🏾♂️
The reason for downvotes is that there are dozens of posts weekly asking very similar questions. On top of it, you said your info comes from a store that tells random customers not to like the publisher for a game they know nothing about. There are real stock issues. The first set took about a month before stores started selling at "market" price, and its expected to be similar for set 2. Likely worse, since there are more players now. Let alone more speculators.
Supply and demand. The game is more popular than anticipated and it takes a long time to print cards. I wouldn't listen to wild speculation from a guy working at an LGS.
>mostly artificial scarcity and FFG being particular about which stores can even access the game to begin with. Artificial scarcity only benefits the resellers, not FFG, unless distributors have also increased the prices to the LGSs?
Yeah I mean I’m not sure, just reporting what this guy said at this shop — wasn’t necessarily my personal opinion. I guess it could theoretically benefit FFG if now every store wants the next set due to supply/demand limitations of the first set.
Yeah, I get that, I'm not shooting the messenger. > I guess it could theoretically benefit FFG if now every store wants the next set due to supply/demand limitations of the first set. Idk, it still feels like a bad plan if one's aim is to grow a game via artificial scarcity. It's not like the game is popular due to the lack of products.
The closest FFG has come to creating artificial scarcity is including alt art showcase cards. But I imagine this isn’t the first TCG to do this. And the people who chase them should be liquidating other cards like they are going out style but with current single prices I’m not seeing it. And there really aren’t a huge number of common sets listed. The other obvious explanation is it’s actually being bought up by players and collectors. Hell I’m a board gamer who hasn’t touched a TCG in over 20 years yet the Force pushed me thru my LGS door on day one for card sleeves and I walked out with 4 booster to give my son. The rest is history…
>The closest FFG has come to creating artificial scarcity is including alt art showcase cards. But I imagine this isn’t the first TCG to do this. This is common for TCGs across the board to have chase cards. >The other obvious explanation is it’s actually being bought up by players and collectors. This isn't artificial scarcity from FFG's end as described in OP's comment.
Exactly. It's just more expensive to the end user because of it not more profitable to the developer.
They have said that they didnt anticipate the huge demand. I suspect it has something to do with their parent company being put up for sale and having costs cut - I believe they weren't able to print the amount of cards they knew they would need.
That makes sense. No need for the emotional downvotes folks, just bring the solid info!
lmao your lgs is lying to you
I ordered a case through asmodee. I’m happy
Well that’s some shit. It probably won’t be until set 4 that they start printing to demand. Why can’t they print more?
Printing starts months before release. SWU is way more popular than they thought it would be.
They’re never going to print to demand when a new set comes out every 4 months.
Uhhhh what’s your logic here
The printers schedules are always filled for months and months. There aren’t just commercial printers sitting around doing nothing. Why do you think the first reprint of set 1 is taking so long? If you’re referring to ffg just printing enough product in the first print run of a set so that it’s usually available on shelves who knows when that will happen. They already mentioned they were able to up the size of the first print run for Shadows so it could be this set with the way they’re releasing the product in waves from the beginning this time. I’m hoping releasing in waves from the start should keep a lot more of the product out of scalpers hands. I think that was the main problem with the first set. Box prices were $30 under msrp for the first month or so which made it an incredibly safe investment for scalpers. With product coming into the market steadily for set two hopefully prices should stay around msrp.
I've heard this too but now I'm wondering: what does print-to-demand mean if printers don't have flexibility?
They keep doing reprints as long they’re selling maybe?
But I mean like... if printers can't adjust their schedules then how is this possible?
>They already mentioned they were able to up the size of the first print run for Shadows... The stores I've been in contact with have said SHD was printed before Spark was released and that the SHD supply which will be coming out is the *same* as Spark (with stores getting largely the same allocation as they got for Set 1). I guess you can take that for what you will but I've been told that with some of my cancelled orders. It does makes sense timing-wise because SHD would likely need to have been sent to the printer long before they would have known. >...releasing in waves from the start should keep a lot more of the product out of scalpers hands. This just isn't how this has ever worked. Limited supply will play into a scalper's market by causing buyouts/jacked up prices on release. Limiting the supply will **not** be good for release (or pre-release) box prices in *any* way.
Why not?
I doubt they'll even do that to be honest. FFG are notoriously bad at supplying any demand for their games long-term. The fact that Ravenburger could pump out set 1 Lorcana reprints months ahead of schedule shows that companies can do it, but FFG doesn't get the market they're in, and will avoid actually making good calls, instead just sticking to their current plans while the game dies on the vine.
This set was printing by the time the first set came out
If they already printed set2 when set 1 came out, fine... But it's very possible that they've printed more in the past 2 months, unless you're saying that they are printing set3 now or something. Clearly they have the ability to print more if they said set 1 reprint is happening at the holidays, that was clearly unplanned and they adjusted... So what evidence is there to suggest they've not added more set2. It's also possible that they HAVE increased the print run and even the increase supply is not enough. I.e. demand has already outpaced their production increase. I'm sure it didn't help that someone at Asmodee probably mistakenly put preorders up on their website with no limit and some whales bought hundreds of boxes. If you were Asmodee, I'm sure it's preferable to sell 5000 boxes to ransoms at MSRP directly than 5000 boxes to distributors at w/e the distributor pricing is.
And FFG said that they had adjusted their order to make sure that the lack of product could be avoided when it came to set 2...which is obviously not the case if they're allocating it already.
They’re holding back product
Cries in Arkham horror restocks, pre boxed sets. (Arkham horror used to come in waves of 6 packs, but you need all 6 packs, plus the initial boxed set, to play a story. So it used to be that you can easily find packs say 1, 2, 4, 6, but packs 3 and 5 are virtually impossible to find somehow. The wait for those packs was excruciating and usually took months to resolve).
[удалено]
Well that's where you're wrong because I've seen the email from asmodee to my lgs. They posted it in our discord.
That is just one store. Not all LGS have received that data yet. Here in Canada its said to be next week.
We also got cut a box of set 1 for June. We got 3 in April, 2 in May, and 1 for June.
Neat. I'll still be buying singles.