Buying old CCGs in bulk

Buceph

I may become employed in the next month or so, and that would mean I'm getting a paycheque. As such, I've spent the weekend looking at stuff I could buy. This stuff has been incredibly nerdy, because I am an incredible nerd. My first footsteps into nerddom was M:TG, and I've always had a softspot for CCGs. I don't like M:TG because the game is far too competitive, and it demands a lot of money to be spent on it continuously if you're to stay competitive. I know I could just play with friends on an ad-hoc basis, but when that's tried its inevitable the half the people end up going to every draft and maxing out their buying and deck building, and the social gaming aspect is ruined. (I figure I would be one of those people, too.) I'm also too old for Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon, never getting into the shows in a big way. And I despise WoW. So all the current CCGs are out for me.

Instead, I thought what if I played an older CCG. I stumbled across some bulk retailers who carry discontinued games a while back and they've stuck in the back of my head. I figure I could spend what I would normally spend on a CCG up front, and by a few starter decks for friends, and a couple of boxes of boosters to split between us. We buy a box of boosters each, take what we want, and trade the rest between us. Every so often we put all the cards back in a pile, and have at it again.

There are two problems with this;

1.) All the bulk/back catalogue sellers are based in America. If I'm going to get hit by big customs fees when I order, it will make this less appealing. What are your experiences with customs and boxes of cards and boosters? Are there any European businesses that do this kind of selling?

2.) What game should I get? Obviously these games have been out of print for a while, so I've been finding it hard to find discussions on their merits. And if I do find some reviews they're generally hardcore fans who are still holding on to "their game." From what research I've done, the Vampire/Jyhad game is meant to be good and looks interesting. Also looking good is the Eve Online CCG. Not looking as good (at least according to the reviews) is the Star Trek CCG (although it seems to have about 20 different editions) and the X-Files CCG as both would appeal to my inner fan.

So... Have any of you done something like this before and have advice? Which game would be worth making a go of it with?

mantys

I think you should try Call of Cthulhu LCG (living card game). The game stopped to be CCG and now there are asylum packs with all the cards. It means you don't need to spend a lot of money to get what you want, because all the packs have ALL the cards available. They are printed every two months I think and cost around 15 euro.
But, there is not much players here.

FutureGuy

Hey there,

There are 2 versions of Star Trek CCG by Decipher. The Second Edition is the current game. Although it's officially discontinued in 2007, the game is still being promoted on www.trekcc.org with proper organized play, new cards (which can be downloaded for free) and a worldwide community. So all new cards are free...thats a massive massive plus. And these cards are created and playtested by the same people who did it for Decipher so there is no dip in quality.

The boxes can be bought pretty cheaply online too and I can send you a shedload of stuff for you/friends for free if you can buy some starters online. PM me if interested.
If you pick up one of each of the following combo products (a display containing 8 starter decks and 24 boosters), you'd have 16 starter decks (each with 3 rares!), and 48 boosters. Granted, they are older sets and the game has moved on in terms of strategies since then, but for 40 euro plus postage, it's a superb deal.

http://www.potomacdist.com/detail.asp?itemid=st2cb
http://www.potomacdist.com/detail.asp?itemid=stcacb

If you have a few extra euro, the following are also superb for new players.

http://www.potomacdist.com/detail.asp?itemid=staaab

It's a great game with streamlined rules which are easy to understand. And if you are a fan, it "feels" like Star Trek. TNG Feds are diplomatic, DS9 Feds are darker, Borg assimilate, Dominion conquer, Romulans coerce, Cardassians capture and interrogate etc etc.

Regardless of what game you choose, enjoy!

Buceph

Hey FutureGuy,

I just looked at what you recommended and while cheap (a big plus) it would end up costing us almost $55 just for shipping of your two recommended box sets. That ends up being too costly for us to engage. And too costly for this whole endeavour at all. I looked at shipping when I first looked aat the site but didn't realise how expensive they were for such little weight.

Thanks for your time. I'd absolutely take the plunge if there was somewhere that could ship to Ireland for a reasonable amount, but even shipping from ebay (with a crappy selection) in England is £20. So the main objective of this exercise, a CCG for cheap, is just a non-runner with the costs.

FutureGuy

Hey man,
No problem. I really didn't know what budget you had or the number of interested friends you had. To be honest, just one of those combo packs would easily be enough for 8 players and I'd send you probably a similar amount of cards to augment the decks. If I can find some Borg and Dominion decks I'll throw them in too.

I've also put a callout for cheap product from the UK/Europe.

Buceph

Yeah, I appreciate that.

There's a guy sitting next to me who would absolutely be up for it if we could get in for a reasonable price (it's me doing the research and him nodding along.) There was a guy at our game last night who expressed interest. And there's another two in our gaming group who might play and contribute a bit if we had the cards ready to go. So maybe five people total (at least amongst the guys we play with once or twice a month)

If you find guys from the UK/Europe whose postage wouldn't be as much as the Americans (and no customs, big boon) and they'd be willing to sell us some stuff (depending on price) we'd really consider it.

At the moment magic is looking too expensive, just like the 40k and Warmachine wargames. So we're looking at those type of games (hobby games, and deck building games) that we can get more cheaply, and are just as good as their big player brothers. So really, our concern is to get something that's reasonably priced. If we wanted the big budget games where you can flop down cash to play we'd go with Magic of 40k, but we're not really looking for that. So really the cash consideration is utmost. We'd all absolutely love to be able to indulge in our gaming, but that's just not possible. (Something I know you'll appreciate.)

Thank you for taking the time on us, we'd love if this works out, and we will be genuinely disappointed if it doesn't. But that's the way things go. All that being said, if you want to give a demo at Gaelcon, I'd be up for that at the least.