Scott Proulx of Double Midnight Comics in
After reading Steve Olsen's comment, I was relieved. I thought I was the only one who was upset about this system this week. We missed out on a Yu-Gi-Oh! 'Preview' event just down the street from my shop where I also run an annual comic show! I had no knowledge this was going on until only a third of my regular Yu-Gi-Oh! players showed. When I asked what was going on, the other players said they really weren't interested/didn't have the money to go to the preview event.
We are the only shop in the city that holds tournaments and we didn't even get a call, e-mail or smoke signals. I called Upper Deck Entertainment, and the customer service rep told me that it would be impossible to let all the venues know about the events. (I went on their site and did a quick search for stores... it wasn't that difficult). I was then told to contact the Premier Tournament Organizers for events and that UDE was no longer taking applications for PTOs. I was also told that organizing these events are tough because of permits, advertising etc.; something I do three times a year with my comic shows (it's not that tough!) I am in talks with the PTO now to hopefully get more involved.
We also used to run pre-releases from HeroClix. Also a better system as it's done at the venue, not off site, and it kept venues on their toes to push the game on their own.
On a positive note, Alderac Entertainment Group's pre-release system is awesome. Eligibility is simple; you just order a kit from them and they throw in bonus stuff. This alone keeps me pushing Legend of the Five Rings (in addition to a very dedicated fan base.). If manufacturers went with this model, I think we'd all be happy.
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