FAB with the Family

Hi! I’m Guzel. I’m not a top tier player as you'll often find featured here. I’m just a dad who loves FAB so damn much - nearly as much as I love my sons (9 and 7). We are blessed to be featured in the BH Kuala Lumpur page as the family from Indonesia that travels to our neighbouring country of Malaysia to play FAB.

Ever since I stumbled upon and followed Dana Fischer’s journey, it’s been a dream, an obsession even, to bring my kids to compete in an event outside our national border. As I’ve now completed one of my life’s quests, allow me to share the whys, hows, and some tips for aspiring FABparents.

It started when I was in a limbo, one foot out from MTG due to many reasons I’m sure some of you can relate to circa 2021. My sons were 7 and 5, and they were already proficient at playing Magic and Pokemon. I found Flesh and Blood through happenstance, waiting for Friday Night Magic to start, and got hooked instantly. I was especially ensnared by the mechanics and the decision tree each turn.

I went around to 4 or 5 local game stores in my hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia, checking the scene and community out first while also learning different heroes and classes. I attended Armories and even a Skirmish (got duly destroyed) for 3-4 months before introducing the game to my sons.

I started them early with board games at 6 and 4, agreeing with the missus that offline tabletop activities are crucial to combat screen dependencies and serve as an easier way for them to learn English, be sociable, negotiate, take risks, and practice critical thinking. (Learning English is not to be underestimated coming from a third world country!) We were all in, filling up our storage shelves swiftly and enjoying board game nights (with some TCGs in between) whenever we can. And we quickly saw the positive effect that we'd hoped for, especially when their school teachers commented on how the boys are not gadget addicts and a tad ahead of the curve on social aptitude. In a generation where children are expected to be digital natives, starting them off the grid was our path.

Porting their board games and TCG knowledge to FAB was the easy part. A couple of demos using commoner decks that were given out by the community and they had the game locked down. They were also keen on the fantasy RPG-like art, smooth sailing from the get-go.

I regularly check their engagement and level of excitement - I don’t want them to play just because dad plays, but genuinely because they enjoy the game as much as I do. I knew FAB was for them when, during rec time, they were inventing heroes and drawing equipment with logical (not too OP, not unplayable) mechanics and wacky names!

One of the biggest fears in the beginning were assimilating them to the grind of Organized Play. Sure, we start from Armories, but how will they act? Are they ready to play semi-competitively? (The cold foils do bring out the competitiveness of people.) Will they get bored and/or tired? How will the other players react? Will they be welcoming, or sees them as an easy pairing? And does their mere presence affect my personal enjoyment of playing?

First of all, they were able to cope seamlessly due to the welcoming community. The first month of Armories was noticeably slower paced as the community patiently waiting for my kids to shuffle, read, and play the cards. The boys were not bored nor acted out - they had genuine fun.

Granted, I saw a pattern that during CC armories they were maxed out at 2 rounds, while Blitz, Commoner, and Limited events were more enjoyable for them as it was faster per round and totality of the event. Thus, we are not keen on CC events beyond Tier 1 - something that should also be considered for aspiring FABparents.

My personal relation to and enjoyment of the game skyrocketed; their presence and happiness made my experience better. Having a scheduled family activity brought us closer. Their passion for the game keeps me on my toes as, objectively, they are already getting better by the day, and keep asking for more decks and cards to be tried and played.

Playing by myself the first few months, I started with a Ninja deck. Katsu for CC, Ira for Blitz. As someone was selling a complete Ninja package (Mask of Momentum included), it was easy to maintain and update my collection.

Adding 2 more heads to play meant I needed to branch out to other classes and heroes. So for the past 18 months, I've scoured Facebook marketplaces from various FAB groups around the APAC region to find deals on decks and singles. Now we've settled on 5 classes. First were Ninja, Guardian, Wizard, and Warrior (I’m a Dori simp, sorry not sorry). And then along came Arakni.

My youngest fell in love at first sight, didn’t care what the ability was, cards were not even spoiled and already he was sold. Hence 5 classes that we manage and play among 3 of us.

The need to have 3 viable decks at any given time means that you need more than a playset of some generic staples. It means 9 red Sink Belows (understandable) and 9 Command and Conquers (yikes). That’s on top of generic equipments like Fyendal's Spring Tunic and Crown of Providence, which I have a couple each.

So yes, it will be quite an investment, but can be patient and reap dividends in the long run. I will let my kids choose what hero they want to play and I will play what class is left.

Storage was also not much of a burden as I just replaced my MTG space with FAB - but still my wife will find a way to sneak in some backhanded comment every time I buy something!

The hard(er) part was convincing my wife why I should bring my elementary student kids to Armories 2-3 times each week. The Armories on the weekends are an even tougher sell, as the family responsibilities of a sandwich generation demands much of us on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday to Friday is fair game, but with caveats.

I always communicate tournament and event schedules to my wife the day the information drops, double checking with the kids’ school and my work schedule. For example, going to Battle Hardened: Kuala Lumpur was meticulously planned the first week the date was announced. Hotels, flights, and work leave was done the week afterwards.

Catering the itinerary to suit her is also key, as FAB will take a maximum 1-2 days. Wrapping the schedule with places and activities that she approves (shopping, sightseeing, etc.) are important.

So it is always months in advance of scheduling for pre-releases, Skirmishes, RtNs, etc. While for Armories, I always give her a heads up every Sunday what 2-3 (sometimes 4) stores we'll be going to the following week. Getting your significant other on board to traverse this journey is usually the last - but certainly not least - step.

We are stoked that the game is ever-growing, especially in our South East Asia region, with tremendous community growth that I’m blessed to be able to witness firsthand. I'm blessed that my 9 to 5 takes me abroad, and so I can check out local game shops in my downtime. We are aiming to go to more tourneys and interact more with the amazing community. Do follow our journey on our new socials @thefabfamfun. Next stop: Calling Phuket!

FAB has been amazing and given me priceless family fun time with my sons. I'm hoping more FABparents emerge and can play together with us. Team Family Blitz anyone?