Flesh and Blood has been taking a proactive stance on growth, and nowhere is that more clear than in the Armory Deck line. These preconstructed CC decks aim to give new players a viable start within the scope of weekly events. But are those weekly events ready to put their best foot forward for new players?
Today, I want to address a problem that I have seen grow and change over the past five years, and offer my own advice on how to solve it. I don't claim to have a perfect solution, but it does have the advantage of being something that can be implemented at many levels: by players, by game shops, and even LSS themselves, should they choose to.
Flesh and Blood has a Casual Player Problem
Flesh and Blood is a difficult game; as you come on board, you must learn the basics of how to play, which then immediately continues on to learning how to play a hero, then learning how to play a hero well, and finally learning how to counter the other heroes you face. It's a complex and lengthy journey! That complexity is endearing, and in my opinion it shouldn't be made easier to accommodate those who do not want to experience the true depth of the game.
We don't have enough proper support for our casual players, as chasing the taste of victory can only take players so far. Flesh and Blood, as a game system, is inherently competitive; and while this is not in and of itself a problem, it has manifested itself as one due to a lack of attention to the sharp edges that develop when competitive games carry competitive stakes. I don't think that competition necessarily needs to be reduced in order for the game to cater to more casual audiences. Competition and casual play can, and do, coexist at the same events.
LSS themselves have acknowledged this problem, and I think most of us recognize it once we look around in an effort to see it. Flesh and Blood just doesn't cater to casual players in a positive and fulfilling way. To be clear, there are loads of casual players of Flesh and Blood, but they carve out spaces for themselves without dedicated attention paid to their needs; those who can't find their own fulfillment tend to fall off as their 0-3 Armory results pile up. Players and store representatives do the best we can to bridge this gap, but at the end of the day, something more is perhaps needed.
Formatting Error
It's not as though there are no casual formats. In fact, we've got a host of formats that attempt to dull the edges of optimized decklists and hard-won experience. Ultimate Pit Fight, Blitz, Sealed Deck, and even the upcoming First Strike decks offer variations on the standard FAB experience. But to encourage players to use these formats, LSS provides incentives. And that's where the purpose of a casual format gets lost.
Even when these are run as fun side events at Calling-level events and above, the prizing incentivizes competitive players to show up and play at the highest levels. When a $600+ lore book is on the line; when playing with the creator of the game is at stake; when Cold Foil Blaze is the prize - even the lightest side event is transformed into a battle arena that seasoned players roll up on.
Additionally, each time a casual event is built around a non-CC format, it requires players to build new decks. Suddenly, that prebuilt Armory deck isn't an option - and Blitz decks have never been built competitively. These formats may ban particular cards or rarities, limiting further the already limited collections of casual players.
This prizing issue isn't unique to the major events - places where you'd excuse a lack of casual gameplay options. These echo across the local Armory too, the lowest tier of organized play available. In July's kit, for example, we get cold foil copies of the Beckoning Mistblade - the go-to weapon for Nuu. As has always been the case, this is the only way to acquire the weapon in cold foil. But this time, it's also the only way to acquire a reversed image of the weapon - a minor aesthetic change that many players crave for dual-wielded weapons. Across the 4 weeks of prize support, there are 2 'standard' and 2 'reverse' - meaning at the end of the month, 2 players might have left- and right-handed playsets. This drives players to try hard to get their 2 Armory event wins before they've missed their chance - great for attendance, but terrible for anyone trying to foster a casual atmosphere.
The Social Play kits that LSS have created don't properly address the issue either, and in my opinion create a larger gap for casual players to cross. Look at the value of the Melody kit, or the Brevant kit, or whatever kit comes next. These “social play” kits have hundreds of dollars of value in them, ranging from casual side pieces like those for the Bard, up to competitive exclusives like the $100 rainbow foil Civic Steps.
Again, competition is not inherently a problem. It's baked into the game, and it's one of the reasons it's so appealing to so many players. I'd wager there are few players coming into this game who actively don't enjoy that it's competitive.
But when the stakes are so high, competition becomes the driver of the community - and for a game that espouses the virtue of 'getting together in the flesh and blood to play great games', community should never take a back seat.
A Solution of a Sorts
Armory kits are free for stores what support the game. These kits of cold foils and rainbow foils and playmats are provided to stores to support in-person events, community, and overall growth of the game. Keeping in line with this mission, I propose that Armory kits be distributed with no attention paid to players' tournament standings. The weekly cold foil prize - and monthly playmat - should go randomly to any player who sits down to play in the final round. This shift gives everyone a reason to play every round of the tournament, and not drop or split due to the breakdown of prizing. This also removes the bad feels that accumulate when casual players roll up to the lowest tier event - the Armory - only to receive an ass kicking. Locking content behind performance is a sure way to put blood in the water for competitive players - players that need no further incentive than the taste of victory. Winning is its own reward, and developing skills at your local Armory sets you up to play higher tier events, where the rewards now logically shift toward the top tables.
Flesh and Blood is still growing, still clawing its own way into the TCG space; this growth has to include space for casual players, or the game limits its growth severely. I think that Armories, being at the bottom step of the competitive pyramid in a game that is competitive at all levels, have the greatest opportunity to reach and appeal to casual players without turning its back on competitive players.
LSS has already stated they've been looking closely at Armory kits, and I can't wait to see what their 2025 changes will accomplish.
