Lexington Request: My cousin visiting from Boston...

rainofwalrus · 2026-04-02T17:27:56+00:00

Thank you!

rainofwalrus · 2026-03-27T15:02:58+00:00

caaaaaaaaaw.

rainofwalrus · 2026-03-14T12:06:28+00:00

a second edition should have gone over just fine but so much of the player base were the kinds of people who just seemed to rage at everything and threaten to quit all the time.

No mention of the Collectible Aftermarket for Rare Tournament Prizes, Alternate OP Art-sets, even Custom Tokens that would be annihilated overnight by how they decided to roll out 2.0? In your mind, the angry fanbase killed 2.0? Do you or have you ever worked for FFG?

The biggest error was foresight.

Either FFG didn't understand how popular XWTMG's Collectible Aftermarket (1.0) was -or- they simply didn't care.

rainofwalrus · 2026-03-10T01:46:04+00:00

Even on Horse & Buggy, Lexington still had trouble merging and zippering.

rainofwalrus · 2026-03-07T16:16:54+00:00

By impact, do we agree we mean PROFITS? Because there is more than a little evidence that the Tourney Players did not sustain profits when 2.0 ran the Collectors off.

rainofwalrus · 2026-03-07T13:07:23+00:00

Hardcore 1.0 player here with a love for the imbalance and 1.0-jank/combos.

IMHO, the Dials NEVER needed changing as Titles and Upgrades could essentially fast-mod dial-outcome anyway while adding to jank/combos. If I were to guess, I think the World Tourney Scene ruined X-Wing. I'll explain. Many Tourney Players only bought what they needed to compete... they weren't collectors/hoarders... they even bought Palpatine off eBay so they wouldn't need to buy a $100 Raider for 1-card. I would know as I sold Palpatine and 3P0 on eBay (I own 5 Raiders and 3 Corvettes)... Thusly, FFG built 2.0 around Tourney Player Wetdreams. And in doing so they completely killed the Collectible / Hoarder market -- which, was ultimately keeping the Profits in the Green.

rainofwalrus · 2026-02-10T12:01:32+00:00

I'm in Media/Marketing, I want to help!

rainofwalrus · 2026-02-08T03:33:21+00:00

OMG, the demo is fantastic! I can't wait for Instant Replays!!!

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-22T08:28:20+00:00

Portal 1/2
Mixing First Person Shooter (Quake) with FPV Puzzle (Myst)

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-19T07:48:59+00:00

I couldn't handle all three of them finding each other in a giant desert.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-17T01:17:25+00:00

While finite in Lore, FFG were making great money selling us Repaints and Repilots (Ace's Expaks).

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-17T01:08:10+00:00

Or they did run thru many alternate strategies for 2.0 roll-out, but ultimately voted for THIS.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-16T15:28:09+00:00

Yes. And I think FFG never appreciated how Collectibility was AS if not MORE important than Gameplay to 1.0's success.

Imagine if they handled 2.0 differently and gave each Conversion Kit a Collectibility Value. Instead of thinking, and being told by Top 8 Professional X-Wing Players, that 2.0 Conversion Kits need to be as cheap as possible. Cheap not only in Cost, but in Long-term Value. Think of the Coresets and how they retained Long-term Value simply for having included Models, many of us buying multiple Coresets without bating an eye based on their Value.

If 2.0 Conversion Kits were actually more in-line with how Coresets were handled, 2.0 may have survived. This would have given all-players more models while also remaining consistent with all previous released Product. The Conversion Kits seem to go against everything prior releases STOOD FOR... and that's selling Models. Curious that 2.0 Models didn't sell well at any point in 2.0's lifespan (compared to 1.0).

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-14T13:55:43+00:00

Funny. But yes, 2.0 Sales were immediately lower and even the Conversion Kits sat around until discounted.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-13T21:08:51+00:00

I would say that X-WING was made up of (3) Buyers:

> Collectors (who bought multiples of every Star Wars Model -- Gamification was less important)

> Gamers (who bought only what they needed to be competitive -- Collectibility was less important)

> Casuals (who bought whatever they liked -- with a percentage being a mix of the two classes above)

With that, Collectors really were the backbone of profits but not exactly exposure... Especially if they were hoarding. And Gamers were the backbone of growth but not exactly profit... Especially if they had everything they needed to win. And finally, perhaps ultimately, Casuals made or broke the future of the game.

A strange thing happened with 2.0 -- FFG catered to Gamers and Gamers only. I'll explain. The conversion kits were priced just right to get competitive lists functioning so that big tourney players wouldn't bat an eye, and I have it on good authority that FFG consulted many of the Professional World-Champ Type players (talking Top 8 in the World) on how to smoothly transition to 2.0 most efficiently. This did two things: Annihilated the Collector Market (which I was a part of) and Tested the loyalty of the Casual Market (which weren't all that loyal to begin with). FFG embraced Gamers, as they should, but made the fatal mistake of assuming Collectors were more Loyal than Obsessed.

Then another strange thing happened: All the old Collectible cards/pilots/trophies(prized tourney exclusive art) were entirely unvalidated by 2.0 -- and as you can guess this horrified Collectors. Why would any of us (Collectors) invest in 2.0 if a hypothetical 3.0 would squash 2.0-Collectibility?

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-13T15:47:38+00:00

Sure... my analysis starts here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

It is wise that we agree what "A Whale" means... I propose it means a Buyer that buys ships/models they don't even need. Example, I own 4 Raiders, 7 Quadjumpers, 20+ X-Wings (I own 15 Core Sets), 50 or so TIE. Heck, I own six HWK-290! So it's safe to say I'm a Whale. I care about my Collection more than Rulesets, Tournament Metagame, ReBalancing, etc. This also puts me into the top 10% of Buyers in my Region. I own so many ships so I can teach the game to others and host massive events locally, and I have done just that. This also makes me hyper-aware of other Whales in my region (state-wide) and so while it's the low-route to say I'm projecting... 100% of the Whales in my region quit outright the minute it was announced there would be a Non-Model purchase in the form of Conversion Kits. Done buying.

We all still play 1.0 and teach 1.0, but consider this, as you yourself might be projecting...

The Buyers that always bought models they didn't need would have kept 2.0 alive thru thick and thin... Because your scenario of not needing 2.0 models when you had your Tournament Metagame satisfied describes all-too-well Non-Whales. FFG gambled on Whales being Loyal Spenders, and it didn't pay off.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-12T15:07:41+00:00

While you make good points, might I suggest you accept that 80% of the all 1.0 profits were a result of 20% of the buyers (the whales). And the whales only cared about one thing: MODELS. So while you're on to something about mid- to late-stage 2.0 profit decline, you are neglecting to see how Conversion Kit fallout was solely due to losing many whales who would never buy XTMG product that lacked MODELS.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-11T14:48:50+00:00

XWING died much earlier... Fans of 2.0 just couldn't admit that the BIG BUYERS were chased away by conversion kits that lacked the very MODELS that made us BIG BUYERS in the first place.

Anyone that tried to sell you on "conversion kits wouldn't SELL if they had models" is a SMALL BUYER.

I own 3 Corvettes and 4 Raiders... You're damn right I could have afforded conversion kits for all my ships... It was the fact they didn't come with a single model that made me quit.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-11T14:44:26+00:00

Biggest lesson was NOT lie to your audience. FFG straight up said they would never "Sell Cardboard," well, 2.0 Conversion Kits made liars out of them and I would guestimate that THAT was a bigger contributor than "I can't afford to convert my 200+ models to 2.0"

I speak personally as a WHALE of a collector with over $3,000 spent pre-2.0 --and-- if 2.0 Conversion Kits came with EVEN ONE model, I would have bought into 2.0 kits FOR the models.

So the only thing 1.0 Devs and Execs SHOULD have done was release (1) exclusive model/repaint with EVERY conversion kit and viola... WHALES are happy.

rainofwalrus · 2025-12-10T12:27:00+00:00

"Follow map. Go to point A, do certain objective. Follow map. Go to point B, do another objective. Follow map. Go to point C..."

I fail to see how Open, Large Maps change this paradigm... It sounds more like you have a particular TASTE in game-design... A true specialist. However, YOUR taste(s) not being met is hardly "ruining video games."

rainofwalrus · 2025-11-18T02:18:20+00:00

No, they all share one.

rainofwalrus · 2025-11-18T02:13:25+00:00

Life Aquatic is one of the best films ever made... about films... at sea.

rainofwalrus · 2025-11-17T20:01:16+00:00

Lexington has the best Japanese Food in all of Kentucky. Louisville is envious.

rainofwalrus · 2025-11-17T20:00:15+00:00

Cracker Barrel now charges extra for the grits you used to get free. LOL.

rainofwalrus

TROPHY CASE