[guymc]

I’ll toss my 2 cents in here as well. More than anything, I want to see a whole new generation of gamers brought to The Fantasy Trip. We old-timers know what a great entry point Melee and Wizard are for gamers. I want to see today’s new crop of potential players have the same kind of reaction I watched happen when Steve first put Melee into the hands of eager young (and old) people who found out how much fun boardgame battle and roleplaying romps can be.

The only way we are going to do this is by making the community as open and inviting as possible. If TFT ends up being just something that a handful of surviving members of First Fandom jealously guard, arguing over every little tweak and personal obsession that they’ve developed for 35 years — just a piece of nostalgia for the Geekiest among us — I’m going to feel like I failed.

(That’s me, gang. Guy McLimore, Game Curmudgeon. “You whippersnappers get off of my hexboard! I was pushing counters and rolling dice when y’all were still rolling on the floor of your nurseries, trying to figure out how to make your DX saving throw to get your grimy toes out of your mouth.”)

TFT has the potential to be the gateway game it always could have been. But to do that I am going to need every one of you grizzled veterans out there to entice in all the newbies you can if we’re going to make a go of this. You are our ambassadors.

The upcoming Kickstarter is, of course, aimed largely at the original fans and the people they have introduced to the game. But it is also the kick off for what we hope could be one of the biggest and most all-inclusive game systems ever marketed. There is the potential to have something for EVERYONE in the TFT family. And in the long run that’s going to mean we’ll have room to take the kind of deep dives that we all enjoy into our favorite games.

But not if we don’t grab a wide and varied audience first, with basic game packages that they can understand and that — more than anything — are instant fun to play.

So here is my challenge to you. Put aside any differences you have in approach and focus. Instead, look outward and use your long-honed skills to bring as many people as possible to TFT at a startup level. You’ve shown a collective enthusiasm that can do wonderful things. I’d love to see you turn that toward what we did in our youth — grabbing everyone who will hold still and showing them how easy and fun it is to get into TFT.

You each look at TFT as something personal and special to you. I get that, more than anyone does, I suppose. Steve created it, but we all feel some ownership by our long association with TFT through the lean years.

As I return to TFT I’ve been overwhelmed with the welcome I’ve received. We understand each other, because we have so much in common and so many emotional ties to the same thing. It feels so good to be among people who share my experiences.

But the most important thing we can do now is pass those experiences on and make TFT an attractive community of players. We’re enthusiasts, so join together and be enthusiastic! Let’s put our efforts into building TFT fever. That effort will result in us having a big community to share and grow with. All of us.