Decipher’s “TCG Challenge” Proves to be a Huge Success at Summer Conventions!
Press Release from Decipher: (Norfolk, VA, September 3, 2002)—During the summer convention season, Decipher introduced hundreds of people to its The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Game by challenging gamers and non-gamers alike to come to the Decipher booth and learn to play with one of Decipher’s product champions. Over 1,900 people took the “TCG Challenge” at Wizard World, Origins, Comic-Con International, Gen Con, and Gen Con UK—and with amazing results.
From hard-core gamers to suburban soccer moms, convention-goers eagerly approached the Decipher booth to take the challenge. With lines approaching a thirty-minute wait at times, demo-ees anticipated their turn to put the game to the test—knowing that if they liked the game, they would walk away with a free starter deck of The Lord of the Rings™ TCG and, if they didn’t, they would walk away with a booster pack from the competition (Magic: The Gathering, Dragon Ball-Z, Legend of the Five Rings). Overall, there was a resounding outcry for starter decks of The Lord of the Rings™ TCG. With 1,928 total demonstrations taking place over the course of the five conventions, 1,882 starter decks of The Lord of the Rings™ TCG were given out compared to only 46 booster packs of the competition.
At Wizard World in Chicago, 108 demonstrations took place, with 104 starter decks given out compared to three boosters of Magic and only one booster of Dragon Ball-Z.
Demonstrations at Origins totaled 424, with 413 starter decks chosen compared to eight boosters of Magic, two boosters of Dragon Ball-Z, and one booster of Legend of the Five Rings. Comic-Con International was the first time that lines started to form for demonstrations. Product champions were swarmed over the course of the four days as they did 493 demos, with 481 people choosing a starter deck, 10 choosing boosters of Magic, and two choosing boosters of Dragon Ball-Z. Gen Con in Milwaukee saw the demo tables surrounded by congregations of people as 692 demonstrations took place. Of those, 681 demo-ees selected a free starter deck while nine chose Magic and two chose Legend of the Five Rings. At Gen Con UK, 211 demonstrations were given by product champions, with 203 attendees choosing a starter deck and only eight choosing boosters of Magic.
Overall, the TCG Challenge was a great success in getting The Lord of the Rings™ TCG into the hands of people new to the world of trading card games as well as intriguing true gamers enough to try a new game. An added perk for fans of The Lord of the Rings™ was a Shire or Eye of Sauron stamp on their convention badges that identified them as having completed the TCG Challenge.
