Uncharted Territory: Episode 6

[Vegas]

I listened to this show last night while playing and posting results for my LOW fed.

Although I sympathize and understand the desire of promoters to know the entire set rosters (for example I am eager to know who is the last card in this upcoming LOW set- I am guessing George Steele but I do not know that although I do know the 3 LOW Promoter Prime names,) the weekly announcements for multiple reasons is the correct format for revealing names. I know from working on many Indy sets that the initial rosters for sets are tentative and there have been changes made for a variety of reasons such as last-minute signings. For example, one of the CZW sets I did had a very last-minute addition of CCK after Tournament Master got ahold of Chris Brookes. Other examples, Travis Banks was not originally going to be in the Best of UK set, Effy was going to be in Promoter Prime Q2 for Pride Month but ended up being a replacement for someone in this year's Q2 Indy set, etc. Right now I am working on several Indy cards I have been assigned for 2021 but it is possible some of them might not get released until later in 2021 (2021 is going to be a great year for the Indy game!)

Just for the record though, it was said on this podcast that Ty and Zeke did a great job on the upcoming women's Indy set but I really did not do anything for this set other than sign Kylie Rae and Killer Kelly. Ty however definitely did a great job on it as I reviewed the stats during editing and I only had one editing suggestion that got approved for the back of two of the cards. However, I did do the stats for the upcoming poll winners in the Willie Mack update card and the Salina de la Renta (her art is smoking hot) manager card.

Looking forward to the next podcast!

[Chad Olson]

Dec 5, 2020 14:55:44 GMT -5 Sam Fain said:

Great episode, guys! I really enjoyed the conversation.

I tend to swap out the cards right away unless I have a storyline reason not to. New cards tend to come in quickly unless, again, I have a reason to hold off. I'm always just excited to have new cards, and this set will be no exception.

As for the way releases are announced... I think your podcast is actually representative of why things work the way they are. You guys got a message while recording that all names would be released before the sets were mailed. Now, of course, we know that's not the case. Minds change, plans change. I stayed fairly silent on the larger thread just because I happen to be in the know on certain set elements, but truth be told, just from a marketing perspective, the roll-out of names works really well. And holding a name or two back is not a bad thing. It generates curiosity, anticipation and can motivate more first-day/early orders to be in on the surprise when the sets begin to hit mailboxes. It can also be a powerful tool to sell after a set drops because now people have added incentive in a surprise name or two - it won't always work that way, but it's a safe bet that stragglers will be impressed by the "spoilers" when they hit the board or social media.

Being able to roll out a name every week on social media will generate far more interest and hits than dropping them all at once. It creates buzz, and it's the right way to do it. For longtime promoters, of course, we want all the names. I want all the names of everyone signed, much less those coming up in the next set, but as a way to entice first-time or lapsed buyers, don't underestimate the power of the slow, planned roll-out. Add to that that names may change up until the week or two before release... And, well, you have every reason you need to keep things the way they are rather than practice instant gratification.

I am REALLY looking forward to the Legends roundtable discussion about the HIllbilly Jim card. Absolutely the type of behind the scenes stuff I'm interested in. Keep up the excellent work, friends, and thanks!

Thank you Sam Fain for your kind comments! Things can be very fluid when planning out a set, with Solie and Manny not being included initially, which caused a domino effect with some people moving to Pro Prime, and others being moved to Pro Prime 2021. They'll all get released eventually, not to worry everybody!

I think the live recording of the Legends Team Meeting hashing out the set stats will be an interesting listen. It was business as usual, with less swearing on my part.

[Cory Olson]

Dec 5, 2020 15:48:27 GMT -5 Chad Olson said:

Dec 5, 2020 12:23:04 GMT -5 throwingtoasters said:

Another great episode, even if it was too short!

I play a mix of color and black & white.  If I only used color I'd have a tiny fed as I tend to only use guys I'm super interested in.  Luckily this set will bring a huge influx into my fed!

When I get the new set I will immediately swap out any b&w cards I use for color updates (Hillbilly Jim, Koko B. Ware, Muraco, Fuji, Albano).  I don't tend to need a reason to make the swap.  New versions is enough of a reason!

As for the non-update, I'll slowly bring them in.  I try to find a good time store-wise to bring them so I take my time.  There's a ton of released cards I haven't brought in yet (Savage, Windham, Jimmy Hart(!)).

Ironically, the one card I'll probably use for right away is Gordon Solie. I've been using Bill Apter since the start of my fed but he recently had his set destroyed by Piper so I could introduce Piper's Pit.  I may have Apter retire and, depending on his stats, bring Solie in to run opposite Piper's Pit.

I think I'll also fast track POWERS OF PAIN as the ROAD WARRIORS have recently disappeared from my fed after a string of embarrassing losses.  Warlord and Barbarian will be more heel than the WARRIORS were.  Bulldogs will come in further down the road.

I'm about 5 cards from the end of my game year so, depending on how far I get before the set arrives, my ROOKIE BRAWL may be a good place to test out some of the new cards (Manny Fernandez).  But generally, I don't have a set time to bring people in. 

Thanks for the comments, throwingtoasters! I love the idea of Solie and Piper having dueling interview segments. Kind of a riff on their Georgia Championship Wrestling commentary tandem.

And you had another great episode last night! People, you need to watch Grant's Fans of Filsinger Games Podcast on Friday nights on YouTube and/or listen to it on iTunes. I subscribe to both!

I'll echo my brother's comments on Grant's podcast. I just finally listened for the first time a few weeks ago and it's now a regular in my podcast subscriptions. It's a great talk on various FG-related topics and you can tell Grant's passion for the game in his show. Check it out if you haven't!

[pikemojo]

Listened to this the other day. Another fun conversation. Love that you guys are doing some longer and some shorter conversations. I wish more podcasts would do this sort of thing. Joe Rogan doesn't need to be a 3 hour commitment every single time!!!