Star Wars: Destiny pre-release events will be kicking off this weekend, and to that end, I thought it might be a good idea to discuss what to expect out of your store’s pre-release event. I’ve divided this article into three different sections: what to expect from your store, what to expect from other players, and what to expect from yourself.

What to Expect from Your Store

Each store that acquired a pre-release kit will be receiving a small amount of product – 12 Rey Starter Sets, 12 Kylo Starter Sets, 24 Rey deck boxes, 24 Rey alternate art cards (in Aurebesh), 24 Rey Art Prints, and 4 boxes of booster packs (each with 36 packs). By design, each person who purchases a starter set will receive one each of the promotional Rey items and the option to purchase booster packs. Please be aware that this product is going to be highly sought after and limited in nature so it’s very likely that stores will be limiting each customer to one starter pack and six boosters. Moreover, it is very possible that these items will sell out during the pre-release events. If your store has an option to pre-register, I would recommend doing so.

The purpose of this pre-release event is not necessarily to encourage organized play. As most players will not yet have a good grasp on the game nor sufficient access to enough product to make thoughtful, complete decks, you should not expect a tournament for your pre-release event. Likewise, Star Wars: Destiny has not yet had an official draft variant created. The random distribution of dice (and characters) make drafting a little tricky for this game, and while it may someday be a part of competitive play, you should probably not expect to see it during your store’s pre-release. Instead, expect to take part in demo games and friendly, casual learning games with others who attend.

Lastly, if you’re lucky, your store may have some other ideas in mind for your pre-release. Perhaps they’ll have a charity raffle for other Star Wars product, provide Star Wars themed snacks or beverages, play the movie soundtracks over the speakers, or even just have Star Wars memorabilia and decorations set up for the sake of theme. All of these will, of course, be highly variable by store, and you should temper your expectations based on what your store generally does for these types of events.

What to Expect from your Peers

Despite the social nature of gaming, I have found that gamers tend to be a bit trepidatious sometimes about approaching strangers, even in game stores. However, you should recognize that everyone who shows up to this event is as eager to get product and start playing Star Wars: Destiny as you are. That said, not everyone may be as knowledgeable about the game as you. In fact, many players who show up will have probably never played the game before, much less followed the constant stream of spoilers online or spent hours sifting through forums, podcasts, and strategy blogs. In other words, you should expect that your fellow players may show up as both novices and people who may not feel comfortable approaching other new players to sit down and figure out the game. Conversely, you’ll find a handful of very knowledgeable people as well. I’m excited that Tiny Grimes (@tinygrimesgames) will be attending my store’s pre-release event in fact! Many of these players have played the game before (either by demoing in person or using spoiled cards on TableTop Simulator) and/or have spent hours sifting through forums, podcasts, and strategy blogs. This means that whether you’re looking for a basic game using only the starter cards or you’re ready to try your hand at a full game, there should be someone there to play with you. So, in other words, show up prepared to both help out more novice players who are seeing the game for the first time as well as learn from more experienced players that can help you start to piece together your Starter cards and boosters into a full deck.

What to Expect From Yourself

Well, first, obviously, have fun! Make sure that you’re taking enough cash to at least purchase the starter and get your free promotional items. Star Wars: Destiny offers a great opportunity to try the game for a minimal investment. The starter decks are legitimately fun (albeit not entirely well balanced against one another perhaps), and you’ll know whether or not you want to invest more after you get a chance to play them. You may want to take additional cash for other products as well. Your store should have some of FFG’s beautiful art sleeves in stock (there are new Rey and Kylo ones to go along with the Destiny starter sets) as well as playmats and boosters. There is, of course, no need to purchase any of these items if you don’t want to, but they’ll probably be available if you’re interested.

Next, approach others at the event! Open starters together; open packs together, and start playing the game! Star Wars: Destiny is a collectible game, and even though no one will have a ton of product to work with, you can already start trading cards and putting together 30 card/30 point decks. If you go with a friend, that’s great, but reach out to other new players as well so that you can start building a network and community for this game (or discover that one already exists and join it). Also, be aware that there is an official multiplayer variant in the rules for Destiny that plays essentially just like the two player version, so don’t be afraid to join a group of three or four and all figure out the game together. Who cares if there’s two different Reys and Finns battling it out against two Kylos and a sea of Stormtroopers?

Finally, if you’d like to know how the game works before you arrive, then I recommend watching the excellent Team Covenant Demo video from Gen Con. You might even want to play a starter game using the starter decks available on the TableTop Simulator mod for Star Wars: Destiny. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you already have the base rules down, but even if you don’t, and you don’t have time to read them before the pre-release, there will almost certainly be someone available to teach you at the event. So don’t be afraid to show up as a pure novice; you won’t be the only one.

In case you missed it, visit Fantasy Flight Games for the Official Launch Party Announcement.

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