Highball said:

+1… If they are not on a standard annual cycle, they need to be clear about this further supporting the point.

Also, when I talked to customer service I thought they said they had 90 employees in at least 2 different buildings.  If this is correct (does anyone know?), this is not huge, but not small either. 

kaffis said:

kaffis said:

kaffis said:

See thats EXACTLY what we are being critical of.  Regardless of size…there is certainly room for them as a company to improve communication.  I feel as a company FFG would welcome this type of thread and use it as an opportunity to improve and see it simply as constructive criticism. 

I guess you could boil my issues down to once simple thing:  Perception.

FFG is clearly trying to present themselves to the consumer public as The "leading publisher"  The fact they have so many big licenses,especially the indusrty juggernaut that Star Wars is…to me, demands a higher level of quality and customer service.  With that said, the game looks amazing, its why I pre-ordered my first FFG product.  I also feel that if they do continue to handle things like this, which in my opinion is a shoestring and amateurish, then the games longevity given LFL's expectations of how their IP is handled, is in serious jeopardy.  Also, since El_Tonio took the initiative I also planning to send a letter to LFL and FFG to express my opinion and hope this is not how every release will be handled in the future and urge anyone else new to FFG to do the same or at least fully explain your disappointment in this thread. I also urge FFG to look at how they handle releases and see if they feel they can as a company make improvements to the communication and expectations of their consumers.

Again, this is all coming from me as a first impression. I DO hope that impression changes.  I see no reason for a official "fan" forum.  They want to be seen as the leaders in their industry…they should welcome forum criticism and actually have a presence in their own forums.  It is good they answer emails, but is it THAT hard for them to have someone watch the forums  and open a dialog? Is it that hard to award longtime fans and forum members some moderation with a direct line to the company to speak on behalf of them?  I know for a fact other small companies use this in their forums ot great success. Until they address some of these criticism, its hard to take them seriously.  

While I agree that FFG communication has been lackluster, I don't think we need to go crying to LFL just yet.  They do have what seems to be a spectacular thing going here, and it would be a terrible shame to jeopardize that because we're impatient about getting it (me just as much as any of us).

 It is certainly not my intention to "ruin" anything.  If fans/consumers are unhappy LFL should know.  I mean…..this IS Star Wars we are talking about.  One of the largest if not the largest license in the world. 

FFG is showing a lower level of customer service than the last license holder, Wizards of the Coast ever has in my opinion.  Which is really the basis of my criticism.  Again…this is Star Wars…this is the big boys realm of licensing.  Trust me it will be FFG that will jeopardize the longevity of this game, not any of us that feel let down by their communication.  Which quite frankly should be much higher given the status in the consumer world of the Star Wars brand.  I certainly feel LFL would feel this way.  

Let's just say this isn't the first Star Wars star ship based collectible game I have taken an interest in…and lets also say none of them have ended well.  All were prematurely ended.  I just want FFG to know where they can improve because I am coming to this product as a Star Wars fan, not a Fantasy Flight fan and as this thread already suggests I am not alone in my expectaions for the Star Wars brand being handled better.

I get the reason for contacting FFG, you want better communication from them.  I may disagree with the amount of ire you've shown because really this release schedule is normal for this type of product, but I get you want more communication so you communicate with them.

But writing a letter to LFL is to accomplish what?  To have LFL pressure FFG?  I'm sorry but nothing in this release cycle at all calls for that reaction.

Floating release dates are pretty standard as far as this industry goes.  Generally the game has to see a general release before rules questions are really going to get answered, which FFG typically does in FAQ not in direct forum interaction.

FFG typically puts out superior products.

My experience is the development and sustaining teams do get more involved once the product has been fully released.

Keep in mind that only the copies sold at the GenCon were truly in circulation until this week. They may not want to spend their time answering questions until more people get to experience the game. Then if the problem is persistent, the company will spend it resources to address the problem at hand.

In the end release dates slip every year. It’s not just a FFG issue. Take at look at your PC and Console games for example.
Does is make us gamers go crazy when a game keeps getting push back? YES
But would you rather have a game that received more polishing, better production run for availability and quality, or the multiple other reasons any item slips its initial launch date? I would argue that people would be 5x more irritated if they received a poorly developed and built game back in April/May/June Q2 timeframe.
 

Maybe someone at FFG has managed to check the forums after all and added the sub-forums that some have been begging for for a while including a RULES QUESTIONS bit.  Maybe now the two week old discussion about barrel rolls and expert handling or whatever can finally be officially answered.  I can understand from a supplier point of view that at busy times it might be difficult to nail down certain demands of the customers.

BUT

The apparent lack of consideration by FFG to even update their own shipping schedule, nevermind answering any one of the many queries they must have received regarding the two week long rule debate leads me, and no doubt other customers, to think that this company does not even care about this particular license, product or the people left hanging for information.

As customers we have a right to complain, bitch, moan and whine when there is no communication from the supplier.

My suggestion that the FFG staff have taken a well earned break in a tropical paradise using the influx of monies from convention sales and online suppliers seems to have rattled a few cages of FFG fans and for that I apologise.  Maybe the preference is that they were sent to work painting all the models for Xwing in some windowless warehouse in Sheffield with only a 15 minute break per day and bread & water for sustenance.  I couldn't hazard any further guess.  Besides it looks like they have all returned with a nice fat wallet threatening preview and additional forum goodness.

I am nothing if not patient, waiting for UK public transport for most of my life taught me that, and I know that one day, hopefully before xmas, I will get this game but FFG as the alleged 'leading boardgame publisher' certainly could have handled the release better.

Nalydd said:

Sure you do, but only if you bother to send your questions to the developers through the proper channels in the first place.

Did you or anyone else bother to send a question through either, the Contact, User Support, Rules Questions, or Help links at the bottom of every forum page? Did anyone explicitly say they did? If not, that's your failure.

You should not expect any of the devs to randomly read a post on these forums and respond. While occasionally they will, the only way to really contact them is through the handy links at the bottom of every page. 

Nalydd said:

Hey, we worked a lot harder to get subforums in the Lord of the Rings LCG forums than we worked here. There were lots of emails and a huge petition to get subforums there. Here it was more like an afterthought on our part, so I'd say FFG is doing pretty well at responding to requests.

As far as rules, if it's not their policy to post on their own forums, then it's not their policy. I've quickly become accustomed to the email-and-wait-for-an-official-response-by-email-that-will-be-subsequently-posted-by-the-recipient method for answering rules questions. And then eventually the FAQ will be updated, though it may take a year or so to do it.

I'm new to board gaming too, but rather than try to impose my a priori beliefs onto an existing company, I try to learn to play the game by their rules, even if it is a little frustrating.

I'm not new to FFG products, but I am new to following a release as I have been since they announced they had the SW licence last year. While my focus has been more on the LCG than the miniatures game, I will say that the PR aspect of the company is just dreadfully shocking. In a bad way. The LCG was slated for release in Q4 of 2011, as I think initially was X-Wing, and it was two months after that release date before they let us know that actually the LCG has been put back into development. X-Wing has certainly seen more love, if that's any consolation, but even that has been quite embarassing. This doesn't seem to be their general way of doing things though, as from in-passing it seems the Netrunner LCG has been released on schedule and is doing magnificently, which makes me wonder if they have their own internal priorities. 

But nor is it exclusive to their Star Wars games. The Lord of the Rings LCG has been beset by problems from the outset, and I think it was one of the early Dwarrowdelf adventure packs that had been released and was in general circulation about 10 days before they even announced its release on the site. Other packs have been similarly malsupported earlier this year, but continued calls for hiring marketing people seem to be paying off as things appear to be calming down now, from what I can tell. 

I don't think WotC are exactly the saints in this, though. For easily the last eight months of their time with the licence, possibly more, they seemed to have just zoned out from the fanbase and were churning out all sorts of sub-par stuff, and not one staff member was active in their forums for this time, if not longer. So it's not just FFG who ignore their own forums, but then FFG forums come with the tagline "share your hobby with the rest of the players", not "with the company", so can we really expect them to be here, and get upset when they don't respond to forum messages? For rules questions, I've had very good responses in the past by email, usually within a day or two, so I can't complain there. As Budgernaut says, you have to approach the company on their own terms, not how you think they should be. 

I also don't think approaching LFL will accomplish anything, either. Unless it is stipulated in the licence agreement "you will produce x games a year, and will provide specific release dates and stick to them or so help you", then I think all they care about will be the sales. And if the sales from GenCon, not to mention the talk from here and BGG from folks who have preordered by the dozen, are anything to go by, then LFL will no doubt be very happy with FFG's performance and will be happy to let the licence rest with the company. At the end of the day, all George Lucas wants to do is make more money, and SW fans have, for years, been complaining how he isn't listening to the fans, and how he has done his own thing anyway, etc, so maybe LFL and FFG are the perfect bedfellows, both with equal disregard for the opinions of the fans…

But on a more serious note, I've learned to basically wait for FFG to produce the game I'm after without taking any account of release date estimates. Their games are generally top-notch when they arrive, and I won't be so proud to say "I'm not going to buy this game because the company got the release date wrong" - I'm more concerned with how enjoyable the game is once I get it. Living in Britain, we have to wait even longer anyway, so release date estimates frequently mean nothing to us. It can take anywhere from four days (Return to Mirkwood) to four weeks (still waiting for A Harsh Mistress) for stuff to arrive over here. I'm happy with what I get, so I've learned to just sit back and wait for it to arrive. 

spalanzani said:

This sums up my feelings precisely.  I appreciate what FFG does when they get their hands on a license/IP.  Could they do better in the communication department?  Absolutely.  Are they the worst out there?  Not be a very long shot.  Would I be willing to trade in some of their quality/cool factor for more timely communication?  Not in the least.

That being said, I also appreciate dissenting views in this conversation.  In the end, the entire relationship between consumer and company is a personal thing.  One which a company WILL NEVER please everyone.  The fact that these forums are as busy as they are is a testament to the fact that FFG is clearly doing SOMETHING right!  

My biggest complaint right now if that I need to just see a modicum of patience for my pre order to be delivered by mail and fight the urge to go buy EVEN MORE before I even play the game!  Thanks for the entertaining thread here, everyone.  It certainly was a good read for me.

 You guys obviously aren't Games Workshop fans, huh? Compared to them, it feels like FFG is a pretty full service outfit here--at least they are giving us updates and previews more than a week in advance. And yes, I too have been itching for this game for a year, and the delays were killing me, but that's the nature of the beast, especially with a relatively small, up-and-coming operation like FFG. I really don't think there is much to complain about here.

Disappointed customers always have the option to speak with their wallets.

FFG doesn't really respond on these forums. Now you know. Sometimes there are responses on the BGG forums.

That said, the updates and overall marketing for upcoming games on this site is decidedly not awesome. I think whomever is in charge of it must also have other more pressing responsibilities at the company. I hope. If not, there are some competency issues.

I was about three weeks away from losing interest in this game completely. Still on the fence for Star Wars: The Card Game. The delays in LOTR: LCG initial release were pretty rough, too, with my disdain compounded by what a boring game it is.  I will say this. FFG got it absolutely right with Netrunner in regards to the announcement, updates, and release.

Customer service is pretty good. I got a copy of a game that had some busted components. FFG handled that for me very quickly. About a week's time start to finish.

I can vouch for customer services too, they are excellent. I had a few cards missing from a WFRP 3e Expansion, Hero's Call I think. I e-mailed them and within a short time I had a complete set of new cards (not just the ones I was missing) and I live in UK. So those in the USA would probably get them quicker.

Gazery

ItsUncertainWho said:

The part I bolded is false.  FFG does not reply to questions on these forums.  The ToU you agree to before posting here states as much clearly.

The only time I've ever seen them post is when there was a question about the legality of a certain pack of cards that released just in advance of a major tournament, and the question arose something like 2 days before the tournament.

If you want to contact FFG, these forums are not the place to do it.  As has been mentioned previously, there are other official channels that need to be used.