Fantasy Flight Games is one of the more prodigious game publishers working in the industry today. Due to the company’s seemingly near-fanatical attention to quality and content, FFG creates the kinds of games that gamers love to play. Recently, I had a chance to speak with Steve Horvath, the VP of Marketing & Communications about the LCG, a group of games that are especially dear to his heart.

Q: So Steve, exactly what do you do at Fantasy Flight Games?

• A: As you know, I’m VP of Marketing & Communications; many different areas fall into those broad categories, including Organized & Structured Play. Having worked on the brand management teams for Magic, Duel Master, L5R, as well as directly overseeing the design teams for the 40K, WarCry, and UFS CCG’s, I get to participate in a lot of card game discussions and playtests here.

Q: You guys do board games, miniatures, RPGs, and card games. But it is your card games that we are here to talk about. Specifically I am looking at your LCGs. That stands for Living Card Game, but what exactly is an LCG?

• A: A Living Card Game (LCG) provides all of the excitement, strategy, dynamic and  evolving game play that players love about CCGss, but does so using a new fixed distribution model that eliminates the blind-buy purchase model that has burned out so many players. The end result is a fresh innovative mix that gives you the best of both worlds!

Q: Do you think that gamers want something less collectible these days?

• A: An LCG is a lot more accessible to a much broader potential audience. On top of that, it also provides different ways for players to engage with the game. For instance, every LCG has a Core Set; The Core Set is the heart of a LCG. Each LCGs Core Set is a completely self-contained game experience packed with content, including high-quality game pieces and immersive game aides designed to enhance play. Additionally, each Core Set contains multiple decks that provide an exciting and infinitely re-playable game experience right out of the box. While the LCG Core Sets provide a fantastic stand alone game experience, those that wish to can expand even further! Monthly expansions provide more frequent additions to your card pool, with the potential of new deck types and strategies you can explore in every release. These expansion packs add customization, variety, and an ongoing sense of theme to your experiences with the Core Game, while evolving the play environment in exciting new ways every month.

Q: Without the collectible component, I would imagine that there aren’t any rare or promo cards which need to be chased.

• A: Exactly. This ensures that games are determined by a player’s deck-building skills and play strategies, rather than who spent the most money in pursuit of hard-to-find ultra rare cards. The fixed format means that every player has equal access to every card needed to build his or her deck.

Q: So it has been announced that the packaging format is being changed. What's that all about?

• A: Originally, monthly expansion packs consisted of 10 unique cards in a single copy, and a second set of 10 unique cards in triplicate copies (for a total of 40 cards). The thought process was that that was an ideal way to distribute the cards every month, as casual players only needed to make a single purchase once a month to have at least one of every card and players looking for more deck building and deeper versatility would still only need three packs a month, which is still a much better deal than what they would get with a CCG. Consistent feedback has made it clear that a much bigger majority of players want the deeper, full range of deck-building options than we anticipated. Fortunately the games have been very successful, which has allowed us to find a great solution and change the collation of our monthly packs, adopting an approach that both existing and potential LCG customers have been requesting. Now, monthly packs will include 60 cards, consisting of 20 unique cards in triplicate copy. This means everyone can acquire three copies of each new card with one easy convenient purchase at less than half the price from before the change.

Q: I see that FFG has three LCGs. Can you tell me a little about each and what makes them unique?

• A: A Game of Thrones: The Card Game is a deep and interesting game with a unique twist. You have your main draw deck, which has all of your characters, items, actions, etc. and this fuels your turn-by-turn tactical play. The twist comes from a separate seven card Plot deck; you control not only the cards that go into it but which one you use every turn, which gives you the ability to make long term strategic plans by knowing which plot card you can play every turn at the start of the game. All this, and you keep the flexibility to change your mind if needed as the game develops. The game also plays extremely well in two modes. Head-to-head (Joust) invokes the feeling of pitting your house directly against another of the great houses of Westeros. While multiplayer (Melee) format is more about the personalities and diplomatic abilities of the players involved, immersing you in the intrigues and politics of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novel series.

Q: And then there is the Call of Cthulhu LCG, right? CoC has always been a favorite setting of mine and FFG has done such a bang-up job with the Arkham Horror board game and its expansions that this is one I was personally pleased to see. 

• A. Yes. In Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, players take on the roles of intrepid investigators and unspeakable horrors trying to complete stories while battling the forces of their opponents. This is all based in a strange and terrifying world inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, his literary circle, and the Call of Cthulhu RPG. The game does an amazing job of emphasizing the theme of the Cthulhu Mythos, which is a driving force for this game. There is a sense of mystery as you investigate the unknown while battling over the stories that take place during game play. The game also has a unique resource system that makes it easy to play multiple factions in a single deck. It also gives you important and meaningful decisions to make even before you take your first turn all the way till the final showdown with your foe.

Q. And the third is Warhammer: Invasion?

• A: In Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game, players muster their forces, manage their kingdoms, and venture out on perilous quests all in order to try to destroy their opponent's capital. This is all based in the famous GW Warhammer Fantasy world setting. The game is unique in its emphasis on the capital board - the division between the three sections and the gameplay experience because of that division. Units can only contribute their strength to the zone that they're in, and some cards are stronger depending on what zone they are placed in. At the same time, the game is largely free-form in that you can usually play cards in any of the three zones. The players take on the role of one of the powerful lords or rulers of one of six races represented in the game. To prosper and be victorious, players must manage their kingdom, send heros and units on perilous quests, and, of course, muster their military might to destroy their opponents’ capital. All the while defending their own capital. The players’ capital, represented by the capital board, introduces a new level of decisions for players as the three different zones of the  board fuel different elements you need to win. The Kingdom zone determines how many resources you have each turn, making it clearly the most important zone. The Quest zone determines how many cards you draw a turn which is obviously the most important factor to win the game. The Battlefield is where you deploy you army to crush your opponents making it the key to your success or failure. You see where I’m going with this.

Q: Any plans to add more games to the LCG line?

• A: Very much so! In fact we will have at least one big announcement for the line later this year. No, sorry... can’t tell you yet.

Q: Seriously? Not even a hint? Okay, then, I won’t push you. I’ll ask something completely different -- be honest, which game is your favorite?

• A: I like all three of them... but I’m sure you won’t let me off the hook that easy. I was part of the playtest team for the latest set of Warhammer: Invasion and have played that the most recently, my Dark Elf & Skaven deck is  causing havoc in the office right now, so that is my pick. On the other hand my Agency/Mistkonic U. CoC deck is doing very well right now and I’m very fond of my House Greyjoy AGOT deck... See what I mean? It is a very hard choice.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts?

• A: If you like the game play experience that a CCG delivers you will love at least one, if not all, of these games. The price point along with the fact you don’t have to chase cards means you can keep up with one or more of them easily.

Q: Thank you, Steve, for taking the time to let us in on all the LCG excitement at FFG. I know that I, for one, am looking forward to that big announcement and I’m sure that our readers are, too.