Locations
Fat packs are the ultimate casual purchase. You've got lands for brewing, a handy storage box, the ultimate collector's guide and a countdown die for rolling 20's! The actual value lies in the booster packs but the draw is obviously "the rest". For the most part I've been happy with what Wizards has done with the modern fat pack but there are a few things that could be done better in the future.
[caption id="attachment_12688" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="This is what a Fat Pack used to look like... a cornucopia of casual awesomeness!"]
[/caption]
Bring Back the Novel-ty! - I've been barking up this tree for at least two years now but I still don't think Wizards realizes the power of franchise and branding, flavor in relation to a popular IP. Realize that 90% of the people who make decisions at Wizards are former "Pro" players and likewise 90% of the people who end up writing about Magic are of the same breed of player. This doesn't bode well for the silent majority who actually wants to read that novel that used to come with the Fat Pack. I understand not wanting to put the hardcover, $24.99 planeswalker novels into a fat pack because I'm positive they make more money selling those in Barnes and Nobel "New Fantasy" section. But what about the $4.99 Zendikar block novel? Or the Shards of Alara novel? It's hard to get people to throw down even $5 on a novel that has a %50 chance of being horrible without bundling it along with something else. Surely these books aren't flying off of shelves and I'd be willing to bet that they'd push more copies of that book if it were out there actually being read by the fans! If wizards spends $2 to include the latest novel in a fatpack I'd be willing to bet that they'd see at least double that back in upped fat pack sales, higher book sales (for that book and future books!) and an overall enhanced experience for any player who can now experience the multiverse the way it was meant to be experienced. Wizards should pass around these novels like Jehovah's Witnesses pass around fliers. The books get people talking about Magic. The books get people hooked not only on the books themselves but onto Magic the Gathering. Yes, that's right guys, those who have read a Magic the Gathering novel are umpteen times more likely to continue playing and buying Magic the Gathering products in the future! I'm shocked at the number of players who don't know or don't care about Magic's rich history and arcana. For me, this game is just a bunch of numbers in a computer (now literally with MTGO!) unless you care (at least somewhat!) about the flavor, texture and social aspects of the game. Wizards needs to nurture this by getting the novels into the hands of casual players who already buy fat packs every three months.
Maintain a reasonable price - Fat packs have notoriously fluctuated in price over the years. This price variance usually corresponded with the number of packs per box. My vision for a perfect fat pack would be the following: 9 packs, 1 novel, 1 die, a pack of land and a handy storage box, all for about $30. I know that's an upgrade from what we're used to seeing but hear me out, Wizards! Anyone who still pays $3.99 for a pack of Magic the Gathering cards is either living in an underground bunker complex (that UPS can't deliver to...?) or they are woefully ignorant of common pack prices in most of the western world. My local shop sells most every pack for $2.75 and online retailers sell them for as low as $2.50. For Wizards to offer these packs at MSRP+ is ridiculous. I'd bet that the total cost of producing 1 novel, 1 die and 1 collector's box couldn't possibly cost Wiz much more than $6. Throw in a discounted (aka "normal") cost of 9 packs of cards at about $2.75 each and you're looking at an upgraded fat pack for just over $30! Three draft sets and a novel, baby! Heck, I'd even buy that setup for $35! And I'm not using any fuzzy math here, packs should and do cost about $2.75 (particularly when you're asking someone to purchase nine of them at once, right?!). And the rest of the fluff/packaging/novel cost almost nothing to produce. With this fan-oriented value I think Wizards would sell a ton of Fat Packs all while pumping their up brand and keeping people psyched for their next planeswalking adventure.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="...and this is what a fat pack consists of now... all for the same price as before!"]
[/caption]
It's all about Marketing - It won't do much good to put together this great package for the casual player if no one ever hears about it! A fat pack should be something that everyone wants to pick up as soon as a new set comes out. Sure, you're always going to want the 36 pack booster box but perhaps players in a different tax bracket could more easily scrape together $30 as opposed to $100 for a release day de-boxing experience! The mothership spends a lot of time promoting the latest Grand Prix or Pro Tour but in actuality, less than 1% of all players are able to participate in those types of events. Perhaps we could spend a little more time marketing the game that the other 99% of players engage in. Wizards should target the novel reading, pack purchasing, Fat Pack collecting, casual player with their events, articles and advertisements. If Fat Packs were marketed as the thing to pick up as each set is released I think you'd see a big boost in sales. As it stands, the Fat Pack is seen as a product that newer players purchase because they don't know that booster packs are normally $2.99 everywhere else on the planet. The Fat pack should be marketed as a great way to introduce one's self to the newest set at a reasonable price.
The fat pack is a great concept that has a lot of potential as a desirable product. Wizards really needs to rethink what the Fat Pack means to the multiverse as a whole. With a few tweaks, a small price adjustment and a smart marketing strategy the Fat Pack could take it's place amongst the most coveted Magic the Gathering products.
But what do you think? If you'd like to see the MTG novels once again added to the standard fat pack bundle then please take the time to vote in our petition/poll!
[poll id="37"]
