A FAB Journey Podcast

Stories & Learnings From Calling: Auckland

Calling Auckland is the biggest FAB event in NZ this year. It was great to get up there and not only play but also meet all the people. I first came across Flesh and Blood at Calling: Auckland 2025. Well actually the Auckland Card Show 2025 which also was the home of the Calling last year. I didn’t play in the Calling or any of the side events last year we just did the Learn To Play. Different Venue, Different Vibe This year the venue and number of people around was very different. Last year it was in a large conference hall (well by NZ standards at least) and there were lots of Pokemon and other TCG collectors, players and stores/sellers. This year we were in the JW Marriott, a 5* hotel. Not so much a concrete bunker as a wedding or banquet hall. So there wasn’t the buzz or noise of all the people like there was last year. However there was free coffee which was much appreciated. As would have been the surprise free buffet that was put on by LSS on the Friday night. However the Razor Promo event was on at the same time so I only managed to grab a free beer. LSS Employees I’m guessing that Calling: Auckland is different to all the other Callings because it’s the home of LSS Studios. Normally LSS employees can’t take part in FAB events such as Skirmishes or even Armories. However they are allowed to take part in the side events at a Calling (or Pro Tour or Worlds I guess). That led to me playing against a couple of LSS employees and also led to my biggest trade of the weekend. I have pulled 2 Crowns of Dominion recently from GEM Pack 4. This is a card that LSS employees can’t normally get their hands on so it’s a card that’s worth more to them than the normal player base. Also they aways want to encourage more people to play the game. So when I said that I was trying to get my younger daughter into the game I did get an extra gift to help with that. However never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d trade a Crown of Dominion for a Promo Rhinar, Promo Dash and Promo Gravy. These turned into a Tunic, Estrike, Codex of Frailty and $60 (I prefer to trade than sell cards but Dash is close to LL so needed to be moved on). Yes I did very well out of the trades but I also think everyone was happy with what they got. The Rhinar and Dash are with players who will enjoy them much more than I ever would. Also I picked up cards for my daughter’s assassin deck over the weekend I never thought I’d be able to get. Attacking The Calling There’s a bunch of ways to approach a Calling. There’s the people who are there to test themselves in the main event. However we had decided not to do that and to go for the side events. Just before the weekend it was announced that if you took part in 5 events then you would get an Antiquity Pack. Initially we were only planning on taking part in 3 events. However they corrected a miss pricing of the Saturday Razor Promo from $100 to $70. That meant we had enough tokens to enter 1 more event and so we got there slightly earlier on the Friday. Now we were within touching distance of 5 events each and those bonus Antiquity Packs. I got myself all worked up over collecting prize wall tickets and taking part in events that I took my eye off actually enjoying the event. Just enjoying playing and chatting with people. I enjoyed Saturday much more than Friday once my daughter reminded me we weren’t there to grind tickets. Sure there are people who are there for that as it’s part of how they are full-time professional players. I am not in that category…. My advice is to try and just enjoy the games and meeting people. Try to take prize wall tickets or other promotions as a bonus, not why you’re there. The Prize Wall I asked my daughter if she had any stories or learnings from the Calling. She said “You need to play well” and initially I thought that’s blood obvious. When I thought about it a second though there is a good point here. In the SAge Razor Promo event that was double tickets, I went 3-1. That got me 100 for entry and 200 per win for a total of 700 tickets. The day before where I went 2-2 (including a bye as a win) in the SAge Super Armory and 1-2 in the Sealed Razor Promo event I got 50+100x2+100+200=550 tickets. Remember Flesh and Blood is the premier competitive TCG, being good is how you get the prizes. This isn’t a participation prize game. We got a marvel Ponder token and a box + 3 packs of Compendium. The other option was a play mat but none of the play mats called out to us. Things like the large cards or uncut sheets of cards were out of our range. If we did 3 days then maybe we’d have been able to get a big card. With the marvel Ponder token being listed at $200-$250 on the trading groups I think that might be a better investment than the box of cards. We’ve had a bad time pulling Compendium, 3 boxes and no Ls to date. Buying A PTI Did you know that around Covid you could buy and sell Pro Tour Invites? Apparently back then due to the travel restrictions LSS allowed the selling of PTIs. I guess as a way of getting an extra reward for doing well in a tournament. One of my opponents told me that he’s bought a PTI for $800 and used it to enter World’s. So I have now faced someone who’s played at World’s!!! Unsurprisingly he didn’t do very well. Gold Foil Tunic There were 2 stalls setup selling single FAB cards. One of the stores had a Fyendal’s Spring Tunic for $69,000. Yup that’s 3 zeros after the the 69. Apparently it was a gold foil but it didn’t look any different to me. I later heard that LSS shredded gold foil Fyendal’s Spring Tunics to make sure that there were only 50 given out. I guess that explains the $69K price tag but it still plays the same as a non-foil one. It is fun to bling out a deck but $69K???? I don’t understand collectors. It’s Not All About The Numbers A month of so ago I started a show called Aotearoa Armories Weekly was was an unashamedly local copy of World Tour Weekly. Looking at the stats there were about 40-50 people watching it on Substack and 10-30 on YouTube. I’ll be honest it felt like less than that and I wasn’t sure it’s what people wanted. However it was so nice having players, judges and LSS staff tell me that they liked my content especially Aotearoa Armories Weekly. It was a good reminder that this is for the community not for numbers and if it it’s part of the community then it’s worth it. I’m not committing to keep it weekly but I am aiming to keep it going. Finally, What I’d Like Added I understand that Callings are for existing players but I do think it would be good to have LTP available so that you can bring friends along. With the SAge precon decks being competitive it means these events are very accessible for new players and I can see it being a good way to introduce people to the game. A dedicated trading table, all the trading I did was with people I’d just played. By having a dedicated area for trading, if you’re hanging out there people know you want to trade. Maybe also have a notice board or white board where people can put what they are looking to trade for as well. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe [https://afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Aotearoa Armory Weekly - Post Calling

LSS produce World Tour Weekly and I thought it would be fun to have an Aotearoa Armory Weekly looking at Flesh and Blood in NZ. The idea is to give an overview of the FAB news particularly what is relevant at the community level. Look at the heroes that are winning the armories and other events in New Zealand. To highlight local events both LSS sponsored and community or store created. I would love to hear from you about what you’d like to be covered and also your FAB stories. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe [https://afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

A Journey To Calling: Auckland

Calling Auckland is the biggest FAB event in NZ this year. It was great to get up there and not only play but also meet all the people. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe [https://afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Aotearoa Armory Weekly - The Last One?

LSS produce World Tour Weekly and I thought it would be fun to have an Aotearoa Armory Weekly looking at Flesh and Blood in NZ. The idea is to give an overview of the FAB news particularly what is relevant at the community level. Look at the heroes that are winning the armories and other events in New Zealand. To highlight local events both LSS sponsored and community or store created. I would love to hear from you about what you’d like to be covered and also your FAB stories. Here is the link to my Flesh and Blood: Omens of the Third Age - A Beginner’s Prerelease Guide [https://afabjourney.substack.com/p/flesh-and-blood-omens-of-the-third]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe [https://afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Aotearoa Armory Weekly - Nearly There

LSS produce World Tour Weekly and I thought it would be fun to have an Aotearoa Armory Weekly looking at Flesh and Blood in NZ. The idea is to give an overview of the FAB news particularly what is relevant at the community level. Look at the heroes that are winning the armories and other events in New Zealand. To highlight local events both LSS sponsored and community or store created. I would love to hear from you about what you’d like to be covered and also your FAB stories. Here is the link to my Flesh and Blood: Omens of the Third Age - A Beginner’s Prerelease Guide [https://afabjourney.substack.com/p/flesh-and-blood-omens-of-the-third]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe [https://afabjourney.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]