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Popaa's spin on the WOTC license flap
Ken Larsen aka Popaa
March 14, 2003

Hey all…some of you may know me from #pojo…I don't submit too many articles, but felt this to be a turning point in a game beloved by my family and I.  I have 4 boys who play the game competitively as well as myself.  We own a copy of virtually every card playable in English and have a blast putting together different decks that compete quite well at our local tourney (though we still have NOT found a use for Dunsparce =/).  We have been playng this game and collecting the cards since Pokemon TCG was released in the USA and have grown to love it from the standpoint of players, competitors, on line gamers and collectors…( the art is quite awesome usually)  WotC, in my humble opinion, has done an overall WONDERFUL job managing this franchise and I feel they have really given the gamers a great venue to express our competitiveness. I, for one, am sad to see them lose the franchise.  HOWEVER…as some havesaid before me, the game WILL go on.  The game is out of its "fad" phase (as YuGiOh is experiencing now) and has persisted as a viable and amazingly fun strategic game with a core of gamers that is being slowly added to.  There are any number of companies that I feel would really like to pick this up.  I called TPC USA to try to "weedle" some information out of them…they were rather coy in there response…not giving me any specific information.  I spoke specifically to one of the artists.  I asked if he thought he would still have a job in Pokemon 2 yrs. From now and he told me that he had NO DOUBT that the game would go on and that he would continue to work right where he was. Business is business, and if WotC and TPC can't come to a mutually beneficial agreement, so be it.  That is out of our control…however, if you really love the game, continue to collect and play as you have and let your voice be heard by whoever picks this up and by TPC.  Even if TPC decided not to print another card, sheesh, we still have thousands from which to choose to create decks and new formats both on line and IRL.  We can continue our friendships with fellow gamers (even old guys like me, Underdog and X-Act …) on line and IRL at local tourneys and online tourneys, which, by the way, I will continue to hold on #pojo as a TD!

Happy gaming all you pokemaniacs out there!
KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Ken Larsen aka Popaa  popaa1@earthlink.net

www.pojo.com