I agree the pro/premium model is the way to go.

When I see a new stern in the wild, it is almost always a Pro. They're out there and if collectors could get over the 'keeping up with the Joneses' they would find they're plenty fun to play. I've never met a non-pinhead who said, "this just feels like it's missing something" or anything to that effect.

The forums don't paint a complete picture. Non-hobbyist ops around here are rare.

As for LEs, the more of a 'line outside the club' mentality stern can create, the better for them.

I actually think being able to customize your game in different ways would be great. For example, we have people who can't have a female on the game or any sort of adult theme. Yet what if there was an optional, edgy translite made for every game? The apron is another spot that could easily be customized - the rule card and pricing sheet areas are basically wasted in home collections.

It's not the choices part that bothers them. It's their perception they're getting less of a game if one is lower priced than the other. For some people it's not possible to have fun if they're playing the pro. I sort of pity of them - IM, Tron Pro and ACDC Pro are fantastic games on their own.

What they really want is what's included in the premium at a pro price, and as someone already pointed out, no matter how many posts they complain about it, it ain't ever gonna happen.

Regardless, everything that makes ACDC premium a frenetic good time is, if anything, amplified on the pro. You just get no breaks playing it. It's super fast. It's sort of like IM but with deeper rules.