It's FREE RPG DAY, So Head To Your Local Game Store Today!

Birmy · Jun 16, 2018

Can I use this space to vent a little about my Free RPG Day experience?

My local store, where I'm a know-my-face-but-not-my-name regular, wasn't listed as participating on the Free RPG Day website. Several other stores, much further away from me, were listed, but I thought I'd swing by anyway in the off chance they had something going on.

There was nothing obviously tied in to Free RPG Day: it was a nice day and the store was sparsely populated, with a small Magic tournament about to start. I browsed a bit and scouted the store to see if anything was going on (the closest I got was overhearing one of the Magic players dismissively noting the occasion to his opponent), but there was nothing displayed, no signage, no nothing. I was going to just leave, but thought I should buy an RPG on Free RPG Day, at least, so I picked out a purchase and went to the register.

As the teen behind the counter (no one I'd seen before) rang me up, I asked, "Nothing going on for Free RPG Day?" He said the owner had mentioned that there was stuff to give away if people asked for it, but hadn't told him what it was. He offered to message the owner and find out. While we waited he went through the motions of checking around behind the counter, poking around as if looking, picking up boxes and putting them down again after glancing beneath them (at one point stopping to straighten the computer printer paper). After a few minutes of semi-looking, he admitted he had never worked Free RPG Day before and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. We stood there for a while--I think he expected me to just walk away?--and I asked him if I could just hang out until he heard back from his boss. He said sure, and just then he got a message back.

He read the instructions from his boss and, in a tote bag next to his stool, were bundles of the "Free RPG Day"-branded books. He said they hadn't been sent all the stuff they had ordered. He looked at the message again and read , "1 book ee-ay per person? What's 'ee-ay'?" (I helpfully offered that probably meant, you know, "each"). This seemed to register with him and he handed me a shrink-wrapped bundle, saying, "There you go!" I suggested that probably meant just one from the bundle, not the whole thing. He admitted this made sense and opened up the bundles. He handed me a Feng Shui quickstart (apparently from two years ago?) and Unknown Armies and... that was apparently all they had been sent (I'll go ahead and take that at face value). He (to his credit) apologized for not knowing what to do; I thanked him for taking the time and left with my purchase and the books.

So it was better than nothing--I walked out with two booklets, so hey, it's a net win--but it was still a pretty dispiriting visit. I worked at a comic shop for a number of years, and Free Comic Book Day was always a big deal for us, with sales, big crowds, special appearances, etc.; obviously I didn't expect anything on that scale, but this was... quarter-assed. I've generally been pretty positive on this store, but, frankly, I wish I'd made the drive to those other stores and tried my luck there. A very discouraging Free RPG Day for me.

TrippyHippy · Jun 16, 2018

Yep, the Free RPG Day doesn't amount to much for a whole bunch of gamers or potential gamers that have no access.

Dire Bare · Jun 16, 2018

Birmy said:
Can I use this space to vent a little about my Free RPG Day experience?

There are a number of stores run poorly in general, and often those stores make Free RPG Day a total fail and disappointment for their customers. If all the store does is purchase a box of swag to hand out, even if they do put up signs, it is a wasted opportunity. Smart stores make it an event. Advertise! Host organized-play games! Have a sale! Smart stores leverage Free RPG Day and make it a profitable and worthwhile event. Your FLGS is run by a fool.

One of the stores in my area was the same, they would just get the box of swag, and a know-nothing employee might ask if you want anything when making a purchase. Surprisingly, the manager decided the event "wasn't worth it" and stopped participating. Knuckleheads.

Meanwhile, across town, a newer store doesn't leverage Free RPG Day to its fullest extent, but does make a day out of it and draws quite a crowd. The stores get out of this marketing event what they put into it.

Whew! That's my rant!

Dire Bare · Jun 16, 2018

TrippyHippy said:
Yep, the Free RPG Day doesn't amount to much for a whole bunch of gamers or potential gamers that have no access.

Should we feel sad for you? Sorry for the bit of snark, but this is a marketing event to help out local hobby stores. It isn't a "holiday" to rain free swag down upon the heads of loyal and good gamers everywhere. It most certainly is a bummer if you don't have any good, local stores, Free RPG Day or not.

There are a few RPG companies that offer digital Free RPG Day swag, sometimes delayed after the day itself. Paizo's free module every year is made available as a free PDF file, you can still pick up the modules from past Free RPG Days on Paizo's site . . . for free!!! Other companies do this as well, although I don't have a list. There is a ton of free stuff on drivethrurpg.com all the time, some of it is "Free RPG Day" offerings from this year and from year's past, some of it is, well, just free.

Besides, if you visit the Free RPG Day website, you'll find that the offerings are often worth what you pay for them . . . often simplistic quick-start versions of various games, or short intro adventures. It's cool to offer something up on Free RPG Day, but you aren't missing out on rare, amazing swag.

TrippyHippy · Jun 16, 2018

Dire Bare said:
Should we feel sad for you? Sorry for the bit of snark, but this is a marketing event to help out local hobby stores. It isn't a "holiday" to rain free swag down upon the heads of loyal and good gamers everywhere. It most certainly is a bummer if you don't have any good, local stores, Free RPG Day or not.

There are a few RPG companies that offer digital Free RPG Day swag, sometimes delayed after the day itself. Paizo's free module every year is made available as a free PDF file, you can still pick up the modules from past Free RPG Days on Paizo's site . . . for free!!! Other companies do this as well, although I don't have a list. There is a ton of free stuff on drivethrurpg.com all the time, some of it is "Free RPG Day" offerings from this year and from year's past, some of it is, well, just free.

Besides, if you visit the Free RPG Day website, you'll find that the offerings are often worth what you pay for them . . . often simplistic quick-start versions of various games, or short intro adventures. It's cool to offer something up on Free RPG Day, but you aren't missing out on rare, amazing swag.

It doesn't reflect the market or potential market that game companies need to connect to in order to grow.

Dire Bare · Jun 17, 2018

TrippyHippy said:
It doesn't reflect the market or potential market that game companies need to connect to in order to grow.

And you know this how? From your extensive marketing research?

Why does Impressions (the company behind Free RPG Day) offer Free RPG Day? Why do so many RPG companies participate? Why does WotC, and other companies, put money, time, and effort into in-store organized play? Why is WotC currently making special editions of their D&D gamebooks that are only available in your local FLGS?

Because, due to their marketing research, they feel this is a part of the market they need to "connect with" in order to grow. Not the only market, to be sure, but an important segment of the market.

Ath-kethin · Jun 17, 2018

The comic and game shop a few minutes away from me closed at the end of May, but I wasn't worried about it since there's a much larger and frankly better game store about half an hour away. I was a bit disappointed, upon reaching the store, to discover that the owner doesn't participate in Free RPG day; he said that it's expensive and he has not once gained a regular customer from it.

Which is a bummer (my 4 year old liked the idea of free new dice) but understandable. We went to the mega-store (a gigantic comic, game, and everything-from-my-childhood emporium) about an hour away and I picked up the Goodman module and the Starfinder module, but the first store game me serious food for thought.

I don't know how many people even know about Free RPG day, let alone participate, but it has to be a risky proposition for retailers. Both stores were packed with gamers overflowing their available playing space, so neither is hurting for regulars, but I never really thought about it before. I guess the moral of the story is: if you want your local store to participate, make sure you visit the store regularly and, you know, buy stuff there. Support your local shops, and get your friends to do the same, and they might do a bit more for you.

Dire Bare · Jun 17, 2018

Ath-kethin said:
The comic and game shop a few minutes away from me closed at the end of May, but I wasn't worried about it since there's a much larger and frankly better game store about half an hour away. I was a bit disappointed, upon reaching the store, to discover that the owner doesn't participate in Free RPG day; he said that it's expensive and he has not once gained a regular customer from it.

Which is a bummer (my 4 year old liked the idea of free new dice) but understandable. We went to the mega-store (a gigantic comic, game, and everything-from-my-childhood emporium) about an hour away and I picked up the Goodman module and the Starfinder module, but the first store game me serious food for thought.

I don't know how many people even know about Free RPG day, let alone participate, but it has to be a risky proposition for retailers. Both stores were packed with gamers overflowing their available playing space, so neither is hurting for regulars, but I never really thought about it before. I guess the moral of the story is: if you want your local store to participate, make sure you visit the store regularly and, you know, buy stuff there. Support your local shops, and get your friends to do the same, and they might do a bit more for you.

No local store can have too much business. Free RPG Day is only worth what you put into it as a store owner/manager . . . if all you do is throw the swag on a table marked "free stuff", then yeah, it's not going to be "worth it". But make it an event, advertise, run sales, run RPG games in-store, it will be worthwhile. It surprises me how many game store owners/managers don't think this through.