FLGS and DnD?

[Dannyalcatraz]

"No one plays Game X" really means "no one I've talked to locally plays it," at best. It certainly doesn't reflect anything about the larger world, as regional differences can and do exist -- we've heard from college kids on this board that some schools are all 4E, others are all Pathfinder -- and even then, it's probably just the vocal gaming clubs at each school -- and others don't play anything D&D-related at all.

Agreed.

You would be surprised to find how hard it was to find an actual D&D game in Austin back in the early 1990s.

And at the same time, M:tG was blowing up. Stores couldn't keep an edition in stock more than a couple of weeks after Alpha... Except that one of my FLGses down there routinely was able to get cards months after the rest of Austin was sold out. I asked the owner about it one day. He had a buddy who owned a gaming store in Los Angelis who just knew the game was flying off of shelves all over the place, so he ordered lots of it.

And for him, they sold like poop-scented Mother's Day cards.

So in order to recoup his money, he sold them to his buddy in Austin, who then sold the cardboard crack to the gamers of Texas.

 

[Morrus]

He said Myriad Games.

So just so we're clear. The store buys the 4e books. Then hides them so a customer can't buy them. Thus they pay WotC for the book, but intentionally try to avoid profiting off it.

Makes perfect sense.

If I could somehow verify this, it would make a marvellous news story!

"Store buys stock then stops customers buying it!"

 

[Crispy Critter]

He said Myriad Games.

So just so we're clear. The store buys the 4e books. Then hides them so a customer can't buy them. Thus they pay WotC for the book, but intentionally try to avoid profiting off it.

Makes perfect sense.

We have two Myriad Games stores here in New Hampshire. I'm assuming he's talking about a different store in a different part of or whole different country because the two in my state have a large selection of 4th Ed and it's definitely not hidden.

 

[Stormonu]

After about 2 years since our last FLGS closed its doors, it's beginning to look like the local hobby center (previously specializing in models, HO trains and RC vehicles) is starting to pick up a RPG inventory (not much; their selection of Warhammer/40K codexes outnumber the RPG books, much less the minis). While they are carrying Pathfinder, Dark Heresy and the D&D minis, the only 4E items I've seen there is the D&D Red box (and it's been in there quite some time).

I asked them about it and they said they were deliberately attempting NOT to duplicate the books that could be as easily found in the nearby Books-A-Million.

Which is kinda strange, since the Books-A-Million has a decent stock of Pathfinder books as well (mostly the hardbacks). I'm guessing the Pathfinder books must have a greater demand at the hobby shop, because the RPG stock appears to be extra copies beyond what folks are specifically ordering.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If I could somehow verify this, it would make a marvellous news story!

"Store buys stock then stops customers buying it!"

Then rages that Amazon.com is killing FLGSes.

 

[Tovec]

I can honestly tell you that if what was 4E had come out as 3E? I would have still probably tried it and been like: "PASS".

Some of their later 3.5 products were 4e veiled as 3.5 products. I say PASS but there are many others who adore these products.

In most cases I certainly agree people dislike 4e for a reason. But sometimes I certainly see people hating it on principle before trying it. Or hating what they hear instead of what they try.

I think in a lot of ways it comes down to how it was advertised and the changes that were made as opposed to a purely mechanical thing.

 

[Hussar]

Y'know, in all my time here at En World, I've never seen a multi-page thread like this with so many posters under 100 posts. Kinda makes you wonder.

The whole "But it's not D&D" warcry has seemed to have died an ignominious death some time ago. At least, it's not one I see on En World very often. Still see lots of people who don't like 4e, and that's groovy. No worries there.

But, I'd LOVE to see some actual pictures of an FLGS that stores their stuff backward. I'd be talking to the store manager/owner if I saw that because I'm thinking that this is an employee with an axe to grind. Most business owners I've known like to get paid and deliberately wasting shelf space to wage edition wars is just so blindingly stupid that I'm inclined to think it might not be the store owner/manager who's doing it.

 

[Mark CMG]

(. . .) I'd be surprised if they're still around in two years.

Given that 5E is probably going to be out by then, let's hope the store isn't as snobbish about selling that edition when a customer asks for it. I think there must be some mistake here since it is unlikely any retail store would try to talk a customer out of a purchase.


I call Shenanigans!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Y'know, in all my time here at En World, I've never seen a multi-page thread like this with so many posters under 100 posts. Kinda makes you wonder.

The whole "But it's not D&D" warcry has seemed to have died an ignominious death some time ago. At least, it's not one I see on En World very often. Still see lots of people who don't like 4e, and that's groovy. No worries there.

But, I'd LOVE to see some actual pictures of an FLGS that stores their stuff backward. I'd be talking to the store manager/owner if I saw that because I'm thinking that this is an employee with an axe to grind. Most business owners I've known like to get paid and deliberately wasting shelf space to wage edition wars is just so blindingly stupid that I'm inclined to think it might not be the store owner/manager who's doing it.

Well, just to keep you happy... [Warcry]But it' not D&D!(to me.)[/Warcry]

I think I may have spoiled the effect there....

I think a lot of that 'but it's not D&D' died away when Pathfinder proved popular - the kind of game that is D&D (to me) is flourishing, it just changed it's name and moved to another city.

Putting stock on the shelves backwards makes no sense - that sounds more like something that a customer might do, mostly as a sign of disdain. Though the only person that I have ever seen putting books on the shelves backwards did so that she might find the book again when she was ready to get her books and hit checkout. Kind of the opposite of disdain.

The Auld Grump

 

[Niccodaemus]

Y'know, in all my time here at En World, I've never seen a multi-page thread like this with so many posters under 100 posts. Kinda makes you wonder.

As one of the ones with under 100 posts, I'm wondering what it is that you are wondering?