Best 3.5 pre-order prices: $17.62 each at Walmart ($52.86 + $5.88 S&H = $58.74)

[Kryndal Levik]

Between comics and D&D, I spend well over a thousand dollars a year at my FLGS (trust me- my wife keeps track). I support them happily. HOWEVER- if I can get The Book of the Righteous for half off its $40 cover price on eBay, or the revised core books at Wal-Mart or Buy.com for a third off suggested retail, I will. Rational self-interest, folks- basis of simple economics.

 

[Terry Edwards]

I must respect the rules of the boards and reserve my anti-capitalism rant, but to those who do not care to support your LGS (friendly or not) for whatever reason I implore you to buy from EnWorld or another online rpg retailer who devote much of their time to the hobby.

When there is only one corporation there will be only one option.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

*glances up at the second post in the thread*

I hate to say I told you so, but....

 

[Najo]

Consider this about Wal Mart

Regardless of where you purchase your D&D books, one thing about Wal Mart concerns me more than the economics involved. Wal mart has made manufacturers censor their products or they don't carry them. I doubt these core rule books are going to be altered, but Wal Mart wouldn't normally carry the Book of Vile Darkness or products like that. Out of support of pure artistic freedom I will never buy a book, DVD, CD or video game from Wal Mart, period. I hate artistic censorship more than anything else. Put warning labels on it and give consumers content information to make educated decisions, but keep big brother overly conservative opinions out of an artisitic work. If Wal mart is allowed to get our gaming sales, eventually we will regret it.

 

[pogre]

Wow! The Walmart price is cheaper than many game stores can get the books for... If I'm not a big store and get the 40% discount from Alliance, I cannot beat that price. Game stores better find a niche to survive with economics like that.

LGS's around here are a bit scarce, and the ones that are around are combo shops - pets/hobbies or comics/hobbies. Not a lot of playing space.

I would wager the vast majority of this board plays in a private home anyway.

 

[danzig138]

Re: Re: Shop Local

Let's see, I can't buy where I play because my co-DM doesn't live at a store, he lives in his house.

Dang, beat me to it. None of the houses I play at have bookstores inside of them. There is a LGS nearby, maybe a mile and a half. Don't like the people there, and they have never had what I needed or wanted. They don't have a seperate room for gaming, and it's a small shop, so the gamers are in the way. Used to be, there was another shop that also had gaming tables. tried gaming there a few times, couldn't stand it. Now, there is a FGS, but it's about 20 miles away, and I only go to it about once a year, on my birthday, so I can look through their used section. They at least have the gaming area blocked off. Of course, the biggest hurdle, is that I can't afford to drop $100 for the books, nor would I want to if I can find them for much less.

 

[danzig138]

If you never want to ask a knowledgable salesperson about a gaming product again, buy from Wal-Mart.

I go out of my way to avoid talking to salespeople, regardless of the store I'm in. Salespeople get on my nerves. "Can I help you?" over and over. No, if I wanted help, I'd ask for it. Get off my back. Really, if I want to know about a product, I'll come here.

If you don't want to have a place to play games outside your home, buy from Wal-Mart.

Well, I play games every week away from my home. At my friend's house. The fw times I've tried playing in a shop, I hated it. So no great loss.

If you think bland, faceless multi-national corporations are a good thing, and deserve your economic support, by from Wal-Mart.

You know, I really don't have a problem with "bland, faceless multi-national corporations"; never have. They serve a purpose.

If, however, you are interested in preserving your FLGS, support them. FLGS's offer more than Wal-Mart. If you don't support them, they will go away.

What does the LGs offer me? Higher prices, annoying people in my way, often, annoying people that try to talk to me about some arcane subject which I could give a rodent's behind about. Half the time, you get grief because of the selctions you're going to purchase, or you get a know-it-all clerk who actually doesn't know his face from his posterior. No, LGS really don't have much to offer to me. Maybe a good used book section.

Not flaming, but starting to steam

Ditto.

 

[Gizzard]

Wal mart has made manufacturers censor their products or they don't carry them. I doubt these core rule books are going to be altered, but Wal Mart wouldn't normally carry the Book of Vile Darkness or products like that.

This is the long-term threat that Wal-Mart represents. They have a huge amount of pull with any corporation that hopes to sell through their channel -- look at the shrinking of video game boxes over the last year or two as an example. Did any of the manufacturers push for half-sized boxes? No, it's all Wal-Mart and their interest in shelf space.

Would you like to see little, tiny D&D books? Don't laugh, if Wal-Mart got to choose that's what you'd be buying. And, as Najo mentioned, if you'd ever like to see anything edgy like BoVD you can forget that too. You can also forget anyone like Green Ronin or Necromancer who can't sell through lots of 10,000 units every couple months.

Of course, your FLGS isn't going to collapse suddenly because some people buy their 3.5E at Wal-Mart. But it's something to keep in mind. If your FLGS is doing anything for you (stocking lesser d20 titles, stocking minis, giving you a place to play) then you have a vested interest in their health. Do something to support them.

If you dont care if those stores die (and you may not), then consider giving someplace connected with ENWorld a try; Talon has offered a big discount and (I think?) so had RPGNow. If you are glad that the word "Devil" is back after the 2E censorship fiasco you might want to consider supporting someone who isn't going to be pressuring Hasbro to go back to "Tanar'ri".

And if none of this applies to you, by all means, buy from Wal-Mart, et al. They're very good at what they do - which is offer a rock-bottom price.

 

[Tiefling]

This is the long-term threat that Wal-Mart represents. They have a huge amount of pull with any corporation that hopes to sell through their channel -- look at the shrinking of video game boxes over the last year or two as an example. Did any of the manufacturers push for half-sized boxes? No, it's all Wal-Mart and their interest in shelf space.

Would you like to see little, tiny D&D books? Don't laugh, if Wal-Mart got to choose that's what you'd be buying.

Well, with video games you can compress the box while losing nothing but the manual. Personally I like a physical manual rather than a computerized one, but it doesn't detract from the core content of the product. The same isn't true for books.

And, as Najo mentioned, if you'd ever like to see anything edgy like BoVD you can forget that too. You can also forget anyone like Green Ronin or Necromancer who can't sell through lots of 10,000 units every couple months.

Do they carry smaller WotC books already? Anything you can't get there you can get from online shops.

Of course, your FLGS isn't going to collapse suddenly because some people buy their 3.5E at Wal-Mart. But it's something to keep in mind. If your FLGS is doing anything for you (stocking lesser d20 titles, stocking minis, giving you a place to play) then you have a vested interest in their health. Do something to support them.

I don't know if a significant number of gamers purchase their books from massive discounters. I don't know if that number is increasing. I don't know if the majority of FLGSs are in any sort of danger on that front. I doubt it, but if they are I think they need to move away from selling the core books, or any book sold by the massive discounters, and start relying on business primarily from the other things you mentioned: smaller publishers, miniatures, and providing a place for people to play.

 

[Enceladus]

I've spent plenty of money at my FLGS, in this particular instance I'm going for the better price.

Its a done deal. There is no guilt, no remorse, I feel great as a matter of fact.