Game stores provide gamers with a place to browse, a place to gather, a place to ask questions, and many times a place to game. Simon Chadwick, owner of Hourglass Comics (which is also one third games) was kind enough to talk to me about retail RPG selling to gain his perspective on RPGs and the future of the hobby.
Charles Dunwoody (CD): Please tell us about you and your store.
Simon Chadwick (SC): My store is Hourglass Comics & Games in Port Moody, BC, Canada. www.hourglasscomics.ca. Port Moody is a town outside of Vancouver, which might make us seem out-of-the way, but we’re very close to a Skytrain Station (Vancouver’s mass transit system). I have owned my store for over 30 years, and while I don’t think that I do everything right (there’s only so much time in a day) I’m very proud of how we’re doing, and I hope that we’ll continue to improve what we do.
CD: Thanks for talking with me, Simon. I want to talk about RPGs first. What are the top three RPGs you sell and do you get consistent requests for any unusual RPGs (not D&D or d20 fantasy)?
SC: Thanks for having me! I love TTRPGs, and as much as I do my best to try to diversify our offerings, far and away, most of our RPG sales are D&D and D&D-adjacent games (such as Pathfinder). We also do well with games like Blades in the Dark, Fate, and MÖRK BORG. A quick correction: I wouldn’t say that my store is one-third RPGs. It is one-third GAMES* (though closing in on 40%, as it has been going up year-to-year.) The game section is split between Board Games, D&D (and other TTRPGs), Magic, and Warhammer, as well as game-related supplies like dice, miniatures, painting supplies, and terrain.
*CD: corrected above.
SC: But yes, other TTRPGs are represented, even if not as thoroughly as I would like. We carry as many award-winners as possible (this is something we do with board games as well, search for winning games), so we have Coyote & Crow, Pirate Borg, Shadowdark, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, and many others.
CD: What events do you host in your store to support TTRPG play? Are these events well attended and do they bring in more sales to your store?
SC: I personally run learn-to-play D&D games once a week, and loyal customers who are gamemasters run other D&D games. We’ve played other games as well, but they are harder to find players for. Our three game tables are also used for Magic, Warhammer, miniature painting lessons, and for demoing board games. My biggest complaint when it comes to attendance, is the unfortunately large number of people who will sign-up for a seat at a game, and then not show on the day. It’s a constant juggling act, where sign-ups are often more of a detriment than they are a boon. I have run games for a single player, and I have run games with fifteen players.
CD: How difficult is it to get the RPGs you want to sell into your store, and do you have suggestions on how to improve the process (for game publishers or others)?
SC: This is an excellent question. The single biggest difficulty facing game stores in my opinion is distribution. There are two big issues with this. One is that the extant distributors all have exclusive deals to distribute certain games (so that we can’t get those games from anyone else) and have various ordering minimums, as well as supply problems (for example, often being out of stock on the very games that they hold exclusive rights to). The other is that everyone wants to “skip the middle-man” and be their own distributor – usually through Kickstarter and other crowdfunding. The trouble with that approach, for us, is that it creates even more sources for exclusive products. I understand the reasons why this method is enticing to publishers, and I’m sympathetic to that, but it’s tricky for us, primarily because shipping has become so prohibitively expensive, that it is extremely difficult as a store to support crowdfunding ventures (though we do it here-and-there anyhow). It is also difficult to buy directly from publishers, for the same reasons. The classic method of distributing products has one enormous benefit going for it – volume – which helps greatly to alleviate shipping costs.
CD: What is the most common question and/or request an RPG customer to your store asks?
SC: Honestly, lately the most common question has been, “How do I learn to play D&D?” Which has been great! I estimate that over the years, I have taught somewhere around a thousand people to play D&D (and other RPGs, but to a much lesser extent). This interview is going to continue to sound very D&D-centric, and while I agree with anyone who might find that somewhat disappointing, I also feel that it is a large part of being successful in this industry – you don’t get to choose (much) what you support. You support what your customers want you to. And the simple truth is, the majority of them want D&D. Which isn’t to say that we can’t always do our best to show them what else is out there, after we’ve lured them in. This goes for our comic portion of the store as well – I love and support as many “indy” comics as I can, but I also must focus on Batman and Spider-Man. That’s just the way it is.
CD: Any common complaints (about RPGs) from customers or pain points RPG customers wish would get addressed?
SC: Hmm. I think that RPGs can have an issue with complexity. This can be fine for the classic, core customer base, but it does make it difficult for RPGs to have a wider appeal. I also think that complexity was more of a good thing back when RPGs were starting out, but there are so many more things that “distract” us (by vying for our free time) that it’s increasingly difficult to find the time to learn new things and learn them well. I’m not suggesting that RPGs “dumb themselves down,” no, I think that when something is complicated, there needs to be major thought put into presentation. The rules don’t necessarily need to change, but the presentation does, if that makes any sense.
CD: Are TTRPGs selling well? Any tips you might provide publishers on what RPG customers really want to see in a TTRPG?
SC: Oh, yes. Now, again, it’s “mostly D&D” but that’s okay – other games also benefit the rising tide. And it is also true that as a game store, when we have a product that is selling as well as D&D is, then we can afford to stock another shelf with TTRPG books that might be more niche – or risk bringing in a game “just to see” if it finds in audience, which is something we can’t do when that section of the store is doing poorly. In fact, we allocate floor space based entirely on how well each type of product is doing. So it is possible that without D&D doing as well as it does, that there theoretically could have been a time where it wasn’t worth carrying TTRPGs at all. That time is not now, fortunately. It is a time to expand on what we carry – if only we can get ahold of it, and find customers that will support it.
CD: Do you have any requests or suggestions to give to TTRPG customers (who either visit retails game store or maybe do not)?
SC: Probably the main thing that I wish that more customers understood, is that we don’t really choose to “carry” products or not – not in the way that people tend to think. If I don’t have a product in stock, there is usually only two reasons: 1) I can’t get it. Or 2) No one has asked me for it. (Or in some cases, they did ask, I brought it in for them, and they bought it, and I either haven’t been able to get another, or I don’t know that anyone else wants it). My point is: If there’s something that you’re looking for: Please ask about it. We’d be more than happy to try to get it for you, and if more people ask for the same thing, then we’d be able to bring it in more regularly. It is very rare (I don’t think ever, actually) that we’d ever choose not to carry a product. We just can’t always have everything in the store. There’s not enough space!
CD: What made you decide to open a comic and RPG store? Any tips for anyone considering opening their own store?
SC: I was 19 and I hated the engineering program I was at in college, so I dropped out and dove head-first into a hobby. I became business-savvy much, much later. (That’s not entirely true – I was always good at the main thrust of my job, which is: Find out what my customers want, and get it for them. And some might say that I’m still not totally business-savvy, as I refuse to do any online sales, and I pay my employees a living wage.) As far as tips go, my main advice would be – know your customers. You can influence them with your own preferences, but for the most part, your preferences don’t matter. Theirs do. I think the same advice works well for GMs and players. Don’t get me wrong! In both cases (business and gamemastering) you’ve got to be enjoying yourself first, or it’s not worth doing, but your customers/players matter. Listen to them.
CD: How do you see the future of table top RPGs in 2024 and going forward? What might gaming look like in five years?
SC: I have no idea. I don’t think that there will be any drastic overhaul – not in “only” five years – but I do think that trends that we’ve already seen will continue. Our industry will continue to become more popular, and more mainstream. Games will evolve. New ones will arrive that will do well, hopefully leading to more innovation in the longer-term future. We’ll probably continue to see more VTTs and other electronic tools used in our games, but we won’t see the end of print products for a long time to come, if ever. I think that we’re still in the early stages of the RPG Golden Age. We haven’t seen the last of it yet.
CD: Any final thoughts or comments you’d like to share with EN World?
SC: The EN World community, for all its faults, are genuinely inspiring, informative, and useful. We may argue endlessly over silly things, but I’ve also seen truly great advice and supportive strength. I’ve made some good friends and some fun acquaintances, and I honestly even have warm feelings for those that I tend to argue with. We’re a bunch of misfits, but in a good way. My kind of people. Thanks for putting up with me!
Charles Dunwoody (CD): Please tell us about you and your store.
Simon Chadwick (SC): My store is Hourglass Comics & Games in Port Moody, BC, Canada. www.hourglasscomics.ca. Port Moody is a town outside of Vancouver, which might make us seem out-of-the way, but we’re very close to a Skytrain Station (Vancouver’s mass transit system). I have owned my store for over 30 years, and while I don’t think that I do everything right (there’s only so much time in a day) I’m very proud of how we’re doing, and I hope that we’ll continue to improve what we do.
CD: Thanks for talking with me, Simon. I want to talk about RPGs first. What are the top three RPGs you sell and do you get consistent requests for any unusual RPGs (not D&D or d20 fantasy)?
SC: Thanks for having me! I love TTRPGs, and as much as I do my best to try to diversify our offerings, far and away, most of our RPG sales are D&D and D&D-adjacent games (such as Pathfinder). We also do well with games like Blades in the Dark, Fate, and MÖRK BORG. A quick correction: I wouldn’t say that my store is one-third RPGs. It is one-third GAMES* (though closing in on 40%, as it has been going up year-to-year.) The game section is split between Board Games, D&D (and other TTRPGs), Magic, and Warhammer, as well as game-related supplies like dice, miniatures, painting supplies, and terrain.
*CD: corrected above.
SC: But yes, other TTRPGs are represented, even if not as thoroughly as I would like. We carry as many award-winners as possible (this is something we do with board games as well, search for winning games), so we have Coyote & Crow, Pirate Borg, Shadowdark, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, and many others.
CD: What events do you host in your store to support TTRPG play? Are these events well attended and do they bring in more sales to your store?
SC: I personally run learn-to-play D&D games once a week, and loyal customers who are gamemasters run other D&D games. We’ve played other games as well, but they are harder to find players for. Our three game tables are also used for Magic, Warhammer, miniature painting lessons, and for demoing board games. My biggest complaint when it comes to attendance, is the unfortunately large number of people who will sign-up for a seat at a game, and then not show on the day. It’s a constant juggling act, where sign-ups are often more of a detriment than they are a boon. I have run games for a single player, and I have run games with fifteen players.
CD: How difficult is it to get the RPGs you want to sell into your store, and do you have suggestions on how to improve the process (for game publishers or others)?
SC: This is an excellent question. The single biggest difficulty facing game stores in my opinion is distribution. There are two big issues with this. One is that the extant distributors all have exclusive deals to distribute certain games (so that we can’t get those games from anyone else) and have various ordering minimums, as well as supply problems (for example, often being out of stock on the very games that they hold exclusive rights to). The other is that everyone wants to “skip the middle-man” and be their own distributor – usually through Kickstarter and other crowdfunding. The trouble with that approach, for us, is that it creates even more sources for exclusive products. I understand the reasons why this method is enticing to publishers, and I’m sympathetic to that, but it’s tricky for us, primarily because shipping has become so prohibitively expensive, that it is extremely difficult as a store to support crowdfunding ventures (though we do it here-and-there anyhow). It is also difficult to buy directly from publishers, for the same reasons. The classic method of distributing products has one enormous benefit going for it – volume – which helps greatly to alleviate shipping costs.
CD: What is the most common question and/or request an RPG customer to your store asks?
SC: Honestly, lately the most common question has been, “How do I learn to play D&D?” Which has been great! I estimate that over the years, I have taught somewhere around a thousand people to play D&D (and other RPGs, but to a much lesser extent). This interview is going to continue to sound very D&D-centric, and while I agree with anyone who might find that somewhat disappointing, I also feel that it is a large part of being successful in this industry – you don’t get to choose (much) what you support. You support what your customers want you to. And the simple truth is, the majority of them want D&D. Which isn’t to say that we can’t always do our best to show them what else is out there, after we’ve lured them in. This goes for our comic portion of the store as well – I love and support as many “indy” comics as I can, but I also must focus on Batman and Spider-Man. That’s just the way it is.
CD: Any common complaints (about RPGs) from customers or pain points RPG customers wish would get addressed?
SC: Hmm. I think that RPGs can have an issue with complexity. This can be fine for the classic, core customer base, but it does make it difficult for RPGs to have a wider appeal. I also think that complexity was more of a good thing back when RPGs were starting out, but there are so many more things that “distract” us (by vying for our free time) that it’s increasingly difficult to find the time to learn new things and learn them well. I’m not suggesting that RPGs “dumb themselves down,” no, I think that when something is complicated, there needs to be major thought put into presentation. The rules don’t necessarily need to change, but the presentation does, if that makes any sense.
CD: Are TTRPGs selling well? Any tips you might provide publishers on what RPG customers really want to see in a TTRPG?
SC: Oh, yes. Now, again, it’s “mostly D&D” but that’s okay – other games also benefit the rising tide. And it is also true that as a game store, when we have a product that is selling as well as D&D is, then we can afford to stock another shelf with TTRPG books that might be more niche – or risk bringing in a game “just to see” if it finds in audience, which is something we can’t do when that section of the store is doing poorly. In fact, we allocate floor space based entirely on how well each type of product is doing. So it is possible that without D&D doing as well as it does, that there theoretically could have been a time where it wasn’t worth carrying TTRPGs at all. That time is not now, fortunately. It is a time to expand on what we carry – if only we can get ahold of it, and find customers that will support it.
CD: Do you have any requests or suggestions to give to TTRPG customers (who either visit retails game store or maybe do not)?
SC: Probably the main thing that I wish that more customers understood, is that we don’t really choose to “carry” products or not – not in the way that people tend to think. If I don’t have a product in stock, there is usually only two reasons: 1) I can’t get it. Or 2) No one has asked me for it. (Or in some cases, they did ask, I brought it in for them, and they bought it, and I either haven’t been able to get another, or I don’t know that anyone else wants it). My point is: If there’s something that you’re looking for: Please ask about it. We’d be more than happy to try to get it for you, and if more people ask for the same thing, then we’d be able to bring it in more regularly. It is very rare (I don’t think ever, actually) that we’d ever choose not to carry a product. We just can’t always have everything in the store. There’s not enough space!
CD: What made you decide to open a comic and RPG store? Any tips for anyone considering opening their own store?
SC: I was 19 and I hated the engineering program I was at in college, so I dropped out and dove head-first into a hobby. I became business-savvy much, much later. (That’s not entirely true – I was always good at the main thrust of my job, which is: Find out what my customers want, and get it for them. And some might say that I’m still not totally business-savvy, as I refuse to do any online sales, and I pay my employees a living wage.) As far as tips go, my main advice would be – know your customers. You can influence them with your own preferences, but for the most part, your preferences don’t matter. Theirs do. I think the same advice works well for GMs and players. Don’t get me wrong! In both cases (business and gamemastering) you’ve got to be enjoying yourself first, or it’s not worth doing, but your customers/players matter. Listen to them.
CD: How do you see the future of table top RPGs in 2024 and going forward? What might gaming look like in five years?
SC: I have no idea. I don’t think that there will be any drastic overhaul – not in “only” five years – but I do think that trends that we’ve already seen will continue. Our industry will continue to become more popular, and more mainstream. Games will evolve. New ones will arrive that will do well, hopefully leading to more innovation in the longer-term future. We’ll probably continue to see more VTTs and other electronic tools used in our games, but we won’t see the end of print products for a long time to come, if ever. I think that we’re still in the early stages of the RPG Golden Age. We haven’t seen the last of it yet.
CD: Any final thoughts or comments you’d like to share with EN World?
SC: The EN World community, for all its faults, are genuinely inspiring, informative, and useful. We may argue endlessly over silly things, but I’ve also seen truly great advice and supportive strength. I’ve made some good friends and some fun acquaintances, and I honestly even have warm feelings for those that I tend to argue with. We’re a bunch of misfits, but in a good way. My kind of people. Thanks for putting up with me!
