Seonaid said:
I'm not sure what's with all the dealer hall hate either; I love it. Of course, my will save v. spending is pretty high (it helps that I have practically no money), but it is definitely Something To See. I usually give myself at LEAST half a day to just wander, and generally my free time (what little there is) is spent there.
Well - in Gencons past (the 80s, especially) Gencon tended to have a lot more "deals" in the dealer room. The producers of the stuff were there and selling direct and they had the headroom to mark down their product from retail and still make more money in direct sales.
So the dealer room was a better "deal" than it is now. Plus, without the internet and ebay - this was your only chance to get it. So the perceived value of access to the product seemed a unique opportunity. (That perception is still there in Gencon - just not as much as it was).
These days, the direct sales in the dealer room is an essential part of the business plan of a vast number of small third party manufacturers and D20 publishers. Without the direct sales opportunities presented by Origins, Gencon and Dragoncon, these small game producers would literally close shop (Sovereign Press, I'm looking at you). They have the head room to mark down in theory - but these direct sales at full retail are not "bonuses" to them - they are the bread and butter of their business plan without which they will go under. So full retail is what you pay.
And the price that many of them offer for goods on the dealer room floor is pretty high. It certainly is not less than your FLGS - and in some instances may well be more. You can almost always find the large majority of this stuff online for the same or cheaper.
I think that explains the warnings of the dealer room from the penurious.
For all that though - there are hundreds of products available in the dealer room that simply are not available anywhere in a FLGS. These guys don't have that sort of distribution and their products are too specialized to get much exposure. True - in the age of the internet and ebay - they may otherwise be available online for purchase (if you even knew it existed so as to look for it in the first place -
NOT a small point), but there is nothing like being able to see and touch and assess a product directly before deciding to buy it.
And there are some deals. I went last year with the intent or purchasing Steel Squire's spell templates - and got the whole collection in one binder - plus a freebie flipmat, dry erase, sharpie and line of sight retractable tape thingie. It was cool and I was happy to get it. I use it every session. A1 accessory pack.
Likewise, I picked up a battle box with a metal D20 in it last year. Can't say as I've ever Used the other stuff in the battle box - but my wife uses the metal D20 as "her die". For $10, that was a cool purchase. I'd get it again in a heartbeat. That was an example of "cheaper on the dealer room floor" than your FLGS.
And sometimes you don't get something you realize you should have.
Last year, there was this guy there who was selling a heavy plastic thinigmabob which had slots holders for all the cards in a settlers of Catan game + Cities and Knights.
He wanted $20 or $22 for it. I forget. He put the thing on the floor and jumped up and down on it to demonstrate that it was strong and not going to break.
And I didn't buy it. I had the money - I just didn't get it. There was absolutely NO REASON for not getting it and I've been kicking my ass over that for the past 6 months.
D00D - whoever you are with the heavy gauge plastic Settlers Card holder: come on back to Gencon 2007 so I can buy that thing!
