Lhorgrim said:
Do you do anything extra to support your FLGS if you have one? If you are an owner, do you have customers that go above and beyond to help ensure your success?
Does anybody volunteer to run demo games or referee tournaments? What other types of thing might someone do to help their FLGS?
If all you do is make purchases, is there any reason you don't do more? No judgements here. If you look at your relationship with the store as nothing more than a consumer/merchant transaction I understand, but do you still consider them a (F) LGS or just the store with the best price etc.?
I live in Sydney, and I would not consider any of the gaming stores to which I have been a "community resource" for gamers, as I understand a lot of North American stores are seen by their customers.
I believe that university and community gaming groups perform this service for a great many more people than do Sydney's stores - groups like SUTEKH at the University of Sydney, UNSW Gamers at the University of New South Wales,
et cetera.
Certainly, to the best of my knowledge, the closest stores in Sydney get to supporting roleplaying games (as opposed to collectible card or miniatures games) is providing hosting space for RPGA events, or perhaps one or two private games.
I tend to eschew gaming stores except when absolutely necessary. It's not their fault - the last time I was unable to buy something from them when I wanted it (
Keep on the Shadowfell) had nothing to do with the store and everything to do with the distributor's short stock.
I don't think it's particularly viable to sell roleplaying game products in Sydney anymore - and the only webstores I can think of that operate in New South Wales are crippled by the fact that they all have central business district locations, with central business district rent and expenses for their bricks-and-mortar stores. I think it's far more likely that a web-only store operated out of cheap premises in an inexpensive suburb could succeed, but I don't know of anyone trying to do that.
