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<blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5011982" data-attributes="member: 59082">Your point about distribution is a good one but I think secondary to the fact that people just aren't buying stuff in &quot;meatspace&quot; as much anymore. That is the main reason RPG books aren't in toy stores or other non-specialty locations (aside from major bookstore chains). It isn't just RPGs that aren't being purchased in &quot;real life,&quot; and therefore this issue isn't confined to RPGdom (despite what many gamers seem to believe). However, RPGs--as played primarily by male slightly-to-hugely nerdy types--are especially prone to the online sale.I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a game book in an actual store at full cover price. I've used Borders coupons and I've bought used books, but MSRP? That is, what an actual game store would sell a book for? It has been years.True, however it is slightly different than jigsaw puzzles and fantasy football. Take this as purely my humble experience, but I've noticed that non-gamers tend to enjoy their first experience on an RPG much more than a non-football fan would enjoy running a fantasy baseball team, or a non-puzzle oriented person would enjoy slogging through a 5000-piece Monet painting. Furthermore, the immersion factor is so much greater with RPGs, which both explains why many don't try them, and why many games fail, but it also means that the people that aren't RPGs are really into them. Sure, the majority of D&amp;D players are casual, but the percentage that are serious or hardcore is much greater than in many hobbies, I would guess.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mercurius, post: 5011982, member: 59082"] Your point about distribution is a good one but I think secondary to the fact that people just aren't buying stuff in "meatspace" as much anymore. That is the main reason RPG books aren't in toy stores or other non-specialty locations (aside from major bookstore chains). It isn't just RPGs that aren't being purchased in "real life," and therefore this issue isn't confined to RPGdom (despite what many gamers seem to believe). However, RPGs--as played primarily by male slightly-to-hugely nerdy types--are especially prone to the online sale. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a game book in an actual store at full cover price. I've used Borders coupons and I've bought used books, but MSRP? That is, what an actual game store would sell a book for? It has been years. True, however it is slightly different than jigsaw puzzles and fantasy football. Take this as purely my humble experience, but I've noticed that non-gamers tend to enjoy their first experience on an RPG much more than a non-football fan would enjoy running a fantasy baseball team, or a non-puzzle oriented person would enjoy slogging through a 5000-piece Monet painting. Furthermore, the immersion factor is so much greater with RPGs, which both explains why many don't try them, and why many games fail, but it also means that the people that aren't RPGs are [I]really [/I]into them. Sure, the majority of D&D players are casual, but the percentage that are serious or hardcore is much greater than in many hobbies, I would guess. [/QUOTE]

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