Why should I care about the FLGS?

[Olive]

Melbourne has a number of gaming shops, and I've been to most of them at least once. I'll try to give a run down:

Mind Games - two stores, one in the city which I go to. They sell board games and computer games down stairs, and wargames/minis/CCG in one section up stairs and RPGs in another section upstairs. Decent price, get stuff regular and quick, good stock and the main guy up there is a bit gruff, btu we get on well. They call me to twell me when my magazines are in, and generally are pretty good. I often have to tell Matt about releases, and he has some fairly hard and fast opinions, but there you go. It's also abotu a 5 min trip out of my way ont he way home from work, so that's nice too.

Napoleon's - mostly a military history/wargaming shop, but with a fair number of RPG books. I buy my DnD minis here cos they're usually $1 or so cheaper than anywhere else I've been. Actually I'd buy more here if I wasn't loyal to Mind Games.

Dungeon of Magic - Really wierd underground place with hardly any books but lots of CCGs. I've been once, and never been back.

Alternate Worlds - Out of the way for me, and a comic shop mostly. Plus, when I've been in the people have been kinda wierd and not known what they were on about.

There's some other comic shop which ahs stuff near alternate worlds but I can't remember the name.

There's also military simulations, a long standing mail order place, but they are a) more expensive than the LGS's even before postage and b) they advertise as having things in stock when they don't, then charge you, order them surface from the US and then send them out two months later. I'd never order from them except for the fact that they offer some nice pre-order discounts. But I'm scared it will be horrible again so I've never tried them out...

So, to the question why should I support my FLGS? Well, I shouldn't per se, but I have a good couple near by, and I like beign able to walk into a shop, have a chat, and buy some stuff then and there. I don't like shopping online, and waiting, and it's rarely much cheaper once you factor in international postage. 've had players who were new to the game go and buy books and dice, and they never would have done that if they had to order them special.

 

[Numion]

In the case of cars, the prices are so high because the marketing industry has done an outstanding job of convincing people that $1000 worth of material and labor is worth $20,000+,

The average profit of a single car sold in america for the big american car-makers in 2003 was just 150 dollars (source: the economist). So I'm not sure where you got the 1:20 profit ratio. Surely if that was the case the car-makers should compete for market share more aggressively?

 

[Shadowdancer]

I've been in Dragons Lair only a couple of times a few years ago. No better selection there than at King's Hobby at that time that I recall, and I saw no reason to choose them over King's Hobby.

Speaking of true gaming stores, though, is anyone familiar with Wargames West out in Albuquerque NM? I lived there about 20 years ago, and at that time it was the best gaming store I'd ever seen. All gaming, nothing but gaming. Board wargames, RPG's, miniatures, I think even a few other kinds of strategy games. They did have a few rooms for in-store gaming separate from the retail area. Best pure gaming store I've been in, but I have no idea if it's still there or not.

I love King's Hobby, too. But if you go to Dragon's Lair now, they have a much wider selection of RPG stuff, both d20 and other systems. Plus they have anime, albeit overpriced anime. And cats -- real, live cats walking around in the store.

King's is still good for older, hard-to-find stuff, and core products of the best selling RPG systems. I enjoy going to both stores when I'm in Austin. But if I only have time to go to one, it will be Dragon's Lair.

Speaking of Wargames West, they were the first company I ever ordered RPG products by mail from, back before the Internet and when I didn't have a car to get to out-of-town gaming stores. But I haven't bought anything from them in years.

I was at the FLGS in Killeen this past week. I should have received a commission. There was a young woman, probably in her teens or early 20s, in the store looking for a book with rules for running humanoid PCs in 3.0 D&D. In the campaign she runs, apparently some of the players want to run humanoid PCs. She told the employee who was helping her that she had been using the rules in the Monster Manual, but was looking for a 3.0 book with more rules and a wider selection. She was asking for a Complete Humanoids Handbook from Mongoose (is there even such a book?)

The guy who worked there was completely clueless. He was looking in the d20 stuff, and couldn't find a humanoid handbook from Mongoose. He was just going to let her walk out of the store without trying to sell her something else. I had overhead their converstation, and asked her, "Have you looked at 'Savage Species?' It has rules for playing humanoids in 3.0 D&D." She checked out the book, and bought it.

I don't have a problem with supporting my FLGS, but it can be frustrating dealing with them at times, particularly when the employees aren't very knowledgable. If there's something I want, and there are no pressing time constraints for when I get it, I'll order it online for the best price I can find. If it's something I want now, I buy it at whichever FLGS has it in stock.

 

[pogre]

Although I have an LGS I rarely go there. The gaming store I do make a trip to is in St. Louis (my in-laws live there). The reason I take the time and effort to go to the Hobby Shop on the south side of town is Ken stocks stuff I have never seen or heard from time-to-time. Example: last time I was in there he had some outstanding 25mm Triremes that I was dying to buy. He cannot win the discount war and he does not try - he just keeps cool stuff coming.

The store always has what you EXPECT to find plus more. That's the key for me. Things I saw for the first time and bought at The Hobby Shop include: Vallejo Paints, Warhammer Ancients, lots of miniature lines, independent miniature game rules and rpg rules, lots of cool military modelling stuff, etc. I am usually pretty aware of what's out, but often Ken is on the leading edge of getting it in actual stock.

If I have heard of something in military modelling or the RPG industry I just ask him and he always has one of two responses: "I just got some of that in" or "where did you see that? I would like to get some in - would you like me to hold it for you?"

BTW - Our local Barnes & Noble started hosting card games and the occasional roleplaying game in their stores. With a built in coffee shop that seems like a sure winner to me.