Would you pay to play?

[delericho]

If we didn't want to entertain, we could have taken a smaller place, less well laid out, farther away from our friends, with worse parking, and paid a whole lot less. So, no, if we didn't want to game at home, we probably wouldn't be paying the same.

Yes, but having now made that decision, if you now found that you weren't using the space for hosting those gatherings (for whatever reason), you would still be paying the same rent as you do now, no?

I'm presuming Kzach isn't going to move so he can/can't host games, so either he has a place right now that is suitable or he does not. Either way, that $5 that the store is charging represents an additional expense, over and above whatever rent/taxes he's currently paying.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Yes, but having now made that decision, if you now found that you weren't using the space for hosting those gatherings (for whatever reason), you would still be paying the same rent as you do now, no?

I'm presuming Kzach isn't going to move so he can/can't host games, so either he has a place right now that is suitable or he does not. Either way, that $5 that the store is charging represents an additional expense, over and above whatever rent/taxes he's currently paying.

The way I understand it is that Kzach is, essentially, asking "Is it fair for the store to charge?". This following a thread where Kzach essentially asked, "Is it fair for me to use the store's resources without contributing to the store?".

My answer is, in short, "Yes, it is fair for the store to charge. No, it is not fair for you to use the store's resources without contributing, even if they let you. And, if the idea of paying for playing space bothers you, many people already do so in terms of rent or taxes."

Well, okay, that's not "in short". It is, in fact, the longer form. Be that as it may, that's my answer. So long as Kzach is happy with his decision at the end of the day.......who am I to argue?


RC

 

[Mallus]

A slew of responses off the top of my head...

I wouldn't play-to-play an RPG in a public, commercial space.

But that's really only because I don't need to. I play with friends in a private space.

If I spent 3 hours in a coffee shop, I'd spend more than $5. Because even though I avoid fancy coffee drinks like the plague, I'm a sucker for fancy, and even not-so-fancy, pastries.

If I spent 3 hours in a bar, I'd spend a lot more than $5. In fact, I'd probably spend $5+ on my first drink, because I love fancy beers, good whiskey/bourbon, and proper cocktails (meaning no g-gdamn "appletinis").

Really, $5 is a trivial cost for a recreational activity, even when you're staying in (hell, the slice of cake I bought at Whole Foods last night to share w/my wife cost $3.99)

In theory, I have nothing against a for-pay "3rd space". In fact, I think there's an untapped market for direct "3rd spaces", outside of the coffee shop & book stores-you-can-linger-in model (because the latter is going away, outside of the major metros).

(A "3rd space" is a place to hang out that's neither work, home, or in front of a 7-11. I believe it was coined by the Starbucks marketing team.)

Come to think of it, under the right circumstances, I probably would pay money to rent a (more generalized) recreational space.

The bottom line is: these stores need a revenue stream to stay in business. If you want to game, don't have a campaign to play in, then even a per-session fee around $5 seems like a good deal to me.

 

[the Jester]

I wouldn't pay to play at the moment, but then I don't have issues with needing a place or having enough gamers in my group to make it happen. I can imagine circumstances putting me in a "pay or nothing" situation, but it's never happened so I can't honestly say whether I would do so or not.

If your pad isn't suitable and weather permits, there's always something like going to a park or other outdoor area; however, that does leave you at the mercy of the elements.

 

[HalfOrc HalfBiscuit]

I have no objection in principle to paying to play.

I fact, if i were playing anywhere other than my own or a friend's house, I'd pretty much expect to have to pay - most wargames/rpg clubs in this country (the UK) rent rooms/halls.

That said, if, as the OP states, there are other shops offering similar set-ups for free in the same area - go there.

 

[Raven Crowking]

That said, if, as the OP states, there are other shops offering similar set-ups for free in the same area - go there.

.....but don't come here, looking for my sympathy, if the stores in your area then close.


RC

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

My FLGS has a "pay-to-play-here" area.

However, they also give out "Frequent Shoppers" discount points and, if you make a sizeable purchase (I forget the exact amount), they hand out a coupon good for a free table rental - good for any number of players for a pretty long amount of time (I have never been chased away from the table before my game finished).

So, in the end, I've never actually paid to play there.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If your pad isn't suitable and weather permits, there's always something like going to a park or other outdoor area

"Man, playing D&D in the park- what a great idea! We've got sunshine, fresh air, a cooler full of beverages, and a hot-dog vendor just 50' away! What more could you ask for?"

"Uhhh...well...you could ask that magpie to come back with your knight mini."

"WHAT?"

"Oh yeah- and some squirrels ran off with their cheeks stuffed with your d20s- I told you you should've cleaned the Cheetoes dust off your fingers before rolling."

"F^*#+@$!!"

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That said, if, as the OP states, there are other shops offering similar set-ups for free in the same area - go there.

I doubt it's truly free- see above- but if the store's bottom line is healthy enough, he may be allocating the space's cost to "advertising & promotions" on his accounting ledgers.

 

[IronWolf]

I have no objection in principle to paying to play.

Yeah - I think if a shop wants to charge a small fee to play then that is fine. I prefer not to game in a shop though and would much rather game at someone's house which will be my preference over a game shop whether they are charging or not.

That said, if, as the OP states, there are other shops offering similar set-ups for free in the same area - go there.

.....but don't come here, looking for my sympathy, if the stores in your area then close.

Well the shop charging needs to realize there are others doing the same for free and realize charging for the same thing could backfire. The shop owner that wants to charge needs to figure out how to give his shop an edge over the others - either cleaner, better organized game sign-ups, perks or something to make his shop the one to play at and worth paying for.

So the shop owner is fine to charge, but he needs to realize he needs to bring something else to the table with others are doing similar setups for free.