Would you play your game here?

[GreatLemur]

Gaming possibilities were the first thing to enter my mind with this rig. Dedicated software, no further need for a real grid since each mini (or icon, depending) can be tracked for reach and movement - with terrain effects automagically accounted for - as well as vertical distances. I can just see, when your turn comes up, your mini is highlighted, and possible targets illuminated for ease of identification.

Yeah, automatic move calculation to avoid that 1-2-1-2 diagonal move hassle, threatened areas and aura effects (like lighting!) that are represented visually around the minatures' bases, virtual cone and radius templates for spell effects, Surface-enabled dice that are totalled up automatically and produce visual and auditory effects when you roll them across the interface, virtual minatures conjured up in whatever quantity the GM requires, easy creation and alteration of maps on the fly just by drawing on the Surface with your finger, my God the list goes on...

It also seems like you're looking for a fair amount of income to come from food and beverage sales. Running any kind of operation in which you're preparing food gets you into a host of issues with health codes and such...and, if you blow an inspection, the health department will shut you down.

Preparing food is definitely a dangerous road to walk. I think the best thing to do would be to keep some vending machines and/org coolers full of prepackaged foods around. And if people want real food, maybe they can order it, or the store could offer some kind of run-out-for-sandwiches services.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

In theory, yes, I would. In practice, there is such a long list of "ifs" that the conditions would probably never be met. I would pay for a gaming space IF:

-None of the people in my group had a space suitable to host.
-It was conveinantly located.
-The space itself would have to be clean, spacious, comfortable and private. That means a big enough table, comfy chairs (like computer chairs. Folding chairs aren't comfortable for long periods of time, and really comfy arm chairs are usually too low to reach the table properly), good lighting, a quiet environment, and no worries of interruptions or an obnoxious audiance.
-There were good resources for my game. Reference books, minis, battlemats and a good sound system would be the minimum. Helpful would be paper and pencils, dice, terrain, character sheets, computer aids, etc etc. I could see paying very minimal rental fees for those things, but it'd be better if it came with the space.
-If there was food involved, it should be cheap, fresh and tasty. Diner and deli fare is fine, as long as there are choices that aren't too greasy. I love pizza and fries, but I would rather have the choice of something like sandwiches and cups of soup, bagels, etc. I would like desserts like cookies or brownies, pastries, muffins, and other things you might find in a cafe. Speaking of a cafe, I love my coffee. For other beverages, bottled soda, water and juice would be fine with me.
-It's got to be cheap. Since I'm already buying food and beverages for several hours, and probably shopping at the store as well, I don't want to pay more than a few dollars a week for the space. Assuming that I have four or five players to split the cost with, if there are enough amenities I'd pay five dollars for an hour, and if the players pay, too, that gets us five or six hours.

I look at this list and think, no way. There is no way that anyone would be able to provide all the services and quality that I would want for the price I am willing to pay. It doesn't seem reasonable to me, so I would be unreasonable to expect it. Basically, I don't think it would work.

Now, my personal fantasies all revolve aropund owning a coffee shop with a lot of the food options that I mentioned above. It's a well-worn fantasy, so I have all kinds of nebulous ideas for what would make it a good place. If money were really no object, and I could have a gaming store as well, I would want to connect them. Then I could provide all my tasty eats and drinks on one side, and all my gaming products and such on the other.

If I were doing game space rentals in my store, I think I would just provide a few back rooms with nice tables and chairs, and maybe some store minis to rent as long as I could figure out a way to keep figures from walking away. No charge. I'd hope that people would come in and buy stuff from the shop as they played and get their drinks and nibbles from the cafe. If I really needed to make money from the gaming space, it would be in the form of a reservation fee. You don't need to pay to play, but pay a small fee and the room will be guarunteed to be empty when you need it.

 

[wingsandsword]

I wouldn't, I tried it once, reluctantly, and didn't like it.

One local FLGS tried this maybe 6 or 7 years ago, he walled off a chunk of the store and painted it up in a castle motif and some cheap medieval decor, put a table and chairs in, and charged for it as gaming space for rent. $2 per person per hour.

Well, the GM was a friend and really liked this store, and wanted to give him business, so he announced his next campaign was at that store. Well, for a bunch of poor college students, a $10 or $12 per person surcharge to use the room every week wasn't exactly pleasant (given that until then we'd been reserving a room on campus to meet for free). The medieval decor would have been okay for a typical D&D game, but this was a Deadlands campaign, and the store had a policy that no outside food or drink could be brought, like a movie theater, we had to snack from his vending machines. So much for ordering pizza or chinese food.

The room wasn't well insulated in regards to sound, so the rumbling and noise of the store was loud and clear inside, and the owner would poke his head in every half hour or so just to look at what we were doing. Since the owner didn't know much of anything besides D&D (it wasn't so much a gaming store, as a comic book/anime store that had a gaming sideline, and the owner really didn't know gaming well) he was befuddled by this "wild west D&D".

I came away from the experience with a bad taste in my mouth for paying for gaming space. In theory I might, if it offered a lot more than just a card table in a loud FLGS, but I don't know if I'd be willing to pay enough to really make the investment in building the room worth it.

 

[Starglim]

Unlikely, unless the location had something highly useful that I couldn't easily achieve as a DM in another meeting space. In that case I might use it for special occasions such as short-run games or particularly important sessions (first sessions, climactic scenes). Offhand, very good encounter scenery (tiles - maybe 3D - or a digital solution) and a wide range of miniatures might do it.

Now that I think of it, a digital touch-table style solution would be much more practical as it would allow an unlimited range of pieces (miniatures, too) and components could not be stolen.

 

[Rothe]

For the RPG section, I'm thinking 3 at the most, table's being 4X4 and each table have 7 feet or so on each side for player space. So you're looking at 14 feet from one table to another, with walls in between.

Way to small to attract us. We use a 6x3.5 dinning room table and that doesn't have enough space for the three of us, what with chips, drinks, battlemat, books, etc.

Nothing too greasy or staining. There would be a good caffeine section, with the mocha-latte-chino's to be had. There'd also be free refills for cokes and what not. Food-wise, it depends. If it could be pulled off, it would be a full diner. Since it probably couldn't be, you're looking at a deli.

Do you mean no chips and dip?! or pizza!?
Can you afford the license to serve food and drinks, maintain the place to pass inspections, etc.? That's a big sunk cost. The restaurant busniess is one of the hardest to suceed in, you are begining to pile on the restaurant costs without the sales. I wouldn't even think of trying to graft it onto a game store unless you've run such a busniess before. Selling game stuff is low enough margin already. But hey, I'd pay premium dollar for an expresso drink.

If that's your space, it's your space. Unless you want it, people will NOT go over and harrass your game. Not sure what you mean on what could be said. It'd be in America, so as long as you're not being a distraction, you can say whatever you want.

The store's motto would be "Every gamer a King."

We'll I might not feel like a king if someone one pipes in with well intentioned, but nevertheless distracting, comments. Bascially anyone interjecting something into the social interaction at the table ,who is not at the table, can be distracting.

 

[vongarr]

We'll I might not feel like a king if someone one pipes in with well intentioned, but nevertheless distracting, comments. Bascially anyone interjecting something into the social interaction at the table ,who is not at the table, can be distracting.

Well, if customers are willing to sign a waiver granting me the authority to use lethal force, your problem would be solved.

 

[Rothe]

Not responding to MonkeyDragon but a good outline for why I think you should try to go upscale. And some suggestions to keep cost down and margins up.

In theory, yes, I would. In practice, there is such a long list of "ifs" that the conditions would probably never be met. I would pay for a gaming space IF:

-It was conveinantly located.

key, the biggest barrier to gaming is we live in different towns, travel time is important. A well palced store couild solve that problem for many folks.

-The space itself would have to be clean, spacious, comfortable and private. That means a big enough table, comfy chairs (like computer chairs. Folding chairs aren't comfortable for long periods of time, and really comfy arm chairs are usually too low to reach the table properly), good lighting, a quiet environment, and no worries of interruptions or an obnoxious audiance.

These are all things the high end market expect but are willing to pay for. You can recoup your cost readily. They are also unlikely to trash things.

-There were good resources for my game. Reference books, minis, battlemats and a good sound system would be the minimum. Helpful would be paper and pencils, dice, terrain, character sheets, computer aids, etc etc. I could see paying very minimal rental fees for those things, but it'd be better if it came with the space.

A high end market customer doesn't mind paying for conveniece. The fees don't need to be bottom of the barrel and I doub't you'd have as many problems with damaged or stolen items.

-If there was food involved, it should be cheap, fresh and tasty.

Hard to get all three. Go with a higher end market and it's not a problem. Definition: If they don't have a problem plopping down $20 dollars every day for lunch and coffee then you are targeting the right market. Also instead of preping food on site, I'd provide the service to bring it to them still hot and edible, and even have it ready should they wish. Don;t limit food choice, build in stains to the cost of business. Service is what makes you feel like a king. You want real service, be ready to help them save their game stuff and provide Shout wipes for clothes.

-It's got to be cheap. Since I'm already buying food and beverages for several hours, and probably shopping at the store as well, I don't want to pay more than a few dollars a week for the space. Assuming that I have four or five players to split the cost with, if there are enough amenities I'd pay five dollars for an hour, and if the players pay, too, that gets us five or six hours.

If its cheap then really the whole table set up is a loss leader meant to recoup cost in additional sales. Don't count on it happening.

I look at this list and think, no way. There is no way that anyone would be able to provide all the services and quality that I would want for the price I am willing to pay. It doesn't seem reasonable to me, so I would be unreasonable to expect it. Basically, I don't think it would work.

I think I agree. Don't go mass market, the cost of providing these services will never be borne by the mass market.

 

[Rothe]

Well, if customers are willing to sign a waiver granting me the authority to use lethal force, your problem would be solved.

lol that's the problem with an open room, it relies on the good manners of everyone. All it takes is one disruptive person to make your space seem less than ideal.

 

[Shadowdancer]

There was a place in Austin back in the late '80s/early '90s, in a strip shopping center, that tried this. It didn't sell games or gaming stuff, but had a "library" of games club members could check out and use. It sold some food items -- vending machines, with some items that could be microwaved -- and provided tables (several with terrain for minis), etc.

It was open for less than 5 years, IIRC.

I went there once because someone gave me a coupon for a free visit. Otherwise, you couldn't go in just to take a look to see if you liked the place; you had to pay.

I wasn't impressed with the place, or with the people there, and never went back.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

I would pay for a room, or a cubicle with walls high enough to block most outside noise. The acoustics, temperature and smell of the place would be the deciding factor.

A big open room with a bunch of tables? No way. I've played in places like that at conventions, and it was too noisy and mentally stressful.

There's a game store nearby that does charge for usage of tables, but they are geared mostly toward CCG players.