Demise of the FLGS

[Apep]

While on a short break recently I took the opportunity to visit one of the FLGS and was quite shocked to see the drop in the amount of items on offer in the last six months.

There were the usual big seller items – but the smaller more niche items have disappeared completely from the shelves.

Would be quite interested to see if this is common across the UK and US.

I have to admit I miss going into a game shop, looking through the books and games and making an impulse buy….

 

[danskmacabre]

IMO RPGs are probably a small % of sales for a LGS compared to boardgames, wargames and comics these days.

Not sure the last time I bought an RPG in a LGS (must of been years ago), but I got a Talisman expansion just a couple of weeks ago.

 

[auyl]

There's a couple of FLGS in my area, most just sell the most popular stuff RPG wise, but the store I go to has all kinds of different RPG, boardgame and comic choices. I actually found copies of Legend books and other Mongoose products there along with many other RPG lines that aren't as popular as say d&d and pathfinder. It's why that store gets my business.

 

[Apep]

IMO RPGs are probably a small % of sales for a LGS compared to boardgames, wargames and comics these days.

Not sure the last time I bought an RPG in a LGS (must of been years ago), but I got a Talisman expansion just a couple of weeks ago.

Interestingly - in my original post I was referring to all products, Board Games, TCG's, CMG's, RPG's, etc. (I did note that the Mongoose product lines were all but gone same with a few other companies )..

 

[danskmacabre]

Interestingly - in my original post I was referring to all products, Board Games, TCG's, CMG's, RPG's, etc. (I did note that the Mongoose product lines were all but gone same with a few other companies )..

Oh ok, well that Is interesting then.
Where I am in Queensland, Australia, there's several Gaming shops. For sure the RPG area is smaller than I remember from years ago, but they sell loads of boardgames, tabletop Wargames (Warhammer and some other Tabletop Wargame).
They also stock loads of comics, graphics novels etc..

These FLGSs seem very proactive and involved with the community though, they have gaming areas, host mini-conventions and all sorts of stuff.

 

[billclo]

The stores I have visited:

2 comic stores, all they have is some RPG stuff and card/Euro games, and even that seems much diminished from before.

A big miniatures oriented store, pared down to a few product lines, nothing else to speak of. If it isn't a hot seller, they aren't carrying it.

I have yet to see ANY Mongoose stuff in any of the stores I've been in. I admit it is possible there may be some RPG stuff sitting around that I didn't notice, but things seem pretty sparse.

I think it's a symptom of people not having as much disposable income anymore. Welcome to the new "normal"; the economy barely limping along, not getting much better, but not much worse either. Kind of like Japan with their 20+ year economic crisis. :?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

There were the usual big seller items – but the smaller more niche items have disappeared completely from the shelves.

Would be quite interested to see if this is common across the UK and US.

It's very common in the US. Fewer games are printed on paper.

Where I am in Queensland, Australia, there's several Gaming shops. For sure the RPG area is smaller than I remember from years ago, but they sell loads of boardgames, tabletop Wargames (Warhammer and some other Tabletop Wargame).

Card games and boardgames and games with minis are hard to do in PDF form. So they will still stock game rooms.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'm not sure there is a FLGS left in NZ (where I live) at all!

The problems they faced largely lay with the fact that it was cheaper to import via amazon than purchasing from the shop directly.

 

[Iron Guardian]

Around where I live (upstate, western New York), there are three local game stores of which the majority of what they sell and promote are Board games, CCG's (particularly Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Vanguard), and miniatures (Games Workshop and the various 'Clix). For rpg's, it's mostly DND 4.0 and Pathfinder with a smattering of other stuff. Heck, they don't even bother listing rpg's among their game selections. Just this past Free RPG Day, the nearest flgs doing it is about an hour's drive away (not one of the three local stores).

As for "old school" pencil/paper/dice rpg gamers, I find there to be a gradually shrinking pool of new gamers to fill out the ranks of a slowly dwindling pool of older rpg gamers. I know I can find plenty of gamers for D&D/Pathfinder, but for any sci-fi oriented games or even other gaming systems, I feel like I am in an Old West ghost town. I blame video games for this as I see the younger gamers becoming the very thing early gamers were accused of (especially early D&D players) back in the late '70s, early '80s -- anti-social basement dwellers.

In terms of boardgamers, I see most are parents and older people, the CCG's draw mostly the younger crowd, and the minis/clix, a mixture of both. I am reluctantly accepting this as the future of gaming -- boardgames, ccg's, minis/clix, and videogames -- and really have little need now of having flgs', going to Amazon or the producers of my favorite rpg's themselves such as Mongoose. Long term, I am getting pretty pessimistic about the future of "old school" rpg's since the people who buy them is going to continue shrinking. Oh well, enough ranting, time to go back and enjoy my rpg's while I can... :|

 

[dragoner]

Eve Online, with 500,000 subscribers:

According to the developers Eve Online evolved from the classic computer game Elite, which itself was based on concepts from the science-fiction role-playing game Traveller.
-from it's wiki page

Traveller has supposedly about 4,000 players, oh well. I know it is a more difficult game from both player and gm standpoint; it is what it is, I will play it and be happy. The FLGS will not survive marketing tabletop rpg's, it is far too much a niche market, most have moved on at this point.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

In terms of boardgamers, I see most are parents and older people, the CCG's draw mostly the younger crowd, and the minis/clix, a mixture of both. I am reluctantly accepting this as the future of gaming -- boardgames, ccg's, minis/clix, and videogames -- and really have little need now of having flgs', going to Amazon or the producers of my favorite rpg's themselves such as Mongoose. Long term, I am getting pretty pessimistic about the future of "old school" rpg's since the people who buy them is going to continue shrinking. Oh well, enough ranting, time to go back and enjoy my rpg's while I can... :|

The beauty though, is that while customers are going online rather than to FLGSs to buy their RPGs, most RPGs can be played online in Google+ hangouts where a lot of role-players reside now.

 

[AndrewW]

The beauty though, is that while customers are going online rather than to FLGSs to buy their RPGs, most RPGs can be played online in Google+ hangouts where a lot of role-players reside now.

Doesn't need hangouts though, I've been playing RPG's online since before Google+ existed...

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

The beauty though, is that while customers are going online rather than to FLGSs to buy their RPGs, most RPGs can be played online in Google+ hangouts where a lot of role-players reside now.

Doesn't need hangouts though, I've been playing RPG's online since before Google+ existed...

True. Some players only prefer text or only audio. Or even just email for RPGing online.

 

[AndrewW]

True. Some players only prefer text or only audio. Or even just email for RPGing online.

Or play by post for some. Then there's the specialized programs for this (MapTools, Fantasy Grounds and the like). I prefer IRC myself. With a little bit of MapTools thrown in as needed.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Or play by post for some.

I doubt that.

 

[AndrewW]

Or play by post for some.

I doubt that.

Been some games on here using that method. Have done it myself long ago on a BBS.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Or play by post for some.

I doubt that.

Been some games on here using that method. Have done it myself long ago on a BBS.

BBS and snail mail are two different things. Or did you mean electronic posts (ie forum posts)? Because that would make more sense. Forums are still BBSs. I just call that texting. I'm from the old days where S.A.S.E.s were used. A mainframe was used if you spent more money on your turn.

 

[AndrewW]

BBS and snail mail are two different things. Or did you mean electronic posts (ie forum posts)? Because that would make more sense. Forums are still BBSs. I just call that texting. I'm from the old days where S.A.S.E.s were used. A mainframe was used if you spent more money on your turn.

Yup, forum posting is what it refers to. Don't know of any RPG's played by mail, though used to be some games done that way.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

BBS and snail mail are two different things. Or did you mean electronic posts (ie forum posts)? Because that would make more sense. Forums are still BBSs. I just call that texting. I'm from the old days where S.A.S.E.s were used. A mainframe was used if you spent more money on your turn.

Yup, forum posting is what it refers to. Don't know of any RPG's played by mail, though used to be some games done that way.

It was around 1982 I think. $2 a turn if you were doing combat of any importance. Otherwise, it was a free turn (exploring, trading, training, etc.) Those services all went the way of the dodo bird once computers were under $300 (C64 and others). Then came back for a time when modems got cheap (before FIDONET).

 

[AndrewW]

It was around 1982 I think. $2 a turn if you were doing combat of any importance. Otherwise, it was a free turn (exploring, trading, training, etc.) Those services all went the way of the dodo bird once computers were under $300 (C64 and others). Then came back for a time when modems got cheap (before FIDONET).

Never did any that way myself. Good old Fidonet.