Survival of FLGS moving into the digital doc age

[DFW]

Lately I have been thinking about the "channel" and how publishers could help FLGS. I got my start in gaming at one where the owner was also my next door neighbor.

Right now they are threatened by the fact that PDF's are sold directly (or via a few online distributors) to the end user.

Thoughts:

What if you could go into your FLGS and browse a PDF only release and if you want it you can order there? The distribution price break being low enough so that it is cheaper than ordering directly? (There is lots of room to play with price given no printing costs for publisher)

Just an idea. I think that having vibrant FLGS (that have on premise gaming, etc. is good for publisher sales)

 

[rust]

There have been some experiments with PDFs and FLGS over here, but
those I am aware of failed. The most common cause seems to have been
that many of the big distributors of PDFs demand exclusive rights to sell
the PDFs, and the FLGS could therefore only offer some few "exotics", but
not the stuff which would have sold well.

 

[DFW]

There have been some experiments with PDFs and FLGS over here, but
those I am aware of failed. The most common cause seems to have been
that many of the big distributors of PDFs demand exclusive rights to sell
the PDFs, and the FLGS could therefore only offer some few "exotics", but
not the stuff which would have sold well.

Interesting as Mongoose doesn't give an exclusive right to any PDF distributors. So, it could work for them.

 

[rust]

I just looked it up on DTRPG, and it seems the problem is - as almost al-
ways - money: A publisher who gives DTRPG exclusive rights gets higher
royalties ...

We offer two types of publisher accounts. Exclusive accounts offer a
higher royalty rate on sales and other benefits in exchange your making
our marketplaces the only reseller of the digital products you upload to us.

Exclusive publishers receive a 70% royalty on all digital sales and 70%
royalty on the margin (sales price - print cost) on all print sales. They
also receive more free promotion on the marketplace.

Non-exclusive publishers receive a 65% royalty rate.

 

[DFW]

I just looked it up on DTRPG, and it seems the problem is - as almost al-
ways - money: A publisher who gives DTRPG exclusive rights gets higher
royalties ...

We offer two types of publisher accounts. Exclusive accounts offer a
higher royalty rate on sales and other benefits in exchange your making
our marketplaces the only reseller of the digital products you upload to us.

Exclusive publishers receive a 70% royalty on all digital sales and 70%
royalty on the margin (sales price - print cost) on all print sales. They
also receive more free promotion on the marketplace.

Non-exclusive publishers receive a 65% royalty rate.

I looked at the same. It doesn't seem to be the case with the large publishers (like mongoose) just the smaller guys. So, this might be a workable idea for the large publishers.

They are strong arming the small guys (publishers).

 

[SSWarlock]

One of the issues I've run into with PDFs is the inability to share their info among a player group during play. At least not without either printing it out ahead of time or requiring everyone to have some kind of electronic display device. And not everyone has the funds or desire to buy those devices.

If I'm at a FLGS looking for gaming material, I want it to be printed. I've found it's much easier to pass a book around to the players in my group while I'm working with another book/my GM material than pass around my laptop which has most of my GM material on it. And I often can flip through a book faster than I can find something in a PDF file.

 

[DFW]

If I'm at a FLGS looking for gaming material, I want it to be printed. I've found it's much easier to pass a book around to the players in my group while I'm working with another book/my GM material than pass around my laptop which has most of my GM material on it. And I often can flip through a book faster than I can find something in a PDF file.

Right. As you don't like to purchase PDF is 1st place, this isn't a variable in the equation for addressing the stated problem.

 

[SSWarlock]

Right. As you don't like to purchase PDF is 1st place, this isn't a variable in the equation for addressing the stated problem.

I never stated I don't like to purchase PDFs. On the contrary, I love PDFs and have purchased over 30 of them for various games, including Mongoose Traveller.

They're fantastic for archiving purposes, will never get lost over time if properly backed up, and allow me to mix and match the info in them into a format of my choice without my ever having to spend time scanning in printed material. The purpose of my comment was to state some of the disadvantages of PDFs that customers will discover very quickly. However, with just a little forethought and proper consumer education, the issues I stated can easily be addressed by any FLGS willing to put forth the effort.

The difference in royalty revenues, however, bite. Also, a number of people I know buy the PDFs online because they can get the material without having to take the time to drive to a store to buy it. I'm not sure how an FLGS can deal with that issue, particularly if the travel time/distance involved is significant (in the customer's eyes).

Personally, I like going to local FLGS's. That's how I potentially meet new gaming buddies and get hands-on experience with new games to see if I really like them. But since the nearest FLGS to me is over an hour's drive away and buying a PDF online takes no more than 5 minutes, I'll keep buying them online until a FLGS pops up no more than 20 minutes away. If one does, I absolutely will be buying printed gaming material from them exclusively. And PDFs if it happens to sell them.

 

[DFW]

The purpose of my comment was to state some of the disadvantages of PDFs that customers will discover very quickly. However, with just a little forethought and proper consumer education, the issues I stated can easily be addressed by any FLGS willing to put forth the effort.

Apparently this is beyond the ability of a VERY large % of FLGS over the past few years. Hence, the decline. So, a better way of capturing the lost business to PDF sales is needed.

 

[kafka]

Most town and cities are lucky to have a FGLS, their business model of surviving on sole games is still fine. So long as they encourage games. Which means devoting some space to a Meetup or local gamers. It also means developing a competitive price structure. Margins are tight everywhere. It also means keeping attuned to what gamers want. If it is custom. Then bring it in.

Only a few, game stores do it.

 

[AndrewW]

Personally, I like going to local FLGS's. That's how I potentially meet new gaming buddies and get hands-on experience with new games to see if I really like them. But since the nearest FLGS to me is over an hour's drive away and buying a PDF online takes no more than 5 minutes, I'll keep buying them online until a FLGS pops up no more than 20 minutes away. If one does, I absolutely will be buying printed gaming material from them exclusively. And PDFs if it happens to sell them.

Sounds like here, no such thing as a fLgs...

One can just order print books online though, doesn't have to be PDF's.

 

[DFW]

One can just order print books online though, doesn't have to be PDF's.

The only way to counter that, as far as I can see, would be the ability for customers to flip through a PDF at the FLGS and then purchase there at a reduced price. (obviously one can browse a dead tree copy at the stores already)

 

[MongooseMatt]

There is this program, which Mongoose has signed up to;

http://www.bits-and-mortar.com/

 

[rust]

obviously one can browse a dead tree copy at the stores already

I would be happy if this would be possible at my FLGS.

We once had two FLGS in our city of 250,000 inhabitants, now one had to
close down and the other one has reduced its roleplaying games corner
and turned to selling comics. The only roleplaying games still on the shel-
ves are those currently played by the members of the local roleplaying
club, everything else has to be ordered - which takes longer and costs
more than ordering from Amazon.

Listening to the previous owner of the closed FLGS, he puts the blame on
Amazon, "why drive across the city to the shop when you can order it on-
line, have it the next day, and pay less - and can always return it within
two weeks if you do not like it." The return option is indeed widely used,
many people order books only to browse them comfortably at home and
then return them.

 

[DFW]

obviously one can browse a dead tree copy at the stores already

I would be happy if this would be possible at my FLGS.

We once had two FLGS in our city of 250,000 inhabitants, now one had to
close down and the other one has reduced its roleplaying games corner
and turned to selling comics. The only roleplaying games still on the shel-
ves are those currently played by the members of the local roleplaying
club, everything else has to be ordered - which takes longer and costs
more than ordering from Amazon.

Listening to the previous owner of the closed FLGS, he puts the blame on
Amazon, "why drive across the city to the shop when you can order it on-
line, have it the next day, and pay less - and can always return it within
two weeks if you do not like it." The return option is indeed widely used,
many people order books only to browse them comfortably at home and
then return them.

You nailed it rust. The channel changes killed them.

 

[SSWarlock]

There is this program, which Mongoose has signed up to;

http://www.bits-and-mortar.com/

Wow! This sounds pretty much like what we've all been saying FLGS's need.

 

[lastbesthope]

I've already emailed my FLGS the link.

SO if my FLGS signs up, and I buy my Trav books from them, would I get the pdf free?

I ask only because it seems to state that only happens if the book + pdf bundle is available online, which it isn't for most Mongoose stuff.

LBH

 

[DFW]

http://www.bits-and-mortar.com
Wow! This sounds pretty much like what we've all been saying FLGS's need.

Partially but, it doesn't address all those who only purchase PDFs. And, the publishing industry studies show that the gap is getting wider every year.

 

[rust]

The death of FLGS at least here in germany is home-made!

Many (if not most) FLGS in Germany were founded and are operated by
roleplaying fans who have no business sense, no business training and
only a very vague idea of the meaning of words like "customer" and "ser-
vice". This worked comparatively well in times when the market was still
expanding and the alternatives to a visit to the local FLGS were limited,
but it broke down when the market started to shrink and the alternatives
appeared. Some FLGS owners managed to learn and adapt, but many re-
acted more according to my signature or turned away from roleplaying
games, usually first to trading cards, which tended to attract the kids and
to drive away the remaining roleplaying gamers, and then to whatever
could be sold to their new clients, often comics and thelike.

Still, there are some very good FLGS with friendly, knowledgeable and
helpful owners, nice rooms with shelves full of interesting material, regu-
lar gaming events, and all that. Unfortunately they are much like lynxes
and wolves, you sometimes see a picture or read an article which proves
that they exist in Germany, but you very rarely have a chance to see one.

 

[BP]

As a kid my FLGS was mostly model railroad oriented (probably why I only ever had 8 CT books). As an adult the only ones I've been to were largely centered on comics and video games, though occasionally there would be a knowledgeable salesperson - but I imagine there is a lot of nostalgia for what they once were as both meeting places and centers for common interests along with access to gaming materials. However, unless a chain makes them successful (i.e. has business sense and capital), they will probably just continue to die away...

One of the issues I've run into with PDFs is the inability to share their info among a player group during play ... it's much easier to pass a book around to the players in my group while I'm working with another book/my GM material than pass around my laptop which has most of my GM material on it. And I often can flip through a book faster than I can find something in a PDF file.

Interesting - in my groups we would round robin the books during chargen, otherwise the players had no need of rule books during play. I always made gear lists for purchasing - and other props were often on single printouts (maps, deckplans, mug-shots, news, job descriptions, etc.) shared as a group or on the computer (facing the players mostly) since I've been using computers with Traveler since early on (don't even recall ever printing subsector maps - they are always on a screen).

Must say, my one session using two iDevices worked extremely well - the iPad in the middle of the table is so easily and naturally shared... while the hand sized retina display iPod is awesome for the Ref. (No cords or hot blowing fans is a definite plus as well.) Given the rapid increase in iPhone like cell phones along with the likely explosion in tablets - having two such devices available at the gaming table could be quite common even in small groups...