The end of an age

[Hervé]

It’s over.

After more than twenty years spent working in the gaming industry, I quit.

I have closed my LGS this summer, and now I have to check if the grass is indeed greener o the other side of the road. The future of gaming stores is uncertain at best as internet business has taken a major role in our industry.

It was not a decision taken hastily or happily but the welfare of my family is a priority I can’t overlook.

I’ve been enjoying every moment but I guess everything must have an end, especially the good things.

Big changes are blowing through my life and I’m pretty unsure of what the future holds but I don’t think I’ll ever stop gaming, whatever I may do.

So don’t think you’re through hearing ranting of how bad the d20 system is for Conan gaming! I wouldn’t want kintire and Azgulor pick another target for their lynch posses and flamewars! :wink:

Cheers to you all people

Hervé

 

[Supplement Four]

Sorry to hear that, Herve. I know it's hard for a game store to keep up with the internet. Shoppers like choice, and they like the lowest price possible. Small gaming stores don't have the budget to inventory odd games that may sit on the shelf for three years where as an internet store has a much, much broader audience, and achieve economies of scale, buy in bulk, and pass savings on to customers.

Still, gone are the days when I'd run down to my local game shop just to browse. I too do most of my game browsing on the net. Amazon.com loves me.

I hate to hear that you've had to close the doors, though.

Good luck with your new endeavors, bro.

 

[flatscan]

Bummer about having to close your shop doors man. Good luck to the rest of your endeavors (except for the one about trying to convince Mongoose to switch systems for Conan. :wink: )

 

[kintire]

Well, I'm sorry to hear you've had to close. Good luck with whatever comes along.

 

[Strom]

You lived the dream bro - no one can take that from you. All the best to ya!

Game on man!

 

[Azgulor]

Sorry to hear about the store, Herve. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

 

[celmive]

Been where you are - so I know what it is like...

Take it easy & good luck

 

[djd]

That's a shame

The internet is such a mixed blessing. Great that we can find stuff and order stuff from all over the world but gone are the days of wandering into my little local games store 30 odd years ago and finding unexpected and wonderful items. Nothing's unexpected these days thanks to the net.

 

[Bygoneyrs]

You know some 32+ years ago, there was a little hole in the wall small hobby store on a slightly out of the way location just outside of the local Griffus Air Force Base where I grew up in Upsate New york. It was the first gaming store for me, and was where I bought my first gaming stuff for RPGs. I bought D&D in the little white box(still have that) and the Traveller little black box(still have that too) and some time after that Gamma World and so on. I was 13 years old when I discovered that store along with my friends, and we all spent our spending money from working there on gaming stuff. That store stayed open until after I left for college. I bought many a product from them, but I can not remember that stores name. Now I will say that also in that same store they sold War Games (which I also collected as well too) and millitary minatures and like as well. I miss that type of store, it was a pure hobby store not some sudo Toy store with gaming stuff.

Penn

 

[djd]

Sounds familiar My local shop was about two miles away and me and a friend used to walk up there when we could. A pleasant journey of mainly wooded country lanes. It was a hobby store than did mainly craft stuff but had a rack of RPGs too. D&D and the little black box of Traveller- I remember it took me a while to work out how you actually played it. Something that Traveller lacked was an example of play that so common now- if you'd never played a RPG before it wasn't that obvious as to how it was supposed to work!

 

[Hervé]

I'd like to thanks everyone for their heart warming comments, especially those I had words with before. I'll try to be a better man with them, I promise (though my opinion on D20 probably won't change :wink.

Thanks to you all

 

[Demetrio]

It's a real shame you've had to close. But better to face the inevitable, I suppose.

When I was a kid I had a two hour journey to my local games shop - the first one was called The Model Shop. Later it was supplanted by Games Workshop (when it sold everything, way before they went down the road of 'own brand only'... they didn't even have an own brand back then). I remember how model soldiers gradually gave way to hex based board wargames, that then gave way to rpgs (though the board games made a brief comback in the 90s when I was working in London). But whatever was in favour, there was always choice of 'brands' and types of games.

Now that the internet is king, choice is back, and to be honest it's allowed small companies to really flourish. And computers have made finding opponents - and playing - 'proper' wargames much easier.

But something's been lost too. I think djd hit it closest. nothing's a surprise any more. Browsing on the net might save a few quid and some hours of time. But it's soulless.

Sometimes I think what's been lost is actually pretty important. That every shop that closes is an blow inflicted by our hypocrisy and short-sightedness in always chasing the cheapest deal regardless of the long term cost. But I don't think there's any way back.

PDF and online buying is the future. For better or worse. Maybe better and worse.

All the best Herve.

 

[Majestic7]

I too find the local gaming store to be a comforting and nostalgic thought... but now that I think about it... I haven't visited mine for at least two years. The few RPG books I've bought, I've ordered online. Now I'm feeling a bit guilty like I had forgotten being married or something, heh.

I guess when I come across the next book I want to have, I'll go to the store instead, even if it means a loss of a few euros. Good luck for your all future plans, Herve.

 

[warzen]

I must admit I also loved lurking in small shops.
Every trip to the UK or the US, I tried to get the list of the nearby RPG shops and drop by, buying stuff.

It's during those trips that I bought my best scenario or that I discovered the 2nd edition of Bloodbowl.

It's really sad to see Hervé closing, especially as I was a customer, even if I've never seen the shop itself !! :wink:

W.

 

[Twin Agate Dragons]

Ever since my FLGS pulled out of the local mall (probably due to the rising cost of renting) I've had to shop for everything of mine online. It majorly sucks, I'd prefer not to, but my pockets are hurting as well sio I need to get more bang for my buck).

I remember back the days of AD&D 2E tthe other mall (Paradise Valley Mall) had gaming stock in Kaybee Toys, The Hobby Bench, Waldenbooks and Game Daze. Now all that's left there is Game Daze. Whenever I'm in the vicinity of PV Mall, I try to stop by Game Daze and drop at least $20 to show my appreciation for the fact that they are still in business. I dread the day that they pull out of the mall. When that happens I will have no game stores in my area.

 

[Rex]

Hate to see another LGS go down in flames, I despise the Online process for anything other then a forum and product reviews/announcements.....

Would love to see Conan go over to the Runequest engine though.

I miss my Hobby Stores though. Currently, it's like a 50 Mile drive north or south to find a good one and even those are suffering......

~Rex

 

[Bygoneyrs]

I can't even tell you when the last time I actually went into a gaming store, now I buy either direct from a publisher or a wholesale house. I do not have the time to huntdown and find what few gaming stores are still out there.

Penn

 

[Saxon]

www.adventuregamestore.com operates as Dragon's Lair in south Florida. They have existed for 18yrs...give or take. Now, b/c of the internet they limp along selling plastic minis...WTF!?

A great shop, supporting all genre of gaming for alot of years...and now catering to a bunch of kids playing Yug-io b/c "hard-core" gamers insist on buying books on Amazon.com.

 

[Malcadon]

I have been hearing a lot of this on other forums. Hobby shops struggling, then getting crushed by the weight of the economic collapse. Even the local hobby shops in my area has shutdown - you can find a lot of "D & D" in my town (roofing, pluming, hardware, and so on), but none of it is about gaming (unless you have some freakish notions with regards to pluming and/or hardware :shock!

It a real shame! Online, I see TONS and TONS of new game books, but it hard to take-in the games with free preview downloads! I like to take my time to sample the "dead-tree" editions in my hands. I like to skim the pages. To feel the pages between my fingers. To read chapters at random. To enjoy the art. TO SHOVE MY FACE INTO A BOOK AND TAKE-IN THE SMALL OF THE INK AND PAPER!!! (I actually do this) I also like how game stores display games and props that you would never have known to even exist!

Quit often, I engage in file piracy to sample a potential new game book. Publishers hate this, but I don't give a dame! (sympathy is for people who insist on using "safe words") I like to know what I'm getting into (and avoid getting a useless shelf-warmer). I also don't make much use of these files, because I hate reading long files, and they are such dame printer-ink hogs! (ultimately, they get buried under junk files, archived on a disk, thrown into a box, and get shoved deeper in the closet then Richard Simmons' sexuality) When I do find a game I like, I buy the dead-tree edition.

 

[tneva82]

b/c "hard-core" gamers insist on buying books on Amazon.com.

Well. Up to 33% discount(for example. Return to road of the kings. If I order from closest equilavent of FLGS, still needing to do it online..., it will cost me 35e+postage(about 2.5e). From amazon I can get it for 23e including postage. That's 39% discount! Might not sound that much in terms of € sums but think what happens when you buy multiple books. That mounts up fast) on products can be very tempting...Especially if you are on tight budget when it can mean difference between getting the book and not getting the book.

I'm affraid FLGS are going to die in future unless they can think something new to help them out. Simply providing same stuff you can get from online stores isn't going to cut it whether it's for RPG's or miniature games.

Albeit things will be bit better for FLGS around here once the ridiculous difference between € and £ currencies is balanced out. If € price would be only about 1.2 times the £ price the difference wouldn't be that noticable but as it is it is more like 1.5 which mounts up. Add to that discounts(amazon seems to be giving 25%...Which is just compounded by the £ to € ratio) and off you go.