Honestly, find out if any local High-Schools or Colleges have a Gaming Club.

I must not knock women's basketball, I must not knock women's basketball, I must mock women's basketball...wait no bugger...

I would go to a store that had strippers and women's basketball and spend lots and lots of money.

I've never seen women's basketball. Just going to check youtube*.

On topic,

Another couple of things that might help are if -

1. You remember that the first couple of years are going to be tough, you need to be strong enough to see that through.

2. You'll get through the tough couple of years by building up a loyal customer base.

Cheers

Baaa

*Edit: that was disappointing.

I figure you've got two types of customers who will make up the bulk of your X Wing sales. There's the established guys, who have their collections more or less built, who will buy new waves/releases almost unquestionably, but who won't but an awful lot in between - maybe the odd expansion or two. These guys, as has been the focus of the thread, are kept happy and loyal with tournaments, loyalty bonuses etc.

The other major category will be new players - guys who've heard about the game online, our gotten a core set for their birthday or whatever. These guys, I think will wasn't two things:

1: An assurance that the local tournament scene is fun and vibrant (which you're helping to maintain through the previous group of customers, and

2: Advice on how to get started. That's where you can really differentiate yourself from buying online - maybe you can't match process, but you can give that personal advice.

Here's what I'd do. Design a couple of "ready to play" expansion bundles that you can sell altogether for, say, 10% off retail price. You might alternatively throw in some other types of bonuses, like a free dice pack, playmat, or set of acrylic movement templates with each pack you buy.

The packs themselves would probably be best of they were split into faction, but were otherwise very similar and focused on recognisable movie ships - maybe one Large pack (Rebel/Imp aces or Most Wanted), one large based ship (Falcon, Deci and Slave 1 would probably be the best - the Lambda is a movie ship, but hard for a novice pilot) and one small based ship (again, use recognizable ships - Y Wing, TIE Bomber - would probably have to use the M3A for scum). You'd probably also want to do a two faction set so that people buying for their family/kids could play instantly (Reb+Imp Aces + Y Wing + TIE Advanced maybe, with a dice pack and acrylic templates thrown in).

The whole idea is to make it as quick, easy and attractive to get people beyond the core set and into lists that, while they might not be top tier in the meta, would add least be fun, and able to be taken along to a casual game night without being hopelessly outmatched.

One other idea - if you think X-Wing is going to be a reasonably big seller for you, maybe go the extra mile on the in-store promotion. A cheap desktop PC (sans keyboard and mouse) set up to loop YouTube videos of X Wing games, our even something like on demand playing of expansion pack reviews so people can assess the value of an expansion they're considering (The Cardboard Dungeon do good ones, and AFAIK he never recommends not buying any expansions - at worst he might say that you only need one, so that's good for you! ) A couple of hundred bucks on a clapped out old desktop/mouse and a WiFi connection (or even just videos downloaded onto a cheap disconnected machine), and you have a rolling X Wing ad that people can interact with.

Run a starter box tournament. We ran a tournament were only the starter box was used for each table. Everything was already set up for the players, and they did not have to bring anything. The prize for the winner was a starter box. This added several players to our area.

A starter box tournament sounds really interesting, but I have also found games with 2 ties against luke and R2-D2 to be more of a turn off for new players. Do you have a point cap on your tournament to prevent this?

We ran it using the basic intro game that is suggested in box. I don't see why you couldn't change up the pilots. I would just play test it a little if you do that. We also tried to make sure every player got a chance to play with both Empire and Rebels. You have all the table set up with the squads already there. The players leave the ships at the table at the end of each round. This way one round you might be playing Ties and the next the X-wing.

I have a few stores in my area. The one I call home is the one where the owner plays with us. He set up an x-wing night, and brings his stuff. If I show up and no one else does, I can play a game with the owner. I try to buy all my stuff there because the owner is likable, and shares my interest.

He also sets up tourneys witch is always a reason to come out. Good luck with your store. I am sure a small game store is a labor of love.

Thanks everyone for the advice, going to push x wing big time this week, hopefully I will have some pictures or a batt rep to post!

Good luck!

I ran a Trench Run game at my local store and it attracted some attention. This was just from playing in the back without setting it up before hand.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/139100-death-star-trench-run/

It convinced two guys to go in on a Core set.

There's a lot of discussion about cost, and it always comes down to roughly two sides. One side says "Oh dear, $X is a lot of money to spend on a game," while the other side says, "Yeah, but $X isn't much compared to what you spend for [whatever], and you get a lot for your money." Both of those things are true. The way you get from one side of that argument to the other is by deciding that $X is worth it. That is what you need to do in order to sell the game (any game, for that matter). That is the leap the customer needs to make, and that is what you need to do as a retailer to make the sale.

There are a couple of important pieces to this.

First is to convince them they will like playing the game. No one wants to spend $40 or $100 - or even just $10, let alone $1000 - on a game they won't like, or will never get to play. Make sure they get a demo of the game, and that they have a good experience. That doesn't have to mean playing hamstrung rules or letting them win, but don't hand them off to the biggest powergamer in the store to be overwhelmed and curbstomped in a 100pt tournament-type match. Do a quick explanation of the basic rules (choosing a maneuver, moving, attacking), with the core set components, and play out a few turns. This doesn't have to be a full game or even a full table; you could do this in a space the size of a countertop or a cafeteria tray.

Once they know they like it, you want to show them that they will get to play it. This is where your in-store gaming comes in. Players of a given game should have a regular, scheduled time when they can expect to show up and be able to play. For example, say Wednesday is Card Game Night, and Thursday is Miniatures Night. If there's one table left on Thursday, then sure, let those two Magic guys play on it, but if someone wants to play Warhammer, the card folks have to wait.

Remember that demo you were giving a potential customer? Well, that's when you mention that every Thursday is minis night, and there are a bunch of people who come down to play every week. "Oh, and on the second Saturday of every month, we run an X-wing event; this month is a 100pt tournament, but next month we're doing a big Epic Game - see that big shiny Corvette over on the shelf?" Even better is if there's a game going on; let them walk over and watch a "real" game in progress. This is where you need to be careful of the "Friendly Environement" things that others mentioned: have a code of conduct posted, make sure the soda bottles and candy wrappers are picked up, keep it well lit, climate-controlled, and free of the dreaded Gamer Funk. Make it look like a place they want to be, not a place they want to avoid.

The last thing I'll mention is the actual price point. I hate to say this, but I strongly recommend NOT giving a flat discount. You will never be able to compete with big online houses on raw price - you have to make up the value in other ways. Whether they realize it or not, people will always be asking, "Why should I buy from you?" and if your best answer is "I'm cheaper!" then that is a battle you will always lose, because someone with lower overhead will always be able to offer a better discount. So, you need to point out all your "Value Added" services: current stock to paw through with your own hands and impulse buy, a location to play at, people to play with and talk to, etc.

I will add that doing financial-based incentives in OTHER ways can work just fine. The loyalty program model is a good example. If you give a flat 10% off, then I can just buy most of my stuff online, and still get a break when I realize Amazon's all sold out of TIE Interceptors and your store has the last pack on the continent. Instead, my FLGS sells stuff at retail, and for every $50 I spend, I get a $5 off coupon. Total expenditure works out mostly the same for me, but it ensures my money goes there instead of elsewhere.

The same thing goes with tournament prizes. If first prize is $15 cash, the winner can walk right out the door with it (there's also an issue of legality depending on your locale). If the prize is $15 store credit, then at least you know you're getting some of that back (more accurately, you're not giving as much away, because you hopefully buy on some kind of wholesale discount). BUT, the players are still effectively playing for money... which tends to heighten the sense of competitiveness and bring out the worst in people, in terms of sportsmanship, and even grayer areas like the "cheesy" decks/armies. A better idea is to give a coupon for 20% (or whatever) off one purchase. That way, if I buy a Y-wing pack, I get a better deal than my normal quasi-10% loyalty, but maybe I'll spring for that Corvette I've wanted - after all, it's closer to what I'd get online, I get to brag to my friends that I won a cheap Corvette as a tourney prize, and I get to walk out with my shiny new toy while I'm still high on my Big Win. You'll make lower margin than normal, but still more than if I bought it elsewhere, and if you give me my loyalty points for it (based on the final purchase price), I'll also get my $5 off coupon, and probably come back to buy that Y-wing on Thursday for game night.

There are ways for both of us to get what we want, and both feel like it was worth it, and truthfully, that's the only way you're gonna make it in the retail game.

- H8