This is not a black or white issue, region, general budget and spousal understanding are key factors. Take my situation, my wife would prefer I get the best deal possible, so I generally go with online. I have 2 game stores within easy walking distance, one is pretty much Magic only and the other one (which is one I try to play at as it is the closest) is unreliable and has "struck out" with me 3 times. There is a store 15 minutes away which I have ordered half of my armada wave one stuff from, to see how well things go, I go there probably once or twice a month as it isn't as close and doesn't have the people I am used to playing with. I mostly buy online because my wife approves, my wallet hurts less, I can get what when I want it and don't have to deal with some of "game store drama" that is rampant in this area.

Seven years ago, different story. I lived about 45 minutes north of here, wasn't married and as a consequence had more disposable income. I spent around $400 a month on games, and frequented a game store that treated me very well.

I feel that a person should not feel judged for doing one or the other and shouldn't have to spell out their reasoning. I feel like some people are trying to make the situation into selfish decision vs. social conscious decision and it is just not that cut and dry. Well that is just my two cents and take it as you like.

This is not a black or white issue, region, general budget and spousal understanding are key factors. ...

Yes, which is why, in the OP, I wrote:

Granted, circumstances differ, individuals and LGSs all have their individual circumstances. There are many instances when one shouldn't make someone else feel guilty for buying a game online.

So, do you think there are circumstances where an individual should feel guilty, when they play at a game store, but don't leave any money behind? Is there a moral here, in your view?

Pay where you play.

Can a different model work?

What if a FLGS offered discount pricing but charged for the players to enter the gaming area.

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I saw a kick starter for something like this.

It's a board gaming cafe. The idea is that you join with a membership that lets you go play. You can also play with games they have available from their library. In addition, they will be selling food to the general public.

It's going to be in Florida. I didn't really follow it, but saw the link to it on boardgame geek

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I used to belong to a large gaming club that paid the rent by charging a membership fee (around $20 per month). After nearly two decades of scraping by, it eventually shut down due to dwindling membership and rising rental costs. Pretty much everyone from that group now plays at one of two "gaming cafes" in town: regular bars that welcome all forms of tabletop gaming provided you eat or drink something while you're there (much like a sports bar showing matches on large-screen TVs). One of them also sells some games and hobby supplies on the side. Both seem quite successful.

I think that is the model game stores should strive for...especially now that some gaming is becoming a bit more mainstream. It would attract regular folks who want food and a drink and while there they might become interested in trying a game out.

I think the general public sees games as a boring affair...monopoly, risk, life, etc. If gaming stores diversified some of their retail space to entice the general public in, they could see a possible increase in sales and be incentivized to lower prices from msrp.

Must resist urge to call dbags, dbags...

I just wish more FLGS would charge a cover charge to play in their gaming area (and maybe waive it with X dollar purchase). Then we could end the moral debate over playing at the store. I rarely play at the store, but when I do I feel guilty using my toy I bought online.

Good. Use your abashed feelings, boy.

Let the guilt flow through you.

The whole buy games if you play there reminds me too much of the whole annoying custom of tipping. Making people's livelihood dependent on the good nature of strangers. If all I need is space, I want to buy space.

If you were to pay for the space, how much do you think you would have to pay vs how much you would be willing to pay?

Can a different model work?

What if a FLGS offered discount pricing but charged for the players to enter the gaming area.

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I saw a kick starter for something like this.

It's a board gaming cafe. The idea is that you join with a membership that lets you go play. You can also play with games they have available from their library. In addition, they will be selling food to the general public.

It's going to be in Florida. I didn't really follow it, but saw the link to it on boardgame geek

I am moving to the town it is located in. Im told its interesting but not really a true gamer hang out. Its almost strictly board game. No outside or miniatures games. Still, fun for entertaining friends and such.

Can a different model work?

What if a FLGS offered discount pricing but charged for the players to enter the gaming area.

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I saw a kick starter for something like this.

It's a board gaming cafe. The idea is that you join with a membership that lets you go play. You can also play with games they have available from their library. In addition, they will be selling food to the general public.

It's going to be in Florida. I didn't really follow it, but saw the link to it on boardgame geek

I am moving to the town it is located in. Im told its interesting but not really a true gamer hang out. Its almost strictly board game. No outside or miniatures games. Still, fun for entertaining friends and such.

Oh, you can't bring in your own games?

That's seems self defeating as a business model then :/

Can a different model work?

What if a FLGS offered discount pricing but charged for the players to enter the gaming area.

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I saw a kick starter for something like this.

It's a board gaming cafe. The idea is that you join with a membership that lets you go play. You can also play with games they have available from their library. In addition, they will be selling food to the general public.

It's going to be in Florida. I didn't really follow it, but saw the link to it on boardgame geek

I am moving to the town it is located in. Im told its interesting but not really a true gamer hang out. Its almost strictly board game. No outside or miniatures games. Still, fun for entertaining friends and such.

Oh, you can't bring in your own games?

That's seems self defeating as a business model then :/

Part of the idea, as I understand it, is you "rent" thier games for a low fee. That way, even if they do not sell food, they have some recourse for expenses. Lakeland Florida, where the place is, is relatively cheap. Its a far more business friendly environment, and the locals are very willing to support local business when it is something they like. They have potential. Having said that, Im involved in the gaming community there. The "hard core" gamers are primarily "bunker gamers." This place aims at the more casual market.

I am all for supporting local business. As long as they show a genuine effort in providing service that makes them worth it. I dislike the notion that we should buy locally merely because they are local. A transaction is a two way street, and the other party has an obligation to show they genuinely /want/ the transaction, and not just the money at the end of it.

My LGS was unable to give me any answers as for when they would get Armada in stock when the core first came out. Not only that, but they didn't seem /interested/ in providing me any answers. 'We might get it in next week'. I'm sorry, but when I can buy it from some online retailers that give me a very clear answer on their availability, and where I know they will ship it out ASAP once they can this 'lack of interest' from my LGS becomes rather grating.

I am in a rather fortunate situation of not really caring if I pay more locally. So my LGS being more expensive isn't a factor. The lack of interest in anything but MtG and Pathfinder /is/, however.

My gaming friends and I also do archery. I have to admit I bought my bows online, because of availability. One of my friends finally decided she wanted her own bow too, but wanted to support our archery range/pro shop, so ordered it through them. It's a cheaper recurve bow, so this transaction wouldn't net them all that much profit. Every week for 6 weeks my friend would ask if her bow had come in that week, only to be met with 'No, it's still not shipped, we'll check up on it'. But she would never hear anything back from the store. Instead she would instead have to ask the store the following week. Turns out, at the end of those 6 weeks, that the bow in question was discontinued, so she had to order a different bow. Now don't get me wrong, I like the people at that shop, they're nice, we're on first name basis, I shoot there at least once a week, but that kind of lax attitude towards basic customer service makes me feel very little guilt for being my own agent and taking care of my own purchases, bypassing the 'uncertainty factor' that poor customer service staff provide.

That is exactly how I feel regarding my LGS too. If I take care of the purchase myself, online, I am in control of when things happen. If I entrust the LGS I give control to someone who just doesn't seem to care. 'If you want a job well done do it yourself' comes to mind, unfortunately. If that was NOT the case I would be more than happy to buy everything at my LGS.

Addy

Can a different model work?

What if a FLGS offered discount pricing but charged for the players to enter the gaming area.

What if a store was a blend of gaming area and coffee shop or bar, players are not permitted to bring outside food or drink into the store.

I saw a kick starter for something like this.

It's a board gaming cafe. The idea is that you join with a membership that lets you go play. You can also play with games they have available from their library. In addition, they will be selling food to the general public.

It's going to be in Florida. I didn't really follow it, but saw the link to it on boardgame geek

I am moving to the town it is located in. Im told its interesting but not really a true gamer hang out. Its almost strictly board game. No outside or miniatures games. Still, fun for entertaining friends and such.

Oh, you can't bring in your own games?

That's seems self defeating as a business model then :/

Part of the idea, as I understand it, is you "rent" thier games for a low fee. That way, even if they do not sell food, they have some recourse for expenses. Lakeland Florida, where the place is, is relatively cheap. Its a far more business friendly environment, and the locals are very willing to support local business when it is something they like. They have potential. Having said that, Im involved in the gaming community there. The "hard core" gamers are primarily "bunker gamers." This place aims at the more casual market.

If you do go (or go again), post some pics if you don't mind. I'm curious how they set things up.

Do they sell games too or is it just rent/membership fees/food for income?

Glad you said the town as I couldn't remember that or all the details.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

Here is a link to the kick starter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1924620847/the-game-shelf

Glad you said the town as I couldn't remember that or all the details.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

Here is a link to the kick starter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1924620847/the-game-shelf

I'll be delighted to conduct recon for you. I wont be home (Im originally from there) untill July. Im sure I will be stopping in there though, just to check it out and see if I fully understand and am doing the concept justice.

My LGS was unable to give me any answers as for when they would get Armada in stock when the core first came out. Not only that, but they didn't seem /interested/ in providing me any answers. 'We might get it in next week'. I'm sorry, but when I can buy it from some online retailers that give me a very clear answer on their availability, and where I know they will ship it out ASAP once they can this 'lack of interest' from my LGS becomes rather grating.

Yes, that is annoying, but (on the X-Wing forum as well as here) I've heard all kinds of "news" about shipping this/that from online retailers, which then just end up being automated misinformation. Especially Amazon, but there's also a British retailer that's supposed to be horrible in this regards.

So, while LGS retailers may be misinformed, online retailers are not necessarily any better.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

I'm not sure a $5 cover is any cheaper than buying your product there.

Regarding what theruleslawyer was saying about tipping, etc. I think both customers and retailers are making a mistake if they want to rationalize the process into definite amounts. I think gamers and FLGSs are better off under generalized reciprocity than balanced reciprocity. (notion)

But that's just me.

I hate how the Armada Forum is filled with more Politcal Union Banter about Delays to Personal Attacks over using FLGS than it is actually about the Game itself.

There are some really negative people on this forum that I used to enjoy coming too to getting my Armada fix when not playing it.

The late release has caused many to be frustrated with the wait, myself included, but most of the discussions can and have been mostly civil discourse, that's healthy for a community. This thread here has been very civil and if we can keep people's emotions about the topic level it can be a way to get to know one another so when we get our grubby hands on more ships we can discuss to the ends of the earth about how best we should use our tactics.

If this thread and topic is not your thing you don't need to follow it, but rest assured we will be discussing how to best an Imperial player at his own game soon enough. (And of Newt is right it will be in a week to two weeks. "JOY"

As for everyone else I am liking what I am hearing and don't really disagree with much but feel the topic is moving along.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

I'm not sure a $5 cover is any cheaper than buying your product there.

Regarding what theruleslawyer was saying about tipping, etc. I think both customers and retailers are making a mistake if they want to rationalize the process into definite amounts. I think gamers and FLGSs are better off under generalized reciprocity than balanced reciprocity. (notion)

But that's just me.

I'm not sure if a cover is the way to go either....

I get the concept they are trying to do. If it's just rent games and eat, then not so bad.

I think the better move is go with cover for access to library. Go with sales of games at about 20% less than msrp and provide food sales to get the general public in the door. If they could build a good business lunch community (depending on location), that could translate to weekend visits and possibly board game sales.

If it's solely game rental through a cover fee and food, I don't think it's going to work out. I can't imagine people will go there more than once a week having to pay a cover when a free alternative is nearby for play space.

Glad you said the town as I couldn't remember that or all the details.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

Here is a link to the kick starterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1924620847/the-game-shelf

I'll be delighted to conduct recon for you. I wont be home (Im originally from there) untill July. Im sure I will be stopping in there though, just to check it out and see if I fully understand and am doing the concept justice.

Just curious, how did you hear about the place?

I'm assuming it's not open yet but maybe I'm wrong there.

Thanks for doing some recon

Just as a note to the topic I do belong to a Gaming Club, Ordo Fanaticus, which also has a club house with terrain and tables. It's nothing fancy but is a nice place to go for my other game of choice. But there is a $5 fee to play which is to cover rent and electricity.

$5 is not unreasonable, just ask the Brits that have the Game Clubs that have been around for awhile.

There is a difference between FLGS and LGS. Don't feel obligated to support a mere LGS.

I support my FLGS religiously because I love playing there and I love the people that work there. I want it to be around as long as possible so I have a place to game there as long as possible. Other LGS's, not so much.

If I go into a game store and ask a friend who is also an employee, "Hey, I'm making a food run, want me to pick you up anything?" And I'm told that outside food and drink is not allowed, and all that there is to eat are overpriced snack foods and soda I'm not going to come into your store one day and plop down $200+ on wave 6 all at once.

I don't mind paying more to support my favorite store. But if I were to instead only have the options of the food Nazi store and saving 1/3rd of the cost of everything online, I'm going online.

Glad you said the town as I couldn't remember that or all the details.

Looks like a $5 cover when you go play.

Here is a link to the kick starterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1924620847/the-game-shelf

I'll be delighted to conduct recon for you. I wont be home (Im originally from there) untill July. Im sure I will be stopping in there though, just to check it out and see if I fully understand and am doing the concept justice.

Just curious, how did you hear about the place?

I'm assuming it's not open yet but maybe I'm wrong there.

Thanks for doing some recon

Like I said, Im originally from there and my gaming group is there. Im moving back there to begin a PhD prgram this fall. The gaming community in the region is fairly small and tight knit. It was mentioned off hand by a friend who has been to see it. Also, the family is from that town, I think which is an added bonus for a buisness owner in a small Southern town.

They are actually located in the center of Down Town I beleive, so they do have the potentail for a lunch crowd from the professional buildings in the area. Once they establish that you can eat and/or play games I think they will do just fine. Well, that and they better have good food. If they do, they will survive on the food sales alone. We Southerners do love good food.

I hope they do well....

It would be interesting to see more variation in gaming shoppes.

Find a FLGS that treats you well, and then treat them well by buying from them.

I have been fortunate to grow up with a gaming store that has been around for over 30 years. The Owner is always happy to see me, and knows me by name. Yea I could go online and give my money to some store that gives me wholesale discount. But then, where would I find someone else to play the game with unless it was my FLGS?

Buy from your FLGS just because there might be someone else doing the same who is looking for another friend

The BS that people tell themselves and try and tell others to justify being selifish leaches is pretty remarkable...