Thanks for the response...

I'd just say, that I would never have bought armada if I didn't get the discount that's available online. Same with xwing for that matter.

I hadn't played board games in probably 20+ years (aside from say monopoly, life, chutes and ladders, etc with the kids when they were younger) and decided on a whim to try to get some axis and allies going. I checked the area around wichita, found a group that met at a certain game store twice a month and went. While there I mostly played eurogames as that was 'thing' for since it can be played in a single setting and was easier to introduce new gamers in how to play.

I then went to board game geek and that's where I discovered xwing (ads and game hotness)... then I came to this site, saw armada and bingo whammo, decided that was going to be the game for me. I ordered all my xwing stuff online and when armada came out, ordered the first wave and core online. Then as time went on and I was playing at the game store every other saturday, i started buying extra ships, dice, etc from the game shop.

The point here is that it wasn't the game store that got me into these games, it was my online research, youtube videos, and forums that provided me with the interest.

So will I start buying other stuff now at the flgs if it's only 10% cheaper online? Unlikely. I'll just play and buy armada and give up buying into the other ffg games. I haven't bought for the lcg in about 3 months, did get the hoth expansion for ia and havent bought anything xwing since armada came out. I'm mostly under control with purchases now as my board gaming itch has been scratched. It'll be unlikely that this will change if the discount reduction from online sales is too much and I'll probably slowly fade away from gaming in general. I haven't played in a couple months and I've only show up at the game store a few times and for less than 30 mins each time (new job, kid stuff, etc). The point though, is that I'm getting used to not going and if this pricing scheme is too steep, they will probably just lose me altogether over the short term. I'll get armada stuff, but everything else will stop completely with ffg games.

I guess we will see how the scheme pans out for the lgs.. I do wish the best for them, but I also wish the best for my wallet and my free time.

Thanks for the response...

I'd just say, that I would never have bought armada if I didn't get the discount that's available online. Same with xwing for that matter.

But now it is too late for you....

Same here, by the way - I bought into X-Wing, because Amazon.com made the entry easy. That's why I'm totally with you when it comes to that Core Set and lowering the threshold to entry.

However, I did it thinking that the Wife and I could play it together. She initially liked the idea of it, but was then put off by the complexity of the rules. I also just have more of a brain for this sort of thing than she does and she doesn't like to lose repeatedly. So, that left me with plastic toys and nobody to play them with. (I was a bit of a recluse then.)

Since then, however, I have become a big part of my local thriving X-Wing/Armada communities, and even get cajoled to join in with Imperial Assault. While these games occasionally happen at homes, we do most of them at the FLGSs. We also invite bystanding people to play the games with us, give them 'customer service' when it comes to explaining the rules to newcomers and/or advising people about buying in or not. Essentially, we're free labor for the FLGSs (and FFG). (I think that Lyraeus is essentially indentured to The Portland Game Store.)

So, yeah, that's a very far cry from your social situation, which is why we're such advocates for the pro-FLGS side.

I'm just going to state for the record, I'd love to have a shop near to me, that was competitive price wise, that had good, clean, well lit and well cared for facilities, I would happily go spend my cash there, and spend some time playing games with new people ( I have a pool of around 12 friends I've known the last 27 years) Where we could make a day of it, food drink etc etc.

The reality is, not only is there not anything like that local to me, I'm 40, and I have lots of obligations for my time & money, just like all of the guys who I grew up with and spent the best part of 3 decades gaming with, so just how much time could we actually spend in such a place? maybe once a fortnight if we we're lucky, sure I'd like it to be more often, but real life is not so obliging once you get married, have kids, and a full time job, both money and time become a **** sight scarcer than when I was a teenager/early twentys, so just who is this change a benefit for? We spend a lot I guess on our Hobbies, but we don't have the time to take advantage of a super duper game store.

Like Reiryc stated for himself, I try and take advantage of discounts, because quite frankly everything goes up in price every year, and my wages go up nothing like the same, so I have to pick and choose where to invest what funds I do have free for my entertainment, Console, P.C. board games, Miniature games, it all adds up fast, and I detest the entire concept of relabeling games into luxury's if we have got to the stage that buying a board game is a luxury for someone, then the corporations have won.

Anyway I have enjoyed the discussion, and reading the well thought out replies.