Hey, I just have a simple Question for all of you. Where do you buy CP? I know that a lot of you might have a local shop somewhere out there, but it is reasonable to think that local shops cant be everywhere. In our country we have only one shop with old cards only, I think they have sigles for ITE and AHoTh now. So I have to buy online! Where do you go shop your favorite game? Do you buy directly from FFG or do you use CCG Armory as I do? Or are there some other better shops? Or are you among the lucky ones that have their local shop with AGoT always available?

I just wanted to put a little statitistics on these boards.

local shop. these forum post limits are slightly annoying.

I buy CP online from scifigenre.com

[i buy from eaglecard.org

I buy my chapter packs from my local shop, Mind Games Canberra. They've gone up from $15 to $20 with the increasing disparity between the US and Australian dollar, but it's all good.

Lars said:

Well, I can at least understand why people buy from online sources, when there are no local shops or they are overseas. But -- and this is speaking as a retailer -- people really do need to support their local game stores, because without them many smaller games just wouldn't see play. And if your game store actively promotes the game you are playing, even more so. Niche game like Thrones and Cthulhu are actually hurt by online sales (and, believe it or not, so are major games like Magic -- if you don't believe me, ask yourself why they created a 6-card mass market booster pack, or have changed their OP program to allow pre-releases at local stores). FLGSs do way more than most companies do to promote their games -- until they don't see any sales for that line, as which point they have to shift gears to look for the line of income that is going to keep them open. If people don't have a reason to play a game, they will stop playing. And FLGSs allow people to get together and play, and meet other people with similar interests.

Our store has always been willing to do whatever it takes to sell games -- mail order, special order, organized play, whatever -- but you will still get that customer that would rather save a few $$ buying online rather than from us (I once had a regular customer who said they would rather buy Munchkin online for $5 less, even though the shipping cost was another $5 because "you don't count sipping costs."). And many times they wil tell us how we are bad people, and ripping them off. If I could sell 1000 chapter packs of Thrones, or 10,000 boxes of Magic I could offer a discount. But I have rent to pay, and utilities, and all the other expenses a small business has in order to keep running. I like to joke that opening a game store to meet new gamers is an expensive way of going about it. Most game store owners are in it for love of gaming, not any hope of getting rich (I still have a day job, as do the other partners in our store, which are all family).

Don't get me wrong -- there are loyal customers out there who appreciate and support the local game store. And I thank you all, even if you shop somewhere else. Because without game store most people wouldn't even hear of many of the games that are available. When we opened up 5 years ago nobody in the area knew about Game of Thrones, HeroClix, Munchkin and hundreds of other games and game companies. Now there is a generation of young gamers that come in all the time to play games, and enjoy it. If we were to close, most of them would stop playing because the closest gaming store is nearly an hour's drive away, and many of them are unable or unwilling to drive that far. Sure, the YuGiOh and Magic folks would mostly still play, but they are the exception not the rule. [End of rant]

Hey I totally agree with you, I wish I only had a local shop here as well, I would be willing to pay few more dollars (propably czech crowns here) if I could get what I want right away from my shop. An even though I think local shops here could have really good prices, cause the base shipping cost from CCG Armory is something around 20$ for single CP, but then it goes down with more and more CP you buy so if you buy like 10 of them the shipping cost is only 23$ so it is like 2,3 $ per CP. So the shops here could make a really good prices if they wanted.

From what I know (I play only 1,5 year) the game appeared here in the beginings in 2004 but due to almost no inforamtion about it and high cost noone was intrested or even knew about the game. Now there might still be some shops here with the very old cards that noone bought but only one new shop is like 200 km (125 miles) far away and they have only ITE block cards so far. So the only way for me (us) is to buy online.

I bought the core set from a distant game shop but as it is about 2+ hours travelling time by car I suspect I'd order the Chapter packs online.

Now if there was a game shop in my town that would actually carry 'A Game of Thrones LCG' I would certainly buy there. It's a problem, the friendly local game store won't carry the game before there are players yet it's hard to get interested players without a local shop supplier. As It is now there are only 3 players in town and we met to play at the local library.

If Fantasy Flight allowed sanctioned events to be run without a store sponsor (where there is no local shop carrying the game) I'm sure I could get a large enough fan base going that then would inspire the shop to carry product. Catch-22

you know, our store carries the cps mainly for us, but we are by far not the only ones who buy the stuff.

example: we were planning on having a chaos draft as the store owner had a bunch of premium starters left over. I planned on using the winter one that i knew was there. Next week when i went to buy the thing...it had been sold to someone not in our play group...wowes me...but yeah for the Store!

The store owner holds at least 9 cps for us a month, i'm pretty sure he buys more then one case (10 cps i think) and there is rarely old cps sitting on his shelf.

Maybe if stores carried it 'with only 3 players' they would find that there are more people willing to buy it (if its not hidden, in our store the cps are right next to the checkout so you see them anytime you make a purchase) and probably a few of them willing to play it.

Actually, CPs come 6 to a pack, but most distributors allow the purchase of individual Chapter Packs. And I still don't get the concept of a game store that won't carry items that its customers want and are willing to buy. Weird.

I would buy from the old store I used to go to, except they never supported the game with much interest (lost our prize support on a monthly basis, or worse). The new store I tried to start something up in didn't want to buy new product as there was little interest. I tried to stir some up, but had no luck. If I do buy from a store, it's from the one up in LA because the owner rocks, and has always supported the game well. Problem is, I have to get up to LA to do that.

So... I'm embarassed to say, I buy from ccg armory.

Captain Uncontrol said:

Well don't play at the library. If you have three players, then you've got a start. Go to that local game shop, grab a table and start playiing on the weekends, or whenever. Let them see that there are, in fact, at least three of you. But the real reason is this: gamers are curious and always looking for something new. If you and your buddies play in the open at the shop, other people will wander over and ask what you're playing. Invite them to have a seat and watch. Offer to teach them. If you do it right, you may well be able to grow a fanbase, grass-roots-style. If you show the owners that people are playing it, then they'll start carrying it. You can't show them that from the library.

Actually my local library is the home to a large and growing gaming club of over 30 regulars (board, miniature, card) that has a dedicated room to play in. Complete with great tables, chairs and storage lockers. The local general hobby store which has no tables (or space for such) can't compete. Not that that the local gamers haven't tried, but the owner isn't at all receptive to in store gaming or sponsoring (even with help) tourneys or leagues. Actually a busy library seems to have been a better place to attract new gamers, certainly for the Euro boardgaming group. Getting players for casual games of AGOT is no problem for us. Getting new players dedicated enough to collect the CP's and enough cards to build competitive decks is. IMHO a supported regular tournament structure would be the catalyst to motivate casual players to become collecting fans. Access to FF supported league or tourney play would certainly help. Under the current organized play structure, a supporting FLGS is required and when one isn't available in the area the AGOT fans are out of luck. I'm sure many other AGOT players outside of major urban centres have similar problems.

Our current effort is convincing the local book store to carry (and sponsor) the game.

The game store owner isn't interested in in-store gaming? That's the worst ting I've heard all week...

Sorry, buddy. That sucks. He doesn't know what he's missing. On the other hand, your librarians sound awesome .

I also feel your pain about te leagues. I do live in a major urban center (close to 1.5 million, now) and we still don't have a shop willing carry the CPs regularly, let alone set up league play. The shop I hang out at is really very cool, except in this one respect. It amazes me since they carry just about everything FFG makes, but no AGoT. We play there (about 6 of us), but they're still nnot intersted enough. I'm working on it, though. I feel your pain.

Hell, I'd run a league out of my house I could just be allowed to...

I buy them from online shops usually...

Thoughthammer.com and the such...

The prices are usually good and it winds up completing orders to hit the free shipping total! lol

I would buy from a brick n mortar, but there are none conveniently located anywhere near me (within reason).

Captain Uncontrol said:

I know in New York they sent the league kit out even though there is no set store (they float around) since the last store closed.

I should just start a National League where everything is run out of my store, and then mail you guys your stuff.

Or perhaps FFG should try and find a way to either work with you guys to host your league, or with store owners like the one you have to be interested in hosting leagues. I know there are stores that are not equipped to handle in-store gaming (or are even interested in it). But there should be options for groups like yours.

I remember about 4 years ago at the GAMA Trade Show and they had a panel about whether or not stores should set aside gaming space and host OP events. Fully half of the 100+ folks at the panel did not have in-store gaming, and the other half all mentioned how in-store gaming has increased their sales. But it still comes down to space and income/product ratios. If a game store dedicates 500 sq ft to gaming, that is 500 sq ft that it not used to display games. And I've been in game stores that are that small.

Still, I can't imagine a game store that wouldn't add your group's CP purchases to their ordering, especailly if you committed to buying the product.

Yeah, the real game store, here, that sells all the other FFG stuff is a "big game store". They're got several private rooms for different gaming stuff (a room for Warhammer 40K, one for WFB, one for D&D, one for sundry RPG's, etc., as well as a bunch of tables out in the main space. It seems they're only willing to support collectible systems that they will move in volume. We can't promise them that, so they're no interested. We're trying the grass-roots thing with raising up a population form amongst the regulars, but it'll take time, if it ever works. But whatever, I'm still hopeful.