I have been a bit troubled in my search for the Dragon Compendium over the last month or so. I have checked with five different game stores for the Compendium, and none of them has ever even HEARD about it, much less have copies on hand. Just fifteen minutes ago I called Millenium Games in Rochester, NY (formerly Crazy Egor's), and the reply I got was: "They haven't done one of those in years! A new one would be great, but there is no information about it in our database."
Now, Millenium is a huge store. Second only to the Source in St. Paul to my experience. Their employees have always been very on the ball with what is available and what is forthcoming. Two of the other stores I frequent are also generally very savvy in regards to the game industry (How You Play the Game, formerly Altered States, in Syracuse is also huge, and has no knowledge of its existence). And all of the stores I have checked with carry Dragon and Dungeon!
My regular FLGS (Coyote's Den in Canandaigua) has had the Compendium on order for me since the start of December. Earlier this week, when I checked if it was in I was told the distributor still maintains it has not yet been released.
I have seen the SCAP in Millenium, and the Dark Elf Sanctum, but none of the others have had any of Paizo's non-magazine products (except at Coyote's Den, when I have special ordered them).
So, to get to my point (apologies for the length of this): Is there anything Paizo is doing to create awareness in gamestores of their products? I have seen many times here and on EnWorld requests to make local retailers aware of these items, so they can get their distributors to get on board, but is that the extent of the Paizo marketing campaign (yes, I am aware of the ads in Dragon and Dungeon)?
I don't mean to complain or to call Paizo's strategies into question. I know everyone I have ever interacted with at Paizo to be stand-up, extremely helpful and generally pretty clever folks. I am just wondering if there is any way for them to directly promote these products to the retailers? A mailing to all the stores that carry the magazines perhaps?
I guess I am just a bit cranky that I still don't have a copy of the Compendium yet, and am getting tired of explaining to game stores what it is and that, apparently, it does exist and is already on the market.
Creative Director
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Apart from advertising the Compendium (and our other products) in both magazines, talking about them all over our messageboards and the EN world borads (and a little about them on the WotC boards) and distributing them through the largest RPG distributor (Alliance)... we pretty much rely on word of mouth for news of the products to spread. We've been trying to get the products into the book trade, but that's tough. All in all, I think we're doing pretty good marketing for a company that doesn't have an employee who's job it is to do marketing (let alone a marketing department...)
It does strike me as strange that a store that carries our magazines and Shackled City hasn't even heard of the Compendium though... weird.
The Source has copies of the Dragon compendium and I know this because I got my copy from them. So they might be an option for you to try since they do orders by people you can go to their site for ordering info http://www.sourcecandg.com/ just scroll down the left hand side to ordering information.
Well I work for a store in Howell Michigan we have sold 6 so far not including the one I bought.
We are a small store but I would like to think that we are on the ball.
Hero Questgames...Howell michigan.
If your ever in our area stop on by ask for Phil or Nate and we will take care of your needs as best we can.
Thanks for the responses. I was pretty certain the Source would have it. And I am glad to hear it is available and selling well out there (man, do I ever miss the Midwest right now). I just can't seem to find it here in upstate NY. There are a surprising number of good game stores around here. Every store has offered to take my contact info and do research on the Compendium. I declined because I have already ordered it with the store I prefer to give my business to.
I am just surprised that two very large and well stocked stores in reasonably sized cities didn't have it and seemed unaware that it even existed. I will just keep checking in with my FLGS until it shows up. I'm just frustrated. I managed an independent bookstore for a few years, and know how a store can really be at the mercy of its distributors. I know that we often didn't get books if a distributor hadn't been sold on them by the publisher, and likewise often got great sellers we would never have otherwise heard of but for a well informed distribution rep.
I really want the new products from Paizo to do well, and I realize that the future of the lines depends upon the sales of these early offerings. Since I cannot find them in the stores in my area (by area I mean within a 60 mile radius of my home), I got a little concerned.
If sales have been good I am happy. That means there will be more books and minis, and I know I can order and get the items eventually. It seems, however, if more stores were made aware of these products from the production/distribution end there would be a lot more sales, and customers like me won't appear as lone eccentrics asking after some incredibly niche product not worth ordering more than a single copy of.
Well, better get back to my vigil, some of the candles are burning a bit low.
Maloo, I will have to check out your shop next time I drive back to my parent's house in MN. I suppose it will be quite a detour off of I-90, but I have been known to make long trips to check out a game store.
Oh, and enjoy having my dream job! I know the money isn't always so great in retail, but the fringe benefits can be awesome!
I think y'all are in better condition than I am. I pre-ordered the Compendium when it was first announced on these boards from my FLGS and STILL haven't received it. It hasn't even been ordered. Sadly, it seems, my FLGS isn't paying as much attention to the RPG books as he is the Yu-Gi-Oh, MtG and other CCGs, boardgames, poker, and Warhammer things he sells.
*Sniffs* And buying D&D books at B&N is just plain wrong. Would rather support the little guy.
I can understand wanting to support the little guy. There is a new FLGS that opened in Champaign that I would like to help out by buying minis, etc there. But if the FLGS isn't supporting your gaming habit, than why keep supporting them?
Thanks for the responses. I was pretty certain the Source would have it. And I am glad to hear it is available and selling well out there (man, do I ever miss the Midwest right now). I just can't seem to find it here in upstate NY. There are a surprising number of good game stores around here. Every store has offered to take my contact info and do research on the Compendium. I declined because I have already ordered it with the store I prefer to give my business to.
I am just surprised that two very large and well stocked stores in reasonably sized cities didn't have it and seemed unaware that it even existed. I will just keep checking in with my FLGS until it shows up. I'm just frustrated. I managed an independent bookstore for a few years, and know how a store can really be at the mercy of its distributors. I know that we often didn't get books if a distributor hadn't been sold on them by the publisher, and likewise often got great sellers we would never have otherwise heard of but for a well informed distribution rep.
I really want the new products from Paizo to do well, and I realize that the future of the lines depends upon the sales of these early offerings. Since I cannot find them in the stores in my area (by area I mean within a 60 mile radius of my home), I got a little concerned.
If sales have been good I am happy. That means there will be more books and minis, and I know I can order and get the items eventually. It seems, however, if more stores were made aware of these products from the production/distribution end there would be a lot more sales, and customers like me won't appear as lone eccentrics asking after some incredibly niche product not worth ordering more than a single copy of.
Well, better get back to my vigil, some of the candles are burning a bit low.
Carl -
Upstate new york... Are you telling me Baldo's Armory in the Buffalo area and the Bearded Dragon in Oneonta BOTH don't have it?
that's crazy. Bearded Dragon ordered Shackled City (I know, I got my copy from them) and had a copy on the shelf last time I was there. I can certainly give them a nudge if they haven't ordered the Compendium yet.
I can understand wanting to support the little guy. There is a new FLGS that opened in Champaign that I would like to help out by buying minis, etc there. But if the FLGS isn't supporting your gaming habit, than why keep supporting them?
Ain't got much of a choice, really. :-( Only gaming store in town. (There's another one, but I refuse to walk into that man's store.)
Eh, if I don't hear from my FLGS, then I'll order it. I just have that instant gratification issue. :-D
Koldoon,
I'm afraid Buffalo is about two hours drive for me, so I haven't made it up that far yet. The Boldo's Armory you mentioned, is there one in Rochester also? I am pretty sure I have been to a Boldo's before, but can't really remember if that was on a Rochester or Buffalo trip.
I wonder if a lot of the stores in this area are serviced by a single ditributor, and that may explain why I haven't seen the Compendium around here yet.
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Man. I live in evansville IN and I cant find the book at the game store or any of four other bookstores in town. I understand that paizo is not a giant company like Wizards/Hasbro but if they are going to be publishing books then with all due respect maybe they should consider hireing a promotions person or even...a marketing department.
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Chief Technical Officer
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I wonder if a lot of the stores in this area are serviced by a single ditributor, and that may explain why I haven't seen the Compendium around here yet.
I was suspecting the same thing myself. Any chance you could find out what distributor(s) they're buying from?
Part of the problem with marketing products in this industry is that there's no single complete and up-to-date database of retailers that publishers can go to for direct marketing. The closest thing is probably the retailer database kept by GAMA, the GAme Manufacturer's Association. It's good, but it's not perfect.
The other problem is that direct marketing is expensive. GAMA's list has almost 6500 stores; sending them each just one mailing would cost several thousand dollars - significant in an industry where profits on most products are often measured in the thousands of dollars.
There are ride-alongs, where multiple manufacturers can pay a relatively small amount to have a single mailing sent to a bunch of retailers... but then you risk getting lost in the flood.
We were hoping that we wouldn't need to direct-market to retailers - that the distributors would be educating the retailers, and that the customers would be educating the retailers, and that the smart retailers would read about it in Dragon anyway... but it sounds like perhaps we were being too optimistic.
-Vic.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Man. I live in evansville IN and I cant find the book at the game store or any of four other bookstores in town. I understand that paizo is not a giant company like Wizards/Hasbro but if they are going to be publishing books then with all due respect maybe they should consider hireing a promotions person or even...a marketing department.
Do you know that these stores, like the stores mentioned above, haven't *heard* of the Compendium, or do they just not have it in stock now?
We *know* that retailers and distributors drastically underestimated the demand for the Dragon Compendium. We've been shipping out copious reorders, which means that there are empty spots in the channel that should be filling in as the reships get through the system.
-Vic.
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I'm in the south (GEORGIA)and I've been to all the normal gamming outlets without finding the compendium. I'ev also checked with Books-A-Million anf the like without success. I ordered direct from Pazio. I know many around here that would just love to find a outlet that carries the compendium.
Also in the introduction of the book there was reference to a CD-ROM of the first 250 issues of dragon. I have all the old issues but would love to have this CD. Anyone know were to find one?
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Do you know that these stores, like the stores mentioned above, haven't *heard* of the Compendium, or do they just not have it in stock now?-sayeth Vic
Well the bookstores have not heard of the book and look at me like im mad. the "game" store i dont know as i didnt ask... too may yu-gi-oh kids betwixt me and the counter... but i have checked several times. i guess i should ask them what the deal is. i know i had a problem getting some Mongoose books that they said they could not get from the distributor. your other post was enlightening, I guess it would be a b**ch to try and get the word out to so many different stores with out the distributors getting onboard.
As far as the stores being aware of the Compendium's existence, someone at those shops may have been, but none of the people I spoke with at any of the five shops knew about it. Either I was told, "Oh, you mean the Draconomicon", or, as above, "They haven't done one in years!"
At least at two of the shops I spoke with the owner. The others I am not sure of as I spoke with them on the phone instead of in person.
I will be calling some of them back tomorrow to see if any have gotten it, when I do I will ask about their distributors.
I spoke with my FLGS owner today. He had spoken with the distributor yesterday. According to him, the distributor claims not to have gotten copies of the Compendium yet, but they do expect to get them.
His sole distributor is ACD (I think that was it, it may be ADC, I am not familiar with this company).
Hopefully shipping with my Compendium vol. 1 will be vol. 2! (Just a little joke, damn, I really want to see this book!).
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Chief Technical Officer
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I spoke with my FLGS owner today. He had spoken with the distributor yesterday. According to him, the distributor claims not to have gotten copies of the Compendium yet, but they do expect to get them.
His sole distributor is ACD....
We had a brief dispute with ACD; it has been settled, but we didn't ship them any copies of the Compendium, or several other products, until this week.
However, that dispute doesn't explain the store not even *knowing* about the Compendium, since at the time we solicited the product to distribution—and distribution should have been informing the retailers—the dispute was not yet an issue.
Thanks for letting me know—I'll see what I can do about the communication problem.
-Vic.
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I spoke with my FLGS owner today. He had spoken with the distributor yesterday. According to him, the distributor claims not to have gotten copies of the Compendium yet, but they do expect to get them.
His sole distributor is ACD....We had a brief dispute with ACD; it has been settled, but we didn't ship them any copies of the Compendium, or several other products, until this week.
However, that dispute doesn't explain the store not even *knowing* about the Compendium, since at the time we solicited the product to distribution—and distribution should have been informing the retailers—the dispute was not yet an issue.
Thanks for letting me know—I'll see what I can do about the communication problem.
-Vic.
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