Sorry about the trouble. Unfortunately, we cannot control how the stores handle the event. I know the owner of Compleat quite well and he says that in the NY store so many people show up that it is the best way for him...he also said that so many folks are hanging out that there is a lot of trading after the rolls.
In the end, we cannot force a store to do things a certain way. I have known some publishers that make their giveaways for the day available to ship and/or available as a free PDF.
I hope that helps.
Best,
AldoOK, this is something of a Rant, but I'm a little miffed, to say the least. It turns out the only store doing Free RPG Day around me was a store called the Complete Strategist. My normal store, Cyborg One, which is fantastic btw, wasn't doing it this year, so I drove all the way out to King of Prussia PA to get the free Paizo Beastiary, and when I got there, the clerk made me roll a D20 and gave me a random book. When I asked him about the Beastiary, he said they were doing it random this year and that was it. Seriously ? So now someone with no interest in this book will get it and either get rid of it or throw it away, and I have no recourse. As an aside, someone else came in, and he got a free Die 6. One Die, not a set, one Die. What gives ? Arghhhhh......
Sighs. Anyhow, Despite my disappointment, I love Paizo and I'm seriously looking forward to the Pathfinder RPG. It looks great and my group can't wait to try it out.
Sorry for the Rant.
Oh, hey, I understand, and truthfully, I didn't start this to get a response from anyone, just to vent. I guess I'm spoiled by the store by me, really, but random seems really crappy at the end of the day when you drive out of your way for something. I mean a single DIE 6 for an item ? That seemed a little...eh. Anywho, I get first come first serve and I understand large numbers, but really, if Paizo is going to offer a free Bestiary, then tell everyone about it for free RPG day and I have like a 2 % chance to get it, well, that isn't getting me into their store to buy anything else, as I'm not driving that far for such a small chance. Doesn't this sort of defeat the purpose of the event ? Anywho, thank you for your response and I DO love this event. I've already convinced my store here to do it next year, so Complete Stratigist will never se me again. Here's looking to next year !!
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understand large numbers, but really, if Paizo is going to offer a free Bestiary, then tell everyone about it for free RPG...so I drove all the way out to King of Prussia PA to get the free Paizo Beastiary, and when I got there, the clerk made me roll a D20 and gave me a random book. When I asked him about the Beastiary, he said they were doing it random this year and that was it. Seriously ?
Sorry for the Rant.
Hey, you can download it for free as a PDF and print a copy for yourself and keep an archive on your computer. So its not the slick print copy for free but you're going to get all the same information for gaming purposes.
but you're going to get all the same information for gaming purposes.
Which is where I am and happy to see the companies who *are* making their Free RPG Day material available for download. I already got several and think I found some more on RPGNow before Firefox closed both sessions and only reopened the Paizo/youtube session.
Hey, you can download it for free as a PDF and print a copy for yourself and keep an archive on your computer. So its not the slick print copy for free but you're going to get all the same information for gaming purposes.
I know, and I did, LOL. BUT, I didn't know this BEFORE I went to Free RPG Day. That is the problem. Plus, I'm a print lover. I love to have the darned thing in my grubby little gamer hands. Anywho, Here's to next year !
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I had a very nice Free RPG Day. The FLGS outside Omaha had plenty of free loot with almost no restrictions; I was disappointed that there were no miniatures and that only people that stayed to play games got a pair of dice. I thought the Amethyst free adventure was a little... odd. Mixing modern and fantasy with 4th Ed. mechanics sort of works, but, well, I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting.
Director of Brand Strategy
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I know, and I did, LOL. BUT, I didn't know this BEFORE I went to Free RPG Day. That is the problem. Plus, I'm a print lover. I love to have the darned thing in my grubby little gamer hands. Anywho, Here's to next year !
Hey, you can download it for free as a PDF and print a copy for yourself and keep an archive on your computer. So its not the slick print copy for free but you're going to get all the same information for gaming purposes.
Did you purchase the inexpensive print copy from Paizo? I believe you can still get the print copy of D1.5: Revenge of the Kobold King from last year, while you're at it.
Did you purchase the inexpensive print copy from Paizo? I believe you can still get the print copy of D1.5: Revenge of the Kobold King from last year, while you're at it.I know, and I did, LOL. BUT, I didn't know this BEFORE I went to Free RPG Day. That is the problem. Plus, I'm a print lover. I love to have the darned thing in my grubby little gamer hands. Anywho, Here's to next year !
Hey, you can download it for free as a PDF and print a copy for yourself and keep an archive on your computer. So its not the slick print copy for free but you're going to get all the same information for gaming purposes.
Fortunetly, a friend of mine got an extra copy and is shipping it to me. Yeah for friends !!
I had the same experience at the Complete Strategist in Falls Church, VA. They tried to give me a copy of the Geist quick-start rules and I refused it. It seems to me that trying to give someone something that they don't want and won't use rather than the product they came all the way to get defeats the purpose of Free RPG day. The sad thing is I had stopped going to the Strategist for years because I found a better, friendlier store not too much farther away. Then they cleaned up their act and I started getting going there again. But I think this is pretty much the last straw. Thankfully, I can take my business elsewhere.
Yeah, that place has earned itself a pretty miserable reputation. The Game Parlor was participating - although the 2 stores were not listed on the Free RPG Day website - and we squeaked out a few free copies.
With one in Chantilly and the other just off I-95 in Woodbridge, it is easy enough to get product from them. Been some months since I was there though...
Our local store did a variant of the D20 thing. If you just dropped by you could roll a d20 and take a random item...BUT, if you played in one of the demos that were going on you got your pick of everything on the table. GMs/demo-runners got their pick plus a random item.
That seemed fair to me but, yeah, random-only is sort of lame.
M
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Director of Brand Strategy
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I missed it since I was away on vaction but my FLGS, Dragon's Lair in San Antonio ran Free RPG day very well I heard with multiple Eberron Games, Pathfinder (I'd of run a demo if I had been in town), Dark Heresy, and Geist.
Demo games were severely lacking at the store I went to. I even tried to make my own but no one seemed interested in playing and there were no ads for it ahead of time. Perhaps next year publishers can be encouraged to get some of their fans into stores to run games, perhaps tied to their giveaways. If it's somehow organized or officially sponsored through Free RPG Day itself, that might add credibility and the availability of advertising and flyers etc at gamestores and online.
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Where I was that day the shop keeper had two boxes and he let people get something who asked.
There was some talk of folks doing demoes but it was not a preorganised thing. Folks were unhappy at the lack of some companies products like Paizo having just one bestiary. I didn't even see the dice. I wanted the chessex dice.
The owner pronounces Paizo with 3 syllables, pi-azz-o.I hope you of perfect diction who has never mis-pronounced anything in your life corrected him on the spot with a smug little smile.
Nah. Not my style. Even after he repeated it to correct my pronounciation with his own smug little smile.
It was simply telling that the only 'pi-azz-o' stuff he had for sale was the RoTR hardcopies. He's holding off on the rest until Pathfinder is out. Another telling item. Not as familiar with Paizo as he tried to put on. He's more of a printing store that sells gaming, than the reverse. *sigh*
Emperor...could be my spam filters...post it here or try aldo@impressionsadv.net.
Best,
AldoTried e-mailing to the freerpgday link and it bounced. Not worth pursuing for me.
The new store got me in, then proceeded to get me out. Their loss. If they had product to interest me I'd have been fine buying it to get the swag. Maybe I'll go back someday, but their chance at a 1st impression fell flat.
Nothing to do with the socio-economic issues of Free RPG Day, just a business owner who's more of a print shop than a gaming store.
sent. thx!
EDIT: bounced again! must be the spam filter. oh well.
excerpt from 6/19 attempt - Guild of Blades in Madison Hts, MI - the phone # is incorrect/out of service. Can't find them on mapquest.com, but google lists them as a new store in my area. Woo hoo!
The closest store that was doing Free RPG day for me was Myriad Games in Salem, NH.(An excellent store, EXTREMELY clean and inviting) I had to work, so my amazing girlfriend, who doesn't play any rpgs at all, stopped in to pick up the Beastiary for me. She ended up taking home like 4 things including the dice for me.
I can't say enough about the store. Excellent service and a nice atmosphere.
I interrupts all the negativies on this thread to bring everyone's attention to this offering of free swag a'la 4th Edition for those that couldn't get one on 2009's FreeRpgDay. .
I wouldn't mind
1) must play a game to get the thing you want
2) only one item period.
3) Must buy something else to get a free product.
or any other number of restrictions. But the random die roll is the worst.
Interestingly, at Dexcon, weeks later, there was a table with everything from free RPG day for the taking. And nobleknight was also a way to get the product.
I have no reason to go to an FLGS that offers random stuff.
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My LGS (I'm not so convinced about the friendly part anymore) decided that they should charge for their Free RPG day stuff ... since, after all, they had to pay for it. $5 for the Bonus Bestiary.
Sorry to all the good Game Stores out there, but I'm pretty much convinced now that it's not the internet killing you - it's your crappy counterparts.
Amen there. I never bother showing up to my LGS, I'm just bound to have disappointement.
Eitehr ebay or noble knights or piazo will have it for a small amount and thats fine with me. No bothering with a 2-3 hour drive like some of you.
Digging up an old thread:
And the FreeRpgday2009 Corporation offering is now available on pdf for your perusal, as can be found here.
Some might call it "thread necromancy", but I says that it's never too late to have free swag- like this here offering from FreeRPGDay09.
They have to police it better. I have local store that every year make it a policy you have to buy 25 dollars retail to get the "free stuff". This is the response.
"Unfortunately, Free RPG Day is at 500 stores worldwide and we try to police as best as possible. In the case of ###, they tell us they offer some items for free but while supplies last...that doesn’t break the rules...they do *supposedly* offer freebies, but they’re just gone so fast. We’ve continuously asked them to change their policy, but we don’t own their store, so we’ve suggested to consumers to just not go to the store on FRD."
It is untrue they offer last years stuff they couldn't get rid of for free.
Wow. Almost exactly six years necro'd.
And someone two posts up thought a mere few weeks was a thread necro.
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