|
Hopefully to bring it back on topic...
After posting in here about not finding an FLGS near me I did some extensive searching for one and was able to find a decently sized store about 40-45 minutes away. A few days ago I went over there to check the store out and found that the majority of the space was for board gaming, magic, and Warhammer 40k. The amount of space dedicated to RPGs was actually fairly small, but at least it was there.
However other than a small stack of used 2nd Edition books and maybe a few third party publishers, about 80% of the space was dedicated to 4th edition. There was a small section (1 of 9) which had the PFRPG core books, and as the owner said there should be Bestiaries there as well (they were currently out of stock). He mentioned that the PFRPG book was selling well enough, better than he had originally expected and tends to have to restock it at a regular basis. The 4ed books did take the majority of the space on the shelf, so obviously there was alot of stock sitting there. He didn't compare sales figures for 4ed versus PFRPG, but he did mention that he rarely has to restock 4ed books, but that was mostly a factor of ordering many more books.
So that's at least a point view of a store in NE Atlanta from which to get some insight.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
|
I recently moved to Fargo, ND and we have two game stores. One carries D&D4 almost exclusively and only a copy of the core book and some Rise of the Runelords modules. I asked them about it when I first went in and I was told, "Oh we're only carrying new stuff." When I tried to have them order me a copy of the Curse of the Crimson Throne item cards, they called me three times to clarify what exactly I wanted. They never found them, supposedly, from their distributor, so they lost my patronage. Which is too bad, because otherwise they're a decent store.
The other store is more a hobby store with some games and they carry the Core Book, Bestiary and the DM's screen. The other is a nice guy, who always seems tired when I go in. Still, he has a couple employees, one of which began telling me about Pathfinder when I mentioned D&D when I first went in there. He was so enthusiastic I didn't have the heart to tell him I already knew about it.
I play in a college town.
At our local game shop, they run 3.5 gaming days, in addition to 4E. The pre-dominant group was 3.5 (weekly games on Saturday), but they stated they preferred 3.5 over pathfinder or 4E.
I played in the 3.5 and 4E groups, and 4E definitely succeeded in attracting more players, especially females and young players. It also attracted more people willing to DM, versus being a player. While the 3.5 players tended to be the stereo types you would expect (as viewed by people that do not play the game). I am one of those stereo types.
I am a firm believer that gaming events and a location to play draws in renewed interest and new players, and where the Dungeon Delve format is waning, the pathfinder society is much better at organized play.
When I talked to the sales clerk, they stated 4E sales were doing well, in addition to Pathfinder; which they recently started to stock. But 3.5 books just sat on the shelf. All the 4E players I know subscribe to DDI.
However, with renewed interest in Pathfinder, I do see renewed interest in 3.5 materials (thus the comments on prices rising for 3.5 books). But in my opinion, this will re-introduce the same problems that resulted in the development of 4E or Pathfinder (if you believe there was a problem with 3.5).
|
To add to my remarks, I've been playing alot of Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader, and the system is fun to play, and the roleplaying oppurtunities are pure awesome.
It seems to be a big thing here in Hawaii, and I can totally understand why, since there are a ton of people who play 40K, and the rpg is a well done extension.
Pathfinder doesn't seem to be catching on, as far as I have seen, and 4e seems to be the most common, but it may be because the biggest gaming store (Other Realms) only sells 4e, and has no Pathfinder product on it's shelves.
To be honest, the biggest thing around here is war gaming, not rpgs.
Also, in Dark Heresy, I blew up a planet and got promoted for it. Then, I accidently smuggled an illegal creature onto a Xenos warship, where the creature promptly imploded into a warp hole, thus allowing daemons to rampage through the vessel wreaking havoc and ultimately causing it to self destruct.
It. Was. Awesome!
|
Hopefully to bring it back on topic...
After posting in here about not finding an FLGS near me I did some extensive searching for one and was able to find a decently sized store about 40-45 minutes away. A few days ago I went over there to check the store...
-- snippity-snip ----
...other than a small stack of used 2nd Edition books and maybe a few third party publishers, about 80% of the space was dedicated to 4th edition.
I have to wonder, though -- it seems like for larger paperback books, 4E has so many items out now, that just to stock one of each takes a lot of space (and I think the interest is there across various play groups to justify needing a wide selection -- some people want options for their warriors, some want options for their arcane, some want the latest PHB edition).
I wonder if WOTC isn't putting out a lot of books partially as a means to seize that much space? There's something to be said for taking advantage of a leadership role and exploiting that to keep yourself in a prime display spot. Once you get on top, you can go an awful long way just keeping yourself front and center. Microsoft has proven that.
At my FLGS, there's a whole wall of 4E stuff, with 2-3 copies of almost everything, and I'm willing to bet he has at least 80% of the WOTC 4E books always on the shelves. How often that stock moves, that I don't know (maybe I'll pump him for info next time I'm in). He did say that Paizo stuff moves decently for him, although he hasn't stocked nearly as deeply into the catalog (some other stores in the Metro Detroit area have a bigger selection, but they also have more overall store space).
As for my own anecdotal evidence, 4e is doing very well here, from what I've seen. I don't frequent FLGS because the local ones are of poor quality, but from what I know of local gaming groups 4e is getting a ton of play (not to mention DDI subs). I have no idea how PFRPG is doing in my area. My university's gaming club doesn't have any PFRPG games running currently.
I'm surprised at you, you should check out the local stores more often.
My personal gaming budget has been tight, such that for the last 6 months I really have only been able to keep my paizo subscription up. I only have a DDI account because a friend bought me a few months as a gift. So my browsing of further away game stores has lapsed recently.
Comic Quest is an excellent game store. They have a great selection of board games which seems to keep on growing. They stock most everything from the 4e line, although I don't think they restock adventures as much. They have a good miniatures selection from warhammer to reaper to D&D minis to Pathfinder Minis. They have been stocking a few pathfinder books since core came out and have had flip maps and map packs for a while before that. They also keep a lot other games on stock, Call of Cthulhu, White Wolf, Rogue Trader, Warhammer FRP (2nd and 3rd editions), Conan, even Houses of the Blooded.
Brookhurst Hobbies is good too, but a bit farther away. Worth the extra drive every once in a while. I haven't been there in a while though. They definitely keep a good stock of 4e books. They are the first place I saw gamemastery supplies at over a year ago. They have an incredible selection of back stock from Gurps, d20, Ars Magica, you name it. Their board game selection is the largest I've seen in the county and their miniature selection as well. Also a great place for paint, since their mainstay is actually military models and things.
Dice House Games is a great store I wish I was closer to. Not as big as either of the above two. I haven't been there since I moved to south county. They always stocked at least one or two of each paizo book. They have a decent selection of 4e books as well. They also keep stuff like Castles and Crusades on the shelf. I remember seeing some other surprising games in stock but I can't think of what right now. They almost always have people playing games there, unlike the other stores in the area.
Scott, do you buy less books because of DDI, or because LGS can't compete with Amazon's prices?
Full disclosure: I run a Pathfinder game and a 4E game, so I'm edition omnivorous. I'm still looking for some 2E planescape books to finish up my collection.
I'm surprised at you, you should check out the local stores more often.
My personal gaming budget has been tight, such that for the last 6 months I really have only been able to keep my paizo subscription up. I only have a DDI account because a friend bought me a few months as a gift. So my browsing of further away game stores has lapsed recently.
Comic Quest is an excellent game store. They have a great selection of board games which seems to keep on growing. They stock most everything from the 4e line, although I don't think they restock adventures as much. They have a good miniatures selection from warhammer to reaper to D&D minis to Pathfinder Minis. They have been stocking a few pathfinder books since core came out and have had flip maps and map packs for a while before that. They also keep a lot other games on stock, Call of Cthulhu, White Wolf, Rogue Trader, Warhammer FRP (2nd and 3rd editions), Conan, even Houses of the Blooded.
Brookhurst Hobbies is good too, but a bit farther away. Worth the extra drive every once in a while. I haven't been there in a while though. They definitely keep a good stock of 4e books. They are the first place I saw gamemastery supplies at over a year ago. They have an incredible selection of back stock from Gurps, d20, Ars Magica, you name it. Their board game selection is the largest I've seen in the county and their miniature selection as well. Also a great place for paint, since their mainstay is actually military models and things.
Dice House Games is a great store I wish I was closer to. Not as big as either of the above two. I haven't been there since I moved to south county. They always stocked at least one or two of each paizo book. They have a decent selection of 4e books as well. They also keep stuff like Castles and Crusades on the shelf. I remember seeing some other surprising games in stock but I can't think of what right now. They almost always have people playing games there, unlike the other stores in the area.
Scott, do you buy less books because of DDI, or because LGS can't compete with Amazon's prices?
The "local" game stores I mentioned are pretty much limited to Alakazam. Anything beyond that requires leaving the city, and Alakazam's support for tabletop roleplaying is token at best (I don't think it even carries anything by Paizo, though I could be wrong).
I actually buy more D&D books now than I did when 3.5 was in production, so I don't think DDI is holding my purchases back (and the club adds as many D&D books to its library as it always has). It's largely because the incentive to spend the better part of an hour driving to and from a large hobby store so that I can browse through books I'm already familiar with and pay 150% of the cost for the instant gratification is outweighed by the ease of being able to place an order with a couple of clicks, have it at my door two or three days later, and have some money left over to take my girlfriend out for a nice dinner simply by going through Amazon instead.
This holds true for both Pathfinder and 4e products for me, though perhaps less surprisingly for Pathfinder - I pretty much have to go online to find print AP modules. Heading out to Brookhurst Hobbies to track down a specific adventure would be an exercise in frustration and disappointment.
I've been seeing a lot of dissatisfaction with the state of FLGS businesses recently, and I share that dissatisfaction. I realize they're in a tough spot, caught between an already thin market and competition from big box retailers and online marketplaces. I'd love to have an accessible local hobby gaming hangout that gave me some real reasons to head over there and spend my time and money. I just don't know what those reasons might be.
Scott:
I'm largely out of buying 4E stuff for reasons that aren't relevant; the last book I bought was (IIRC) Divine Power. I've found that, with DDI, I don't miss them. Of course, in a few months when my sub expires, I may suddenly miss books. Frankly, the just-announced, 6"x9", 320-page, $20, softcover Rules Compendium + DDI seems to be the way to go; Once that book comes out, I don't even see the point of buying a PHB.
To the thread in general:
I live in Phoenix, and we have a pretty healthy RPGA/Pathfinder group that alternates weekends. The 4E group is consistently about twice the size of the Pathfinder group, which I actually consider a pretty strong showing for Pathfinder.
Scott:
I'm largely out of buying 4E stuff for reasons that aren't relevant; the last book I bought was (IIRC) Divine Power. I've found that, with DDI, I don't miss them. Of course, in a few months when my sub expires, I may suddenly miss books. Frankly, the just-announced, 6"x9", 320-page, $20, softcover Rules Compendium + DDI seems to be the way to go; Once that book comes out, I don't even see the point of buying a PHB.
I've found something similar. Though I still buy more books now than I did in previous iterations of the game, there are some that I don't own personally. In the past, I've often felt like my collection was incomplete, or that I was somehow inconvenienced by this. As long as I have a DDI sub, though, I feel like I have the next best thing to holding physical copies of the books. In fact, if I were given the choice between physical books, PDFs of the books, or a DDI sub, I'd have a really tough time not picking DDI. It wouldn't be as "complete" as having the actual books, but its utility would be so much greater.
I like the Rules Compendium plan, though. A small reference book for use at the table would be nice. That's something PFRPG may want to consider, too. I think that the way PHBs are generally put together is focused on a step-by-step understanding of the rules (largely for character creation and learning the system), but that a book designed as a reference tool first would have a very different structure.
Which brings up another interesting question: is Paizo planning on ramping up efforts to attract players new to the hobby? WotC is shifting their focus to that this upcoming year, and while I know that Pathfinder's player base will probably be expanded simply by virtue of more people playing tabletop RPGs, I was wondering if there was something else in the works to expand the player base.
... I was wondering if there was something else in the works to expand the player base.
Yup. :-)
What I find funny is that the 3.x and Pathfinder guys around here have totally given up on the edition war, but the 4th edition guys don't seem to realize that the war is over.Uh-huh.
I didn't like what WotC did with 4eThe three LGS I'm familiar with in the region are pretty equal supporting Pathfinder D&D and the WotC game.Didn't their spin doctors do a huge thing about supporting brick & mortar stores a while ago?It was really disappointing, really, since now I have to choke down 3 hours of combat and half an hour of RPing if I want to play DND.
If there is a PF or 3.5 game going right now, I can't find it. And I looked really, really hard. I have, however, dicovered other RPGs in lieu (sp?) of DND 4e (which I loathe)
The local players are all fans of 3.5 and hated what they saw of 4E (I don't blame them to be fair)It comes down to (for me at least) a deep anger at WoTC over many of their recent actions as well as the direction they took with 4E.
Begin Rant:
And, in response to the above post,
+1.
No, +1000
I am semi-anti 4E. The reason being that it is NOT D&D. The game is too big a departure from the game line and is purely a miniatures based combat gameI took all the Pathfinder stuff out, a Bestiary, one AP volume, 3 Companion books, a Module and a few GameMastery maps, and spread them out on the first shelf, making the top shelf a nice Paizo display, hiding all the WotC product.Again in response,
Vive le resistance!...Okay, I'll be the one to say it.
I do not wish 4e the best. WotC turned their backs on their old fans in order to try to appeal to new fans. If they achieved the best, that'd be saying that that kind of behavior is okay.
Because everyone you quoted SO lives in Humboldt county.
Notice I said IN MY AREA.
Try reading sometime, you might just get ahead in the world.
As for whoever mentioned confirmation bias, I'm not opposed to admitting that it is possibly true. I can say that what I have noticed around me has been some pathfinder people stating that they don't like 4th edition for various reasons, but saying "go ahead and play your own game." I have also experienced a few 4th edition players chatting up the owner about how those who don't play 4th edition are "wrong."
Am I saying that I see everything? No. Am I saying that everything I see or hear I remember? No, as a human being, and especially as a stoner, that would be impossible. But the "let bygones be bygones" attitude of pathfinder players AROUND HERE (notice I made it in big letters, maybe that'll make it easier to read Scott) is what I have experienced, while the "convert or die" attitude is one I've seen from quite a few (though not all) the 4th edition players around here.
Is it press gangs? Will we be issued tasers to assist in the recruiting process? Where can I sign up?... I was wondering if there was something else in the works to expand the player base.Yup. :-)
Cattle prods, thumbscrews, jars of honey and ants nests, Celene Dion on permanent loop (maybe that is a little cruel) - we must get new players in any way. Sign me up for recruiting if we get to use any of the above.
On a serious note I mainly shop in the CBD of Sydney. When I first arrived in Sydney there were 4 RPG/Games/Military book stores within 2ish blocks of each other.
Now there are 2 - 2 merged and one disappeared. They both stock Paizo and 4E. Tin Soldier/Napoleons buys small amounts of stock and is constantly out of stock of the hard cover books although there are a "lot" of APs and Supliment books still on the shelves.
Games Paradise is larger, has a whole floor dedicated to RPGs and displays Pathfiner promenently on the shelves right next to the 4E games. They seem to be happy with Pathfinder as they bringing in new stock. Although I have noticed some RoTRL stock in the discount boxes for $10 Australian (Which is very funny because it goes for a lot more on EBay.
... I was wondering if there was something else in the works to expand the player base.Yup. :-)
A alternative pathfinder DDI for us paper impaired ...
I thought rpgexplorer was my Nirvana, but probably due to reasons out of their control, it never materialized.
I tend to go in cycles, play one game for a while, beat it to death, go on to the next. In the end, it all comes out in the wash.
|
|
There is a big difference between being upset at how WotC handled the edition change and not liking the ruleset. Preferring Paizo in part because of how they treat their customers/fan base over WotC because of how they treat theirs is also NOT edition war material. If Paizo started making the same company policy trainwrecks that WotC did, I wouldn't like them anymore either, no matter what their rules looked like.
Because everyone you quoted SO lives in Humboldt county.
Notice I said IN MY AREA.
Try reading sometime, you might just get ahead in the world.
The personal insults are not appreciated, ChrisRevocateur. We've been told to stick to the topic at hand now, so let's please do that.
You reap what you sow.
The personal insults are not appreciated, ChrisRevocateur. We've been told to stick to the topic at hand now, so let's please do that.Because everyone you quoted SO lives in Humboldt county.
Notice I said IN MY AREA.
Try reading sometime, you might just get ahead in the world.
When you pull something I say out of context to try and prove me wrong (which was very specifically aimed at pointing out that I was speaking merely of the area around me, but you somehow took that to mean everywhere) then you very much are having either some reading comprehension problems or just plain decided to ignore what I said for the very purpose of creating an argument.
I never said the edition wars were over, I had merely said that it has pretty much left this area.
Don't pull what I say out of context just so you can start a fight, and I won't fight you.
Are we still bickering? I guess this thread is dead :(
Chris: in fairness to Scott, when I read your post I took "This Area" to be referring to the Paizo boards.
Fair enough. I figured that since I was talking about the sale trends of Pathfinder and 4th Ed at my FLGS, "around here" would have been assumed to be the area that my FLGS is in, which is NOT the Paizo boards (obviously).
P.S. There still are one or two 3.x/pathfinder guys that find it necessary to actually bash 4th around here, they just aren't the majority (or even a sizable minority). My old boss at Jack in the Box asked me about a new game book I had gotten (Shackled City specifically) and asked if it was 4th ed. When I told him I don't play 4th Ed he felt it was important to comment "Good. Friends don't let friends play 4th edition."
The rest of us just give those guys a "Yeah, whatever." look and walk away when they do that though.
Looks like there were misunderstandings all around.
In the immortal words of the King of Swamp Castle "This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who."
Lets stay on topic - I think the topic that the Paizo guys are interested in is how Pathfinder is sold or marketed to us the gamers at our local stores.
I dont think that they are interested in 4E or Bunnies and Burrows, or Boot Hill or what ever, they want to know if their game is selling and how to sell it better.
Trying to keep people on topic -
Some Questions:
What would appeal to you, as a fellow gamer to get you interested in Pathfinder in a store, Pathfinder Society game, Demo Games, a Demo team, or Erik, SKR, Jason, and CO going the full-monty out the front of the shop?
Store owners, because I saw a couple of you in the thread how can Paizo get you to be more "Supportive" of their products?
Lets leave 4E out of the rest of this thread.
Pathfinder Society game
No. Not really into organized play (or modules in general).
Demo Games
No. Don't need to learn how to play.
a Demo team
No. See above.
Erik, SKR, Jason, and CO going the full-monty out the front of the shop?
FSM please no!
Lets leave 4E out of the rest of this thread.
Agreed.
I'd like to see a good selection of pre-made miniature terrain (hills, buildings, and dungeon decorations like doors, tables, etc.)
I'd like to see a good selection of pre-painted minis.
I'd love to see a fully stocked shelf of at least one of every Paizo product (of all types).
I'd like to see a shelf full of strange little hand-bound game booklets printed in some local guys basement for his game, selling for a buck apiece.
I want a shelf full of adventures I can flip through. Maybe some Paizo, maybe not, but at least PF compatible.
I want knowledgeable and friendly staff who don't ignore you. They should know at least a little about whatever obscure thing I bring up. Better yet, they should tell me about obscure news or products.
I'd enjoy someone telling me about the Car Wars or Ogre game the played over the weekend.
I dunno. Like the old days I guess :~( sniff.
Good stuff +
I dunno. Like the old days I guess :~( sniff.
I miss the days when the dude behind the counter would chat with you about how his 10th level Black Númenórean necromancer died buy rolling a massive fumble and tripping over a deceased invisible imaginary turtle and impaling him self on his own polearm during a Role Master game.
But what you are saying its up to the LGS to make them selves a FLGS... I don't know Paizo can help them with that.
I miss the days when the dude behind the counter would chat with you about how his 10th level Black Númenórean necromancer died buy rolling a massive fumble and tripping over a deceased invisible imaginary turtle and impaling him self on his own polearm during a Role Master game.
But what you are saying its up to the LGS to make them selves a FLGS... I don't know Paizo can help them with that.
True. I guess I was just reminiscing lol
I spent more hours in Alcove Hobby Shop in Royal Oak Michigan than I can count. Fondling all of the Ral Partha minis... flipping through poorly printed black and white manuals in little plastic ziplock bags. Flipping through the latest Complete Paladin or Complete Rogue. Reading the back cover of the latest module. Talking to buddies about the game last weekend playing Rod of Seven Parts... and the weekend before that Ravenloft...
Note my strategy to remain on subject, ignoring random blathering. If enough people do it we can revive this thread. I have high hopes!
I miss the days when the dude behind the counter would chat with you about how his 10th level Black Númenórean necromancer died buy rolling a massive fumble and tripping over a deceased invisible imaginary turtle and impaling him self on his own polearm during a Role Master game.
But what you are saying its up to the LGS to make them selves a FLGS... I don't know Paizo can help them with that.
True. I guess I was just reminiscing lol
I spent more hours in Alcove Hobby Shop in Royal Oak Michigan than I can count. Fondling all of the Ral Partha minis... flipping through poorly printed black and white manuals in little plastic ziplock bags. Flipping through the latest Complete Paladin or Complete Rogue. Reading the back cover of the latest module. Talking to buddies about the game last weekend playing Rod of Seven Parts... and the weekend before that Ravenloft...
** spoiler omitted **
I wish I had read your spoiler before my last post.
So how long have you been playing for - I agree with the old school game store attitude - Going to a Games Workshop store scares the crap out of me they have to be pumping their sales people full of something because they dimension door towards you and hit you with a sales pitch of power.
I wish I had read your spoiler before my last post.
Heh. Well lets just stay on target as you said lol
So how long have you been playing for - I agree with the old school game store attitude - Going to a Games Workshop store scares the crap out of me they have to be pumping their sales people full of something because they dimension door towards you and hit you with a sales pitch of power.
HAH! I've never really gone into one of those stores. Always too intimidated. I never really played those games anyway. I've been playing since the early 80's, '81 or '82 I believe. I'm an old fart :(
I wish I had read your spoiler before my last post.Heh. Well lets just stay on target as you said lol
So how long have you been playing for - I agree with the old school game store attitude - Going to a Games Workshop store scares the crap out of me they have to be pumping their sales people full of something because they dimension door towards you and hit you with a sales pitch of power.HAH! I've never really gone into one of those stores. Always too intimidated. I never really played those games anyway. I've been playing since the early 80's, '81 or '82 I believe. I'm an old fart :(
Same early 80's
- So while I think the games store will never go away completely, especially if they can add other things to attract people. I think the internet will be the primary way people will buy games in the future.
One store used to have games nights, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, the way they made extra income was to have had a tuck shop (Australian term - sells hot dogs, icecream, meat pies).The problem with this is you have to meet all sorts of health regulations. Also they gave the guys that ran and organised games some hefty discounts as an incentive to get people in.
Same early 80's
- So while I think the games store will never go away completely, especially if they can add other things to attract people. I think the internet will be the primary way people will buy games in the future.
One store used to have games nights, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, the way they made extra income was to have had a tuck shop (Australian term - sells hot dogs, icecream, meat pies).The problem with this is you have to meet all sorts of health regulations. Also they gave the guys that ran and organised games some hefty discounts as an incentive to get people in.
Just as many gamers have, I sometimes imagine opening a store one day.
I tell myself that I could make it work. I would be different than everyone else, that they just haven't thought about it creatively enough. I tell myself that I will try all these grand ideas... different things... then I realize 1) it'll never happen and 2) if it did I'd drive it into the ground in a matter of months and my wife and kids would leave me since I spent our lifes savings on that stupid store.
Sigh.
Same early 80's
- So while I think the games store will never go away completely, especially if they can add other things to attract people. I think the internet will be the primary way people will buy games in the future.
One store used to have games nights, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, the way they made extra income was to have had a tuck shop (Australian term - sells hot dogs, icecream, meat pies).The problem with this is you have to meet all sorts of health regulations. Also they gave the guys that ran and organised games some hefty discounts as an incentive to get people in.
Just as many gamers have, I sometimes imagine opening a store one day.
I tell myself that I could make it work. I would be different than everyone else, that they just haven't thought about it creatively enough. I tell myself that I will try all these grand ideas... different things... then I realize 1) it'll never happen and 2) if it did I'd drive it into the ground in a matter of months and my wife and kids would leave me since I spent our lifes savings on that stupid store.
Sigh.
But to take the risk is the only way to succeed.
|
I haven't had a chance to really look into it, but it seems that people play mostly 4th edition in my hometown of Green Bay Wisconsin. The largest game store in our area has people playing 4th edition almost every night, but I've only seen 3rd edition played once or twice.
On a similar note I did a survey on web browsers for a class of mine. over 90% of the respondents picked Internet Explorer over any other web browser including firefox. Based on this and other observations the popularity of d&d 4th edition might be based more on my area's general buying habits more than anything else.
As for games in general, Magic the Gathering and World of Warcraft MMORPG are the two big games that dwarf everything else.
I think it takes a certain kind of dedication to go into business for your self - I don't have the inclination, although if I won the lottery maybe....
So what can Paizo do in store to boost its sales?
I think it takes a certain kind of dedication to go into business for your self - I don't have the inclination, although if I won the lottery maybe....
So what can Paizo do in store to boost its sales?
So is the question:
What can Paizo do, in a store, to help increase sales of Paizo products?
Umm.. somehow get the store to order more product. I know to me, if I see one lone product on a shelf, I think that is a small line without much support. I'd like to see a wide variety of products, also with perhaps fancy end-cap type displays. You know, those cardboard shelves with fancy designs etc.
I'd even like to see a bundle deal, including a soft cover core rules book, soft cover bestiary 1, 6 painted plastic minis of the iconic characters, a set of old-school crayon in the numbers dice, and a bag of random plastic monsters. Package that up for ummm say $75 and you have a lot of hours of fun. Promote it as "10 years of fun in one box. Release your imagination!"
To Brutal Ben:
Random Stats for d20pfsrd.com, release date to present...
Firefox: 62%
IE: 15%
Chrome: 10%
Safari: 7%
Opera: 3%
Mozilla: 1%
Other: the remainder
|
|
So how long have you been playing for - I agree with the old school game store attitude - Going to a Games Workshop store scares the crap out of me they have to be pumping their sales people full of something because they dimension door towards you and hit you with a sales pitch of power.
As a former GW employee, I wish I could say we didn't have to do that.
The truth is we do. Kinda sucks and its part of the reason I'm a FORMER employee. I also hate some of the company policy.
As for what I see, we started out in a 4th ed gaming shop. The guys who run Fourth are actually an awesome group of guys, and starting in February they're going to devote a table to Pathfinder Society. It may not be much, but it is a start, and perhaps over time we'll convert the whole group. I also note some of the bloat books are beginning to be packaged together for 4th ed. Buy 2 get the third free to clear up some 4th ed space.
|
|
Wow I was finding this thread pretty good....then....stopped reading it...was going to post some information about what I can tell in Alaska but not going to bother.
Dead Thread to me.
Sean
Please do! I think the bickering has more or less died out... if not, I'll send pictures of my infamous 'Chelaxian Dwarven Naked Beard Dance' to all potential "Edition Warriors" -- and if that won't do it, I'll send my trained Chelaxian Fiendish Squirrel Assassins to eliminate them!
@Scott: Try to ignore any personal attacks and avoid replying to them; it's not worth it. I'd like to see this thread staying on track and *everyone* participating in a civil, constructive discussion.
|
|
This thread contains pretty useful and interesting information... unless I'm completely wrong, it also reflects a bit what studies and surveys of gamers tell about gaming preferences (I dealt with this subject in my thesis, which was, not surprisingly, about RPGs). For example, the marketing reserach conducted by Wizards of the Coast back in 1999-2000 revealed that in Germany alone there are something like 2 million gamers (although, IIRC, even Dancey thought this is likely an exaggarated number), who were mostly interested in "traditional" fantasy RPGs (as opposed to, say, high-flying action or superhero games) and also preferred German translations (or even German RPGs, such as 'Das Scwarze Augen'). Other surveys I read also seemed to support the notion that U.S. and European RPG markets varied quite a lot -- for example, in Europe games such as GURPS and Vampire were played a lot more than in U.S.
Anyway, my memory *IS* a bit rusty, though, so if I'm misquoting the surveys, please feel free to correct me. Also, if anyone has knowledge of surveys or studies done after 2005, they may very well paint a different picture (although I don't think they would).
All in all, it may explain why 4E is such a huge hit in U.S., and yet seems to sell a lot less here in Europe.