I just found out that Game Geeks in South Portland, Maine is closing its doors.

I am part of the cause in a way - the store tried to rely on special orders, and my purpose when I dropped in was impulse buys. They never had much shelf stock, mostly just a few GW and Privateer items.

I would head straight for the few Reaper minis, hoping that they would have something in, but they seldom did.

Good folks, just... no shelf stock.

The Auld Grump

Colorado Springs is losing Compleat Games and Hobbies at the end of the week. Business really dropped off the past few years, and the man who really ran the store has been more than a little frustrated at the 'younger crowd' he's been deailng with. For me, shelf stock was a big issue as well, with the store generally carrying less and less of anything.

I suspect that we'll lose Castle Games when it comes time for tax season. After the original owner died, the place has gone pretty much to the crapper. If you're not a M:TG player, the store makes no bones about not wanting you inside, despite the fact that it's got the biggest selection of minis in town. You can guess how their sales are doing now...

My FLGS is still doing ok, and he feels like he's rebuilding from the bottom.

Weekly Magic tournaments helped carry him through (he sold a lot of cards around them), he sells a lot of subscription comic books and sports paraphernalia, and I know he's dabbled with online sales.

We have our weekly rpg game there, and once we were one of his sales pillars. But recently (last 2-3 years) there just hasn't been much that has captured our interest. With a GM finally stepping up to run Pathfinder, we're starting to buy that, so he's stocking it and finding that a lot of other customers are buying it too.

Steve

I've given up on my LGS so completely that I'm ordering single bottles of paint online.

I do my best to support my FLGS. Lately that has meant the occasional board game purchase.

I have my nephew in town from florida and took him out to check out game stores here in minneapolis. Here is what I found;

Dreamers games, PACKED with 100+ Magic gamers

Tower games, Two large Pathfinder games, two Warhammer games and six mini painters hard at work.

Comicbook College, relocated next door with four times the space.

No idea what their bottem lines are but I was VERY encouraged by amount of people at each locale.

Yeah - I suspect that the Geeks was killed by a lack of shelf stock - they wanted special orders, but if folks are going to have to special order anyway then they might as well go for the discounts online.

I tried to buy something every trip, but there just wasn't much to choose from.

The Auld Grump

I buy something when I go to my FLGSs, but honestly I have been to all three combines less than half a dozen times in the last year...I do not mind supporting them, but I find I really never need anything faster than Amazon Prime can get it to me, so anything else is just for support or an impulse buy...it is sad, but just the reality for me. With my schedule, I just prefer to do as much shopping online as possible.

I want to support my FLGS. My main hobby is Warmachine lately, though, and I can only play that there on Fridays...the day of the week I least want to as I'm too tired from work. Needless to say, I have not played in a LONG while.

I spoke to managers and found that Tower games has a successful 4e night, 3 tables wednesdays, but Dreamers 4e game fizzled. They were interested in trying again and took my e-mail/phone if I was to GM. The manager (pathfinder gal) was VERY interested in 5e.

As far a Wizards 4e goes, I think they started moving away a while ago with focus on board games and 5e development. They don't produce ADnD stuff, 3.5 and 4e once they have the new shiny system to sell. (excluding reprints for cash) With 9 months or so of playtesting and 6 months to print/produce, don't look for much of any 4e in the future. Gencon 2013 5e would be optimistic. Till then board games, novels, comics, a bad movie and fluff is all I expect from Wizards.

Quote Monte Cook "The number one selling RPG is DnD and the number two is DnD" If SOME have their wish we will be down to one. Then we can play the same DnD from the 90's over and over and over and never have anything new to worry about!

If only Wizards would kindly go out of business! We would never have anything new for anyone to worry about!

That will keep our FLAGS humming! More and more 3.5! Think of the lines! Kids love old stuff!

Frankly 3rd edition on up killed D&D. Switch to GURPS you will feel better.

I am sorry for enjoying WoTC flawed product and appolagize for not having the seance to hate them for providing it wrong.

If rehashing 3.x is best for the market then let pathfinder lead the way. Nothing creates more buzz than an another reprint. That will fill our FLAGS.

oops! seance!

"Gary and Dave please give me the SENSE to hate new game ideas! Please help me hate those who make mistakes!"

What kind of dumba** would try a different game? It would be crazy to change any game. Only jerks would ever try something new! Especially if it had flaws! All games have no room for change. Gary and dave would set me straight! It only makes sense.

WoTC seems to have learned from their mistakes. I wasn't in the loop for their poor handling of 4e's role out but I have not noticed any "hating" of old gamers this go round. They seem to be pouring on the love for old editions! AND old gamers! Its clear they messed up BIG last time, but they are clearly trying the opposite this time.

If they are shitting on people now, I don't see it.

Maybe if I got my feelings hurt last time I would hope for the failure of 5e too. But I didn't.


* I was quoting Monte Cook from 6 weeks ago, are you thinking of the same context I am? He wasn't talking about what you are reffering to...

this is why I don't (seldom) post anything on forums. There is always some big shot waiting to write a thousand word blog to slam anyone who disagrees with their take.

Auld you are smart and have time to read, write and quote all things. Good for you. When I get time to write lengthy blogs about a game I will. But until the ten ton hammer stops waiting in the wings to slam denny's fans with different takes, you can expect this forum to stay at two posts a day.