Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

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Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby heath » 19 Jan 2012, 10:50

While it is ok to play your RPG off a legal .pdf file in our store we do ask that you please only play off legally downloaded .pdf files in our store. What you do at your own home is up to you but as a business we cannot allow anyone to use them at our store or tell other players how to download them. We will not be actively checking everyone's computer's but we just ask that you respect our rules and hopefully you understand our reasoning.

Also please remember that we do provide the play space for free to help build the community, grow the RPG base, etc but in the end we are a business which has bills to pay and needs to turn a profit each year so we do appreciate everyone that does their shopping with us. We do offer great discounts on our books and we are always happy to order anything that we do not currently carry.

Having said that other than a bigger/quieter store what can we do to help improve the local RPG scene?
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby Zabasaz » 22 Jan 2012, 20:28

Minis.

So that I don't have to mark our Dwarven Warpriest with a mini of C-3PO sitting in a chair being an Ewok deity.

Not sure what to suggest, but just... minis. Something involving minis. Bigger selection, make them available for rent or something, I don't even know. Just... minis.
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby heath » 22 Jan 2012, 22:36

Zabasaz wrote:Minis.

So that I don't have to mark our Dwarven Warpriest with a mini of C-3PO sitting in a chair being an Ewok deity.

Not sure what to suggest, but just... minis. Something involving minis. Bigger selection, make them available for rent or something, I don't even know. Just... minis.


Yeah we just got in all of the new pathfinder mini's which are pretty sweet. We used to have a large collection of used D&D mini's but we have sold through them all. I also suggest using those D&D themed cheap Heroscape sets we carry. Those are by far your best bang for the buck.
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby Relmin » 23 Jan 2012, 20:07

From going to PAX East last year one thing I would love to see is standalone DnD Encounters, where there are a few DM's who run premade one time only sessions on a Saturday or something like that. Wizards makes some cool one-off stories, such as the D&D Heroes of Shadow Preview: Kalarel’s Revenge which was done at PAX East 2011. That way people who want to play but don't have time for an ongoing group could have a way to play with premade characters in a good self-contained story.

I am not sure how much Wizards supports this, or if they offer this sort of experience normally, but it would be interesting to try out with some of their published adventures.

Similarly it would be awesome to do with non-DnD RPG systems so people can try out new systems without having to start a whole new group. Also it could serve as a test run to see if people like a system before trying to get a group together for it.

I am sure if you wanted to do this and you don't have enough employees to run it (if it ends up pulling in a lot of people) then some customers (like myself) would be willing to step up and host these standalone games for other people as well!
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby gamedave » 24 Jan 2012, 00:22

Relmin wrote:From going to PAX East last year one thing I would love to see is standalone DnD Encounters, where there are a few DM's who run premade one time only sessions on a Saturday or something like that. Wizards makes some cool one-off stories, such as the D&D Heroes of Shadow Preview: Kalarel’s Revenge which was done at PAX East 2011. That way people who want to play but don't have time for an ongoing group could have a way to play with premade characters in a good self-contained story.


The store has in the past hosted D&D Encounters every Wednesday (I ran it for quite a while), and a new Encounters group recently started up. Interest and participation waxed and waned - I stopped running it a few months ago when I only had one or two interested players. WotC does support other one-off sessions, like Lair Assault, which the store has received material for, but which AFAIK no one volunteered to run. I believe the store still has some Lair Assault and similar material, and continues to receive it from time to time) if you (or anyone else) wants to run it (is that right, Heath?)

Relmin wrote:Similarly it would be awesome to do with non-DnD RPG systems so people can try out new systems without having to start a whole new group. Also it could serve as a test run to see if people like a system before trying to get a group together for it.

I am sure if you wanted to do this and you don't have enough employees to run it (if it ends up pulling in a lot of people) then some customers (like myself) would be willing to step up and host these standalone games for other people as well!


I actually did exactly this with the store for a couple of months - if you look several posts down, you can find my "RPG of the Month" post about it. It did not go particularly well - only a few people, mainly folks I was gaming with anyway, actually showed up. The store even stocked several copies of the game books and offered discounts - the result is that the store still has a bunch of unsold copies of DC Adventures (I think Savage Worlds sold a bit better).

I don't want to discourage you (or anyone else), though. If you're really interested in doing something like this, please do. I tried and failed, but I'd love to see something like this work, and CFG was very supportive (no one even gave me a hard time about all those still unsold books they stocked on my recommendation). The demos at Fanboy Comics years ago (at their previous location with a game room), many of which I ran, actually usually attracted quite of bit of interest and a decent turn-out. I'm not sure if there's just been a shift in the local gaming community, or if CFG for some reason hasn't attracted the same crowd as Fanboy did, or if the store and I just didn't do a good enough job getting the word out to those who would be interested.

If anyone has the time and dedication to get a program like this running, I'd certainly be eager to participate. It would probably have to be a patron/volunteer, though, rather than the store itself. Heath and Andrew and everyone at the store have been very supportive in my experience - but they just aren't that knowledgable about or interested in RPGs. They are, I believe, mostly card and board gamers - which is where the focus of CFG has been from the start. RPGs have been a poor cousin since the store opened (although it has improved a great deal since then). I don't want to sound like I'm complaining - I love having a game store in town, I love having a play area, and everyone at the store has always been very supportive of expanding RPGs - it's just not where their expertise and interests lie.

Anyway, long post short, if you (or anyone else) is really interested in running some WotC Lair Assaults, or trying to put together some one-shot demos of other RPGs, please do. You'll have my interest and support, and CFG will probably give you a good bit of support as well.
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby gamedave » 24 Jan 2012, 00:33

On the original topic of "what can we do to help improve the local RPG scene", one simple thing that occurs to me is simply the table layout in the play area. Long rows of tables are great for Magic and similar games - its easy to find a space to sit across the table from an opponent. For gaming groups, not so much. That one round table CFG has is often hotly contested terrain, and trying to find space to set up can be difficult. On nights when CFG hosts MtG tournaments and the like, of course, I wouldn't argue with that set up. But on other nights, it would be nice if the "default" set-up of the play area included a couple of spaces set up for gaming groups - the round table (or two, if CFG is willing to buy another), a couple of long tables put together, or the like, and some Official Suggestion that they only be used by gaming groups (whether RPG, board game, war gamers, or what have you).
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby heath » 24 Jan 2012, 11:38

gamedave wrote:On the original topic of "what can we do to help improve the local RPG scene", one simple thing that occurs to me is simply the table layout in the play area. Long rows of tables are great for Magic and similar games - its easy to find a space to sit across the table from an opponent. For gaming groups, not so much. That one round table CFG has is often hotly contested terrain, and trying to find space to set up can be difficult. On nights when CFG hosts MtG tournaments and the like, of course, I wouldn't argue with that set up. But on other nights, it would be nice if the "default" set-up of the play area included a couple of spaces set up for gaming groups - the round table (or two, if CFG is willing to buy another), a couple of long tables put together, or the like, and some Official Suggestion that they only be used by gaming groups (whether RPG, board game, war gamers, or what have you).


So setup some reserved tables for RPG's on Wed nights? Do most people prefer a round table or two 6 foots put together? It seems like a big group would want the 2 6 footers.
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby heath » 24 Jan 2012, 12:35

gamedave wrote:
Relmin wrote:From going to PAX East last year one thing I would love to see is standalone DnD Encounters, where there are a few DM's who run premade one time only sessions on a Saturday or something like that. Wizards makes some cool one-off stories, such as the D&D Heroes of Shadow Preview: Kalarel’s Revenge which was done at PAX East 2011. That way people who want to play but don't have time for an ongoing group could have a way to play with premade characters in a good self-contained story.


The store has in the past hosted D&D Encounters every Wednesday (I ran it for quite a while), and a new Encounters group recently started up. Interest and participation waxed and waned - I stopped running it a few months ago when I only had one or two interested players. WotC does support other one-off sessions, like Lair Assault, which the store has received material for, but which AFAIK no one volunteered to run. I believe the store still has some Lair Assault and similar material, and continues to receive it from time to time) if you (or anyone else) wants to run it (is that right, Heath?)

Relmin wrote:Similarly it would be awesome to do with non-DnD RPG systems so people can try out new systems without having to start a whole new group. Also it could serve as a test run to see if people like a system before trying to get a group together for it.

I am sure if you wanted to do this and you don't have enough employees to run it (if it ends up pulling in a lot of people) then some customers (like myself) would be willing to step up and host these standalone games for other people as well!


I actually did exactly this with the store for a couple of months - if you look several posts down, you can find my "RPG of the Month" post about it. It did not go particularly well - only a few people, mainly folks I was gaming with anyway, actually showed up. The store even stocked several copies of the game books and offered discounts - the result is that the store still has a bunch of unsold copies of DC Adventures (I think Savage Worlds sold a bit better).

I don't want to discourage you (or anyone else), though. If you're really interested in doing something like this, please do. I tried and failed, but I'd love to see something like this work, and CFG was very supportive (no one even gave me a hard time about all those still unsold books they stocked on my recommendation). The demos at Fanboy Comics years ago (at their previous location with a game room), many of which I ran, actually usually attracted quite of bit of interest and a decent turn-out. I'm not sure if there's just been a shift in the local gaming community, or if CFG for some reason hasn't attracted the same crowd as Fanboy did, or if the store and I just didn't do a good enough job getting the word out to those who would be interested.

If anyone has the time and dedication to get a program like this running, I'd certainly be eager to participate. It would probably have to be a patron/volunteer, though, rather than the store itself. Heath and Andrew and everyone at the store have been very supportive in my experience - but they just aren't that knowledgable about or interested in RPGs. They are, I believe, mostly card and board gamers - which is where the focus of CFG has been from the start. RPGs have been a poor cousin since the store opened (although it has improved a great deal since then). I don't want to sound like I'm complaining - I love having a game store in town, I love having a play area, and everyone at the store has always been very supportive of expanding RPGs - it's just not where their expertise and interests lie.

Anyway, long post short, if you (or anyone else) is really interested in running some WotC Lair Assaults, or trying to put together some one-shot demos of other RPGs, please do. You'll have my interest and support, and CFG will probably give you a good bit of support as well.


Yeah Andrew and I both are not extremely familiar with RPG's and any hobby store that you walk into you can probably tell pretty quickly what the owner's/managers interests are. Having said that we do want to support the RPG scene in any way we can and hopefully we have been doing a better job now that things are the shop are running pretty smoothly overall. We should still have the material as far as I know and we would love for someone to give it another shot. When we first opened I spoke with a lot of store owners and they scared me out of stocking RPG's too deeply. They told me that anything other than Pathfinder/D&D we should only do special orders unless our local scene proves otherwise.

As for the unsold books we don't mind at all. I think it was well worth attempting and I would do it again in a heartbeat if someone was interested.

Hopefully once my kids are a bit older and I have more free time I'll be able to get into a few campaigns myself as it's something that has always interests me but the time constrants of having young kids and too many hobbies have made it difficult. I appreciate all of the suggestions so far and let me know if you guys have any others.
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby gamedave » 24 Jan 2012, 15:15

heath wrote:So setup some reserved tables for RPG's on Wed nights? Do most people prefer a round table or two 6 foots put together? It seems like a big group would want the 2 6 footers.


Either or. Really depends the group and the game. In my case, I'm running a campaign on Tuesdays, and prefer to put 2 6-footers together. There's pretty much always enough total square footage available, but it's scattered between various pairs of players - we often wind up squeezed against a wall, with large volumes of unused space between scattered pairs of players. I think if your default set up on any night where you aren't usually full up with card gamers included space set aside for gaming groups, it would encourage more gaming groups to use the store on those nights (and buy drinks and snacks and look at games and....)
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Re: Reminder about playing off .pdf's in our store

Postby Zabasaz » 25 Jan 2012, 11:05

Yeah, I try to get 2 6-footers together for my Wednesday night Encounters game generally, and I'm one of two groups running that night so we sort of team-up to make sure both games get what they need and it is often tricky but we do it. In the six weeks I've run Cncounters I've never been truly challenged to get my tables but a few times I've had to mix a long and a short table or squeeze into an awkward space. Right now I have a full game of about 4-6 people depending who can't show up (tonight I am expecting six) and the other D&D party run by the other Geoff has 6-8 people (DM excluded on both counts) so Wednesday night being a Magic Draft night and a night where two full groups come in to play D&D (as well as some older gentlemen who come in to play board games who are very polite and helpful, one is named Bill) becomes tricky to get playspace. I intend to run every Wednesday except a Wednesday coming up soon, where I'm probably going to do Lair Assault instead, because I'll have some missing core players that week. On an aside, the few times I've tried to get play trackers there haven't been any and my packet only came with one, so I've not been turning in Encounters play trackers. If you'd like to work with me on getting them out I've retroactively recorded my players' renown points and dates. As for the poster thing that goes up, whatever you wanna do with that is cool, I still have it and it's unused and pristine.

Thanks for the clue about Heroscape, I'll check those out when I get paid.

I'd really love to run some other systems just to try them, being a guy who likes to make forays in multiple game systems, but the problem is I work so many hours and my hours constantly change that I don't really know what day I get off other than Wednesday, not to mention I make so little that I can scarcely afford to buy the core books. I may be interested in running some kind of weekly event where I try out a new system every Wednesday BEFORE my encounters game since I come early every day anyways but the main issue with that is I don't really have the money to be buying core books for every system I try. I have a Lair Assault packet I forgot to bring back that I'm still interested in running so I may look into that, and I'd like to run some systems just to expose people to them like Exalted Second Edition, Savage Worlds, Mutants & Masterminds, or some older, more obscure systems like Traveller. Not that I'm asking any of you to order them, I'm not really sure what I want to do. If I had more time I'd be more enthusiastic to get things going.

Dave, I think I saw you running a Star Wars game using the Savage Worlds system last Tuesday, I was the gentleman with the pony tail who complimented your collection of minis if so. I think someone in the store (Ken?) mentioned you and your collection of RPG materials, it's good to see a fellow hobbyist. :) I appreciate your support, I'll have to get in touch with you sometime and get some advice, perhaps after work next Tuesday I'll drop in if I'm not closing and say hi.
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