Thanks for stopping by and answering the questions.  Mainly curious if there would have been a cheaper way of purchasing a box of stuff (other than through Ebay) because none of the gamestores in my area are participating this year (whereas last year there were 3).

I called one store this morning and they said that they had signed up but nothing arrived so I don't know if they are just covering themselves or if the package is late.

Hi,

out of interest, if this is a promotional exercise, why do you include only bricks-and-mortar stores, and not online ones?

Cheers,
Malc

After being in Texas and dealing with Lone Star for two years, I found the stores that I visited to be refreshing.

Castle Perilous - Illinois - I visited this store pre-Free-RPG-Day.  It had a table at the front of the store set up with items.  This was a good idea, as customers can look but not take anything until the 20th.  Arrrgh!  I wonder if the Yu-Gi-Oh players noticed it and got everything today.  

I forget their policy, but it was something like 1 free, 1 more if you are a Preferred Customer, 1 more per $20 purchase.  Something like that.

Game Cafe - Missouri - A newish game store stocked with board games, card games, and RPGs.  I did not see any Free RPG Day items; they were in the basement where an RPG tournament for the Q-Workshop dice would be held later.  The store was busy with customers and people playing in some other tournament.

I don't know how many boxes they got it, but they did not limit quantities.  I took some of the common items.

Thompson Productions - Missouri - The store name worried me; was it a real store?  Definitely!  It had metal and plastic minis, comics, RPGs, the works.  Another example of a solid gamestore.  It had a student discount and $10 off RPGs over $29.

It had a take-all-you-want table of last year's Free RPG Day remnants, miscellaneous overstock, and promos.  This year's Free RPG Day items were "Take 1 of an item for a maximum of 5", including the Chessex and Q-Workshop dice.  Kinda slow when I was there, but some items were getting low.

Valhalla Games - Illinois - Another relatively new game store stocked with board games, minis, and RPGs.  Some customers were selling their used games ("indoor garage sale") at tables inside the store.  Brilliant!

The Free RPG Day items were behind the counter.  Pick 1 from this year, pick 1 from last year, and that was it.  The store was medium-busy and also had something going on at the gaming tables.

So . . . each store was able to bring something different to this year's Free RPG Day.  Four different stores, four different ways to run things.  Each store appeared successful --- fresh stock of games, customers in the store, items being sold at the register.

Mars wrote:And so the Ebay frenzy has begun.

Damned Canadians!  We Americans are too fat and lazy to be the first . . .

JohnGaunt wrote:$65 is too much for a gamestore to spend on a promotion?

Free RPG Day creates so many immediate and future sales opportunites . . .

Maybe, maybe not. The stores I've gone to for Free RPG Day don't seem to get much bump out of it.

I went to RIW Hobbies (Livonia, MI) for the first and second Free RPG Days, and they were never busy. (In contrast, the "busy" store in the area, Pandemonium doesn't participate, possibly because they're crazy busy every Saturday already.)

This year, I had to go to New World Comics & Games in Oklahoma City (because I was traveling for my job).  The store was busy with two gaming groups there, but neither of them seemed to care about the Free RPGs.  When the owner saw me looking at them, he told me to go ahead and take one of everything!

Local gaming markets can be quirky. Some neighborhoods, gamers are set on what they play, and don't seem motivated to try new games, even if they get a free introduction. I can totally believe there are stores that don't see any benefit from giving away copies of second- and third-tier games like "Hollow Earth Expeditions."

Hi,

this is all OK in countries where floor space is reasonably cheap, but in the UK only a handful of rpg shops actually have any playing space, as most are smaller than my sitting room.

Ho hum...

Cheers,
Malc

lucyjoyce wrote:"Hey baby, are you into Castles & Crusades?  I hear it's brutal."

Kingofpain89 wrote:Refreshing?  Did they serve lemonade and iced tea?  

IIRC, one Lone Star did have that for Free RPG Day 2007 and 2008.

I didnt even see any of the Mongoose items

Mongoose put out Corporation, Dragon Warriors, and Paranoia.

lucyjoyce wrote:
After we got back in the car, my daughter said "Someone called me baby!  I've never had anyone call me baby!"  She had been in line holding the nifty C&C Primer, and a gamer had approached her.
"Hey baby, are you into Castles & Crusades?  I hear it's brutal."  

Worst....Pickup Line....EVAH!!!

Mike B.