Author Topic: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?  (Read 68071 times)

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Offline frnchqrtr

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #20 on: July 07, 2012, 07:16:55 PM »
The two flgs in these here parts have plenty of gaming space, and on the weekends the tables are mostly filled.  The games are usually an equal mix of RPG, board and cards.   The RPG sections are dominated, of course, by 4e and Pathfinder, but easily a third of the shelf space is given over to non-WoTC/Paizo companies.  All of that stuff is recently published, and it's not the OOP/old stock bin.  So, there's shelf room, and a "walk-in" market, for non-D&Dish RPGs here.
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #21 on: July 07, 2012, 08:17:37 PM »
I would take a look at how many physical copies of RMFRP and RMC were sold by (not to) the distributors and use that as a rough starting point.  If you are able to get the same level of distribution as was happening then you could look at, say, the first three months of sales and use that as the initial max print run.

I personally prefer to buy my RPG stuff in person (i.e. be able to pick it up and flip through it) and will resort to trusted online game material sites if I have to... but then I probably won't be buying something unless it's actual new material (i.e. I don't think RMFRP or RMC ever published anything truly new).
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Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #22 on: July 07, 2012, 08:49:19 PM »
I would go to my FLGS to buy my gaming books when/if I had the money to commit to hardback copies, assuming they were available. But "my FLGS" is just under 30 miles away, so I doubt I'll make the trip for something I can have delivered to my door. And while hardbacks are expensive, it takes a long time to read them to pieces, too. This has been a problem for more than one of my gaming books. For many years I had an AD&D DMG and PHB whose spines were surgical tape.
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Offline rdanhenry

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2012, 10:06:11 PM »
I personally prefer to buy my RPG stuff in person (i.e. be able to pick it up and flip through it) and will resort to trusted online game material sites if I have to... but then I probably won't be buying something unless it's actual new material (i.e. I don't think RMFRP or RMC ever published anything truly new).

Wasn't Construct Companion put out under RMFRP only? That was definitely new and one the best RM companions ever IMO.
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2012, 12:53:21 AM »
Wasn't Construct Companion put out under RMFRP only? That was definitely new and one the best RM companions ever IMO.

Ah! You are right, that one was published in 2003, so under the RMFRP flag.  One official "new" RM book in the last... oh... 14 years?  :o And it's been 9 since it was published.

I was disappointed that instead of continuing to publish new expansions for RMSS they chose to just redo (if it can be called that) most of RMSS as RMFRP.  Never saw any real point in it.  While some liked the organization a little better it didn't really do much for the existing customer base imo.  It seemed like a desperate attempt to get the existing fan base to buy a "new" version.  It surely wasn't the version that was going to bring in new customers as it was hardly any different (I think that's what RMX (Express) was aimed at).

I'm not at all the audience it will target, but hopefully the new version will get things rolling again.
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Offline markc

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #25 on: July 08, 2012, 11:14:19 AM »
For many years I had an AD&D DMG and PHB whose spines were surgical tape.
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Offline Old Man

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #26 on: July 08, 2012, 12:56:56 PM »
... And while hardbacks are expensive, it takes a long time to read them to pieces, too. This has been a problem for more than one of my gaming books. For many years I had an AD&D DMG and PHB whose spines were surgical tape.

LOL. My copies of 2nd Ed Arms/Campaign/Spell Law are similar shape with wondrous binder clips holding them all together.
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Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #27 on: July 08, 2012, 02:08:01 PM »
Mine came apart into individual pages long ago, and are now in document sleeves in a ring binder. They predate the birth of my kid who's now in his 20s though, so I suppose I should be thankful I still have all the pages, regardless of losing the spine. Toddlers age books.
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Offline markc

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #28 on: July 08, 2012, 02:39:13 PM »
Toddlers age books.


 Very very true.
 I have a few RM books in binders because I cut them up so it is easy to get at pages for photocopying.
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Offline jeddak

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #29 on: July 09, 2012, 08:48:24 AM »
I'd rather buy via local brick-and-mortar, but given the dearth of hobby stores in my area, it will probably have to be online.

Definitely hardcover plus PDF.

Offline arcadayn

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #30 on: July 11, 2012, 12:24:41 AM »
I'd rather buy via local brick-and-mortar, but given the dearth of hobby stores in my area, it will probably have to be online.

Definitely hardcover plus PDF.

I've got all of the core RMSS books in binders.  Man, I spent a LOT of money on photocopying RM charts over the years.  PDFs are a godsend!  Needless to say, hardcover and pdf for me, as well. I will probably buy them from Noble Knight and DriveThru, respectively.
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Offline Ironmaul

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #31 on: July 11, 2012, 03:13:11 AM »
I pretty much do all my shopping online these days whether it be books, art materials, software/hardware. Game shops are viable if the there's a decent population density to support it. Otherwise your wasting your time stocking gaming materials unless your selling something else that keeps customers returning. P'n'P games may be good in computer game stores, even then that book better have the BUY ME! cover art gouging at their eyes to compete with all the other shiny covers. When I get the chance to go up town I love looking at  all the cover art on the PC games.

Offline yammahoper

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #32 on: July 11, 2012, 01:44:15 PM »
I picked "physical or online" because there wasn't a choice for "anywhere I can so don't get in my way."
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Offline arcadayn

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #33 on: July 11, 2012, 02:06:26 PM »
I picked "physical or online" because there wasn't a choice for "anywhere I can so don't get in my way."

Word.  8)
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Offline jolt

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #34 on: July 12, 2012, 11:37:13 AM »

I was disappointed that instead of continuing to publish new expansions for RMSS they chose to just redo (if it can be called that) most of RMSS as RMFRP.  Never saw any real point in it.  While some liked the organization a little better it didn't really do much for the existing customer base imo.

As was I; and I hated the FRP layout compared to SS.

I voted for favorite local or online but I won't buy online.  90% of my gaming nowadays comes through the FLGS (of which there used to be six, now two - both moved to smaller stores).  They'll order for me if they don't plan to stock it regularly and I'd rather they get the profit rather than an online retailer.  If those FLGS's go out of business my gaming life pretty much ends.
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Offline kreider204

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #35 on: July 13, 2012, 03:09:41 PM »
I like to support my FLGS if possible, so I'll typically buy dead tree versions from them, if they carry them; otherwise, usually Amazon or wherever I can find them cheapest. 

I usually like PDFs too, which I'll buy in whatever way maximizes the profits for the publisher (i.e., from them directly if possible, otherwise from DriveThruRPG or the like). 

Very much looking forward to a unified RM, by the way - it might bring me back to the ICE fold.  :)

Offline ob1knorrb

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #36 on: July 15, 2012, 08:26:00 PM »
My first choice would be to buy it at Sentry Box if they have it.  I'll probably still buy a pdf copy as well.
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Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #37 on: July 16, 2012, 03:02:54 PM »
Pdf for me because, not living in the US, it's the easiest, fastest and cheapest way.
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Offline mocking bird

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #38 on: July 16, 2012, 10:26:08 PM »
I would prefer to get one at my local store but considering I know the 15 RM players in the city I doubt they would order many copies so on line book will be likely.  PDFs are ok to peruse but need hardcopy to flip through at the table.
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Offline Wolfhound

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Re: Where will you buy your Rolemaster?
« Reply #39 on: July 31, 2012, 12:29:13 PM »
Actual stores selling hard-copies are the way to go in my opinion.  The drawback is that it has been so long since RM products were available through the distribution channels and were actively marketing in any meaningful way.  I know of a game store owner who was burned when the distributor that used to distribute RM products burned many stores, and that some of those stores are reluctant to purchase any products from small-press gaming companies anymore (only stock a couple of the big names). 

However, if us fans offer to run sample games in these stores to try to hook potential new fans, Rolemaster may regain the major position that it once had within the RPG industry.  I can remember 25-30 years ago, that the store I purchased most of my gaming stuff from (Hokus Pokus (was a magic and gaming store) in Traverse City Michigan), RM/MERP/SM had just about as much shelf space as TSR products did, and the hard-core gamer's preferred RM due to its flexibility and "heroic" chance of being able to pull off something amazing (or cut-off something via an amazingly stupid or risky move, which were still just as fun from a gaming standpoint).  And Jack (the owner, unfortunately he passed away quite a few years ago now, but last I knew someone else had purchased the store and it was still operating, but I don't live in the area anymore so rarely stop by) did a lot to support his gaming customers.

Lets start to get the word out to these gaming stores and try to encourage them to make purchases of these products and offer to run sample game sessions in these stores.  Also, it would be wise for ICE to try to provide some sort of marketing materials (posters or banners) to such stores (I know this costs money to do, but if it is done correctly it will dramatically increase both product awareness and sales and thus will pay for itself).

To be honest, in talking with the owners of such stores that I know, they say that a very large portion of RPG purchases are spur of the moment purchases, and as such they need to have hard-copies sitting on the shelves that grab peoples attention.  While those of us who have been gaming and have been RM fans for decades will buy such products in whatever form we can get our hands on them, for ICE and RMU to be truly successful new fans need to be brought on-board and the best way to do this is a combination of attention grabbing hard-copies on store shelves and us experienced fans actually running sample games for people in such store environments. 

Hell, I'd personally be willing to travel a fair distance to run sample games at stores outside of my own area (as well as at gaming conventions) to help re-launch RM (or rather launch RMU) and grow the fan-base of RM followers.
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