The role of the FLGS (FWIW)

If you haven't been paying attention, there's a new review site in town, BoardRoomers. Headed up by well-respected Dice Tower reviewer Ryan Metzler, the boardroomers is a site wherein various members of the gamerati debate hot button topics via Google+ hangout and/or video chat. In its first show, Ryan and friends will discuss the role of the local FLGS; specifically, the purpose of the FLGS in relation to online vendors such as CoolStuffInc, Troll&Toad, and FunAgain games.

This got me thinking. As a resident of Central (technically NE) Ohio, I am very fortunate to have myriad gaming opportunities. Perhaps the biggest opportunity is the presence of CABS (Columbus Area Boardgaming Society). Yes, that CABS: one of the largest gaming clubs in the Midwest, the organization responsible for the board room at Origins, and an organization that boasts a game collection of over 1400 games. If I want to play or review something obscure and/or off-the-wall, all I need to do is attend one of their get togethers. There are also some fairly decent game stores around Central Ohio: The Guardtower being my personal favorite, followed closely by Ravenstone and The Soldiery. Problem is... my sporadic work schedule doesn't allow me to attend nearly the amount of CABS meetings that I would like. Likewise, I don't really want to drive an hour one way just to pick up a game from a FLGS on the other side of I-70W. This means, I'm generally relegated to patronizing the FLGSes by my house. Herein lies my problem(s).

The town in which I live has two gaming stores (henceforth known as FLGS #1 and FLGS #2). FLGS 1 and 2 are located no more than 10 minutes from one another. FLGS #1 has been a mainstay in the community for the past 25 years. They are predominately a comic shop, but have branched out to miniatures and CCGs with a smattering of other table top pursuits. The owners/employees are nice guys, but obviously have exponentially more knowledge about comics than games. FLGS #2 is the new guy in town. Located in an old house that has been converted into a game store, it sprung up because of the owner of FLGS #1's missed opportunities and angry customers. FLGS #2 has no comics; Instead, it has myriad miniature tables, 15-20 of them, all crammed into a dimly lit basement.

At first, I was a frequent customer of FLGS #1. The guys there seemed nice enough. The owner (we'll call him "J") always went out of his way to ask me questions about what I was playing or to tell me about the games that he was playing. If I had a prototype to work on, he always seemed genuinely interested. Even then however, it was obvious that his allegiances lay with the miniature players (Specifically Warhammer 40K) and CCG players (Magic, YuGiOh, Pokemon, etc), as game nights at FLGS #1 were dedicated to one or the other from 6pm on, M-F. As I started to gather more intel, it became blatantly clear that J, and his main employee "Z," had little to no knowledge about the games they were selling unless they were one of the 2 aforementioned genres. To make matters worse, the shop was becoming plagued with miniature players and magic enthusiasts. And not the cool M:tG players who can relate the strategy of their game to gaming as a whole. No, I'm talking about the M:tG players who think flipping a Delver of Secrets from one side to the other is tantamount to Oppenheimer discovering the secrets of the Atom Bomb.

This is my general emotional state after visiting one of the two FLGSes in my area.

This is not to say that Miniature players or people who enjoy M:tG are intolerable people. Not at all. Some of my best friends in the gaming world play Warhammer, HeroQuest, MageKnight, etc. Likewise, the minds of some people who design or play high level Magic are just fascinating to me: Zach Hill, Mark Rosewater, LSV, etc. I simply meant to say that the people who play these games at my FLGSes are intolerable. They're intolerable because the vast majority of them refuse to step out of their comfort zone and try, literally, ANY other genre of game. And before you say anything: yes, I have done my due diligence. I have brought games for them to try: Small World, Summoner Wars, Dominion, EmDo, Dominion, etc. I have played their games: Magic, Warhammer, D&D, in hopes of building a rapport. Maybe 1 out of 10 people with whom I interact actually plays a game with me. They typically enjoy the experience, but then go right back to playing a mini or CCG after the games conclude.

Look, I get it. Many online retailers have warehouses in which to store their product(s). This means they can hoc their wares at a lower price (though, with shipping, it usually evens out). Because of this, FLGSes are under more pressure to make money. So, they tend to pander to the types of games that will make them more money. This, I assume, means more reliance on sales from Miniatures and CCGs due to their price points and frequent rolling out of new material. From time to time, they might also stock something seen on Tabletop, because ya know... people are sheep; and if Wil Wheaton says a game is worthwhile, it must be worth spending money on.

But what responsibility, if any, does an FLGS have to diversify the tastes of the people who frequent it? Sure, all FLGSes are business. Businesses need to make money to stay in business so they can have an opportunity to diversify the tastes of their clientele, but to me,  the G in FLGS is indicative of a broad array of possibility. We don't call them FLWSes or FLCCGSes for a reason.  There is a world of games out there to be tried: Party games, Euro games, Ameritrash games, DBGs, Abstracts, etc.

I'm not asking the Mini players or the CCG enthusiasts to give up their normal fare, I'm simply asking them to try something new on the off chance that they might find a game they like or play a game whose strategies can be employed in their game of choice. Additionally, I'm not asking FLGS owners to completely scrap their normal schedule of high-grossing events. I just think it would behoove them to have ONE night a week where variety is encouraged. And, by variety, I mean THEM...actively getting out from behind the counter and playing games with their customers, getting to know the people who come into their stores, and getting to know the product they sell. I don't think that's asking too much.