My Local, National Chain Bookstores are D&D 5E and PF Only Now.

Jam The MF · July 27, 2022, 02:12:17 PM

I visited the local Books a Million and Barnes & Noble locations this week, and I witnessed a shrinkage to half the volume of RPG bookshelf space i witnessed in past years; and an exclusive focus upon D&D 5E and Pathfinder. Most of the Pathfinder books were for 2E, with a few pocket editions for 1E.

No shelf space given to alternative RPGs.

The only FLGS I can think of, is pretty much the same way now. There was another FLGS, but they closed their doors this year.

No in person exposure to other RPGs.

Hzilong · July 27, 2022, 02:26:07 PM

It's an unfortunate effect of having a physical store. You only got so much room for inventory so you have to order what you think will sell. Like it or not, D&D 5e and PF2 are the titles that move off the shelves. I guess the only way we can make them change their minds is going in to inquire about other game systems to let them know there is an interest.

rytrasmi · July 27, 2022, 02:40:58 PM

I've never seen a chain bookstore carry more than D&D and, maybe, PF.

There are some independent stores that only carry popular stuff, mostly D&D and PF but perhaps a few other systems. Often these stores carry MtG and board games and maybe comics.

But real FLGS that carry a wide variety or RPGs are rare and should be treasured and supported. Luckily, my local FLGS carries loads of different RPGs as well as military board games, the kind with the cardboard tokens and 100-page rule books. I buy from them whenever possible and it would suck to lose them.

Armchair Gamer · July 27, 2022, 02:55:09 PM

In the glory days of the 80s and 90s, when most RPG companies went through distributors, you could find all sorts of stuff popping up in chain bookstores. I saw Star Wars, Star Trek, Call of Cthulhu, Champions, Runequest, Warhammer, and other things that I can't recall outside of the 'big names' like TSR and White Wolf.

Alas, those days have passed as the sun goes down into shadow. The last time I checked B&N, it was D&D/PF, with some Mutants & Masterminds and Zweihander. (Zweihander is being published and pushed by Andrews McNeel, one of the big publishers, so it punches above its weight class in that regard.)

HappyDaze · July 27, 2022, 03:49:37 PM

Quote from: Jam The MF on July 27, 2022, 02:12:17 PM
I visited the local Books a Million and Barnes & Noble locations this week, and I witnessed a shrinkage to half the volume of RPG bookshelf space i witnessed in past years; and an exclusive focus upon D&D 5E and Pathfinder. Most of the Pathfinder books were for 2E, with a few pocket editions for 1E.

No shelf space given to alternative RPGs.

The only FLGS I can think of, is pretty much the same way now. There was another FLGS, but they closed their doors this year.

No in person exposure to other RPGs.

My BaM has both of those, some Vampire 5e, some Green Ronin Expanse books, Zweihander and Flames of Freedom, a Dark Eye book, and some Modiphous Star Trek books. Considering it's a small section, that's not too bad.

Omega · July 27, 2022, 05:16:15 PM

LAst was in a Barnes & Noble they were carrying a spread of games. A few had never heard of even. Mostly D&D and a few pathfinder and the rest was pretty random.

weirdguy564 · July 27, 2022, 06:21:55 PM

I went to a local game store in Lincoln, NE. I had to ask them to order a copy of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. They didn't carry it

Not a book store. An actual gaming store.

Hardly anybody offers oddball stuff. Only the top selling stuff exists.

But, online sales means I can get weird stuff like Warbirds RPG, Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool, Mini-6 Bare Bones, and Basic Fantasy with Equipment Emporium and Field Guide. Those last few are stupidly cheap to buy as well.

HappyDaze · July 27, 2022, 07:14:22 PM

Quote from: weirdguy564 on July 27, 2022, 06:21:55 PM
I went to a local game store in Lincoln, NE. I had to ask them to order a copy of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. They didn't carry it

Not a book store. An actual gaming store.

Hardly anybody offers oddball stuff. Only the top selling stuff exists.

But, online sales means I can get weird stuff like Warbirds RPG, Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool, Mini-6 Bare Bones, and Basic Fantasy with Equipment Emporium and Field Guide. Those last few are stupidly cheap to buy as well.

The store that was Sci-fi City (and Enterprise 1701 before that) is rapidly paring down its RPG section to D&D with a bit of Traveller and Pathfinder. Everything else is stuffed into a dying aisle where it grows sun-faded and the covers are left to warp. They used to have a large Savage Worlds section, but separation from Sci-fi City doomed that. Now they have some remnants (ETU and Rifts mostly) but nothing new will be coming in.

The new emphasis is on CCGs and Warhammer...where the real money comes in.

danskmacabre · July 27, 2022, 07:24:36 PM

If large bookstores have RPG material at all here, it'll be just DnD 5e and PF. It's been that way for a long time.
Before DnD 5e, they didn't even bother with DnD much.

Still, after saying that, we have lots of dedicated gaming stores that have a huge range of RPGs, card games, boardgames etc.
Many of them provide free or paid gaming space too.

Zelen · July 27, 2022, 09:06:17 PM

Given how bad Pathfinder 2 is, I don't know why they'd stock it at all.

Mistwell · July 27, 2022, 09:36:08 PM

Quote from: Zelen on July 27, 2022, 09:06:17 PM
Given how bad Pathfinder 2 is, I don't know why they'd stock it at all.

Seems to be selling fine.

Svenhelgrim · July 27, 2022, 09:44:42 PM

If you want to shop for non 5e/pathfinder game books you have to go online. Unless you can get to those one-in-a million game thores with a large selection.

I was in the Compleat Strategist in New York City last month and snagged some Lamentations Of The Flame Princess adventures as well as a book by Goodman Games.

They do a lot of online sales so you can check out what they have in stock.

oggsmash · July 28, 2022, 04:52:31 AM

Quote from: Mistwell on July 27, 2022, 09:36:08 PM
Quote from: Zelen on July 27, 2022, 09:06:17 PM
Given how bad Pathfinder 2 is, I don't know why they'd stock it at all.

Seems to be selling fine.

So are quarter pounders from McDonalds. Doesn't make em good.

jeff37923 · July 28, 2022, 07:10:08 AM

If the bookstore doesn't carry Traveller, then it's not worth going there.

BoxCrayonTales · July 28, 2022, 09:24:08 AM

I noticed this at my FLGS too. They had maybe one or two small shelves dedicated to rpgs, mostly D&D5 and a tiny smattering of other fantasy and scifi rpgs that I don't recall. Everything else was board games and comics. They had more LGBT books than RPG books.