TechgnosisWeb ReBoot

… or “Why I can’t keep my local gaming store alive, even though I’d like to”.

So, I bought myself the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition boxed set today. The one that includes all three basic books: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. I grew up with D&D, as I often tell people, I actually learned to read with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Ed. books (thanks, Dad!). I’ve bought every edition since then: 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and now, 4.0. One thing is different, though, about today’s purchase. Up until the last one, I had always bought my gaming books at, well, a gaming store. Well, not just a gaming store: a comic book/gaming/card/collectibles store, but you get the idea. Almost by necessity, these types of stores are always small ‘mom and pop’ types of stores, run by geeks, for geeks. This is the place where you go and the dork behind the counter knows your name and has a bag with your weekly stash of comics already ready to go, the store where the employees know what your game is and tell you that the newest expansion just came out. The place where you can still get into an argument about who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman (pro-tip: Batman would mop the floor with Supes) with the guy behind the counter, and still leave happy.

It’s also a place that is doomed, and while it is within my power (and that of countless other geeks) to save it, we won’t. Why? Because as nice as the idea of the place is, the fact of the matter is that the ‘mom and pop tax’ has become unbearable. Case in point: the D&D 4th Ed. set I bought today. The local gaming store had it for approx. $105 (plus tax). Amazon had it for $66, with free shipping. Do the math, that’s nearly $40 in difference.. that’s a couple of expansions right there.
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