Bartertown.com

ADMINS PLEASE DELETE

I thought their Chainmail line of minis was fantastic while it lasted.

I loved ALL the model lines WotC put out.
As much as I loved TSR, I have to give WotC credit for one HUGE thing... they saved D&D!

Eric

I agree... It is a double-edged fruit (if you get that you are way too weird like me).

I bought all of their minis (most many times) but they just weren't in it to win it. I think they remind me of Sega (in a weird way) in regards to minis... Sega was just incredible with their games and their consoles; however, they would always get tired of not making enough money on the console and simply say they were shutting down and just making games... Sony knows that you shouldn't even think about the console as a profit center (just eat it or tolerate not making much because that isn't what you are trying to do - You are using it as a vehicle to make money off of games and dictate the direction of the console/game market).

In both cases (WOTC/Sega), it is not their core competency... and the profit isn't as high as what they require... So, don't do it... Just sell the rights to somebody that does minis and is comfortable with how much profit/unit minis yield.

WOTC guy comes to the Hasbro meeting... WOTC guy made X bazillion dollars this year... The monopoly guy snickers and says well we made 50 times that... WOTC guys starts to think about what is underperforming.

They were probably needed... not just for D&D... but for the gaming stores (except for GW)... I really feel that if WOTC went under (which means MTG went under) all the (generalist) game stores would collapse (because they are so reliant on that revenue stream). For the small (generalist) store owner, there is just no comparison to what having people drafting (at max capacity) constantly in the side area generates vs obscure box games vs RPG people buying the new book coming out and even the 'cracked-out' random mini pulling people). The MTG events and drafts are the things that pay the rent on the shop space and draw in new customers for the other games/hobbies (that need to buy some damn board games, books, and minis).

One of my father figures is the owner of The Green Dragon in Charleston, SC (the only store to have existed from the present to this day in that area - completely dominant)... We ruminate on this often... and I am heavily tied to (the now dwindling but once great) Titan chain in Atlanta, GA... and very talkative with several other game stores/chain owners in the SE. This is pretty much the theme of decades of talk and my independent thought.

I was/am very conflicted about WOTC... but not really a hater on them.

Sean

wsott1970 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:30 pm

... I am... very talkative with several other game stores/chain owners in the SE...

YOU are "very talkative?
SHUT UP!
No way!
I'd have never guessed.
LOL

In all seriousness, though, I think you're right about M:tG carrying game stores. I've known a few store owners over the years who have said, point blank, that their M:tG business keeps the doors open by itself. Everything else is icing on top.
Of course, these were all stores that had a robust, competent support system in place for the game, dedicated employees who specialized in M:tG, etc. Every shift, there was always (at least) one 'expert' level employee on the topic of M:tG. They could recite approximate values of cards off of the top of their head, were up on the current meta, kept up with the banlist (or whatever the tournament disallowed cards lists are/were called), etc.
A well run program is/was all a shop needed in order to keep the doors open, once M;tG hit it's stride.

Eric

You are absolutely correct on the above statements.

I am so tight with Scott Carter that he is damn close to a surrogate dad to me... and he has maintained that dominion over Charleston for years and years (through a lot of bad times including our naval base closings via Clinton [which wrecked the local economy], any number of big game collapses/comic industry collapses and the occasional competitor that tried really hard to move the players)... He has literally kept the gamer culture together here as one big, extended family. However, he hardly even stocks comics anymore excepting subscriptions... and a lot of things (game-wise) have just gone by the wayside to make room (practically another store just as a huge play area - but he hosts all local, big tourneys) for MtG.

I remember when David Doust held court over all major, Atlanta MtG events... and when he lost that he was toast (for a very stupid reason on his part - posting card descriptions, for a new set, a little too early)...

I remember the ever so grand War-Room in Atlanta... that damn store was literally in a (smallest size) Wal-Mart sized space... and that was awesome!!!! You could get anything you wanted there at virtually any time... and I bought so many OOP things there just because they stocked so much stuff... You never would have known it was even OOP. That was the best hobby (mostly miniature gaming) store in the SE (IMHO - or not so humble)... They had to downsize and just could never get there footing back (also related to major MtG events moving from Doust to them and then away).

If for nothing else I hope it all holds until Scott is no longer involved with the store and the industry (he is a lot older than me but he has an almost preternatural health - dude was hit by a big rig while riding a bicycle and did a breakfall and avoided all but scratches [at what 60+] - he is only now showing any signs of age and he looks a lot better than I do at a lot fewer years). I would hate to see that store fold in his lifetime (so much so that I would probably have to do something about it).

Sean