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Today while playing a game my wraithlord got shot down second turn. I place him on a table behind me and when game ended and i turned around to my dead pile to pack away, he was gone. This is not a pity thread because its my fault for not putting it away straight away, but i was in the middle of a game and the way i put my models away is very intricate. This is the first model i have ever had stolen and i guess i can put it down to naiviae. Being only a kid and all *14* but its got me thinking with people passing by every few minutes to take a look at games going on wouldn't it be insainly easy to just pocket a model? I would think i could trust most of the regulars because they each spend a lot of time painting and building, so they respect that, but then i told the manager that my model has been stolen has replyed saying its not the first in a few weeks. Im hoping this is just a coincidence because i see most of the people there as my friends, id rather it be a faceless stranger then someone i know. But anyway, the manager says if it doesnt turn up he will replace my wraithlord, so all well that ends badly...i guess.

Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? Did you ever get model back/catch someone trying to steal it? All i know is that now im putting my models away when the die, i dont care if it takes time, ill just do it in my enemies turn.

While I never had a model stolen. I was playing at a Tournament where I brought my brand spanking new Forgeworld Tau Barracuda. Painted and everything. The tourney was at a hobby shop that also sold toys, so there where parents bringing their kids in. I am in the middle of playing when I turn around and this kid who couldn't be more than 5 years old playing with my Barracuda. I start walking over with the intention of just asking politely for it, but as I am walking he drops it from a descent height. I saw a piece of it fly off and I lost it. When I reached the kid I basically snatched it from the ground before he could reach it. Thankfully, he didn't start crying or anything. He did however, ask for it back and I told it was expensive and mine.

Later, I know he must have told his daddy, because I see the kid pointing at me, with his dad next to me. Thankfully, nothing ever became of it, but it definitely sucked. So, I feel for you man.

yep, I've had it happen more than I care to admit. One solution I have come up with is to tell the opponent that my model is dead and I am just going to lay it down until I have time to put it away properly. Usually my opponents are ok with it.

I had it from a different side - I bought a Chaos spawn (I know, I was young) from a friend, painted it up, and proudly set him down next time I was in-store, ready for a game with another friend.

We played a few turns, and the spawn died horribly, and I put him aside. Next thing I knew, one of the veteran gamers who was watching quietly taps me on the shoulder and tells me that my spawn is built exactly like his.

The one he "lost" a week before.

You can imagine how I felt - I said that I'd bought it in good faith, and told him that if he said it was his after all then he was welcome to have it back.

My friend gave me a refund after I threatened to grass him up, so I wasn't out of pocket, and the guy got his model back - but I can honestly say that nicking models does happen, and it's no good for anyone.

Just my own experience.

I've been playing in public stores, convention halls, hotels (etc.) for fourteen years now, and as far as I can recall I'd never had a model stolen until just a month or two ago, when one of my new Chaos Cultists (the guy with the axe upraised from the Dark Vengeance set) vanished between rounds at a tournament down in CT. That sucked, and made me sad.

Thankfully IME it doesn't happen all that often, but any instances are very uncool, and it's always worth being aware of your environment and careful with your much-loved and slaved-over toys.

I had a recent experience with my Guard where some kids were messing with the guys in the dead pile. As I was walking to get a crater I noticed one sitting on a table about ten feet away from the game, at which point I took stock of who was where. I think I got them all (I've changed my composition since I made foam trays so I have a few that ride loose in a box) but they're Guardsmen, so it's a little difficult to get a proper head count.

Back when Monoliths were still playable, at a local tournament, I put one on a shelf behind me. What I absolutely hate are people eating at tournaments. Eating certain stuff. Like fries. Ye know...dirty fingers and stuff. And that guy was saying "Dude, look at this Monlith over there! It looks really heavy!" (my Monoliths are LED.amplified and thus have been a real eye-catcher) and moving straight towards it. I saw him just in time...he put his fries down and was reaching for my Monolith when I turned around, pointed at him (Phonix Wright like) and shouted "IN THE NAME OF THE C'TAN, STAY CLEAR OF THIS VEHICLE OF OURS!". Everyone looked at me, and that guy stood there, his mouth gaping open, slowly backing away from it.

Awesome

Wow thanks for this heads up, I haven't played in any tournaments yet, but even at my local GW shop I will be sure to be more mindful of what is going on around me.

Thankfully I haven't had any of my models stolen, even the ones I keep at my local FLGS on display. Part of it might be that it is a smaller store and I know pretty much everyone that comes in to play. I also tend to keep my models put away unless I'm playing with them. Even during a game I will pack my models away as they get killed but that is mostly to keep clean-up to a minimum.
Although I haven't had any of my models stolen I know the store has lost several starter sets worth of models from the "Learn how to play" table. The models just slowly disappear over time until the manager just builds another one.

I had it happen to me in magic while I was playing. They lifted up me legends box that the Time set and Moxx set was under and stole them. I was so upset I left the unopened legends box there and it was gone too.

I am a lot more careful now. It is a hard lesson. I lost $2000 dollars for the Mox set w/ Lotus. $1500+ for the Legends Box. The time set was about $1000. About $5000 total lost in less than an hour was the worst feeling ever had in my life. I hate thieves.

Sorry to hear that happened to you I really do sympathize.

Thank God my GW is pretty cool, I've never had anything stolen or heard of people stealing stuff from other gamers (aside from GW's highway robbery prices ). Anyway, it's cool enough there that we can usually leave our bags around safely and leave our models on the table.

Geez dude. If I ever went to a Magic tournament I'd do the "briefcase handcuffed to my wrist" thing.

I've heard of it in Magic. Read a blob about someone who did it in a group, going round to large tournaments. When they upped security they're just bypyss stuff.
Never had a model stolen yet. For dead things I usually make a pile or keep a padded box on hand.

I use to paint more than I played at my local FLGS, and that would usually afford me a good position to monitor some of my buddies stuff and even keep a eye on the shelves, (since I really liked the owner of the store, and hate thieves.), on one occasion I noticed a couple teens clustered around a table that was covered in army transports cases and minis, they were using that table for a "staging point" for a apoc battle going on 3 other tables.

What I mainly noticed was they were putting minis away, rather than taking them out, so I did not think to much of it until I saw a leman Russ I painted for one of my buddies go into one of these teens bags.

I walked over to them and commented on how nicely painted the tank was before he could cover it with more foam, the kid was all like "Yeah its pretty cool..it toke me a while to paint."

I then called out to my friend who actually owned the model, and asked him to "come check this leman russ out."

whereupon he proceeded to notice it was his, well we examined all of the models in 2 army transports these guys were filling, they had like 40-50 models in there from a bunch of the guys playing (one of which was a off duty police officer)

So the guys got there stuff back, and the kids were banned forever, not sure if they could press charges against them since the items never actually left the premises, but man I hate thieves.

This is why I pack my stuff away as it dies. My friend does the same.

At the end of a turn, anything that died gets put in its Battlefoam tray which is then put back in my case.

it takes extra time, but I'm sure as gak having nothing stolen, unless they want to try and sneak out with my 1520XL.

One of the guys from my local club had his car broken into, losing his tremi army ( all custom built with banners like the old samurai warriors).

Just so happens that another guy from the club is a police sergeant and during a drug bust on a house months latter noticed some of the models.

(You could just imagine how that convo went…

Nice looking toys you got there, oh it’s a game? Really…. Wow I know some people who play that game to!

Fact is I know someone who is missing his models after his car got broken into…. )
you the oop is very lucky to get the model replaced. to the store onwer

Trust is a hard thing, at the club we haven’t had any light fingers, but that’s mainly due to being played at either a school or church on weekends, but when I do go to the LGS I do take extra care as there is pubic walking in all the time.

I play in a small regional FLGS so we trust each other pretty well, but when I first started playing in the late nineties with a mate, we had all our gear in his parents garage.
One day we were looking for what ever model and couldn't find it, than noticed a ton of stuff missing, turned out a heap of good metal stuff disappeared, nothing else in shed was touched tools etc. never found out who did it although we had the occasional interested friend over. In the end insurance covered it but not a nice feeling.

To the OP -

1) No, it's not your fault that your model got stolen. Shame on the person who stole it.

2) It was more than likely one of the regulars. It's been my experience that most of the theft that goes on in gaming stores is committed by the people who are there all the time.

I've never had a model stolen from a store or tournament.

Plenty of lmunchkins in stores though (who pick up your stuff without asking with cheetos stained fingers). A quick tap with a whacky stick to get their attention was usually all that was needed. Followed by:

"Weren't you taught manners, kid?"
"ASK FIRST, then only touch when given permission."

Sheepish look as he puts it down. "Can I see your models?"
"No."


I stopped playing in stores. Between the teens and card players, it became a place I didn't want to be (and there was the "grown man creepy factor" thing as well.)

Never had a model stolen while I was playing in 12 yrs. Recently had an ex roommate steal 4.5k worth of bugs and marines tho... Needless to say we aren't friends anymore.

 chromedog wrote:
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I stopped playing in stores. Between the teens and card players, it became a place I didn't want to be (and there was the "grown man creepy factor" thing as well.)

This is what happened to me as well, tables completely overrun with MtG players, I feel a little creepy being there when there's loads of under 10s hyped up on sugar, and I can't smoke or swear.