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https://elementgames.co.uk Element games are a local store and online distributor in the UK. They are one of the bigger ones too so this is a fairly "major" break-in by wargaming standards (esp since wargaming stores are not typically a target for such criminal activity.

Can never work out how to link to fb posts but there's photos of the smashed in door and such on the site: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ElementGames/posts/?ref=page_internal

So far no news on what was taken nor what might have been damaged besides the door. However figured this would be a good thing to signal boost incase stock was stolen and people start to see waves of stuff randomly appear in private sales and the like. Hopefully those responsible get caught.

Hope they get the crims - Iget quite a bit from Element so sad to ear this has occured.

That's odd. I mean really odd.

The resale value of minis isn't high enough, nor the market wide enough for a fence.

Of all the targets for a break-in... a Game Store is pretty much bottom of the list.

EVEN MTG cards are not really fence items and resale on ebay, etc isn't going to net a lot of money vs time to list and ship.

I mean, sure there might be a hardened ex-con who is into 40k and this was his way to get his latest army going.. but good lord, that's a long shot. Game stores also are not a cash heavy enterprise...

 meatybtz wrote:
That's odd. I mean really odd.

The resale value of minis isn't high enough, nor the market wide enough for a fence.

Of all the targets for a break-in... a Game Store is pretty much bottom of the list.

EVEN MTG cards are not really fence items and resale on ebay, etc isn't going to net a lot of money vs time to list and ship.

I mean, sure there might be a hardened ex-con who is into 40k and this was his way to get his latest army going.. but good lord, that's a long shot. Game stores also are not a cash heavy enterprise...

Highly likely it got broken into as some people figured games=xboxes and playstations galore!

Worse thing of it all is we don't yet know what damage was done inside the store. Game stores often have models on display (not just staff models either) so who knows if a display got smashed up/knocked over etc... during the crime. Even with insurance you can't replace the time lost.

I agree its an odd choice, but yeah I can see someone thinking they might get a load of games/dvd/consoles that are very popular to steal and offload.

Even if not we assume that the thief knows what will sell well. Could be someone inexperienced who just tried an easy looking store with some "high value" products and smashed their way in.

Could also just be a dumb kid who really wanted a knight or something stupid.

They are back up for business already so doesn’t sound like the damage was too bad. I have visited a copy of times as I stay in the Premier Inn opposite when visiting family up there and as the store is upstairs it isn’t the easiest place to steal a lot of product easily. As someone else suggested, I suspect they thought it would be video games rather than miniature / board games. They have an on-site bar so I wouldn’t be surprised if they just raided that instead.

 meatybtz wrote:
That's odd. I mean really odd.

The resale value of minis isn't high enough, nor the market wide enough for a fence.

Of all the targets for a break-in... a Game Store is pretty much bottom of the list.

EVEN MTG cards are not really fence items and resale on ebay, etc isn't going to net a lot of money vs time to list and ship.

I mean, sure there might be a hardened ex-con who is into 40k and this was his way to get his latest army going.. but good lord, that's a long shot. Game stores also are not a cash heavy enterprise...

IIRC, the last few stores broken into over the years have had their computers and office stuff stolen. Game stores generally don’t have a ton of security systems and the possibility to get personal info and credit card info from unsecured systems could be what the thieves were after.

credit card info

That really shouldn't be a thing if the store uses a terminal like any normal retail point. Unless they note down the card number and cvv on a notepad...

My guess is this was just an oppertunity strike.

 LunarSol wrote:
Could also just be a dumb kid who really wanted a knight or something stupid.

And thus Little Timmy began his life of crime...

I hope that the insurance covers everything and the scrotes get nicked. (Sorry, not up on English slang)

A FLGS I frequented decades ago, The Game Place, had a break-in. This was about 12-13 months after M:tG first released. The thieves stole all of the owner's cards -- plenty of rares etc -- and some of the stock, boxes of boosters. Nothing else stolen. The owner suspected that the thieves were customers, and he had an idea which ones. Nothing proven though, and I don't think anyone was ever caught. Owner closed the store a few years later to become a realtor. Better pay, better hours.

I heard they originally planned to hit the diamond merchants but realized that GW kits are more valulable (/humor)

I was there yesterday for a gaming event.

If I hadn't read it on here, I wouldn't have been able to tell that they'd had a break in. Shop etc was open as normal.

Might also just be scumbags wanting to wreck a nerdshop. I remember a few years ago in GW belfast someone chucked stinkbombs into the store during an event weekend when it was packed. Obviously a bit of an escalation from stinkbombs to breaking in but its a possibility.

 Deadshot wrote:
Might also just be scumbags wanting to wreck a nerdshop. I remember a few years ago in GW belfast someone chucked stinkbombs into the store during an event weekend when it was packed. Obviously a bit of an escalation from stinkbombs to breaking in but its a possibility.

Unlikely though - they were up and running pretty much the same day/day later. If the intent was to cause maximum damage above all else I'd have expected smashed in display windows; torn up stock; sledge hammers everywhere etc... basically a real mess way beyond someone aiming to get hold of valuable stock or cash/equipment etc...