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As the title says, just curious if anyone's FLGS has a rival game store in which even the player base gets in on it. It would be interesting to hear some stories, so I open the floor up to you all.

GW opened a rival gaming store just around the corner of 3 good FLGS that where already in competition with each other.

Where I live two game stores opens within a couple of months of each other perhaps 5 miles apart.

Both shops have gone different ways, one does more historically, bolt action, FoW, malifaux, dead mans hand etc. The other card games, infinity, war machine.

Both seem to be doing well and there's little animosity, about the only thing they both sell is x-wing

The only time I've seen real animosity is the card gaming market, which is ridiculously cut throat and gets prettyshady in many places.

Never noticed anything like that here, but I don't get down to my local store very often. It seems to be a very "we're all in this (the hobby retail business) together kind of deal" but I may just be completely oblivious.

My town has 2 game stores that, while not actively rivals, definitely each have their own player bases for most games. Not a lot of players play at both stores. They both carry much the same stuff, but the one I usually go to seems way better than the other one. Has far more open hours too (the other one is only open like from 5:30-9:30pm on weekdays ).

just curious if anyone's FLGS has a rival game store in which even the player base gets in on it. It would be interesting to hear some stories

I remember these two gaming stores, Jets Gaming and Sharks Gaming Centre, used to square up all the time, pulling knives and having rumbles, until Tony from Jets fell in love with Maria from... no, hang on, wait a minute...

 Vermis wrote:

just curious if anyone's FLGS has a rival game store in which even the player base gets in on it. It would be interesting to hear some stories

I remember these two gaming stores, Jets Gaming and Sharks Gaming Centre, used to square up all the time, pulling knives and having rumbles, until Tony from Jets fell in love with Maria from... no, hang on, wait a minute...

I swear to Jeebus I was about to type the exact same thing

There are two stores around here, both have their faults. And one is in rivalry with the other, while the other doesnt know.
One has open gaming all the time, so you want to play? Go there, the other you can only play a game ONCE!!! a week and only if the offer it(So no Xwing, no warmahordes and so forth) but the other one is chock full of kids. they plat video games, run around and dont take gak seriously.
But the other one has spread rumors about this store, and it kinda sucks.

Rivaling gaming stores sucks. At least around here. My fist expectation would be that it would be great for the community. The competition would result in better quality stores, lower prices etc. But this does not happen. It results in multiple half empty stores, who struggle to sell GW's stuff and a split community.

5 years ago or such there was a single shop selling WarmaHordes in Rome. It had the monopoly of the game, and a big community, around 16+ people attending tournaments, and it was easy to find someone hanging around just for a friendly game. It was some time before MKII hit.
Then, don't know exactly how, one of the old WarmaHordes player, one of the ones introducing the game in Italy, opened a game store, argued with the owner of the first shop, and that started a rivalry that more or less killed the game in Rome.
The first shop went from having up to 24+ people attending tournaments to having to plan the dates to not overlap with the other store's tournaments. Rivalries, rumors and all-out arguing from the rather possessive and paranoid owner kind of shattered the community, that is now more or less dead, or so I've been told. I quit playing around when Wrath came out, the community was too WAAC and toic to keep playing.

Back when blood bowl 3rd ed came out, i ran what our flgs gw rep said was the biggest bb league on the east coast. we had almost 30 coaches. it was great.
Anyway, i wanted more people to join up, so i put flyers up in a 2nd flgs about 15 miles away.
I had several people contact me and were excited to play. until i told them where we met. Then these same people were not interested because "it would'nt be right as i play at...".
I never understood this s**t.

I have to admit I will find a store worth my loyalty and only shop there and play there. Once and awhile I will break out and seek other places to play. I was one store's token Black Templar player, and I heard another one came in and swept a tournament that was being held there. He was a big player from a different store which I had the urge to challenge him to templar combat. Never faced one another and I actually ended up playing at his store a few times due to moving. (Was a lot closer than my old store.) I think if anything the players often make the rivalry, even if its in good sport.

If there is around here, it would be based around the player base. One just can't be a "player" I use to go visit another store for the RTTs and was always pegged as an "Atlantis guy".

Its weird.

One thing that comes up are "house rules" either some groups don't know a specific rule or plays it a edition or two older. Than the guy whom ever it is tries to clarify rules gets the "that guy" label. Its stupid.

 Byte wrote:
If there is around here, it would be based around the player base. One just can't be a "player" I use to go visit another store for the RTTs and was always pegged as an "Atlantis guy".

Its weird.

One thing that comes up are "house rules" either some groups don't know a specific rule or plays it a edition or two older. Than the guy whom ever it is tries to clarify rules gets the "that guy" label. Its stupid.

Yes, one store I play around here (VA) It is known for a more competitive player base, while the other is more laid back. Ya know, I gotta come down and play at Atlantis!

bound for glory wrote:
Back when blood bowl 3rd ed came out, i ran what our flgs gw rep said was the biggest bb league on the east coast. we had almost 30 coaches. it was great.
Anyway, i wanted more people to join up, so i put flyers up in a 2nd flgs about 15 miles away.
I had several people contact me and were excited to play. until i told them where we met. Then these same people were not interested because "it would'nt be right as i play at...".
I never understood this s**t.

Geek tribalism, like most other kinds, sucks.

In (sort of) London, Warboar have just moved into new premises three doors away from Games Workshop Bromley. And being a FLGs, they offer a decent discount!

Maybe we'll see a rivalry between the kiddies in the GW and the normal humans in Warboar! Watch this space, folks...

 Vermis wrote:

just curious if anyone's FLGS has a rival game store in which even the player base gets in on it. It would be interesting to hear some stories

I remember these two gaming stores, Jets Gaming and Sharks Gaming Centre, used to square up all the time, pulling knives and having rumbles, until Tony from Jets fell in love with Maria from... no, hang on, wait a minute...

I don't know if that's a sports reference or a Shakespeare reference...

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

 Vermis wrote:

just curious if anyone's FLGS has a rival game store in which even the player base gets in on it. It would be interesting to hear some stories

I remember these two gaming stores, Jets Gaming and Sharks Gaming Centre, used to square up all the time, pulling knives and having rumbles, until Tony from Jets fell in love with Maria from... no, hang on, wait a minute...

I don't know if that's a sports reference or a Shakespeare reference...