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IIRC, I remember him ranting against KickStarter damaging the retail industry.

Here's his KickStarter for his retail company. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2054776865/black-diamond-games-community-game-center-expansio

OT: Here's his blog about the Asmodee policy from December 2015. He jokingly mentions the idea of closing down his game store and opening a coffee shop -- but this may actually be a good idea, given that a boardgame cafe wouldn't have the stigma that game stores stereotypically have, and the rise in the last ten years of Eurogames, with its female audience. : http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com/2015/12/fixing-devalued-market-tradecraft.html

I generally side with Manchu. We're a unique hobby in the USA that doesn't pay for our play space. While PP and GW compete for the highest cost of toys, we all know of more expensive ones (not justifying their costs with this). Rather, when I get into stuff like guns, bowling, golf, etc. that is any type of hobby that requires a physical meets up space/play area, there's typically a fee associated with it. Realistically, Magic has this cost baked in because of the lower manufacturer costs, higher turnover/churn expected from that game. One type of Magic tournament specifically has a "buy this much product to play" right? (Sealed?) The same doesn't ring true with minis games; we're more the gun club than the modern gaming scene of CCGs, MOBAs, etc. that can churn players and product.

Here in the USA, we just don't go for the idea of pay to play in our hobby gaming, which I think it a bit nuts. I don't think any store should expect to float on the "goodwill" of their player bases, nor do I think players should be forced by guilt to buy somewhere. The play area and the purchase counter are really two separate services, but corporate policies like this one from PP are trying to say they are one in the same.

Hey, at least the used value on all my stuff will go up, likely.

So, do we get the pitchforks out like people did for GW, or do people who are more fans of GW act smug to PP fans?

Everything is so confusing!

 TheKbob wrote:
Here in the USA, we just don't go for the idea of pay to play in our hobby gaming, which I think it a bit nuts. I don't think any store should expect to float on the "goodwill" of their player bases, nor do I think players should be forced by guilt to buy somewhere. The play area and the purchase counter are really two separate services, but corporate policies like this one from PP are trying to say they are one in the same.

Well, we *do* have this business model outside of gaming, with bars, coffee shops, donut shops, etc. You buy the food, and the eating space is complimentary.

Of course, a more accurate model would be b&m bookstores, where you're browsing and even reading books in the store is free -- okay, that's a bad example because b&m bookstores are having the same problems as b&m game stores!

Barnes and Noble (and the FLBS) has a coffee shop attached to the bookstore, so can make some sort of money from people who park themselves at a table and don't buy books. The FLGS stocks soda and snacks so they can do likewise with the gamers in the gaming area.

I know with boardgames, boardgamers can simply meet at a coffee shop and play games, so wouldn't pay for play space. Do miniature wargamers? Does anyone know of a FLGS which successfully charges miniature wargamers and other hobby gamers a fee to play, league, tournament, or casual play? Certainly game conventions are an example of this, although they provide events and such not available at most game sores. Also, I hear some FLGS will give you store credit in return for fee to play. Maybe a membership that's free with purchase (or volunteer work as organized play) would generate revenue, and increase frequency of use of the gaming area, resulting in possible increased sales.

ced1106 wrote:
IIRC, I remember him ranting against KickStarter damaging the retail industry.

Here's his KickStarter for his retail company. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2054776865/black-diamond-games-community-game-center-expansio

OT: Here's his blog about the Asmodee policy from December 2015. He jokingly mentions the idea of closing down his game store and opening a coffee shop -- but this may actually be a good idea, given that a boardgame cafe wouldn't have the stigma that game stores stereotypically have, and the rise in the last ten years of Eurogames, with its female audience. : http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com/2015/12/fixing-devalued-market-tradecraft.html

He is the owner of my flgs. iread alot of articles from him. He doesnt care about games, he cares about money. He is the charity store owner i mentioned.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
also, warmachine didnt fail because he couldnt sale, he didnt support the game as much

I say this with a bit of humor, but Manchu were you abducted by a brick and mortar owner as a child and tortured or something? Never have I seen such vehemence towards an industry, even GW. Where do you play? Only at home or an flgs? Most people don't play miniatures only at home. They need places to play so the eradication of the flgs would devastate the hobby. You can't go online and play in the online discounter's virtual game room. They rely on the flgs to sustain their customers. That is what is parasitic. Parasites don't usually kill the host, because it would result in their death as well. All that is happening is that the market is reacting to correct certain forces that are having a deleterious effect on business. Whether customers of online like it or not, manufacturers have decided that deep discounting is not good for the industry. GW has been cited as the harshest example, and yet they are not. Every week on this forum you can see Frontline gaming advertising the latest GW for 25% off. And that is perfectly allowed ( though not for much longer). I applaud Asmodee, Mayfair, GW, Salute,, and now PP for their decision to stand by the flgs. The decision has been made and we will only see more manufacturers doing this. At some point people who have been buying at deep discounts online will have to decide if they can live in this new paradigm. I would try to explain why all this has happened, but it seems most on this fourum don't care about the flgs or community, only cheap sales

Smellingsalts wrote:
Most people don't play miniatures only at home.

Do they not? How do you know?

Smellingsalts wrote:
They need places to play so the eradication of the flgs would devastate the hobby

Gamers could easily just find somewhere else to play and form gaming social clubs, this is exactly how things work in the UK. Game stores simply offer convenience and a more visible presence.

Smellingsalts wrote:
manufacturers have decided that deep discounting is not good for the industry

How very 'noble' of them.

I have been an active wargamer for decades and in that time I have only gamed in a single shop (which was an hours drive away but it was the only place at the time that played FoW so I made the trip occasionally) and it was effectively a gaming club with a store attached to it (set gaming times and a table fee). I roll nearly all my dice in Gaming Clubs and sometimes in people homes these days.

That store that I mentioned earlier had the same problem that every gaming shop that I have ever entered has, they rarely stock what I am looking for. A few years ago I was living in the South East of England (so very heavily populated) and I conducted a bit of an experiment. I set out to find the Bolt Action Grenadier box that had been out for a few months at the time at one of the shops within an hours drive; there were 4 shops, 2 in a big city and 2 in smaller towns. Not one of them had what I was looking for in stock. Considering the popularity of Bolt Action (even at the time), and the relative popularity of the specific item, that's quite damning.

I now buy all my toys either online or at Wargames Shows (my wife is already complaining about the projected cost of Salute..). I still go in shops if I encounter them but I rarely buy anything other than a pot of paint because they have nothing that I want.

One other thing about 'excessive', or 'parasitic' (lol) discounts is that their aggressive removal can actively drive people away for your products. When Battlefront had their little tantrum with Maelstrom games about exceeding their maximum 10% discount policy I basically gave up on FoW, there are other reasons as well but that certainly contributed. This was not due to the cost (about 20-40 pence on a single blister IIRC) but the company's attitude.

I am on the other side of the Atlantic but I can't imagine that the stock levels of US shops are magically better than they are here and I would imagine that it would be easier to find large areas suitable for gaming tables in the US than it is in the UK. 'F''L'GS in the US needs to move with the times because the times will not move with them.

Never played in a shop, never going to. Why should I subsidise them?

If anything, maybe it's a good time for the US to start adopting / considering the EU/UK trend of gaming clubs. we, for example, got an own space rented to play in and members pay a monthly fee (not paying for the full rent, my wife and I cover most of it). While naturally, this isn't possible for everyone, it really is worth so much - player quality level rises, you can whatever you want, come when you want, play what you want etc. No FLGS necessary and still, a lot of us buy locally to support the store we often cooperate with.

Our bi-annual tournaments each have cash prizes (100,50,25€) , as well as the annual Grand Tournament (250, 125, 50€) and both get supported by the FLGS offering discounts for the first three places, the better you score, the higher the discount. He also "rents" out models to others, makes intro games etc., super-active business owner who invests a lot of work and effort into the hobby - and it pays off. Local GW is not pleased /at all/ and in our beginnings even tried to shut us down by trying to disallow us using GW miniatures - which is total bullpoo, of course, and that's what our lawyers told him too

This whole thing gets REALLY silly when you consider this argument: even with equal prices, the online shop still wins. Consumers across all industries have gotten really fond of the convenience of having the exact thing you want mailed to you without having to check store inventories or make additional driving trips.

 TheWaspinator wrote:
This whole thing gets REALLY silly when you consider this argument: even with equal prices, the online shop still wins. Consumers across all industries have gotten really fond of the convenience of having the exact thing you want mailed to you without having to check store inventories or make additional driving trips.

Indeed, trying to stifle discounting is just the nail in the B&M gaming industry's already lined and occupied coffin.

The game store I used to play at charged for the tables for wargaming. Seemed fair enough to me, I never minded paying a small fee to use the table.

That said, they also overcharged for board games (like, significantly more than the RRP - 90 euro for Descent!), so I didn't feel too much loyalty when it came to purchases.

Here in the UK, Independent bookstores and even chains like Waterstones, had tough times going up against Amazon.

So what happened? The bad stores went under.

The good stores? They adapted. They offered tea and cakes. Held creative writing classes. Got more meet the author events going. Stocked books that customers wanted etc etc

The good book stores adapted, thrived, offered a niche that Amazon could never offer.

And it's the same with FLGS. I've been in a few terrible FLGS in my time. They won't be missed.

But the good stores will survive, and I'm happy to support them when I encounter them.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
The good stores? They adapted.

My FLGS is trying new things all the time. Local crafts. Souvenirs. Sports memorabilia. Poker cards (poker was a big fad with the chavs a few years back). Subcontracting distribution for board game kickstarters. Whatever pays the bills.

Yeah, the managers who haven't had an original thought in the past 30 years are struggling, I bet. And wishing all this new stuff would just magically go away and they could have their margin back.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

ced1106 wrote:
IIRC, I remember him ranting against KickStarter damaging the retail industry.

Here's his KickStarter for his retail company. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2054776865/black-diamond-games-community-game-center-expansio

OT: Here's his blog about the Asmodee policy from December 2015. He jokingly mentions the idea of closing down his game store and opening a coffee shop -- but this may actually be a good idea, given that a boardgame cafe wouldn't have the stigma that game stores stereotypically have, and the rise in the last ten years of Eurogames, with its female audience. : http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com/2015/12/fixing-devalued-market-tradecraft.html

He is the owner of my flgs. iread alot of articles from him. He doesnt care about games, he cares about money. He is the charity store owner i mentioned.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
also, warmachine didnt fail because he couldnt sale, he didnt support the game as much

Where to start. I don't love games or I didn't support Warmachine?

First, I run a business that happens to sell games. I also happen to love games. These two facts are only loosely related to each other.

Second, we've got three people on staff who go to Lock and Load each year. They are super excited about Warmachine. Unfortunately, our Press Ganger moved away and our events suffered. Privateer Press never sold great, but over the previous year, it sold terribly. Drumming up more support for more weekly events failed. The problem with Privateer Press is they do zero inventory control on their lines. No model has ever been discontinued to my knowledge. That means the line gets bigger, and bigger, and suddenly, after 12 years of selling Warmachine, you either reconcile with poor performance of the line or you drop it. There's an internal problem there, beyond sales.

Also, when we dropped Warmachine we sold all of it in store in six weeks. We sold $40,000 of product at 40% off ... in six weeks. The previous $40,000 of sold product took a year. There is demand there. There's just too much dumping online via Amazon, Ebay, etc. Also, it turned out local stores had dumped it ages ago and I was last man standing, last guy to get the memo.

I also think the prices of PP stuff has something to do with the difficulty of selling it. It is overpriced for the quality and quantity you get.

Sounds to me like PP costs 66% more than it should, then.

 Da Boss wrote:
I also think the prices of PP stuff has something to do with the difficulty of selling it. It is overpriced for the quality and quantity you get.

Well, it was very easy for us to transition those inventory dollars to 40K. We've seen a 25% increase in sales in our miniatures department for the last two months since we did this. GW is getting the message. They've released organized play kits and they manage their line. Price is not a concern if you keep up the quality, manage your line, and position yourself properly in the marketplace.

Also, we're hoping to replace Warmachine with Guild Ball. Check that game out.

I'm a game store Gamer. I never knew game stores were so hated by some in the community. They have been a positive for me. If not for the comic shop I went to also carrying 40k I doubt I ever would have heard of this hobby. Much less started it. I've made many friends. People I wouldn't have otherwise met. I can say this because I know they would not have used social media to find players, simply played in small groups or quit all together. Hell, I wouldn't have my current job without connections I made at a game store.

Before the hyperbole escalates any further, keep in mind I actually said

 Manchu wrote:
the LGS is generally no threat (although there are bound to be some exceptions)

I'm not arguing that there is no such thing as a successful LGS in either practice or theory. The point is that the model overall is failing vis-a-vis online retail. This isn't about "not liking" the LGS. If the LGS model wasn't failing then we wouldn't be having this discussion. But saving the LGS is not even what this is really about; that is just a smokescreen for publishers to try to push online retailers out of the market. Publishers want to take over online retail. And they don't want to compete against a discount. Again, they want MSRP to be THE price, not the SUGGESTED price. Ultimately, this is a battle between publishers and online retailers. The LGS is already out of the fight.

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

Smellingsalts wrote:
manufacturers have decided that deep discounting is not good for the industry

How very 'noble' of them.

He's actually right. Publishers have unilaterally declared that it is common knowledge that online retailers are destroying the market for tabletop games. The problem is, people somehow believe this malarkey contrary to clear evidence. In point of fact, the tabletop game market has consistently and significantly grown despite/thanks to (depending on your viewpoint) online retailers. Publishers are lying to us. It's really that simple.

 Sigvatr wrote:
If anything, maybe it's a good time for the US to start adopting / considering the EU/UK trend of gaming clubs.

This is my dream model but I doubt it will ever take in the US.

 Manchu wrote:
Before the hyperbole escalates any further, keep in mind I actually said

 Manchu wrote:
the LGS is generally no threat (although there are bound to be some exceptions)

I'm not arguing that there is no such thing as a successful LGS in either practice or theory. The point is that the model overall is failing vis-a-vis online retail. This isn't about "not liking" the LGS. If the LGS model wasn't failing then we wouldn't be having this discussion. But saving the LGS is not even what this is really about; that is just a smokescreen for publishers to try to push online retailers out of the market. Publishers want to take over online retail. And they don't want to compete against a discount. Again, they want MSRP to be THE price, not the SUGGESTED price. Ultimately, this is a battle between publishers and online retailers. The LGS is already out of the fight.

The number of game stores has increased dramatically since the recession, thanks to the drivers of the game trade: Magic the Gathering and Euro board games. Miniatures, on the other hand, are receding, along with role playing games. These games are losing viability in brick and mortar stores, mostly because of prices and time. People can't afford them and they don't have time for the hobby. Both miniatures and RPGs will join war games as a specialty market served primarily by online retailers. Brick and mortar stores will carry on.

Other than that, I've written my post explaining why the publishers see B&M as having intrinsic value. I've argued that the problem is not online stores so much as B&M stores dumping product. You're welcome to your conspiracy theory based on your delusions.

 blackdiamond wrote:
Miniatures, on the other hand, are receding, along with role playing games.

Irrelevant - one of the most prominent online retailers (CSI) has moved away from miniatures gaming completely. We are not only or even primarily talking about miniatures when it comes to publishers wanting to keep the margin between their costs and MSRP. This is a wider trend. As you yourself point out:

 blackdiamond wrote:
These games are losing viability in brick and mortar stores, mostly because of prices and time.

Price and time - obstacles inherent to the product, that have nothing to do with online retailers. So if price and time, rather than online retailers, are what undermines minaitures sales at the LGS then why are the publishers going after the online retailers? It's pretty clear that this has nothing to do with the LGS despite how publishers are trying to market their positions.

 blackdiamond wrote:
explaining why the publishers see B&M as having intrinsic value

I've described this, too. I've gone on to describe why publishers might also be skeptical of the LGS (lo and behold market growth doesn't require a physical sales outlet). Trust me, if Asmodee had a plan to run a profitable game store chain they would go for it. As things stand, they are happy to let the LGS owner absorb all that risk. I'll go on record right now that we will see more publishers move into online retail following up on discount capping.* Maintaining that the future of game sales is offline -- now that's delusional.

*Shipping cost being the only real issue (as we see from Amazon Prime).

 Manchu wrote:
The LGS near me started carrying Bolt Action over the last year. They did well but only thanks to one of their customers who volunteered as a "Warlord Sarge" (like a PP Pressganger). This guy did all the leg work, from running the social media and organizing competitive and pick-up play plus demo events to selling the product and keeping the player base coherent and excited. The actual LGS staff did little to nothing and even occasionally talked the game down in front of players. Eventually, the Sarge moved on to other interests and that customer base pretty well evaporated.

The point of that story is that - again - I think brick'n'mortar is currently a failing/failed business model. The internet does everything the LGS traditionally did (and better) EXCEPT of course hosting the physical space required for tabletop gaming. And LGS entrepreneurs have so far not figured out an efficient and competitive way to monetize this, the last bit of value they can still add. By the way, it's not like this is an impossible task. But we don't exactly have the captains of industry running brick'n'mortar stores. A lot of store owners seems to think of it as an extension of their gaming hobby. Even those more inclined to pursuing profit have not innovated their way out of flagging against online retailers. The LGS owners need to figure out a way to compete - not demand that publishers create policies to force consumers who do not even patronize a LGS to subsidize them. If Christian Peterson, Matt Wilson, or their peers had thought of how to run highly profitable gamestores, we wouldn't be talking about discount caps - we'd be talking about a national Asmodee/FFG retail chain elbowing out the LGS as surely as the online retailers.

I get where you're coming from, and there are many parallels in other, larger industries like technology (Best Buy) and books (B&N, Chapters). In many cases, online is simply much more efficient. There is a danger for consumers to this, however. In the short term, sure, we benefit from prices being lower online as compared to brick and mortar prices that we're used to. However, in the long term, as B&M's go out of business, the online price with the lower margin slowly becomes the only price, and then, the manufacturers have no incentive to support any middlemen -- they'll just sell directly (or through an intermediate like Amazon) to the customer, and make a little bit more. Sounds good, right? Cut out the 50% in the middle, and all that. But once we get used to that, they can slowly inflate the prices, and because these are such niche markets, they'll be able to get away with it.

This is why that while I want to buy my product as cheaply as possible, I don't really have a problem with PP or GW discouraging a "race to the bottom" for prices, because in the long run (years and decades), I don't think it will be helpful for prices from a purely personal, selfish point of view.

I generally agree that B&M hobby/gaming shops are having a much harder time with miniature games than they used to. With comic books, too, which many of these stores sell. On the other hand, I wouldn't call them a failing or failed industry, principally because of collectible card games. These are just huge sellers, highly profitable, and work really well in a retail environment. Singles are better sold in a physical store, because condition matters, and shipping is an issue (or risk) if you want one card.

Also, they're very conducive to play in a store, whereas some miniature-based games are just a pain to transport (cough 40k cough), and the social experience is made even easier by extremely short games with no setup time.

 Talys wrote:
the manufacturers have no incentive to support any middlemen

It is the responsibility of the middle-men to create that incentive. Rather than creating an incentive - i.e., innovating their business practices to be more desirable to the retail customer - the LGS is relying on the publisher to DISincentivize the retail customer from buying from online retailers. In other words, the publishers want to push the cost of keeping a non-competitive business model in play onto you and me.

 Talys wrote:
But once we get used to that, they can slowly inflate the prices, and because these are such niche markets, they'll be able to get away with it.

This is exactly what I have been outlining as the publishers' plan. A poster above called this a "conspiracy." Guess he has not heard of Games Workshop. But the point is, it's not the online retailer that is creating the problem, or the LGS - the problem is the publisher is leveraging its control of supply. No LGS or online retailer is ever going to keep GW from raising its prices, after all.

EDIT: I misunderstood part of your post.

 Crimson Devil wrote:
I'm a game store Gamer. I never knew game stores were so hated by some in the community.

While I rarely, if ever game at stores anymore, I met almost all of my gaming friends through the game store many years ago, or through people I met at the game store.

The Warstore has just sent out an email saying they will only offer 20% off PP products through Monday thanks to this new policy.

So did they receive notice that they are on PP's black list? Seems like the discount cap ("wait wait there's no discount cap!") will be lower than 20% then.

Discount Games Incorperated (the Chain Attack guys) will be doing 10% discount from now on.

Privateer Press recently announced that they will be making policy changes to discourage the use of deep discounts. Privateer Press is implementing this policy to strengthen brick and mortar retailers as a community center. Play space and organized play events at brick and mortar stores are essential in attracting new customers and retaining existing customers.

Discount Games Inc. has put many hours into growing the Warmachine community. Our brick and mortar store, Gameopolis, regularly runs tournaments and leagues. Warmachine can have a high barrier of entry. We sponsor and help create Chain Attack, a weekly free podcast about Warmachine. We host tournament lists on our website that can be used as a tool for players to see what lists are experiencing success in the current competitive environment. Furthermore, Discount Games Inc. has always been committed to participating in fundraising efforts for the Warmachine community.

Discount Games Inc. will do our best to fully support Privateer Press in pursuing their new policy. That means that we will be implementing the following changes in our business practices:

-Regular discounts on Privateer Press items will be capped at 10%. We will begin updating the prices on our website immediately. Any customer seeking to place an order at our old prices should do so immediately.

-We may be able to offer seasonal bundles of army lists that will be temporarily sold at promotional discounts. We will announce more details on the bundles when they are ready to launch.

-We expect to be able to implement a customer loyalty program. While we are yet unsure on the details of this program, we are excited to launch a customer loyalty program soon.

-We will be lowering the free shipping threshold on domestic orders.

-We will cover more of the expense for shipping to international customers.

Discount Games Inc. has tried to exemplify excellence in customer service, and customers can continue to expect the same high standards. It is our hope that customers will continue to see our service as our most valuable competitive advantage.

Warmachine is still an engaging game that is fun to play. Privateer Press and Discount Games Inc. are trying to create a culture that encourages the long term health and viability of this great game and to build our community. Discount Games Inc. hopes that customers will support companies that share these values.

They may take our discounts, but they will never take our FREEDOM!!!!






Seriously, go play Infinity.

These market changes are oddly dejavu for me. Back during the day of Napster, digital music was starting to break out and suddenly music sales are dropping. They all jumped on wagon blaming illegal downloads as the cause. While they fought that battle they failed to properly adapt to the growing changes in the market and by the time they started embracing selling/buying digital music and online music services... the impact already happened and they were too late. Yes I realize apples and oranges but they it is still relevant because we're talking about fruit (marketing/sales).

Online stores aren't strictly about the price. Saving money is great but it isn't that someone saves $5-$20 on something but the fact that they CAN buy it and delivered. It is about choice and convenience. I can go to my Local Game Store (LGS) with 10 things on my to-buy list and I will only find 2 of them. That is because 2 of those things are "new" and "hot" but the other 8 are stuff I've been waiting to buy but just haven't gotten around to it. Now I could buy those 2 things, then buy the other 8 online or I could buy all 10 of them online and skip going to the store at all. Price wasn't even the factor... it was all about availability.

Manufacturers, Publishers, Distributors, and Retailers do not fully understand or grasp the situation. They all say they want to help each other but they don't really. Yes there is organized play and there are organized play kits. These kits usually provide prizes, which is what draws people to the store. That is great! However simply being at the store doesn't translate to sales if they don't have what someone wants to buy especially since a good portion of purchases tend to be impulse.

For example this happens all the time with Magic. Someone thought they had a great deck but suddenly saw this idea that looked great. They can walk up to the counter and 80% of the time be able to buy the cards they need. With board and miniatures games, you are lucky to be able to walk to the counter and find 20% of what you want because it might not be the flavor of the month.

LGS can't simply just drop $10K into stock on items and hope it sells. They are reserved so they might take a chance on a couple things but most of the time they'll carry the top 10 sellers. They will probably only order 2-4 so they don't sit on the shelves for long periods of time. The idea is that if they don't have it, they can special order it. At this point convenience was lost to them. Someone was in the store and able to buy but it wasn't there. Why would they special order it when they can go to online?

What happens to stock that doesn't get sold? They lose money. Eventually they will discount it and hope it sells as they try to break even on it. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. The problem is they can't do anything with dead stock. They can't exchange it at equal dollar value they paid and if someone takes the return, there may or may not be a restocking fee. That hassle means when they order, they will be less likely to order cases and only a few. That means they will less likely take chances. Instead they wait for something to be hot, then stock it but by the time they do ... did they already lose out on sales?

Until manufacturers work with distributors to come up with a solution to lets LGS carry a wide variety of stock, but not carry the whole financial risk on themselves... this will not change anything.

I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of this kind of behavior in the industry as time goes on. GW, PP, and Asmodee are just the beginning. If you believe that any of this has to do with supporting local game stores, you are fooling yourself.