Old Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread • Page 30 • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Old Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread
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Author

killjoy32
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 8283
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Last Visit: Jun 26, 2025
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:56 am

i went to a game shop in manchester on saturday - called mike too as it was really funny. busy shop, full of gamers playing some CCG game or another....didnt even take the time to look what it was, as a bunch of kids were arguing over the fact that the guy running it was losing his patience with another kid as he was taking too long and clearly didnt really know how to play whatever game it was.

on top of that, then you had 2 other lads trying to sell each other cards for copious amounts of cash, which both clealy didnt have :roll:

i browsed through the stuff, most of which was meh....did find some amusing things though...a battered looking C2 for £20, a T1-4 for £50, various common FR pieces (like volo's) for £20 each, a horde boxed set, pretty battered up for £30 and on and on. i told the guy who owned the shop that his prices were ummmm ridiculous. he just smiled and said "OLD SCHOOL" with some strange, obviously "in" hand action.

this was one of them moments, you know, where you move slowly and quietly towards the door, before anyone notices anything untowards? that i did, but picked up 3 items on a table which were free pick-ups from the free gaming day thing!

i must remember for next year as they clearly participate in that, which is great.

i also spotted some CoC monos there, but didnt have more cash on me to get any. will go back again soon and get some.

they were also selling the 4E books too. they actually look really nice.

Al

Are we nearly there yet?

Johnson
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1296
Joined: Nov 06, 2002
Last Visit: Aug 07, 2026
Location: Essex, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:00 am

Hi

wasnt Fanboy 3 was it?

The owner Dave is hilarious sometimes ... :lol:

Rumour has it he's opening another shop in Liverpool.

Cheers,
malc

killjoy32
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 8283
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Last Visit: Jun 26, 2025
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:27 am

lawrenson wrote:Hi

wasnt Fanboy 3 was it?

The owner Dave is hilarious sometimes ...

Rumour has it he's opening another shop in Liverpool.

Cheers,
malc

Malc if you seriously think i am going to go up to him and say "are you fanboy3" ..... i dont think so

would be cool if he opened another shop in these parts. liverpool, barring forbidden planet which i dont count, i dont think has another decent RPG shop - which is a shame. i would like to see the stuff vary a little more too and not just have gimps in the shop playing CCG games.....he should encourage other genres too.

Al

Are we nearly there yet?

Johnson
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1296
Joined: Nov 06, 2002
Last Visit: Aug 07, 2026
Location: Essex, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:38 am

Hi,

the SHOP is called "Fanboy 3". I don't know why.

CCGs is where the money is. He is a role-player at heart tho.

Cheers,
Malc

Badmike
Grandstanding Collector
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Posts: 8079
Joined: Jun 23, 2003
Last Visit: Jun 24, 2026
Location: DFW TX

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:56 am

killjoy32 wrote:i went to a game shop in manchester on saturday - called mike too as it was really funny. busy shop, full of gamers playing some CCG game or another....

Now read that bold part carefully....yes, Al CALLED ME FROM THE UK to tell me how overpriced this guy's stuff was.

I don't know whether that's funny....or sad....or demented.....or says something about the community we have built here at The Acaeum, where the procedure upon finding outrageously overpriced gaming stuff is to immediately whip out the cellular phone and dial a fellow Acaeum member (plus Al knew I would be doing nothing important, I have no life). But thanks for the warning Al the next time in Manchester I will avoid the shop with the 50 pound T1-4! (what was that guy thinking?)

Perhaps with the capacity for taking pictures with the cellphone we need to start snapping shots of overpriced gamer goodies and emailing them to the group....just, cause, you know, why not?

I love it.

Mike B.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

killjoy32
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 8283
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Last Visit: Jun 26, 2025
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:04 pm

well i can call the US for free on my mobile and with it being a work phone i have a nice number of free minutes and as i rarely use my phone, why the hell not

was worth a good chuckle.

great shop tho.

Malc....wasnt arguing about whether CCGs were where the money was or anything. just think they should promote other gaming as well. get a variety of folk in the shop. the little squabs were not buying anything anyway.

was quite amusing though, 1 was eating a jam sandwich and another wanted to share some as he didnt bring anything

omg .... laughable.

Al

Are we nearly there yet?

Gnat the Beggar
Grandstanding Collector
JG Valuation Board
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Posts: 5029
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Last Visit: Jan 16, 2017
Location: Texas

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:01 pm

Well, for about the 7th time in the last 10 years, McKinney, Texas has been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the USA.
Ranked number 3 this past year.
It has been top 3 like four times in that same 10 year period.
We now have over 120,000 citizens.

Yet we still have no game shop!

Sheese. :roll:

We really do need a filthy rich gaming geek to move here already....... :roll:

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

killjoy32
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 8283
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Last Visit: Jun 26, 2025
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:12 pm

Aneoth wrote:Well, for about the 7th time in the last 10 years, McKinney, Texas has been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the USA.
Ranked number 3 this past year.
It has been top 3 like four times in that same 10 year period.
We now have over 120,000 citizens.

Yet we still have no game shop!

Sheese.

We really do need a filthy rich gaming geek to move here already.......

well anny you always spread the wealth, so go for it man

mike always has someone to come annoy then on a regular basis and if you open a side counter selling bacon-cheeseburgers, you are onto a winner.

Al

Are we nearly there yet?

JZavoda
Prolific Collector

Posts: 341
Joined: May 18, 2008
Last Visit: Aug 03, 2008

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:24 pm

FormCritic wrote:Speaking of collecting D&D items....

Anyone buy any cool items lately?

I got a few good AEG 3rd edition items today for $1.25 each, plus I got the Free RPG Day module Treasure of Talon Pass for $1.98.

Anyone else buy any cool game-related items?

I picked up the Tegal Manor poster map. It is one of the most gaming inspirational items I've picked up in a long time.

I'm also waiting for a copy of the Hackmaster version of Keep on the Borderlands. If you haven't seen it I strongly recommend looking one over. This module nearly got their license from Hasbro revoked. Instead of one of the farcical versions they were forced to put out as repros of the original modules this version of the Keep is an expansion. It's really a monster module the size of GDQ, T1-4 or A1-4 and is highly detailed.

And I picked up an Earthdawn boxed set from Serleran a few weeks ago. I never played this setting but reading through the set it seems really cool.

Gnat the Beggar
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Location: Texas

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:24 pm

killjoy32 wrote:
well anny you always spread the wealth, so go for it man

mike always has someone to come annoy then on a regular basis and if you open a side counter selling bacon-cheeseburgers, you are onto a winner.

Al

I think you missed the Rich part.
Filthy I can do, rich I cant.

The Bacon Cheeseburger counter is a really good idea though.
Wish I had some real money........

I would offer free BCB's to anyone spending $25 bucks or more, for those traveling to the shop from his neighborhood.....
On second thought.....................
If I DID have that sort of money I would HIRE Mike to run the shop for me, and let him have all the BCB's he wanted for free.

I couldn't sell ice water to a desert nomad with sun burn.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

Prufrock
Verbose Collector
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Posts: 1787
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Location: Indianapolis

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:40 pm

JZavoda,

Please tell me what a Tegel Manor Poster map is? PICs if possible.

Martin

Kingofpain89
Long-Winded Collector

Posts: 4756
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Location: Caddo Mills, TX

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:58 pm

Aneoth wrote:Well, for about the 7th time in the last 10 years, McKinney, Texas has been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the USA.
Ranked number 3 this past year.
It has been top 3 like four times in that same 10 year period.
We now have over 120,000 citizens.

Yet we still have no game shop!

Sheese.

We really do need a filthy rich gaming geek to move here already.......

Not so sure a filthy rich gaming geek would do a lot of good. Not unless they had some decent business sense. And even then it still might not work in McKinney.

Madness Comics and Games used to have a pretty nice setup there just off of highway 75 and then for whatever reason, they closed it down. Their store in Plano is still there but I seriously doubt it is doing a whole lot of business. Even though I really dislike the ethics of Lone Star Comics, at least their employees are decent people that act like they actually care about the customer most of the time. The employees at Madness were nothing but buttheads and couldnt help a fly find its way to a pile of shit.

You could always consider calling Lone Star Comics and asking them why they havent put a store in McKinney or Frisco yet. Seems to me like it would be a smart thing to do. Or maybe they have already done their homework and found out something we dont know.

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

Kingofpain89
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Posts: 4756
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Location: Caddo Mills, TX

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:59 pm

Prufrock wrote:JZavoda,

Please tell me what a Tegel Manor Poster map is? PICs if possible.

Martin

Check out this thread Martin.

viewtopic.php?t=3159&start=160

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

JZavoda
Prolific Collector

Posts: 341
Joined: May 18, 2008
Last Visit: Aug 03, 2008

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:55 pm

Kingofpain89 wrote:
Check out this thread Martin.

viewtopic.php?t=3159&start=160

It is fantastic. It has that Judges Guild feel (of course) but it is the sense of history to the map that really grabs me. It is a bit pricey for anyone like me who is used to scavenging the second hand market but I know these things can be expensive to produce in a low production run or individually.

Badmike
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:03 pm

Aneoth wrote:
I think you missed the Rich part.
Filthy I can do, rich I cant.

The Bacon Cheeseburger counter is a really good idea though.
Wish I had some real money........

I would offer free BCB's to anyone spending $25 bucks or more, for those traveling to the shop from his neighborhood.....
On second thought.....................
If I DID have that sort of money I would HIRE Mike to run the shop for me, and let him have all the BCB's he wanted for free.

I couldn't sell ice water to a desert nomad with sun burn.

Free Bacon Cheesburgers?

I'm there.

I'd be dead of a heart attack in a month though....

Mik eB.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

benjoshua
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Last Visit: Aug 08, 2026
Location: USA Georgia

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:29 pm

Aneoth wrote:Well, for about the 7th time in the last 10 years, McKinney, Texas has been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the USA.
Ranked number 3 this past year.
It has been top 3 like four times in that same 10 year period.
We now have over 120,000 citizens.

Yet we still have no game shop!

Sheese.

We really do need a filthy rich gaming geek to move here already.......

Another idea is to find the nearest big town that has a chain FLGS and pitch the idea to the owner of starting a store in your town. You probably won't be able to contact the owner by phone, but you could probably talk a manager of the store into revealing his name and address once you tell him your idea. Outline the demographics you just mentioned along with the fact that nobody else is there. You may know other helpful inside information like about how many other people game/collect comics/play Yugioh/or similar gaming groups. And if you know of someone who culd actually manage the place(looking for a job?), that's a bonus. It'll only cost you a little time and a postage stamp and may reap you a local store.

OR, you could start your own store.

Of course, that takes a lot of the fun out of the hobby.

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

Badmike
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Posts: 8079
Joined: Jun 23, 2003
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Location: DFW TX

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:58 pm

benjoshua wrote:
Another idea is to find the nearest big town that has a chain FLGS and pitch the idea to the owner of starting a store in your town. You probably won't be able to contact the owner by phone, but you could probably talk a manager of the store into revealing his name and address once you tell him your idea. Outline the demographics you just mentioned along with the fact that nobody else is there. You may know other helpful inside information like about how many other people game/collect comics/play Yugioh/or similar gaming groups. And if you know of someone who culd actually manage the place(looking for a job?), that's a bonus. It'll only cost you a little time and a postage stamp and may reap you a local store.

OR, you could start your own store. Of course, that takes a lot of the fun out of the hobby.

I can't think there is much money in owning game stores anymore. And if you do own one and don't also carry comics, cards, heroclix, warhammer, board games, and more, you are going out of business. Way too much work for too little profit.

The only hope is a smaller mom and pop, as long as they can keep the overhead down, they might be able to pull a small profit.

The nearest chain is Lone Star Comics, and I think they aren't expanding at this time since they closed their Irving store recently...
Mike B.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

gyg
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Location: UK

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:57 pm

In the last 2 days I have done 2 things I haven't done in years --

1)Played golf
2)Been in a real games store

Talk about this thread being right up my street!

so, anyway

1) I used to be quite a keen golfer but hadn't played in about 3 years. Juat lost interest and the only person I ever played toward the end was my father in law. He lives 200 miles away so regular games are not on the cards! I introduced him to the game 5/6 years ago and he has really taken to it in his retirement - consequently he beat me for the first time ever - I shall not play him again :roll:

.

2) Travelling Man in York. What can I say - a real games shop - clean, bright, airy - and utterly, utterly crap! Basically a glorified comic shop. A few 3E bits and bobs and some minis but otherwise a dead loss. Soul-less with staff that could clearly not care less. Just SAD. Ref Mikes comments before - I think a games shop in the UK could make a profit, if they covered the whole spectrum of gaming from real old school to 4E. It just seems that the people that operate the stores cannot get round the idea that their market is really diverse - surely a gropu like Travelling Man should get a guy in tho buy and market 2nd hand games throughout their stores. Even if it is a matter of buying job lots and bagging and boarding them for display. Surely a lot of people would happily shell out cash (not silly money a-la Al's example before) for decent 2nd hand stuff, particularly if the source/stock seemed to be ever changing.

(Sorry for the rant, it just saddens me that there's not a games store in every town anymore :cry:

)

You can never have too much of something you didn't need in the first place.

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