I'm just curious if there's any way my friendly local game store can benefit from the new D&D beyond now that Wizards of the Coast owns it. Most services offer some way for FLGSes to provide service to their games bought from a local game store. If D&D beyond will not be doing that then how will this grow local communities that don't want to play online only?
Lets be 100% clear. DDB would not be SUPPORTING local game shops, they would be "selling product" to local game shops, who then on sell it to their customers. In fact, DDB is probably undercutting the sales of physical product at local games shops. Think about it, the PHB on DDB is under $30, to buy the physical book you are going to have to pay twice that. At a minimum.
Further, I am sure WotC is VERY HAPPY about the current state of affairs, where players that really want a physical book are forced to pay WotC twice. Once for the book, and once more for the DDB version. What reason do they have to change that?
It isn't WotC's responsibility to make lfgs profitable, nor do they have any interest in doing so (take the current state of mtg as evidence of this). In fact, DDB is ALL ABOUT cutting out the middle men (such as the costly book manufactures and shipping companies, and local game shops) in order to sell their product direct to the customer in a more profitable fashion.
LFGS really ought to diversify their product range outside of MTG or D&D books. This is the only way that they will grow their audience and therefore their business. I hate to say it but depending solely on D&D or MTG products to keep LFGS afloat will prove to be a costly mistake.
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I'm just curious if there's any way my friendly local game store can benefit from the new D&D beyond now that Wizards of the Coast owns it. Most services offer some way for FLGSes to provide service to their games bought from a local game store. If D&D beyond will not be doing that then how will this grow local communities that don't want to play online only?
Lets be 100% clear. DDB would not be SUPPORTING local game shops, they would be "selling product" to local game shops, who then on sell it to their customers. In fact, DDB is probably undercutting the sales of physical product at local games shops. Think about it, the PHB on DDB is under $30, to buy the physical book you are going to have to pay twice that. At a minimum.
Further, I am sure WotC is VERY HAPPY about the current state of affairs, where players that really want a physical book are forced to pay WotC twice. Once for the book, and once more for the DDB version. What reason do they have to change that?
It isn't WotC's responsibility to make lfgs profitable, nor do they have any interest in doing so (take the current state of mtg as evidence of this). In fact, DDB is ALL ABOUT cutting out the middle men (such as the costly book manufactures and shipping companies, and local game shops) in order to sell their product direct to the customer in a more profitable fashion.
LFGS really ought to diversify their product range outside of MTG or D&D books. This is the only way that they will grow their audience and therefore their business. I hate to say it but depending solely on D&D or MTG products to keep LFGS afloat will prove to be a costly mistake.