Dungeons and doughnuts

Started by Emeraldlis, December 18, 2016, 11:04:10 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

mirth

Quote from: bayonetbrant on December 18, 2016, 08:15:43 PM
Books-a-Million is still hanging on in many towns that don't have B&N's

We have one in Portland that filled the space left when Borders went out.

We have a nice local chain of music/video stores that expanded into books and games a while back. I frequent them mostly these days.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

undercovergeek

Quote from: Emeraldlis on December 18, 2016, 03:55:02 PM
Yeah guys it's a lot of fun  <:-)   And inbetween swigging coffee , eating doughnuts , and bantering with each other , it only took about an hour or so to play . So I think if you played this over Christmas with your family/friends , it's short enough to keep everyone's attention , but long enough to get your gaming fix if your other half wants you in the kitchen slicing turkey or scrubbing dishes !! ( or secretly throwing sprouts out the window  O:-) )

I don't know if you found this Brant , and it's my only small complaint about the game . The rules were messy and not easy to understand at first . Personally , I want a rule page that I can just glance at , get the gist of the game quickly , and then just dive straight into playing :)  first my daughter looked at the rules ....scratched her head  #:-) , got most of it set up , got stuck , passed it to me ....I scratched my head #:-) , but couldn't work out how to start the game . Maybe it's just me be being thick  L:-), lol , but just as I was about to throw my hands up in exasperation ,and stamp my wooden leg , and throw a bottle of rum across the room .....which would have been a waste , haha , the guy in the store came over and asked if we wanted help . *CUE *the Angel choir........ O:-)  O:-) O:-)

He talked us through all the rules , showed us how everything worked and moved around the board , basically went through a quick mock game with us . Then he just left us to it :)  He couldn't have been more helpful . I liked that he didn't make us feel like a pair of idiots for not knowing what to do straight away , because that would have put me off going back again for sure !!

But apart from that , as soon as we got into the game ....wow ...it was a ton of fun  :bd: I'm not surprised you've all played it a lot as a family ! I liked the option to be a woman pirate , which of course we chose , can't just let all the guys go out pillaging and ...uhm.....finding hidden treasure  now , can we ?!?!?!?!?  :dreamer:  :arr:

So I'm glad you've got that game , it's a great one to have on hand for quick easy fun and general gaming frolics .As long as you know the rules , or have a smartie pants on hand to explain them for you !  :notworthy:

What was borders ? Was it a game store ? And more importantly .....what does bayonet junior get this year , hahahahaha !!!

To emeraldis and the others that have been to such stores - quick question, do these stores strike you as coffee shops where you can play games or game shops where you can buy coffee and donuts

bob48

An interesting question, 'geek. Do you have something in mind?
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

undercovergeek

Why bob, thanks for asking - it's funny you should mention it!

I'm just planning for all possibilities with the restaurant sale and this is a 'if the sale falls through' plan - I found a site listing the 12(?) current board gaming shops and all seemed to have gone with the coffee and cakes/donuts theme and then a nominal charge for the gaming table.

I ask because I already have the restaurant, the tables, the space. But do not have the mega barista style coffee machine, we have a bean to cup machine. Also we don't currently do cakes/donuts but that can be rectified - my question arises because we're next to a Caffè Nero and oppposite a costa coffee, and from experience of low coffee sales know we're not seen as a viable coffee shop.

So I was wondering if the clientele were people drinking coffee who wanted something more to do than read the guardian or are they gamers who think, awesome I can play there AND get a coffee and cake - double win.

Barthheart

There are a few "game cafes" here in Ontario. They tend to be coffe shops that are set up play games in. A few have food but most don't. They have their own bunch of games to play.

Lots of game groups here in Ottawa have made deals with local restaurants/bars/legion branches to take over a few tables on set nights during the week for their members to gather and play... and drink and eat.

Don't go myself because I mostly don't like people....  :nerd:

Barthheart

Quote from: undercovergeek on January 03, 2017, 01:32:09 PM
Why bob, thanks for asking - it's funny you should mention it!

I'm just planning for all possibilities with the restaurant sale and this is a 'if the sale falls through' plan - I found a site listing the 12(?) current board gaming shops and all seemed to have gone with the coffee and cakes/donuts theme and then a nominal charge for the gaming table.

I ask because I already have the restaurant, the tables, the space. But do not have the mega barista style coffee machine, we have a bean to cup machine. Also we don't currently do cakes/donuts but that can be rectified - my question arises because we're next to a Caffè Nero and oppposite a costa coffee, and from experience of low coffee sales know we're not seen as a viable coffee shop.

So I was wondering if the clientele were people drinking coffee who wanted something more to do than read the guardian or are they gamers who think, awesome I can play there AND get a coffee and cake - double win.

If there are already good coffe shops nearby then go a different route. Most gamers, I think, are looking for a regular place to play and food/drink is an added bonus. How hard is it to sell beer there. From licensing point of view? Even just pizza is a good draw ... here at least.

undercovergeek

Yup got a licence and were known for our burgers and pies but I figured that might be a bit heavy

bayonetbrant

The ones I've seen are bars / coffee shops that happen to have a library of games to check out, so you can sit there and order a coffee and a pastry and not play a damn thing, if you choose.

The key distinction being that game shops that sell coffee are game shops and make their money selling the games, and the coffee / snacks are just for the convenience of customers that happen to stick around to play.
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

undercovergeek

Thanks brant - that may have sorted it for me

BanzaiCat

Could be wrong, but I've heard that game stores make a lot of their profit off of snacks/food/vending sales. I heard that from one guy that was ex-Matrix PR and had designs to open his own gaming shop in the Pacific Northwest somewhere. Can't recall his name and don't know if he even did it, but I do clearly remember our conversation strangely enough. Probably because I'd LOVE to run my own gaming shop. But not unless I had really, really deep pockets.

Shut up, mirth, I can hear you now. :P

Emeraldlis

I definately felt like when I was in this store that it was a serious gaming place  :) definately not a cafe with games , but a game store with snacks !! I don't think you would go here if you just wanted a coffee , there are plenty of other places to go for just a chill out , a chat with friends and a coffee . The talk around the other tables ....from what I could gather with my stealth like listening in on other people's conversations ...ahem ....ok , eves dropping ,lol ....was that , they were mostly regulars who turned up at the store to game . I heard one young guy say he spent most of his cash there on gaming and eating doughnuts !!!  :D  I do agree with other comments though , that I think the coffee and doughnuts keeps the store afloat , money wise .

Although there was a steady stream of people in there buying games as well , but that was before Christmas , so maybe that had something to do with it , people buying gifts . I'm hoping to go back in the next week or two , so I'll see if they still have a steady flow of customers now we've hit the new year . I hope they do , it's a great place  :) hope that helps undercover geek :) just on a side note , the doughnuts were not your average fare !! They're awesome , all different designs ...2 quid a piece ....totally worth it imo . People were just coming in to buy a box of doughnuts and go . So maybe that's something to consider ? A quirky gimmick to get feet in the door and money in the bank !!
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm " winston Churchill 😉
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune , or to take arms against a sea of trouble ,and by opposing end them "  hamlet  🎭

A bad hobbit is hard to break - Staggerwing
Booooo!!!!! Repeat !!!!!!!   - MetalDog

bob48

I'm sure that when you're looking at the pros and cons, 'geek, you will also take into consideration the potential customer base and catchment area. Knowing where you are, is it the sort of place that could support that type of establishment.

Now, if it was in Newcastle, I could be one of your little 'elpers, innit :-)
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

undercovergeek

You're a star emeraldis - thank you, I anticipate your next intelligence report with great interest

Bob, you're right, location, location, location - I did have a squiz at Galway and the other places on the list and they're predominantly big cities with a student campus, where I am currently it's a pensioners paradise, coach trips and antique shops, I'm a few miles from Leamington which has a massive campus but I'm just that bit too far out - I'd love to do it but the biggest barrier is the locale

bob48

Since you used to live up here, you'll be aware of the fact that Newcastle is a university city - all avid gamers..................
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

undercovergeek