Shrinkwrapping!

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Again, I'll mention blind buying. Back in the old days, I used to be able to flip though books and see what I was buying (or at least read the back of the box). OGL makes that impossible. Only a handful of the

Blind buying is the routine with modern games anyway, as most are shrink-wrapped; if all you want is the back cover blurb, you can typically get the equivelent off the website of anyone producing a product. So I think you're projecting problems on OGL that predate them and exist entirely outside the OGL.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

Blind buying is the routine with modern games anyway, as most are shrink-wrapped; if all you want is the back cover blurb, you can typically get the equivelent off the website of anyone producing a product. So I think you're projecting problems on OGL that predate them and exist entirely outside the OGL.

Most supplments I see are unwrapped. Most hardcover and softcover books are easily flipped through at my local gaming stores. Buying blind is more due to net sales than OGL persey, but OGL floods the market, making it harder to find the good stuff.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Most supplments I see are unwrapped. Most hardcover and softcover books are easily flipped through at my local gaming stores. Buying blind is more due to net sales than OGL persey, but OGL floods the market, making it harder to find the good stuff.

I haven't seen a non-shrink-wrapped game (other than hardcovers, and even those are inconsistent) at a gaming store in the greater Los Angeles area of a book of current vintage in nearly a decade now. If you're finding them in your area, far as I can tell you're lucky.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

I haven't seen a non-shrink-wrapped game (other than hardcovers, and even those are inconsistent) at a gaming store in the greater Los Angeles area of a book of current vintage in nearly a decade now. If you're finding them in your area, far as I can tell you're lucky.

Most of the stuff at my local stores is not shrinkwrapped. Usually boxed sets are, modules and other things will pull out maps, compnents are, but most hard and perfectbound softcover RPG books (GURPS, HERO, L5R, Pendragon, Wold of Darkness) all are unwrapped.

Maybe the stores in LA shrinkwrap stuff? Do they put security tags on the RPG stuff the way most stores do with CDs and DVDs?

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Most of the stuff at my local stores is not shrinkwrapped. Usually boxed sets are, modules and other things will pull out maps, compnents are, but most hard and perfectbound softcover RPG books (GURPS, HERO, L5R, Pendragon, Wold of Darkness) all are unwrapped.

Maybe the stores in LA shrinkwrap stuff? Do they put security tags on the RPG stuff the way most stores do with CDs and DVDs?

I don't think so, though its possible; but if so, its extremely common, as I've heard similar complaints from people in other areas. I suspect the majority of its coming from the distributor that way.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

I don't think so, though its possible; but if so, its extremely common, as I've heard similar complaints from people in other areas. I suspect the majority of its coming from the distributor that way.

That's probably it. Since I'm on the East Coast and you are on the West Coast, our stores might be buying from different distrubtors. You's shirnkwrap, mine don't.

[Jason Durall]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

I haven't seen a non-shrink-wrapped game (other than hardcovers, and even those are inconsistent) at a gaming store in the greater Los Angeles area of a book of current vintage in nearly a decade now. If you're finding them in your area, far as I can tell you're lucky.

I'm in central Texas, lived in the Pacific Northwest five years prior, and just got back from a year in the Bay Area, and I've rarely seen shrinkwrapped games in any of those locales. I've also spent a couple of weeks in Boston and Seattle recently, and again, plastic is in the minority.

Usually, only GM Screens or boxed sets are in plastic - most of the time, individual games aren't shrinkwrapped, and I've seen the distributorship for most of Texas and the books aren't in plastic on the shelves there, either. I'm more likely to see plastic wrap on used games in some stores than on new stock.

I suspect it's a regional thing, maybe?

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Jason Durall

I'm in central Texas, lived in the Pacific Northwest five years prior, and just got back from a year in the Bay Area, and I've rarely seen shrinkwrapped games in any of those locales. I've also spent a couple of weeks in Boston and Seattle recently, and again, plastic is in the minority.

Usually, only GM Screens or boxed sets are in plastic - most of the time, individual games aren't shrinkwrapped, and I've seen the distributorship for most of Texas and the books aren't in plastic on the shelves there, either. I'm more likely to see plastic wrap on used games in some stores than on new stock.

I suspect it's a regional thing, maybe?

Certainly possible, though I've heard the same complaint from non-locals.

[SDLeary]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

I haven't seen a non-shrink-wrapped game (other than hardcovers, and even those are inconsistent) at a gaming store in the greater Los Angeles area of a book of current vintage in nearly a decade now. If you're finding them in your area, far as I can tell you're lucky.

Up here in the SF area, most stuff isn't shrunk. IN fact, my current fav FLGS HATES books shrunk. Makes it hard for them to learn about the product too.

SDLeary

[drohem]

I grew up in LA area, and found that in the 90's a lot of places started shrink-wrapping their materials.