Rembert Parker of Reader Copies in Anderson, Indiana returns with some additional comments regarding PDF versions of games and shares a recent negative experience.

This weekend a customer showed up at the store with a PDF copy of the brand new Warhammer rules.  They explained that they had previously purchased older copies of the rulebook and didn't want to pay $75 for the new rules, but they had the PDF copy since tournaments require players to have the most recent rules with them when they play.  Do we prohibit the use of PDF content in the store and require hardcopy and thereby drive away that customer?  Or do we realize that he really isn't a customer?  He also gets his miniatures by trading online, so that "customer" clearly isn't somebody that we benefit from.

As I noted before, availability of free online copies of the content we are attempting to sell in the stores is going to decrease our sales in the store.

For card games we essentially force players to buy a booster pack to play in our tournaments (it's $5 to play, and everybody gets a booster pack and the winners get more stuff and for Magic we also let every player pick up a foil card), but I have yet to come up with a way to generate income from miniatures and role playing games when customers no longer have a need to buy anything to play -- the snacks add up, but they don't add up to enough income to keep the doors open.  We have enough separate rooms and enough space that we continue to allow open gaming when we're open (and two rooms with a separate entrance for use for free when we're closed), but somebody has to buy something in the store if we are to remain in business.

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