A new episode has been added to the database: Cozy Games and Safe Spaces.. what?

by sos1

An item RPG Item: Destiny Deck has been added to the geeklist July 2026 US Math Trade

by Jeffrywith1e

An item RPG Item: Mage: The Ascension (Revised Edition) has been added to the geeklist What RPG book are you reading right now?

by sdryche

Related Item: Stormlight Handbook

92

by Bifford

An item RPG Item: Tentacles. Why Did it Have to be Tentacles? has been added to the geeklist 2026 RPG Challenge: Run 5 RPGs New to You in 2026

by apaneto28

creagan wrote:

creagan wrote:

apaneto28 wrote:

thorphin wrote:

How are people feeling about their VFM sales this year? I feel like mine are abysmal and I have been wondering if the 4 math trades are affecting people’s abilities to open their wallets 😅. Just curious and anecdotal. I know there are a lot of variables. Haven’t done a research study!

I think the format of bgg vfms forums is reducing overall sales. It’s antiquated and inefficient. I have participated in my fair share of them over the years and they have lost their shine. In a recent con I attended DTE, they used a new system called virtualfleamarkets.com and it had over 100K in sales for a fraction of the size of GenCon. I myself found the system easier to use to sell and buy. I say this so that those who coordinate this one can look into the pros and cons of changing to a new system. If the issue is visibility and/or usability perhaps this new system can address those concerns. Just my two cents.

Can you elaborate on this platform? That is an impressive amount of sales. Is there some feature that makes sales easier/better/more efficient (credit cards, payment plans, better search)? Did Tom/Dice Tower promote sales through this platform at DTE?
EDIT: I do see, "The official marketplace for buying and selling board games at Dice Tower East 2026", but I see something similar for each con.

Thinking about this more...I don't think they had over 100k in sales on 1880 items. That means if every single item sold...it sold for an average of over $53. Maybe it was 10k, which would be very comparable proportionately to what happened with the VFM last year.

According to the creator, these were the stats for DTE:

Dice Tower East 2026 Virtual Flea Market (as of June 29)

**Marketplace**
• Listings sold: 5,776
• Total sold value: $104,609 🤯🤯🤯
• Still available: 3,895 listings — $90,646 in inventory
• Withdrawn: 2,456 • Total listings: 12,338

**Of 5,779 sold listings**
• Promo listings: 568 (9.8%) — $2,333 in revenue, avg ~$4.11 each
• Miscellaneous listings: 156 (2.7%) — $1,956 in revenue, avg ~$12.54 each

**People**
• Members: 590
• Participants (bought and/or sold): 446
• Sellers: 315 • Buyers: 389 • Did both: 258

**Prices**
• Average sale: $18.11 • Median: $10
• Sold under $10: 2,333 • under $20: 4,008
• Sold for $100+: 105 • Top sale: $525

**Price bands (listings sold)**
• Under $5: 1,135 • $5–9: 1,198 • $10–19: 1,675 • $20–34: 1,041 • $35–49: 306 • $50–99: 316 • $100+: 105

**Selling format (listings sold)**
• By type — Negotiable: 4,968 • Fixed: 610 • Auction: 198
• Sold individually: 4,484 • In a bundle: 1,292 (across 389 bundles, $15,373)
• Offers made: 5,686 • Auction bids: 592

**Catalog**
• Distinct game titles listed: 6,928

**Top-selling titles (copies)**
• Photosynthesis & Wingspan: 10 each
• Kingdomino: 9
• Azul, Brass: Birmingham, Pandemic, PARKS, Root, Santorini, SCOUT: 8 each

**Highest sales**
• Elden Ring: Realm of the Grafted King — $525
• Bloodborne: The Board Game — $500 • Project: ELITE — $450 • Return to Dark Tower — $350

**Momentum**
• First sale April 13 • New record day: 177 listings sold (June 25, $3,839)

by Bifford

Well I've been absolutely crap at writing any reviews 😄

The 2026 24hr RPG contest is a great way for everyone to earn 13 reviews, however! Go get them: 2026 RPG Geek 24 Hour RPGs. Especially my entry! :D

by apaneto28

creagan wrote:

apaneto28 wrote:

thorphin wrote:

How are people feeling about their VFM sales this year? I feel like mine are abysmal and I have been wondering if the 4 math trades are affecting people’s abilities to open their wallets 😅. Just curious and anecdotal. I know there are a lot of variables. Haven’t done a research study!

I think the format of bgg vfms forums is reducing overall sales. It’s antiquated and inefficient. I have participated in my fair share of them over the years and they have lost their shine. In a recent con I attended DTE, they used a new system called virtualfleamarkets.com and it had over 100K in sales for a fraction of the size of GenCon. I myself found the system easier to use to sell and buy. I say this so that those who coordinate this one can look into the pros and cons of changing to a new system. If the issue is visibility and/or usability perhaps this new system can address those concerns. Just my two cents.

Can you elaborate on this platform? That is an impressive amount of sales. Is there some feature that makes sales easier/better/more efficient (credit cards, payment plans, better search)? Did Tom/Dice Tower promote sales through this platform at DTE?
EDIT: I do see, "The official marketplace for buying and selling board games at Dice Tower East 2026", but I see something similar for each con.

Happy to share my experience as a user! I’d also be totally fine continuing the conversation through private DM if people want to discuss more, just to avoid filling up the comments here.
I don’t have any behind-the-scenes knowledge of how it works, but from a user perspective, I think the biggest improvements are around making the current BGG marketplace/forum experience smoother and easier to use.
A few things that I liked :
1. Search and filtering: Finding games is just a much better experience. Being able to filter by things like price, publisher, promos, BGG rating, etc., feels much more intuitive than digging through forum posts.
2. Making offers: The offer system is probably one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements. Instead of having a long back-and-forth in comments, the seller can just click accept, reject, or counter. It keeps the negotiation process much cleaner.
3. Price drop notifications: This is probably my favorite feature. When a seller lowers the price on their item(s), it shows up in your feed (basically like an updated comments/activity section). You can click on that user and quickly see which items dropped in price, which makes finding deals much easier.
4. Bundle offers: Another feature I really like is how easy it is to make bundle offers. You can pick multiple items from a seller’s list, set the total price you’d like to offer, and submit it. The seller can then accept, reject, or counter. It makes putting together larger purchases really simple.

Edit: it doesn’t process credit card payments or function like a traditional marketplace that handles the transaction. It’s still essentially like the current BGG forums where buyers and sellers work out payment and in person exchange themselves. The difference is that it organizes the experience and adds tools that make buying, selling, and negotiating much easier which I think leads to increased sales. This is just my experience so others who may have used it they can share their perspective.

by creagan

creagan wrote:

apaneto28 wrote:

thorphin wrote:

How are people feeling about their VFM sales this year? I feel like mine are abysmal and I have been wondering if the 4 math trades are affecting people’s abilities to open their wallets 😅. Just curious and anecdotal. I know there are a lot of variables. Haven’t done a research study!

I think the format of bgg vfms forums is reducing overall sales. It’s antiquated and inefficient. I have participated in my fair share of them over the years and they have lost their shine. In a recent con I attended DTE, they used a new system called virtualfleamarkets.com and it had over 100K in sales for a fraction of the size of GenCon. I myself found the system easier to use to sell and buy. I say this so that those who coordinate this one can look into the pros and cons of changing to a new system. If the issue is visibility and/or usability perhaps this new system can address those concerns. Just my two cents.

Can you elaborate on this platform? That is an impressive amount of sales. Is there some feature that makes sales easier/better/more efficient (credit cards, payment plans, better search)? Did Tom/Dice Tower promote sales through this platform at DTE?
EDIT: I do see, "The official marketplace for buying and selling board games at Dice Tower East 2026", but I see something similar for each con.

Thinking about this more...I don't think they had over 100k in sales on 1880 items. That means if every single item sold...it sold for an average of over $53. Maybe it was 10k, which would be very comparable proportionately to what happened with the VFM last year.

by Moonlight_Fox

Related Item: Whispers in the Walls Second Edition

jsteidl wrote:

I always go into a new RPG with the idea that I'm going to adjust the rules to taste. But I realize not everyone wants to do that.

I tend to go into RPGs with an intent on meeting them where the rules are at, at least for my first play of them, and then will adjust more to my preferences later if I need to, once I've got more of a sense of why the game is doing what it's doing.

But there aren't any wrong ways of playing and all that.

(For Whispers in the Walls, there are ways the ending can kill you - or worse - if you decide it's narratively appropriate based on your end prompt, but that's ultimately your choice and your narrative instincts rather than the game dictating it, and I could definitely see value for some in adding a mechanism in to determine the answer to some of the yes/no questions in e.g. the Ending 9 prompt:

Normally the walls are horrified by what they know, but this one is joyous and revels in the crime committed. After a long silence, you feel it is done and waits anxiously to hear your take on such a wonderful event.

Look over your notes and come to a conclusion about what happened and why. Explain it to the room in your own view. Is it happy with the way you told its story? Does it let you go? What happens?

)

by longwayround

What does EASL stand for?

by Donogh

An item RPG Item: Oceania 2084 has been added to the geeklist 2026 RPG Challenge: Run 5 RPGs New to You in 2026