Buying a board game? Where to begin??

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A blog about buying board games by Sarah Atherton

So, you would like to buy a board game but don’t know where to start!

It used to be so simple - ITV would advertise a new game for Christmas each year such as Operation, Buck-a-roo or Ker-plunk or everyone you knew was playing Uno or Exploding Kittens and there’s always another version of Monopoly in the shops isn’t there? But then you noticed that Game had started selling more and different board games and then a friend invited you to a board game cafe or you may have even ventured into a board game shop and WOW!

How many games are on the shelves?! They all look so interesting, some of them are so pretty, there are some set in the future or during periods of history that you are really interested in or you just love Star Wars or Marvel so why not get a game in that setting, that one looks like it might be fun and there are now many more games for one person or two people as well as big groups and actually board games aren’t just for kids are they?! What should you choose?

Overwhelming isn’t it! Just where do you begin?

The thing is, like every other product that is out there to tempt you, the cover design and the blurb on the board game box are designed to catch your eye and draw you in but how do you know what the game is really like, how it plays, what the optimum player count is, what age it’s really suitable for and whether you will want to play it again and again or leave it in the cupboard gathering dust.

There are a number of ways you can find out about what board game is right for you.

1) Do some research online. If you know the name of the game you are interested in, find out what other people are saying about it. A site I often refer to is BoardGameGeek - they list all the board games, give them a score based on the average score that regular board gamers give a game and also provide the following information:

  • the optimum player count (e.g. the game says 2 - 5 players but in the opinion of BGG what number is really best?)

  • the community age - the game says 10+ but what age can kids who are bright or good at reading or maths or play board games a bit more often start playing this game? Often, it’s 2 years earlier than what it says on the box. 8 year olds that play chess or other strategy games or who are good at reading will most probably be able to play a 10+ game or even a 12+ game

However, don’t just rely on BGG’s score when making a decision - BGG reviews are the reviews regular board gamers give the games and this crowd may like something a bit more complicated or specific to a particular mechanic or theme than what you are looking for. On average a lot of the games on BGG hit around the 7. something mark with the real favourites getting into the 8.something range. Anything 7.something from a BGG reviewer seems to be a good score!

2) Watch a review or ‘how is it played’ video - there are lots of board game reviewers out there and you just have to find the one whose voice you can stand to listen to for a few minutes! I quite like Tantrum House, The Dice Tower (with Tom Vasel amongst others) and Watch It Played (with Rodney Smith).

3) Read a list of ‘editor’s choices’ or ‘bestsellers’ as a place to start - often games that are on retailers Top 10 lists are popular games that are quick to learn and easy to play and might be what you looking for - be warned though - some retailers are trying to get rid of stock or have an agreement with a particular distributor to take on a lot of their games and so the same games often pop up in Top 10 lists time and time again

OR:

4) If you’re not sure what game might suit you or the person or people you are buying the game for, why not speak directly to someone friendly and helpful who might have a bit more knowledge about board gaming than you do.

That’s where I come into the picture!

Yes, I would like to sell you a board game but not if it’s not the right game for you. I’m not going to sell you something I haven’t played myself or had recommended to me by someone who’s opinion I really trust. I’m going to ask you who the game is for, how old they are, what they are interested in, what kind of games they might like to play.

And the blurb on the back that doesn’t really tell you how to play the game? Well, I have so I can tell you how the game actually plays and whether it really has anything to do with space, the deep sea or dinosaurs or whether the ‘theme’ or ‘setting’ doesn’t really have much to do with the actual game.

And I’m friendly, non-intimidating, not a game snob, have a small family who play board games with me, don’t get paid by anyone in the games industry to promote their games and have your interests at heart. Really I do. That’s just who I am. I like board games and I think there are a lot of games out there that you might enjoy so if you want to buy or borrow or just play a board game but don’t know where to start then ask me and I will do whatever I can to help.

How can you do that? Well, if you come to a market or event where I am trading you can ask me on my stall or you can drop me an email at sarahtuffs@hotmail.com and I will make a recommendation for you (including from games I might sell and game that I don’t sell).

Hope that helps!

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