Where do you find those games?

People who have known me for a bit know that I play boardgames – boardgames that they’ve never heard of, that often have German names, and that they would never be able to find at stores they typically frequent. Generally, when I introduce these games to new players the first question that comes up is “Where do you find/get those games?”. So for anyone who has that question or would like a place to refer anyone that does, I will address it here.

First of all, the games that I’m speaking of are generally called Eurogames (or just Euros), German games, or designer games. This doesn’t mean they’re all from Germany, or even from Europe, but many of them are. You aren’t likely to find many of them at your local Target or Walmart – you’ll have to know where to go.

You may, and probably do, have a FLGS (friendly local game store) in your area. By the way, this particular abbreviation is the common way the gaming community refers to a game store (at least online). If you don’t know where it is, try googling “boardgame” along with your city and state. Chances are you’ll find that there is a game store or gaming club in your area that you don’t even know about. The person who owns that store is someone who knows and loves games (it’s hard to make money selling games, so there’s not another reason to own one). Tell the person working there that you don’t know much about games yet and you’re looking to get your feet wet. They’ll be happy to help you out with some recommendations. Hopefully, the FLGS also has a few tables set up to play games, times set aside for gamers to meet, and information on any local game clubs that exist. If they can’t help you with any of the above and don’t seem to know much about games, you’re in the wrong place. You should find a new FLGS or go to option number two, the internet.

While I prefer to support a local game store (because if no one supports it, it won’t be there long), sometimes you can only get what you want elsewhere. In the case of games, there are plenty of websites that should be able to provide what you’re looking for. I have purchased games at Funagain.com, Thoughthammer.com, and Bouldergames.com and been satisfied with the results each time. I’ve ordered them according to how much I’ve used each one. Tanga.com has a special on something at all times, and these are boardgames about 50% of the time (the special is the only thing you can get, however). If you’re looking for more information on any game before you buy (or you need ideas on what go get), head over to http://www.boardgamegeek.com/ and look it up. I can’t stress that site enough – go visit it right now and bookmark it…I’ll wait. I definitely recommend researching every game before you buy.

Before I end this post, I should mention a few games that a new gamer might enjoy. Transamerica and Ticket to Ride are two games about forming train routes that plenty of neophyte or veterans gamers seem to enjoy. Bohnanza is a card game about bean trading and Lost Cities is two-player card game with a thin archeology theme. If you aren’t looking for a basic “beginner” game but just want to jump in with both feet, I’d suggest Ra or Puerto Rico as nice medium-weight games. Click the appropriate link to learn more and have fun!