Let’s talk board and card games

Then let’s talk board and card games, modern games have changed, yes you can still play Monopoly if you wish, but if you want a deeper and richer experience then roll and move won’t cut it, therefore you should look at Euro-style games.

A Eurogame, also called a German-style board game, German game, or Euro-style game, is a class of games that generally have indirect player interaction and abstract physical components.

Each year there are about 3000 new Euro-style games come on to the market, so finding something suitable for you and the family should be easy. But with this many games and re-prints of some classics, how do you choose? And once chosen how do you get it at the best price?

How to Choose

To choose the right game you need to know who it is for, as the weight of the game comes into play. Euro-style games are weighted based on how easy it is to play for the players.

Games like Pandemic which is classed as a starter game has a weight of 2.4 where as Draughts is weighted at 1.7, which means the players will have to do a little more thinking about their next move in Pandemic but not as much as Chess which is 3.7.

Then there is the fun factor, using the chess and draughts examples, while chess is rated as a 7.1 and draughts is only a 4.9, you can see that Pandemic is richer experience than chess as it comes in a 7.6.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers, where are all these numbers coming from?

There is a website called https://boardgamegeek.com/ which is the world’s database of board and card games, nearly every game you buy or have owned is listed, and the games are rated by over 60 million users worldwide, so if a game on boardgamegeek is rated at 7.6 you can be sure it’s going to be fun.

Great we have the ratings but how to choose?

Me I watch youtube videos by people recommending their top 10 games, and then if I fancy the game, I look it up on boardgamegeek it’s that easy.

While I am on board game geek I may also watch a how to play video to get the feel of it, or even just browse the photos of the game art and component’s to see what it looks like.

Say we have found a game we like.

The next issue is getting a copy of that game, the first thing I would do is NOT rush off to Amazon and buy it, as the price may be more than you can get it for elsewhere, likewise eBay is not always the cheapest either.

By all means check the price in these two places but then also check https://boardgameprices.co.uk/ as this site lists all the small independent stores as well as the big ones like Amazon.

I have often got better prices including delivery from many smaller stores than I have off Amazon, and the delivery times are sometimes a little quicker.

Older games

My collection of over 50 board games spans from 2002 to 2019, and yet I did not start collecting them until 2018, so even if a game was made in 2014, it does not mean that you are not able to find it.

I have even managed to get an amazing game that was made in 2014 that had a limited print run of just 200, so just because it’s not new does not mean it’s not available or a great game.

Second hand games

After checking on board game prices, I would check eBay as second hand modern board games are normally in first class condition, because the people that own or play them, cherish them like they would a new phone.

So getting a second hand copy rather than a brand new one may be right for you.

Recommendations

To get you started Youtube “top 10 board games”, watch

Rahdo
Shut up and sit down
3 Minute Board Games
Before you play
Boxed Meeples

For me if a game comes up on more than one top 10 list its worth a second look. You can also search YouTube for the name of the game and 99% of the time they have how to set up and play videos!

Also remember you are not going to be playing it correctly the first few times, as the rules will make more sense over time, however you can also check back to board game geek and search the forum for the particular game.

Suggested games

Starter games

Azul
Pandemic
Ticket to Ride
Sushi Go!
Power Grid
Jaipur

Bit more complex games

The Voyages of Marco Polo
Takenoko
Castles Of Burgundy
Suburbia
Railroad Revolution
Hamburgum

Games I love

Architects of the West Kingdom
Brass: Birmingham
A Feast for Odin 
Great Western Trail
The Manhattan Project

Have fun.