Good board games are timeless
Good board games appear regularly, as do video games that are not to be missed. The titles are appropriate for different age groups and game types. With the seemingly endless range of good games on offer, it is difficult to keep track of them. We have therefore put together a few tips to make it easier for you to choose a suitable title.
First of all, good board games are timeless. The highlights of the industry, one can definitely speak of the best board games, do not have to be brought to the table when they appear. Nowadays this is difficult anyway, because sometimes good board and card games become a rare good as a result of hype. It is not uncommon for first editions of popular parlor games to be sold out quickly. A reprint can take many months, even with large publishers. Our recommendation: Just be patient. If a board game is indeed on the way to becoming a modern classic, then the title won't go bad with a new edition. On the contrary: subsequent editions usually offer better gaming experiences because publishers, authors and editors can make significant revisions to the rules or material. As with video games, the same thing now applies to board games: a game has to mature.
Board games: Various criteria are important
Whether a board game becomes good, excellent or even a genre leader depends on several factors - including the look, the course of the game, the level of difficulty, the replay value, the complexity, the accessibility and the setting. What none of these factors can replace, however: Developing your own taste. The same applies to board games: You don't necessarily have to have the greatest fun with the exact title that others praise.
Finding good board games also means: trying it out, trying it out, trying it out. With every game, players find it easier to shape their personal taste in the game. Step by step you will then be able to determine which genre suits you. Do I like abstract euro board games best? Do I have the most fun in tactical miniature battles? Or is a shallow but entertaining card game with the family enough for me? There is no such thing as THE right taste in games, only the personal one.
What are the advantages of board games? Board games bring many different characters around one table to have fun together. Entertainment comes first. In addition, there are secondary criteria that can make a game evening valuable: children are taught motor, social and intellectual skills, they learn to solve problems or to process different information at the same time. Adults also benefit from board games, for example training their memory or creativity. In addition, there are conversational situations of various kinds: Tactics and strategies are discussed, dialogues about the topics of board games can even provide entertainment away from the game board.
Choosing a good board game can also depend on the budget available. There are now many board games in the high-priced segment. Collections, called Big Boxes or Ultimate Editions, sometimes even cost 100 euros more. Often these titles are aimed at more experienced players or playgroups and not at beginners.
Beginners in particular can still enter the world of parlor games through classics or award-winning family games, such as titles from the Game of the Year category, which the club of the same name selects once a year. Azul, Kingdomino, Just One, My City, Spicy and the crew are particularly noteworthy from the past few years. And: Even if frequent gamers sometimes turn up their noses and frown, for beginners the classics often turn out to be real door openers. Game collections, Monopoly, Game of Life or Risk regularly land on the gaming tables at home. And whoever got enthusiastic about it, will quickly take the step towards more modern board games.
Buy board games cheaply on the Internet
Many buyers also go by price when it comes to board and card games. Board games are usually particularly cheap in online shops. Some alternatives have now emerged that serve as contact points:
- Amazon
The shopping giant Amazon has countless board games, card games and toys ready, sometimes even from abroad. So if you are looking for board games from the USA, you can find them on Amazon Germany. However, it is important to consider whether the shipping costs are actually worthwhile for a single game. - Ebay
Board games are also increasingly being found on Ebay. There are both dealers and private individuals selling board and card games new, in mint condition or used. Especially for buying ones that have long expired Kickstarterprojects, the online auction platform can become a suitable contact point. - Games dealer with online stores
Many local game retailers are now following the online trend and operate their own internet shops where you can (pre) order board games. Other dealers rely on intermediate models and only offer orders and pick-up. Here it is important to find out more on the website of the local board game dealer. - Pure online games retailer
Retailers such as Milan games, the games offensive or fantasy world have specialized in online trading in board games. Board and card games can be pre-ordered there well in advance of their publication dates. Titles from abroad are also available. - comparison sites
Comparison pages offer a quick and straightforward overview of current prices for well-known and popular board games. If you want to save on buying board games and actually want to buy board games cheaply, you should check out price comparison sites before buying them, for example Brettspiel-angebote.de look around. - Non-specialized online stores
Due to the popularity of parlor games, board games, card games and toys have long been available in non-specialized online shops. Booksellers in particular are involved: For example Thalia, Bücher.de or Hugendubel. An advantage for those interested: the online platforms regularly offer discounts. - Facebook groups
There are countless Facebook groups in which fans not only discuss games, but also offer old titles for sale. Flea market groups in particular are suitable for buying board games, which include titles for various target groups. But be careful: the prices offered for used board games are not always cheap. A comparison can be worthwhile, as can the negotiation of the purchase price.
Local game dealer in Germany
You can not only buy board games on the Internet, many local game dealers have often turned a hobby into a profession and offer not only purchase offers, but also advice and, not infrequently, game options in on-site shops. Because this has to be preserved, one should weigh up before buying whether the saving of a few euros in an online shop is preferable to going to a local game dealer. So that players even know whether there is a specialized game dealer near where they live, we have compiled a list of the parlor game dealers we know.
Brick and mortar retailers are often criticized for the higher prices they charge for good board games. Anyone who buys games solely because of price considerations pays more on average from the local dealer, but the service concept can show its strengths especially in the gaming segment. It is not uncommon for retailers to open their shops out of passion, ie the sales staff and shop owners are familiar with the subject of “parlor games”.
Recommendations are therefore mostly first-hand based on actual experience. Another advantage of local retailers: Quite a few offer opportunities to play games on site, organize games meetings or offer board game tournaments or events in cooperation with publishers. So you can come into contact with other players from your place of residence, exchange ideas and in this way become part of a local game community, where recommendations are also made.
Good board games: Reviews and tests will help you choose
If there is one thing that can make it easier for potential board game buyers to choose for or against a title, it is, sometimes, extensive reviews of board games Board games tests called. When it comes to a brief impression of a game, it is usually sufficient to read a single report - or watch a corresponding video from a board game influencer.
However, if you actually want to spend money - and that is not a small amount with some modern board games - you should not rely on one opinion alone. Although most players fall back on channels that know each other and that are based on their personal playing style, it still doesn't hurt to get several opinions in order to create an overlap.
In addition, for many board game tests and Reviews of board gamesthat the authors always set different priorities. For some, the look is important, for others the mechanics are the focus, while other reviewers build up their opinion reports and the intensity of the playful interaction. Personal preferences are always reflected in a review or a board game test. And because opinions and tastes are so different, reviewers also come up with different assessments. At best, players use different sources and different formats: For example, written reviews of board games can be excellently supplemented with rule videos or "Let's plays" on YouTube.
Even if there are no established standards for board game reviews - for example, in contrast to book reviews or film reviews - the opinion articles should be independent, transparent, but above all honest. It is not uncommon for inexperienced reviewers in particular to get into a kind of vicious circle: At the beginning, the joy of making a game available is so great that the ratings can be higher than personal taste would actually suggest if you look at the gaming experience soberly.
The fact that many board game websites often have positive reviews is not necessarily a lack of quality. Often, reviewers, bloggers or Youtubers test those board games that they suspect in advance that they could be entertaining. Accordingly, due to the high accuracy in the selection of test reports due to previous experience, reviews are often benevolent - but not always.
