Everyone’s played Monopoly, Risk, and Trouble but if you’ve wanted to go deeper and don’t know where to start? Here’s some tips on how to start your journey in growing popularity of board games.
Figuring out what games you like
To start with board games, of course you’ll have to buy them first. To figure what to get there are great resources like BoardGameGeek which can tell you how a board game rates against over 20,000 others. If reading isn’t your forte, there’s also an abundance of YouTube channels, particularly The Dice Tower. Hosted by Tom Vasel, this is one of the very first board game reviewers on YouTube.
Buying the games
After you’ve done some digging around and picked out ones that interest you, next is where to buy them. In Edmonton there’s a wealth of friendly local game stores or FLGS for short. Mission Fun and Games and Apt to Game are the best, with great prices, and selection. If you can’t find a certain game, other options that are Canadian friendly are online websites. Both located in Ontario, 401 Games and Board Game Bliss will fill in the rest of what you can’t find.
Learning the games
Now that you’ve gotten that sweet plastic and cardboard, you’ll have to do some reading of the rules. No one likes spending time learning rules, but if you want to play with friends, you’ll have to learn the game beforehand. Learning a game on game night only serves to slow down playtime, and we don’t want that.
Luckily instead of trying to troubleshoot questions, there’s an awesome YouTube channel called Watch It Played. Rodney Smith, the creator, has made hundreds of videos dedicated to just the rules of board games. He will walk through the rules, and even play a couple of rounds for you to watch.
Get rolling
These are just the couple of tips to get started on this hobby. Now, get some of your best friends, a table, and get rolling!
