On one of our early dates, my husband brought a board game for us to play together. I donât even remember exactly what game it was, but I do know that before then, my board gaming experience was limited to classic games like Monopoly.
I felt pretty lost, and I wasnât totally sure what was going on throughout the course of the game. The rules seemed super complicated and none of it made much sense. I think I still had fun…maybe?
Of course, I really, really love board gaming now, but at first the hobby can seem a bit intimidating. Some of these original concept board games come in huge boxes with tons of plastic and cardboard pieces, and rulebooks that are dozens of pages long. Is it really worth it to spend half an hour reading the rules and then setting up for just one board game?
Iâve been board gaming for about six years now, and I promise, itâs worth it. A lot of the popular original board games today do take more time to learn than simpler, old-school games like Monopoly or Sorry, but the more board games you play, youâll start noticing common patterns and play styles. And once you get comfortable playing a new game, you can play it over and over and over again, for hours of enjoyment.

Tip #1: Find a local game store
The best way to get started in board gaming is to head to your local board game store and ask for some recommendations for brand-new gamers. Granted, this can be a little trickier to do during the time of COVID-19, when itâs not as safe to go out and about as it used to be.
However, Iâd still recommend calling or emailing the store nearest to you, and see if they can give you some tips on what games to buy first. A good game store will be able to put together a personalized recommendation for you based on your skill level and other interests. There are literally hundreds of different board game themes out there: if you love pirates, youâll definitely be able to get recommendations for the best/easiest pirate games. Enjoy gardening? There are board games with nature themes too!
If youâre not comfortable leaving your home right now, your local board game store might have curbside pickup available or be able to ship something to you. Plus, I feel like itâs more important now than ever to support local geek businesses.
While it may be tempting to just scroll through a website and buy the first board game you spot that looks âfun,â I definitely donât recommend doing that. If you start with a game thatâs too complicated, youâll get burned out and frustrated. Itâs better to start with games that are simpler to learn and play, and then work your way up from there.
Tip #2: What to know before you buy
Some things to keep in mind as you decide what to buy first: pay attention to the recommended number of players, and watch some reviews. If youâre quarantined with just your roommate, you wonât want to buy a game thatâs best with five or more players.
One of my favorite online board game reviewers is Tom Vasel with The Dice Tower YouTube channel. He and his team do a great job providing concise yet detailed overviews of board games, showing you all the components and giving you a basic rundown of the rules. Before my husband and I ever buy a board game, we always try to watch The Dice Tower review to get a better idea of whether or not the game will be the right fit for us.
Another great website is Board Game Geek. It has everything you want to know about any game â and I do mean EVERYTHING. It has links to reviews, polls about the ideal number of players per game, pictures of the contents inside the box, forum posts that cover commonly asked questions, and so on. Importantly, it also ranks games based on how hard they are to play, so you donât accidentally end up with a complex war strategy game that takes four hours to play when youâre looking for something lightweight that you and your friends can play in 15-20 minutes.
Tip #3: Donât be afraid of sticker shock
Another important detail for new board gamers to be aware of: there will be some sticker shock when you buy your first couple games.
Board gaming is not the cheapest of hobbies. Some games cost $50 or more. To be fair, it is a long-term investment; board games are designed to be played over and over again after you buy them.
However, itâs still not a purchase you want to make on a whim. Itâs always a crummy feeling when you buy an expensive board game that you just donât love playing (itâs definitely a lot worse than paying $10 to see a bad movie).
This was a lot easier to do pre-COVID, but sometimes my husband and I would try out demo games at our local game store or borrow a copy of a board game from a friend and play it before deciding if we wanted to add it to our own collection.
There are board game YouTubers who have recorded play-throughs of board games, so you can at least virtually watch people playing a game before you buy it.
Itâs also easy to get sucked into the world of Kickstarter, where board game developers invite you to invest in a game with a really cool concept and incredibly detailed pieces. If enough people back the project, the game can be manufactured, and youâll also get lots of neat little bonuses for being an âearly adopter.â
Yet thereâs no guarantee the final game will be all that great â despite how awesome the pitch on Kickstarter looks. I definitely wouldnât recommend Kickstarter to new board gamers; itâs better to get some experience first, so that you know what kind of games you like before you take a risk like investing in a brand-new game.
Tip #4: Seek out online resources
In my first post in this blog series on board games, I talked a lot about how one of the best traits of board games is encouraging in-person social interactions in our increasingly disconnected, digitally-dominated world.
Of course, getting together in large groups to play board games isnât the best advice right now. Maybe youâre lucky and have a big family group that you can play games with, or you might be very limited in your social interaction.Â
To me, playing board games online isnât nearly as fun as playing them in person. However, there are still resources you can use. There are a few online sites that replicate the experience of in-person board gaming. There also are a number of games that can be played via apps.
Iâve played board games using Board Game Arena and Iâve also heard good things about Tabletopia.
Next up in the âOutside the Boxâ blog series: My top board game recommendations for both new and experienced players!
Do you love stories and storytelling â especially sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book movies? Join The Story Geeks Club! Itâs FREE! Join The Story Geeks Club here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestorygeeks/
Want MORE from The Story Geeks? Become a VIP Member of The Story Geeks Club: https://www.patreon.com/thestorygeeks
Join The Story Geeks Club as a VIP Member