Candor Over Content: How We Actually Decide What to Buy

Getting deeper into this hobby usually starts with a gateway game. For us, that was Carcassonne. It was the game that got us interested in board games beyond the basics. Then we decided to try being actual board gamers. It was the week before lockdown and Wingspan looked pretty. We couldn't figure out the rulebook 🙈

Enter Rodney Smith (thank you for existing!). Looking back, the rulebook isn't bad. But when you're brand new to modern board games and everything you've ever played has been taught to you in person, trying to decipher your first midweight rulebook is a wild adventure when your only prior benchmark is Uno

Once you fall into the board game rabbit hole, you start noticing the distinction between a game you'd like to try and one you'd like to buy. And when you're relying on someone else's opinion to decide whether a game belongs on your shelf, I think the most important thing they can give you is candor

Tell me what you actually think. If you loved a game, tell me why. If you hated it, tell me that too. And if you loved it but there are things that drive you bonkers, I want to know those too. A list of pros and cons doesn't mean you don't like a game. Sometimes the things that bother you are exactly what someone else is looking for. I'm not trying to tell you whether you will like a game. I'm trying to give you enough information to decide for yourself

Our tastes change. Our groups change. Sometimes a game just doesn't hit the table anymore. That doesn't mean it was a bad game, and getting rid of something doesn't mean you shouldn't have tried it in the first place. I'm a reader at heart, so give me a good written review, a rulebook, and some photos of the game on the table and I'm happy. I want enough information to make up my own mind

So How Do We Actually Decide What to Play?

For me, it usually comes down to a few things

• LET ME SEE THE GAME: I want to see what the game actually looks like. Show me the components. Let me get a feel for what I'm actually buying

• LET ME READ THE RULES: if there's a digital rulebook available, I'll probably read it. I want to know what I'm getting myself into

• KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE: there are game mechanics I gravitate towards. There are designers and publishers whose games I already know I'm going to be interested in. When a publisher consistently makes games that line up with my tastes, a review or picture is sometimes just confirmation

• THE GRAM: I trust writers and creators who have similar tastes to mine. I start to learn what their likes and dislikes mean for me and most of the time, it doesn't disappoint

• LOCAL WISDOM: having a place like Millennium Games where I can ask for a recommendation is another huge part of it. There's something special about going to your local store 🥰

There is a ridiculous amount of information out there about board games now. Reviews, previews, playthroughs, rankings, crowdfunding campaigns, hot takes, and algorithms telling us what we're apparently supposed to want next. So . . .

How do you cut through all of that? What actually makes you decide to buy a game? Do you read the rulebook first? Look for photos of the components? Wait for a review from someone who shares your tastes? Ask your local game store? Or are you the person who sees a pretty box and says, "Well, 🦆. Guess I own this now"

I'm curious and wanna talk about it